Climbing has taught me:

1. When I encounter an obstacle, instead of just continuing to press forward haphazardly, I take time to look at my guidebook and resources, plan out the appropriate route, and make sure I have the necessary tools.
2. When I set out to accomplish something, I’m not afraid of giving it full commitment, since I know that I have prepared adequately.
3. I learn to trust the process. I go through the thoughts in my mind to help myself realize that the preparation I have done ahead of time helps me to take the risks now, and that many people have faced similar challenges in the past and have overcome using the same steps.

Just thought I’d share a quick thought on that!

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This is a result of not prioritizing. When’s the last time you looked at your life and your job and write down what your priorities are each day?

For example, a sales rep may have a ton of paperwork daily, reports to fill out, sales calls to make, research to do, financial forecasting, etc. But are any of those more important than others? YES! For a sales rep, making sales calls is the most important, since the rest won’t matter if there aren’t any new sales! So therefore he could say, “Cold Calling is my #1 priority. Therefore I will do nothing else until I have planned out who I will call on each day and made those calls. Then I will do the rest of my tasks.” Then comes prioritizing #2, #3 , etc.

So give it a try…write out what your daily priorities are. This will make you accomplish much more every day.

What about climbing? How does this principle apply to climbing? Well…do the same thing. If you have 1 hour to train at the gym…climbing routes that help you train for your goals is more important than just doing situps Climbing is the best training for climbing. So climb first…then squeeze in supplemental training!

I am awakened at 4:30 am by the call to prayer from a nearby mosque, followed by rooster crowing from the chicken farm next to the hotel. The Lutherans fire up their tribute to the divine at 9 am in some of the loudest and most enthusiastic church singing I have ever heard. Breakfast consists of dense, chocolate-brown Tanzanian coffee and eggs that taste like, well, chicken. Nothing like a week of eating organic!

Moshi is a working city lined with street-side fruit and clothing vendors. The men wear collared shirts and pants even in this heat and women wear brightly colored dresses, carrying children in slings and huge baskets of fruit and other items on their heads. There are no starving children in the streets and everyone seems to be chatting or texting on cell phones. Advertisements for Tanzania’s four cell phone companies and Coca Cola dominate the downtown area. Dusty 20 year old VW minibuses packed to the rafters chug down rutted streets. Our $60/night hotel is an oasis of tropical greenery with open air public areas and uniformed staff. I look through the gate of the hotel and am shocked to see a man with shriveled legs propel himself down the street using his arms while seated on a wooden dolly.

For all of these exercises, use climbing specific exercises (pull muscles and core muscles), as well as antagonist exercises (Push muscles).

Stamina Training

Stamina is what you need to climb long routes without getting overly fatigued. This differs from anaerobic endurance. Stamina revolves around your overall endurance to continue climbing, including aerobically and muscularly. Anaerobic Endurance means training your body to rid your muscles of lactic acid, which is particularly helpful on hard routes/problems.

To increase your stamina using a typical fitness gym, you should use weights for all your exercise that allow you to do 3 sets of 12 reps each, with a 1 minute break between sets.

Power/Strength Training

To increase your power and strength training, it is important that you use weights that allow you to do 3 sets of 6 reps max. YOU DO NOT WANT TO USE WEIGHTS THAT ARE ANY HEAVIER, or else you will bulk up and this will not help your climbing.

Anaerobic Endurance

To increase your anaerobic endurance, use weights that allow you to do 3 sets of 10 reps. In between sets, only take a 15 second rest.

Short and sweet! I hope it helps some of you out!

First, it is important to eat the proper balance of carbs, fats, and protein. Here’s a quick formula to help you figure it out! This is based on Eric Horsts description from Training For Climbing.

Determine Your Caloric Need:

Multiply your weight by the following number, based on your metabolism:

• Low metabolism – multiply by 12
• Medium metabolism – multiply by 15
• High metabolism – multiply by 18

Now add 150 calories for each activity of low intensity exercise you do each day ( such as walking, etc). Then add 600 calories per each hour of high intensity exercise (running, climbing, etc). Let’s say you do 30 minutes of walking and 45 minutes of running. That would be 75 calories for low intensity and 450 calories for high intensity.

Determine Your Carb, Fat, and Protein Requirements

Specifically for a climber, here is the breakdown of your needs, based on your caloric needs.

Carbs

65% of your calories should come from carbs. There are 4 calories in 1 carb.

Protein

15% of your calories should come from Protein. There are 4 calories in 1 gram of protein.

Fats

20% of your calories should come from Fat. There are 9 calories in 1 gram of fat.

So by making these calculations, and beginning to monitor what you eat, you will notice significant gains in your climbing ability, as long as you are training alongside of having a strict nutritional program!

More to follow soon!

