Nicros’ annual holds by the pound sale will be held on Sunday, February 26th, 2012. Don’t miss this once a year chance to stock up on handholds at a great price. There will also be deals on Nicros-EasyWall™ panel seconds, landing mats, Nicrotex™ and GymTex.

What: Nicros Annual Holds by the Pound Sale
When: Sunday, February 26th from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: Nicros Business Office
845 Phalen Boulevard
Saint Paul, MN  55106

Nicros Handholds

• Factory Seconds
• $3 per pound
• Nicros Training Hangboard Seconds also available; priced as marked
• Hold sales are as-is (no warranty on seconds)
• Cash or check only for sales under $150
• Credit card, cash or check for orders over $150

Nicros-EasyWall™ Panel Seconds

• $250 per panel (regularly $399)
• Factory blemishes on panels
• No warranty on panel seconds
• Mounting hardware not included

Landing Mats

• On sale starting at $200
• Vinyl covered foam crash mats
• Accordion fold (each mat folds into 4 sections)
• 4′x8′x3″ thick
• Available in black only
• No warranty on mats

Nicrotex™ and GymTex

• Discounts on Nicrotex™ and GymTex
• In-stock colors only

Terms & Restrictions of Sale
• Must be present to purchase during the holds by the pound sale. (No phone orders will be accepted.)
• Sale is on in-stock items only, no backorders.
• Nicros will not ship sale items.
• All sales are final.
• Cash and check only for orders under $150.
• Credit card, cash or check for order over $150

One-arm traversing is a simple, yet surprisingly trying, exercise with two big payoffs: increased grip strength and better speed of contraction (contact strength). Contact strength is a function of how fast muscular motor units can be called into play—this determines how fast you can summon maximum grip strength on a small hold. Use this exercise twice per week as a complement to high-intensity training such as maximal bouldering, hypergravity training, hangboard pull-ups, and such.

1. Select a vertical to slightly overhanging section of an indoor wall with enough room to traverse 10 to 20 feet on medium- to large-size handholds and small- to medium-size footholds.

2. Climb up onto the wall so that your feet are just a foot or two off the floor. Now remove one hand from the wall and hold it behind your back. Begin traversing with small, quick lunges from one handhold to the next. Advance your feet to new footholds as needed to keep your center of gravity over your feet and maintain balance.

3. Continue traversing for eight to twelve total hand moves, and then step off the wall.

4. After a brief rest, step back up onto the wall and traverse the opposite direct using your other hand.

5. Perform two or three one-arm traverses with each hand.

6. Safety notes: It’s important to perform small, controlled lunges that allow you to catch the next hold with a slight bend in your elbow. Shoulder and elbow injuries could result from consistently catching lunges with a fully extended arm or shoulder. Stop this exercise if you feel pain in your fingers, elbows, or shoulders.

Copyright 2012 Eric J. Hörst. All rights reserved.

Hi Russell, Long-term, the program that got you to this ability level, isn’t the best for propelling you to the next level. You must always be striving to train smarter…and stretching your boundaries in a more and more sport-specific way. So, of course, the weight lifting gym workouts won’t help your climbing much. Really, the most important thing is to spend more time CLIMBING, both indoors and out. The fingerboard is great from a substitute workout if you can’t get to the climbing gym, but your gains on the fingerboard will soon slow and be harder to come by. So achieving the next level demands that you improve your strength on the rock…and that comes from bouldering and rope climbing, ideally 2 to 4 days per week. Subtle improvements in body position, footwork, and such, make a HUGE difference when bouldering hard and roped climbing. The best competition climbers all train 3 to 4 days per week at a rock gym (or outside), so it will be hard to compete at a high level if you are only climbing one day per week. Is there a good climbing gym nearby that you could climb at, say on Tuesday and Thursday, and then you could climb outside on the weekend?

