NICROS - Training Center

The physical demands of big wall climbing are as different from those of bouldering, as running a marathon differs from the 100-meter dash. Muscular endurance and stamina are the primary physical constraints in big-wall climbing, whereas power and maximum strength are most essential for bouldering. Therefore, an effective conditioning program for big-wall will be vastly different from the programs for boulderers and crag climbers.

Should you already have a couple big-wall or alpine ascents under your belt, an essential first step in developing an effective training program is to ask youself "what were the constraints on these previous climbs that prevented me from climbing faster, harder, and longer?" As in all forms of climbing, such limitations are commonly a complex blend of mental, technical/tactical, and physical issues, and of course, taking your game to the next level requires acute attention to improving in all of these areas. Since the focus of this article is physical training, let’s examine how you can get into better shape for future ascents.

First, you need to consider what aspect of your physical conditioning is most likely to inhibit you on upcoming climbs. If your goal is climbing a big wall in a day, then muscular endurance would be your primary constraint (that is, being able to pump through many strenuous pitches in short order), with stamina a definite secondary limitation—since you also need the full-body stamina and energy reserves to keep moving for twelve to eighteen hours.

Designing a most effective program for reaching your goals, therefore, requires that you train as you will climb. Here’s how.

Begin by training two to four days per week with a variety of muscular endurance-conditioning exercises such as pull-up intervals, climbing intervals, and frenchies. Of course, the exercise of sending many hard pitches in a half or full day is the ultimate method of training muscular endurance, so you should never pass up an opportunity to go climbing in place of exercise training.

In terms of stamina conditioning, nothing surpasses the benefit of frequent dawn-to-dusk days of climbing. You may only be able to log a few of these marathon-climbing days per month, however, so as a training alternative employ a two-a-day stamina-training strategy.

The most effective two-a-day strategy is to combine a long run in the morning with a couple of hours of afternoon or evening climbing. Alternatively, you could engage in two aerobic workouts or two climbing workouts in the same day. Regardless, both the morning and evening workouts must be of sufficient duration to tap your reservoir of stamina. Going bouldering for thirty minutes or jogging a couple of miles won’t do it. As a guideline, consider forty-five minutes for aerobic exercise and one hour of actual climbing time to be the minimum investment. Twice this amount would be ideal for a highly conditioned climber training for elite-level ascents.

Finally, there’s the important role that quality rest and nutrition play in determining your rate of recovery and absolute gains in physical conditioning—to get the most out of your training and avoid injury and overtraining, it’s essential that you consume a diet rich in protein and carbohydrates, drink a lot of water, and get 8 or 9 hours sleep per night. Remind yourself that excelling as a climber requires an excellent conditioning program and the discipline to not overlook or skip any detail, no matter how subtle or seemingly unimportant.

Photo: Courtesy of EricMcCallister.com