So a person who climbs 4 days a week and trains 3 days a week, will not become as strong as a person who maybe climbs 3 days a week, trains 2, and takes 2 days off. In the same way, it is important that climbers train antagonist muscles; muscles that aren’t used for climbing. This creates muscular balance and prevents injury. For example, climbing involves a lot of pull-muscle use. Doing shoulder presses as antagonist training is important to create that balance. So the principle stands that in climbing and training for climbing, it is imperative that one rests and takes recovery days, or else they will hit a plateau, lose interest, and/or be injured.

It’s amazing how this translates into real life. I’ve been reflecting on how I work non stop. I’m always on top of my emails since I get my emails on my phone, every free moment I have I get out my computer to start working on some project….the list just goes on and on. I realize that if I don’t take time to rest and if I don’t take time to train my mental antagonist muscles, I will hit a plateau and lose interest, just like I would by not resting from climbing training! So I’ve made a commitment that one day a week, Sundays, I’m not going to work. I’ll do things I enjoy, I’ll sleep a few extra hours, I’ll spend time with my family, etc. This will ultimately benefit me and I look forward to seeing the changes it brings about.

The Adrenaline Rush

One of the things I seek out in life is new, exciting experiences. Every time I climb, I get that feeling that I am doing something new and exciting and I love the adrenaline rush it gives me as I move up the cliff. I have learned to turn fear into excitement!

The Challenge

I’m always looking for new challenges, and with climbing, there is a limitless lifetime of challenges awaiting me.

The Lifelong Pursuit

There will never be a time where I can say “I’ll never do anything harder than this,”, or “Well, this is all climbing has to offer…I climbed the best route.”

Solitude

Life gets busier and busier by the day. Climbing gives me the opportunity to retreat to places where few people ever go; where I am by myself on a cliff-side, experiencing the world as it was originally created, away from all the hustle and bustle of life.

Training

It’s rare that training for a sport is always enjoyable. However, in the case of climbing, the best training is climbing, climbing, and more climbing! In addition to simply climbing, learning various additional strength techniques is great fun to me, and  love how so many other exercises lend themselves to climbing, such as Yoga.

Community

Climbers have a unique community. Coming from all different walks of life, climbers share the unique bond of being climbers and no matter what can instantly connect. The sense of community among climbers is strong and is something to never be taken for granted. Through the climbing community you can build skill, learn about new areas,  and build a great network of friends.

Revitalizing and Recharging

There is nothing that I find to be more recharging and refreshing than getting out climbing. I think this is the greatest reason I love climbing. By stepping out into the wilderness and climbing my mind, soul, and body is refreshed more than it is anywhere else.

Study the path you will take

When climbing, whether doing a first ascent of a route, or attempting a route that has been climbed before, the climber(s) always takes time to study the route that lies ahead. Often this involves talking with other people who are familiar with the route, reading accounts of the climb, pouring over guidebooks and topographic maps, and more. That all takes place before even approaching the cliff. Once the climber arrives at the base of the cliff, there are more opportunities to study the cliff face in front of them, making sure they can see the line that will be taken, and any dangers or obstacles that may lie ahead.

When a climber is disciplined to plan in this way, it greatly increases their chance of success. In the same way, in regular life, whether in your personal or business life, being disciplined to plan ahead increases your chance of success. For example, take time make sure you talk with others who have worked on similar projects or tasks, read up on the internet to learn some best practices, and begin to develop a game-plan so that you aren’t just flying blindly into a project. Then when the project starts, make sure that you take time to step back and analyze as you progress, to make sure you are staying on-track.

Makes sure you have what you need and that all resources are easily accessible.

Not packing well can lead to great difficulty on a climb. Preparation ahead of time to make sure that a climber has the right clothes, food, and equipment by making checklists and methodically checking off items as they are packed is key to making sure nothing is missed. Then the next most important thing is packing items in a way that makes them easily accessible. For example, packing food and water in a place that can be quickly accessed while climbing is imperative, so that the climber doesn’t have to unpack the bag every time they need food or water, which is usually very often while climbing. The same thing applies to climbing gear, and even warm clothes that may be quickly needed.

Again, this applies to real life. When tackling a project or task, preparing ahead of time by making checklists that help you know that you have all you need and have arranged all necessary details for a project will tremendously help your efficiency in completing that project or task.

Be willing to accept and face the unknown, confident that you have planned and prepared to the best of your ability.

When climbing, no matter how much planning goes into it, there is always an element of surprise. Situations arise which call for quick decisions and good judgment. When a climber has prepared well ahead of time, and as long as they have not been unwise and gotten in over their head, they will be able to quickly make a decision and succeed.

This applies to real life as well. By planning ahead of time, and arming yourself with the right resources and people, you will be able to make those quick decisions when surprises arise. Taking time to learn ahead of time and surrounding yourself with the right people to help increase your wisdom and judgment will help you to face the unknown. Rather than being afraid and retreating, you will be able to push on, knowing that you have planned, organized, and taken the time to learn what you need to succeed.