My question is in reference to your sample macrocycle on pg.176 of you 2nd edition TFC book. How do I best integrate a 4-3-2-1 training cycle with my outdoor climbing schedule? –Reggie (Maryland)

Reggie, For people who climb outside a lot when the weather is good, I suggest just doing one or two 10-week training cycles during the winter off-season and maybe one 10-week cycle in the middle of the summer, if it’s too hot/humid to climb outside much. Otherwise, try to climb outside as much as possible during the Spring and fall, and just fit in some elements of 4-3-2-1 cycle as you can between weekend or monthly trips. Ultimately, you need to identify your primary weakness(es) and work on them during those in-between.

I’ve been climbing for quite some time now, but it’s been an on and off thing due to tendon injuries and work. I go to my local climbing gym around 14 times a month with a rest day for each climb day. I mainly boulder–working my hardest every time on climbing higher grades–but I feel as if I’m not making any progress. What should I do to help improve my situation? –Anthony (Pennsylvania)

Anthony, That’s a tough question to answer for you personally, since there are so many factors that influence performance (technique, mind, conditioning). Your best bet is to meet up with a coach or to try to self-coach by reading Training for Climbing…and developing a game plan. My TFC book has a self-assessment “test” that will help you identify your weaknesses, and then arm you with the knowledge of how to train them up. One thing for sure: if you keep doing what you’re currently doing, you won’t improve much. You need to change things up and take your training to the next level. Good luck!

I have a situation I was hoping you could help me with. I’ve been climbing for three years, and I consider myself an intermediate climber. I’m at the point where I’ve decided I like bouldering better than roped climbing. My training predicament is this: my abilities in bouldering widely vary on the type of climbing I’m doing. I can boulder v6 as long as the problems involve lots of slopers or full pad (or larger) crimps. But anything under a full pad crimp (”microcrimp”), I can’t hold onto for anything past vertical. I know my problem isn’t pull strength, and I know my problem isn’t forearm strength. I’m 99 percent sure it’s all about my tendons. With my fingers being so lanky, the tendons in my fingers have a hard time supporting my body weight if I grab a microcrimp. Do you have any exercises I could do specifically to train my tendons to be able to support my weight on tiny holds? I have a 45 degree home wall, and I’ve tried setting very positive crimps on it to train on (almost a full pad and incut) but I can’t hold onto them longer than a second or so. What can I do to improve? –Evan (Tennesse)

Hi Evan, Your weakness is the muscles of the forearms, not the tendons. Tendons do no “work” in climbing, they simply transfer the force generated by the forearm muscles to the bones of the fingers. Anyway, the good news is that you can train your forearms to grow stronger so that you can hang on microcrimps! Climbing crimpy bouldering routes on your 45 degree wall is a good way to start. Use large enough crimps (perhaps around 1-inch deep) so that you can hang onto for 2 or 3 seconds–long enough to reach up to the next crimp. Do the problem at body weight; then do the same problem again with 5 pounds added to your body; then again with 10 lbs added to your body; then again with 5 lbs added; and a final time back at bodyweight. Take a one to two minute rest between each. Set a few different problems and use the same strategy. If you do four different problems, each five times, that gets you 20 solid training sets. Do this three days per week and in a few weeks you’ll notice better crimp strength!

Eric, I’ve read your website for a few years and I have a couple of your books (very useful!). After about four years of climbing, I have reached a plateau around 5.10a/b (TR on-sight level). For the most part, I think this was because I was more focused on alpine climbing and learning to make solid trad placements/climbing easy trad routes over this period – I was never concerned with pushing my actual climbing limits. My new goal is reach the 5.11 level. The other MAJOR difference is a significant lifestyle/weight difference–I went from walking everywhere in Cambridge, MA, running 3x a week and hiking/being active on the weekend to a very stressful job outside of Los Angeles. At the moment, I am 195 lbs (I’m 6′ 0”) – weighed 175 a year ago – and have made a very conscious shift to making changes that will get me back to 175 over 4-6 months. Oddly enough, I’m still climbing 10a–I guess it just shows that it’s mostly about technique–but I have noticed that the endurance over a day has dropped and recovery times are longer. I’ve decided to have a new focus on bouldering (I never bouldered before) to try to built more strength – I generally get shut down on 10c/10d moves that I simply feel totally uncapable of pulling. My main question is, given the signfiicantly higher weight, is there any type of activity that would be best to emphasize or avoid at this stage where I’m heavier? –Joseph (California)

Good stuff, Joseph. You have a good understanding of things, and I like your approach of trying to lose weight and improve strength/power via bouldering. Bouldering a few days per week at the gym (or outside) will help you with strength, but be careful not to injury your fingers, elbows, or shoulders–easy to do bouldering, especially if you still are carrying extra weight. Ultimately, you need to do more walking/running to drop that weight–lose the 20 lbs and improve your strength, and you’ll reach your goals. Good luck, and keep me posted!

