[Anonymous]

Hello all-

For the upcoming 2020 “climbing season” I don’t have a big objective (meaning a climb/project at the limit of my ability). I have some planned trips (Kiener’s Route in RMNP Colorado, a week long rescue training session on Rainier) which will require me to be in good mountain shape/fitness but nothing more specific.

The past 2 years I had mountaineering objectives and used TFTNAs plan and am very happy. This season though I’d like to advance my climbing skills (I’m in the 5.10a range but not with style and certainly not with endurance). I also technically need to rapidly advance my crack climbing skills (have access to a gym w/ crack and autobelay).

So how do you advise trying to “combine” plans like the general mountaineering plan and something like the “Josh Wharton’s intermediate…plan”? I know that by May I will be VERY tired with the mountaineering plan, I don’t see much “extra” I can cut out from it to fit in (what I imagine will be) fairly intense strength training.

Last season I was able to average 8 hours/week, CTL 85 when I went off for Rainier. Thanks for your help!

-Arthur

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on January 22, 2020 at 2:11 pm #36740

It sounds like rock climbing is your priority this year. If that’s the case, combine the two plans, but bias the combination toward climbing. Make Josh’s plan the base plan and pick what you need from the other.

It takes much less training to maintain fitness than to build it. (A general rule of thumb is 75%.) So if you drop your general fitness volume to a maintenance level, that’ll give you more room for what you want to focus on.