Lots of climbers who want to improve tend to say, “I’m gonna go to the climbing gym two times a week for the next six months.” That’s a pretty good idea. It’s certainly not a bad idea. If nothing else it will be fun. That said, simply climbing in an uncontrolled and unmeasured way, without a specific training strategy, will not typically yield great results or improvement. If progress is your goal, then you need to be intentional about how you train, and you also need to be careful not to mix up, or condense, skill and strength training into…
Author: Steve House
The most time- and energy-efficient training tool for building climbing-specific grip strength is a hangboard. If you don’t have one at home, I’m sure your climbing gym has several. I own two boards, both from Metolius: the newer Contact Training Board, which I love for the huge variety of incrementally smaller-size grips, and the longtime standard, their Simulator 3D, which has somewhat easier grips. Read more: Training for Rock Climbing Hangboard Training Routine This little hangboard routine is one I made for myself for those times I first begin to think about rock climbing, usually sometime in March and again…
TRAINING PLANS HR-Based Exacting preparation for demanding alpine climbing objectives. Accessible training for intermediate alpinists. "I wrote this program with myself and several friends in mind. The typical goal for this plan is a long summer alpine rock route in the Mont Blanc Massif, Bugaboos, North Cascades, or Sierra. In each of these places long approaches are commonly followed by demanding rock climbs. This would also be an excellent plan for a climber bound for Argentine Patagonia." —Steve House This 8-week plan is ideal for the already fit and functional climber who wants to achieve peak fitness for a specific…
TRAINING PLANS HR-Based Steve House’s premier training plan for alpinism. Train to achieve your highest alpine goals. “I designed this plan to address the specific fitness demands of the Eiger’s 1938 Route and similar legendary climbs. This plan is for climbers who already possess the necessary technical skills but need a framework to develop the aerobic and climbing-specific fitness essential for success (and fun!) on these routes. Whether you’re tackling a one-day push on the famous Nordwand or a two- to three-day journey up the Grand Jorasses, this plan will get you ready.” —Steve House Are you ready to take…