Hi Brandon, Losing 5 or 10 pounds will certainly make a difference, but effective climbing up steep walls requires very specific technique and body positions that I’m sure you can improve upon. I bet a single coaching session–with a good coach that can help you understand the finesse of steep wall climbing–can make a huge different. Also, forearm endurance is very important for steep routes, so you should climb laps on some steep routes or do interval bouldering (do 10 to 20 moderate steep boulder problems with only a brief rest…less than one minute…between each problem). Getting your forearm endurance to adapt requires a long-term investment in this kind of training–twice per week for 3 to 6 months will make a big difference in how long you can hang on overhang routes.  You can do it…5.11 and 5.12 routes are in your future!!

Up until about a month ago I was hitting the rock pretty hard. I sent my first v9 at Hueco and returned home super psyched. Wanting to make a leap out of my recent plateau, I started finger training, and despite being very careful I still managed to do something to my right middle finger. With a month of rest I still have the pain. What’s strange is that I can now hold crimps fine, but jugs hurt badly. What do you suggest? –Jesse (Maryland)

Jesse, Sorry to hear about your finger…probably a tendon pulley strain. Should heal in another month or so, unless you re-injury it. These are tough injuries to deal with, because you never really know where you stand. Keep in mind, however, now that you are breaking into V-hard problems, you will always be at risk. For now, I would avoid any campusing training, especially drop down campusing (which is hardest on the tendons). Do what you can without pain and give it another month to heal before climbing anything super hard. Remember that everyone has different genetics and biomechanics, and so everyone has different risk of these injuries. Some people will tweak a tendon on a V3 and others (like the best pros) are blessed with tendons that can withstand anything! Most of us fall somewhere between these extremes…so trust your intuition on what you can and can’t subject your fingers to.

Hello, I started reading your Training for Climbing book (I’m trying to get back into shape for climbing), and I was wondering if you have any recommendations for protein powder to drink after training at the gym? Are there any specific ingredients I should make sure a protein should or should not contain? Any advice or help you can give is greatly appreciated! –Jeanne

Hi Jeanne, During and immediately after a workout I suggest Accelerade—IMO, the best product to start the recovery process. Then, after an hour or two, I suggest a whey protein shake (whey mixed in skim milk, OJ, or water). A serving of whey is also helpful first thing in the morning. I like the Gold Standard Whey available from www.NutritionExpress.com You can get also get Accelerade from this site. Hope this helps!

Hi Eric, I’m getting back into climbing after a long time off. I joined the Joshua Tree Search & Rescue team and decided to regain and improve my skills. I’m 58 now, so I have to be careful with explosive movements. I’ve worked out for years, so I’m fairly fit. A question: I do lat pulldowns in slow motion (4 seconds up and 4 seconds down) to avoid injury and get a full range of motion benefit. Would 5 reps with a lighter weight using this method have the same strengthening benefit as 5 reps at the maximum weight I could move at normal speed? –Bruce (California)

Hi Bruce, First, thanks for your service with S&R. Fast movements with high force loads are indeed risky as we get older, so I think your careful approach is good for starters. As you gain climbing fitness, however, you may want to do some normal speed pull-ups and pulldowns at/near bodyweight, since training with speed is important to regaining some element of power for crux movements on the rock. As always, warm-up well before training hard. Also, do everything possible to refine your technique and mental skills–important assets for us older climbers!

