Ice and Mixed climbing: Advanced strength with steve house
Boost your confidence on ice and mixed routes through specific strength.
Advance your Confidence on the Sharp End.
"I developed this plan over a 10-month period, starting in December 2017 and finally publishing it in September 2018. I spent more time developing and refining this plan than any other to date. This plan, due to its advanced nature, required that level of attention to detail. Much of this time was spent developing two workouts, which became the key workouts of the plan. I’ve called those the “Figure-4 Pain Circuit” and the “Advanced Mixed Climbing Work Capacity”. These two workouts combined with the uniquely progressive Endurance Ladder Workout are balanced in such a way as to create a progressive framework for achieving your greatest strength-endurance potential."
This strength-focus plan is intended for M7/M8 mixed climbers who want to break into harder mixed routes. You should be an advanced climber coming off a season of rock climbing at 5.11 on-sight / 5.12 redpoint level.
Fitness requirements before starting this plan: You need to be healthy and free of injuries. After a warm up, you should be able to do 20 pull-ups with good form and a minimum of 20 seconds one arm tool hang.
For those with the base, this plan can be combined with an aerobic-focus plan with these strength workouts being done in addition to the lower-body strength work typically found in an uphill aerobic training plan.
Plan details
Ideal plan for advanced climbers looking to push grades
Written and tested by Steve House
Customizable progressive climbing and ice tool workouts
This plan demands a high level of strength, which means that rest is just as – or more – important than the workouts. Take your rest days from strength seriously and you will see the benefits of the training.
Start this plan healthy and with a strong background of climbing. This plan is not intended for beginner to intermediate climbers. If you find this plan too challenging, please switch to our Beginner/Intermediate Strength plan.
Climb, climb and climb! You should be well prepared to take on big, audacious goals after completing this plan. If your objective is more than 8 weeks out, we have included maintenance workouts to keep you ready and strong.
Image by Marko Prezelj
I signed up for the Mixed Climbing Plan to get ready for ice season three years ago. I went through the plan exactly as it was and have never felt stronger on rock or ice!