Strategically enhance your strength and technique for routes in the 5.11b-5.12d range.
TRAINING PLANS
Rock Climbing: Route Climbing Level 2
RPE-Based
Improve your route climbing skills with the second part of this three-part training plan.
Focus on purposeful training and measurable progress.
Welcome to the twelve-week rock climbing Level 2 training plan with Uphill Athlete. These plans will introduce you to more strategic physical training for route climbing, while also systematically improving your climbing technique and skills. It’s important to note that training, unlike exercise, is progressive and generally simple to replicate. Understand that training’s benefits play out over months and years, not days and weeks, and never lose sight of the core training principle: quantifiable progression.
Over the course of the twelve weeks you will climb a lot, and our goal is to help you do that climbing mindfully and with purpose, while also making you physically stronger through adaptation to the training stimuli. We will also introduce you to the fingerboard, a useful tool for building finger strength and tracking progress within your training.
The format of the training plans is three weeks of progressive loading, followed by a one week taper in preparation for a specific trip, project, or further training, repeated three times over the course of twelve weeks. Each three week block is progressively more difficult and involves a greater time commitment.
If you’ve been climbing for multiple years, or are currently climbing routes in the 5.11b-5.12d range, this plan is right for you. If you’re new to climbing and training, i.e. climbing less than a year, and mostly climbing 5.10-5.11a, you should consider starting with the Level 1 route plan.
Many workouts will be accompanied by a focus or drill. Although these can be mentally draining, and detract from your overall climbing performance within the workout, be sure to give them your full attention. They are an excellent way to improve climbing specific skills, and discover weaknesses. Later in the training plans, fewer workouts will have an accompanying workout or drill. See this as an opportunity to revisit a drill, or focus that you struggled with, or simply commit more energy to the workout itself.
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.
Plan details
- Ideal plan for intermediate climbers looking to increase their route climbing skills.
- Written and tested by Steve House.
- Emphasizes progressive physical training and skill enhancement.
- Encourages purposeful climbing sessions to improve performance.
- Buy it once. Own it forever. Unlimited updates.
- Workouts uploaded to your smartwatch or GPS device.*
- Email support and forum support.
- Easy-to-follow instructions.
- Rate of Perceived Exertion chart included.
*Apple Watch syncing is currently not supported for RPE plans.
To buy this plan, you will be taken to TrainingPeaks to complete your purchase.
All plans are delivered through TrainingPeaks, the most robust training tool available.
Built by Uphill athlete coaches with input from world-class climbers
A common skill amongst advanced and expert climbers is the ability to try really f****ing hard! This is a trained skill and can not be underestimated. In order for you to get the most out of this training cycle it’s important that you give your best, sometimes in the form of mental focus, other times as maximum physical effort, and often as both. Trust that over time trying hard will become a habit, and translate into long-term performance gains.
To get the most out of the training plan it’s best to follow it as closely as possible, but obviously life sometimes gets in the way. For that reason we’ve added an asterisk (*) to the most critical workouts in the training schedule. Do your absolute best to do these workouts each week. Skip optional workouts first, followed by required workouts, whenever time constraints are an issue. If you miss more than one critical workout in a week, repeat that week.
Complete the Level 1 Route Climbing plan in preparation for this plan.
We suggest moving to the Level 3 Route Climbing plan or the Advanced Rock Climbing plan.
Access to a climbing gym is mandatory. You’ll also need climbing shoes, a chalk bag/brush, a logbook, and basic weights along with a yoga mat for strength and mobility sessions.
ROCK CLIMBING TRAINING PLANS