Hello Eric, I realize I’m very fresh to climbing (less than a year), but I’m also competitive by nature so a lack of progress is frustrating. I’m currently leading 5.10+ inside with not too much difficulty. However, once I hit an overhanging wall or roof my climbing grade drops to 5.8 at max. I know I’m physically stronger than some of my climbing partners but they just seem to float past me. I just started HIT training so that may help as well. Any advice or am I just taking myself too seriously? –Neil (Canada)

Hi Neal, I appreciate your enthusiasm and competitiveness, but you need to go about things more carefully and differently. HIT workouts are not right for you at this time. As a relative beginner climber, the key to those steeper routes is technique and strategy. Weaker people can float up overhanging routes because they move so efficiently–notice how they turn their body with every move, thus shifting their center of gravity closer to the wall (more over their feet and reducing weighting of the arms). This is a subtle, but powerful technique. I suggest you find a climbing coach to work with you a bit on technique–you can make huge breakthroughs in the this area and climb 5.11 routes without doing serious strength training. Hold off on the more serious strength training exercises (like HIT and Campus Trainig) until you have two years of climbing experience.

Hi Roger, Thanks for the kind remarks. Go to NICROS.com and click into the Training Center. You’ll see a series of 4 articles on Fingerboard training. You’ll also see pictures of a few different Nicros fingerboards. I think NEXGEN is best as it has the best variety of grips. As for your training, I suggest you get to the climbing gym at least twice per week and supplement that with one or two fingerboard training sessions (including some push exercises and core, too) at home. Fingerboard doesn’t really replace HIT strip training, but you can apply the same hypergravity training technique in working brief, maximal “repeaters.” Good luck, and let me know how it goes.

Hi Eric, I am only 15 and I am really looking to climb 5.12 (I have your book!). Should I still be focusing on technical not physical? –Bryce (California)

Hi Bryce, Yes, you can quickly improve to 5.12 by simply working on your technique and mental skills…striving to become a smooth, efficient climber. That said, you can do some basic strength training, like pull-ups, dips, some fingerboard pull-ups, etc. But don’t overdo it…climbing 5.12 is more technical than it is powerful. Find the right move and body position and it can be downright easy! So, make actually climbing the focus of your efforts, and you’ll soon reach 5.12!

Hi Eric, Thanks for all your efforts at helping us all become better climbers! I’ve really enjoyed your books, and they’ve helped (and are continuing to do so) me become a better climber. I have a question about periodization: what do you think about mixing stamina, strength/power, and anaerobic endurance workouts such that a week has a certain percentage of time spent on each (which varies as training emphasis varies) instead of the complete switch between each of these three (as you advocate with the 4-3-2-1 cycle)? I find I “loose” a large portion of, e.g., my strength when I focus for 2 weeks on AE, a week of rest and then 4 weeks of stamina – like I’m almost starting over again. Do you find this? This cycle, I’ve gone with the 3-2-1 approach (eliminating the stamina training, as I feel like I have lots of stamina) and am climbing harder than before but I’m not sure if that’s because I would have been in better shape regardless with continued focused training or if the 3-2-1 cycle is really better, or if something else would be preferable. I do feel, however, this time around that i’m flirting with injury more than during a 4-3-2-1 cycle even though I am still taking lots of rest days. So, I realize this may not be totally coherent, but I hope my question is clear enough: what is your take on different forms of periodization compared to a 4-3-2-1 cycle? –Katie (Alaska)

Hi Katie, I love that you have a good feel for your body…learning to listen/read how you feel and what it means. That’s VERY important, since we are all different and we each respond to training differently. Anyway, I suggest you consider doing a 1-1 cycle in which you simply alternate one week of bouldering (and strength/power training) with one week of roped climbing (and other anaerobic-endurance types of exercises). This is what I have many climbers do during their climbing season, since it’s easy to integrate with outdoor climbing. In doing a 1-1, you should always be sure to have at least 3 rest days from climbing each week (although you can do aerobic or push muscles on these rest days). Also, take 2 or 3 consecutive days off before an important day of outdoor climbing (a day you want to be 100% fresh for sending hard). Hope this helps! Let me know how your season goes.

