This plan builds upon the Level 1 and Level 2 route climbing training plans, and is meant to help you systematically dial in your climbing technique and endurance for the hardest pitches of your life.

As an advanced climber, you’ve likely decided to take on a training plan to break through a plateau in your climbing, and a structured plan is indeed an excellent way to do just that. The format of the training plan is three weeks of progressive loading, followed by a one-week taper in preparation for a short trip or project, repeated three times. Each three-week block is progressively more difficult, and involves a greater time commitment.

This plan is designed for climbers that have been climbing regularly for at least three years. You should be consistently completing boulder problems up to V6 in difficulty, and projecting problems in the V7 to V10 range, or 5.13a + sport routes. Even very experienced climbers should consider starting with the Level 2 route plan if you’ve recently taken time off and/or are coming back from injury. 

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.