Rock Climbing Add-On

All Levels

12 weeks

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) based

Elevate your game.

Do you want to bring structured training to your rock climbing? Do you want to combine skill learning with your climbing gym sessions? Are you an intermediate climber who wants to improve your skills while building strength and endurance? Do you want to layer 2 days of rock climbing training on top of your aerobic base training? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is the plan for you.

Diligently crafted by Steve House and Josh Wharton, this 12-week rock climbing training plan complements our running programs for individuals seeking to enhance their endurance by adding two days of rock climbing per week to their routine.

A common skill amongst advanced and expert climbers is the ability to try really hard! This is a trained skill, and cannot be underestimated.

Workouts are labeled with “am” or “pm” to emphasize the importance of timing. The aim of this is to spread the load, maximize rest time, and increase workout quality. We’ve added an asterisk (*) symbol to the most critical workouts in the training schedule.

Embrace the grind, do the work, and know that it will pay off down the road!

This plan is based on your RPE, or “Rate of Perceived Exertion,” where workout intensities are guided by how hard you are working based on your perception of effort (how hard the workout feels to you) rather than by heart rate.

Whether you use an RPE-based or heart rate-based training plan, we recommend that you use a chest-strap heart rate monitor and GPS watch to log all your training.

Add twice weekly rock climbing sessions to your endurance training routine.

This plan incorporates a process where you find your own level for your particular climbing gym and so it is adaptable to every skill level and experience level.

A plan you can add to your primary training.
Labeled workouts to prioritize and schedule at the right time.
Training backed by decades of rock climbing experience.
Workouts uploaded to your smartwatch or GPS device.*
Email and chat support.
Buy it once. Own it forever. Unlimited updates.

*Apple Watch syncing is currently not supported for RPE plans.

If you want workout intensity guided by perception of effort, you can purchase the RPE version here.

Enhance your endurance by adding two days of rock climbing per week to your training.

Questions?

How can I get the most out of this training plan?

This plan is designed to be layered on top of a primary training plan. It is more skill-focused than strength-focused, but if you’re in a particularly difficult period of your primary training, say late in a base period with high volume, this could hamper your primary training. As with any training plan, you must closely monitor your fatigue and adjust accordingly.

This plan requires access to a bouldering/climbing gym.

What should I do prior to starting this plan?

This plan is skills-focused and uses a process for you to set your climbing-training level of difficulty in any indoor climbing facility. If you are a beginner, it is often best for you to simply climb more. But if you wish to climb more with the structure of a training plan, this plan will work well for you.

What should I do after I complete this plan?

Remember to prioritize your training for your primary focus.

Don't believe us?

Strong experience backing a training philosophy that can be applied to a lot of different climbs and activities.

Ready to get started?

You will be taken to TrainingPeaks to complete your purchase.

Can't decide? Try any training plan commitment free, starting at $23/month.