So, I was wondering what the best way to gain endurance is? Is there anything other than laps that I can do to help my endurance? If I can send 11b/c than on what rating route should I do laps on? I used to be a gymnast until a couple years ago (I’m 16 years old and I’ve been climbing 2.5 years) so the power and strength aspect I am pretty okay with, but I get pumped so fast on almost anything. This has been frustrating for SCS comps and outdoor climbing. Thanks a bunch! –Leah (Illinois)

Hi Leah, Interval climbing, laps, and 4×4 bouldering are all good methods to develop endurance. That said, as a climber of just 2.5 years I think you can improve your endurance a LOT by improving technique and body positioning, relaxing (not overgripping), and moving fast on hard/steep climbs. By improving technique and climbing economy, you will be sending much harder in no time at all!

Hi, My friend’s mom went to your clinic on Youth Training where you talked about finger health. I have recently broken my growth plate at the farthest knuckle of my middle finger and I slightly injured the tendon on the bottom of the finger. I am wearng a splint and not climbing for two weeks. I have actually climbed a few times, but lightly (5.11). I soon have a Regional comp and I hope that it has healed by then. I really want to compete so that I can qualify for Divisionals, and then Nationals. Do you have any suggestions on how to tape, so that I can keep the finger healthy, or how to prevent these. I just want to put a few things out there: I’m 13 years old, I am a very consistent “crimper”, and I do quite a bit of campusing (1-3 times a week on average). Thanks! –Margo (Colorado)

Hi Margo, I’m concerned about your finger, especially the growth plate injury (which often takes several weeks or more to heal). I suggest you cease all campus training, since this is most likely the cause of the injury (even if you didn’t notice it happen while campusing). Age 12 – 15 is a dicing time as you have your growth spurt–you could easy get this injury again so be very careful. I’d focus mainly on climbing as your training and stay away from super stressful stuff like campus training. You can be an awesome climber—and win comps–without campus training. Now go prove me right!

In its essence, climbing is a dance up a rock wall using your four points of contact as the dance steps. Improving at climbing, then, demands that you refine your vertical dance to be smooth, technically sound, and highly efficient.

Winter is a great time to engage in some focused technique training, and indoor climbing walls provide the ideal stage for some dance practice. Here are four highly effective practice drills that you can employ to improve the way you move on the rock. Use these drills for a portion of every indoor climbing session this winter and I guarantee you will be climbing harder in the Spring!

1. Downclimbing routes

Upon reaching the top of an indoor climb, try to downclimb as much of the route as possible rather than simply lowering off as usual. There are benefits to this practice beyond the obvious one of doubling the pump. First, in knowing that you plan to downclimb a route, you become a more observant and focused climber on the way up. What’s more, since poor footwork is a leading handicap for many climbers, there’s a lot to be gained from this practice that demands intense concentration on footwork.

Initially, you’ll find downclimbing to be difficult, awkward, and very pumpy. As your hold recognition improves and as you learn to relax and fluidly reverse the route, you’ll find downclimbing a route often feels easier than ascending it in the first place. This is because your eccentric (lowering) strength is greater than your concentric (pulling) strength, and due to the fact that by leading with the feet (while downclimbing), you learn to maximally weight them and conserve energy. All these factors make downclimbing a killer drill for every serious climber!

2. Random Skill Training

Here’s a great drill to broaden your command of a wide range of skills and to improve your on-sight climbing ability. Set out to climb a series of widely varying route types in rapid succession. A commercial gym with many different angles, a few cracks, and a roof or two is ideal. Team with a partner and toprope ten to fifteen routes of different character over the course of an hour. The first route might be a vertical face, the next a slab, the third a fingercrack, the fourth an overhanging pumpfest, the fifth a handcrack, the sixth a roof route, etc. This rapid recall of a wide range of techniques is skill training at its best.

3. Speed Training

When the rock gets steep and the moves hard, there’s no more important strategy than to increase the pace of your ascent. Climbing quickly is primarily a function of skill, not strength or power (we’re not talking about lunging wildly up a route); in fact, the less strength and endurance you possess, the more important this skill becomes. Perform this drill a few times a week for several months, and you’ll find yourself naturally moving faster when climbing on-sight or redpoint at the crags.

To begin with, it’s important to note there’s no benefit to climbing faster if your technique degrades and you botch sequences. Therefore, it’s best to engage in speed training on a moderate route or some climb that you’ve got wired. The goal is to send the route several times with each ascent being at a slightly faster pace than the previous. As an estimate, strive to climb about 10 percent faster on each successive ascent, but back off the accelerator at the first sign your technique is suffering. Rest for a few minutes between each lap so that you can make a solid, focused effort on each ascent.

4. Fatigued Skill Training

Research has shown that beyond the initial successful trials of a skill, practice should be performed with variable conditions and levels of fatigue. Applied to climbing, this mean that you can improve your climbing skill by sending known routes and climbing techniques while you are in a moderate state of fatigue.

Here’s the best approach. Use the first thirty minutes of your session (while fresh) to train new skills, and then move on to chalking up some mileage on a variety of routes. After an hour or so (or when moderately fatigued), perform several reps of recently acquired techniques (such as backstepping, deadpointing, or crack climbing) or attempt to send a couple of routes that you have recently worked to the point of being wired.  As fatigue increases, finish up with a few more laps on sequences or boulder problems that you have more completely mastered.

In the context of a two-hour gym session, this rule emphasizes the benefit of squeezing in a greater volume of climbing with only brief rests, over doing just a few “performance” sends with extensive rest. The long rests and performance climbing may make you look better, but the greater volume of practice will make you climb better!

The Grand Opening Event was a huge success, drawing in more than 2,500 people throughout the day. There was live music, a raffle fundraiser, food and drinks, and climbing.

The facility includes:
• Approximately 25,000 sq. ft. of climbing walls
• 50-60 foot tall climbing walls
• Lead climbing, bouldering, top-roping, and Auto Belays

Visit the Vertical Endeavors website for more information: www.verticalendeavors.com

Nicros athlete Alex Johnson made an appearance and spent the entire day at the event! She signed posters, showed off some of her climbing skills on the wave wall, raffled off items throughout the day, and chatted with fellow climbers and fans.

Check it out:

Additional Vertical Endeavors-Minneapolis facility shots from the week before:

Congrats on the hard sends, Noel! I have no doubt you can send 13+. You are likely ready to send them now, if you can polish your climbing to a super high level of efficiency….so you might consider “maximum climbing efficiency” as your ultimate goal this season. Strive for near-perfection in terms of movement on EVERY route you get on this season (no matter the grade).

As for specific training, you really need to make a very focused two to three month training effort to achieve a new level. For endurance, you should work climbing intervals in which you send a series of boulder problems or roped gym routes with only brief rests in between. This way you learn to climb pumped–and gradually your body will adapt in ways that improve your anaerobic endurance (your mind will get stronger, too). Despite being a Red River Climber, I think you could also benefit from some hypergravity bouldering. Begin wearing a 10-pound weight belt for a portion of your indoor bouldering sessions–this will develop a new level of max strength and power, which will undoubtedly help on 13+ projects.

Perhaps we’ll see either other this season at the New or Red…and we can talk more then. Keep me posted on your hard send!

Hi Eric, Can you give me a simple, effective way to train pinch grip? –Will (Maryland)

Hey Will, Best way to train pinch grip is to set a couple boulder problems with only pinch holds…so that you have to do several pinch moves in a row. Do these problems 3 or 4 times in a row, each session and you’ll get stronger!

Hi Eric, I’m a 14-year-old girl training to compete in the national and world competition, and I’m wondering the best way for me to improve. My best traits in climbing are that I have a lot of power and my technique seems solid. My weaknesses are large slopers and pinches and sometimes crimps. I’ve tried training finger strength on a fingerboard but i don’t seem to be improving much and my finger strength deteriorates quickly when I’m pumped. What training strategies can i use to improve my finger strength? –Amy (Canada)

Hi Amy, At your age, I do not advise anything too crazy or intense in terms of training. But I do have a suggestion for you. Purchase a 10-pound weight belt and wear it for a few boulder problems each workout. Also, wear it for a couple sets of pull-ups each workout…you can wear it for some fingerboard hangs too. It’s hard to get stronger just training at body weight, so adding 10 pounds around your waist will make a difference. But don’t overdo it! You must always get plenty of rest. Also I suggest you immediately begin training your rotator cuff muscles a few times per week–very important to prevent injury as you climb harder and harder. Stronger shoulders will also help a lot on a steep, strenuous climb. Check out my book Training for Climbing for more guidance on this. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

I have been climbing and training for two years now and I have recently developed some sort of shoulder injury. I believe it to be rotator cuff tendonitis, so I have done a lot of the strengthening exercises found online to treat it.  Over the course of these exercises I find that my shoulder begins to hurt more and my other is shoulder is beginning to hurt too. Do you have any advice on what I should do at this point? –Mark (Massachusett)

Mark,  There are a number of different problems that can develop in your shoulder, it’s not necessarily tendonitis. If pain is currently a problem, I suggest you see a sports med doctor for an accurate diagnose. Hopefully there hasn’t been any major damage. If not, you can probably rehab it with some at-home rotator cuff training, such as internal and external rotation with light dumbbells.  Ultimately, however, I can’t diagnose you via email, and so a doctor visit is definitely in order if pain continues. Take care of this now, rather than “climbing through” worsening pain (which could seriously mess up your shoulders). Nip it in the bud, as they say. Good luck, and sorry I don’t have a silver bullet for you.

How far can you push yourself before being injured?  For example, if I’m doing finger strength training on a finger board, how far can I push myself before pulling a tendon? FYI, I’ve been climbing about three years and I’d like to push into the 5.12 (and higher grades)! –Peter (Alberta)

Hi Peter, That’s pretty much an impossible question to answer–every person is different, since finger length, natural tendon strength, and such, varies from person to person. But once you get injured, it’s a long haul to heal…so it’s always best to error on the side of not overdoing it on the finger board, campus board, etc. A cautious approach is imperative, especially for someone relatively new to training (not having the experience to make an intuitive “call” on when to say when in training).

As a climber of just 3 years, you have massive potential to improve by refining technique, tactics, and mental skills. You can climb 5.12 without being super strong. So I suggest you remain focused on improving in the technical areas, while doing only a moderate amount of supplemental strength training. Once you achieve solid 5.12 level you can ramp up training and, hopefully by then, you joints and tendons will be resistant enough to train super-hard and not get injured.

Hi Matthew, You are doing great for just 2 years climbing! HIT will certainly help you get stronger, but always remember that climbing is two-thirds mental/technical and only one-third physical. So most plateaus are best broken with a focused effort on improving in these two areas; although getting stronger will definitely help you, too. As for a HIT WO, here’s a link to follow for some guidelines. Use HIT as part of a training cycle, not an every-workout thing.

Hello, I’m 15 years old and I’ve been climbing for 2 years. How can I best train for doing hard routes? What ratio of strength and endurance training do you suggest? –Max (The Netherlands)

Hi Max, If you are talking about hard roped routes, then I you want to split your time almost equally between training long, hard sequences (routes) and shorter, power-oriented bouldery sequences. I suggest you use a training cycle in which you alternate every two or three weeks between a strength/power focus and endurance focus. Of course, remember that as a young and relatively new climber you must always focus on training technique and your mental skills rather than simply focus on getting stronger. Aspire to become a complete climber! Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

I’ve been climbing just 6 months, but I’m very enthusiastic on training and improvement. Currently I train five days per week, and since there’s no climbing gym nearby I have my own home training wall along with a campus board, hangboard, and peg wall. What other equipment should I get, and how can I best training to improve? –James (Australia)

Hi James, First, you need to be careful not to overtrain and get injured–five days per week of climbing-specific training is a lot, especially for a relative beginner. I suggest just 3 or 4 days per week of climbing-specific training, augmented with 2 other days per week of push-muscle and rotator cuff training to prevent climbing injury. Most important for you, as a relative beginner, is to climb frequently at a gym wall or outside. Climbing hard is very much about technique and mental skills, and you need to be climbing often to improve in these areas. I suggest you read my book Training for Climbing as a guidebook to training and performance that you’ll use for many years. Learn more at www.TrainingForClimbing.com

I’m having numbness of my pinky and ring fingers in both hands, especially at night. No pain, just numbness. Is a tendinosis? Should i follow the related protocol? Should I take off from climbing or just lower the intensity and frequency? – Giuseppe (New York)

Giuseppe, Numbness is those two fingers is usually ulnar nerve entrapment near your elbow (although it’s sometimes misdiagnoses as tendinitis). Rest should allow it to improve, but it may return…since some people just have too little space where the ulnar nerve passes under through the notch in the back of the elbow. BTW, this condition can also appear if you have a habit of resting your elbows on a desk. Anyway, I’d consult a physician if the condition worsens—there is a surgical solution if the problem persists. Let me know how it goes this season. Good luck!

I’ve heard of newish climbers injuring themselves when they climb too hard too fast since their muscles are strong but their tendons are not. And I’m wondering how to avoid that while still progressing in my climbing ability. I’ve been climbing about one year and I can boulder V7. I’ve been reading your book like a climbing bible, and I’ve LOVED it–it’s really helped me design a beautiful training system. I just want to try and cover all my bases in terms of injury prevention. So, to finalize my question, I guess I’m wondering if 5.12 movements (and harder) are a reasonable physical demand to place on my body at this stage. –Alyssa (Alberta)

Hi Alyssa, Sounds like you are off to a great start in the sport, and I’m glad you are reading up on training. Knowledge is so important to avoid the common pitfalls. 5.12 in one year can be problematic (injury), but everyone is different….genetics somewhat determine tendon strength, and joint and muscle structure also affect injury risk. So let’s hope you are genetically blessed in these areas! If you haven’t had any sign of tendon or finger pain so far, that’s a good sign (since many first-year climbers that push into the 5.12 level do experience finger or elbow problems). Most important, is to rest more than you think you need to between hard days of climbing or training. Three days per week should be your limit for doing hard stuff. Training for Climbing will be a good text to guide you in many areas, and my new book (Maximum Climbing) is a perfect guide for you as you push towards the 5.13 grade. I’d enjoy hearing from you as you improve. Best wishes, Eric

If you climb long enough, you will eventually find your progress slow or stop. Here’s the third step to breaking through this ceiling and opening up a whole new level of performance.

Milagrosa Canyon, AZ (McCallister photo)

3.    Elevate your mental game.

 Less tangible than physical capacity and technical prowess, mental skills are what separate the best from the rest. Sure, climbers like Chris Sharma and Daniel Woods are ridiculously strong—but so are countless other climbers who can’t come close to matching their 5.15 and V15 sends. Extraordinary mental focus and the ability to compress all awareness into the moment, multiples what physical and technical skills these guys bring to the climb. Your quest to break barriers and succeed at the lofty grades ultimately comes down to training your brain. Here are a few tips to get you started (check out my book, Maximum Climbing, for an extended study of mental training).

• Seize control of your inner dialogue. Direct positive, productive self-talk and create mental imagery that will enhance your confidence and help preprogram your ascent. Supplant negative self-talk and imagery with positive statements and images.
• Narrow your thoughts to the present moment. Focus completely on the move at hand and detach yourself from thoughts of possible outcomes. Learn to use meditation to quiet your mind and reduce cognitive chaos.
• Get to know your fears and learn to manage them. Take action to mitigate the risks associated with your legitimate fears, but learn to quickly identify and dismiss imaginary fears. Challenge the fear of falling by taking practice falls (when safe).
• Use mental rehearsal to aid in deciphering route sequences, developing climbing strategy, and risk management planning. Engage in vivid visualization and positive self-talk to program your mind for a success.
• Develop hanging-on power. Progressively subject yourself to greater and greater challenges that safely stretch your mental and physical limits. When pushed to your limit, strive to hang on for one more move, one more pitch, or in training, one more repetition. Each time you do this, you become a better, more mentally strong climber.