[gibbonsd]

I'd love to hear some critique/feedback on this plan. I don't necessarily know what I'm doing, so any help and ideas would be appreciated. I got this plan from a book, and modified it a bit. The goal is to improve fitness for redpointing and onsighting steep endurancey limestone sport routes. In the past I have had really bad session endurance, where I can only get 1 good go on a hard project then I'm shot for the day and my grade really drops off a cliff. So, the plan focuses a lot on general fitness and endurance. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear suggestions.



Month 1- Base Phase-beginning after a break of 1-3 weeks with no climbing at all

Week1
Mon- 10x6 pushups 30”rec, 10x7 pullups(on fingerboard jugs) 1’rest, 8x30 stomach crunches(4x30 30”rec, 3’rec, then another 4x30 30”rec but this time twisting to hit obliques. 20’ running around 145-150bpm, stretching 15’
Tue-500m(moves) at 75%(maybe 4 letters below your current max, which is lower than usual after 2 weeks off). When vertical or slightly past, you can do up to 30m, when on a steep wall, do sets of 10m or so. Rest 2’ after each set, and each time you do another 100 moves rest 10’
Wed-as Mon
Thur-as Tue
Fri- rest
Sat- Climb routes outside and have fun. Get back the feeling you might have lost, dont get on your max grade. Mainly onsight if you can, do all the routes you can. Shooting for 6-7 routes.
Sun- same as Sat
end of week should feel- really tired on a general level

Week 2- same structure and idea as last week, more moves
Mon- 10x8pushups 25”rec, 10x8 pullups 1’rec, crunches 8x35 same 2 exercises, this time only 1’30” in between, 25’ running 150-155bpm, stretch 15’
Tue- 700m @75%. Up the length of each set to minimum 15m, maximum-40m. Each 100m 9’rec, 1’50” between sets. Work in some smaller holds here and there. Do the sets with a little more pump than last week. stretch.
Wed- as Mon
Thur- as Tue, but 800m
Fri- rest
Sat- Routes outside, onsight if you can. Try to do more routes than last weekend. Inch the grade up, but dont try stuff at your limit. Mainly just keep climbing. Shooting for 8-10 routes each day.
Sun- As Sat
end of week should feel- adapted, and recovering much better

Week 3- same structure, more volume, less rest
Mon- 10x9 pushups 20”rec, 10x9 pullups 45”rec, crunches 8x35 15”btw sets and 1’btw exercises, 30’ running 155bpm, stretch
Tue- 900m @75%. Sets are between 20m-40m. Each 100m 8’rec, 1’45” between sets. Work in bad holds. stretch
Wed as Mon
Thur- as Tue, but 1000m
Fri rest
Sat Routes outside. Try to do 8-10 routes/day like last weekend, but slightly harder grades. Try a route at your limit to see what happens. You should maybe be at 85% of your potential on rock.
Sun as Sat
end of week should feel- like 2nd week. If back to fatigued like 1st week, do easier moves and perhaps less volume.

Week 4- reducing volume and adding some intensity
Mon 30’ running
Tue Do 100m the same way as the last weeks. Find/make 3 max boulders of 6m. Give each 4 tries, 2’rec btw attempt. If you fall on an attempt, finish it from there. Then 4’rec btw boulders. Now, do 200m the same way as last weeks. 10x7 Pullups 45”rec,
Wed 30’ running
Thur same as Tue, but 5x10 pushups 20”rec instead of pullups
Fri rest
Sat Routes outside. Start trying to onsight routes at your limit, and do what you can. If they dont go down, give a 2nd try before moving on to another route. After, try some other easier routes(preferably onsight)
Sun as Sat

Month 2- less volume, more intensity(sort of like 4th week of last month)

Week 1-
Mon 30’ running
Tue 100m warm up(like last month, progressively harder sets). Rec5’. Still for warm up, pick 3 boulders 6m(progressively harder). Do each 3 times, 2’ btw attempts, 3-4’btw boulders. Now set 3 hard boulders of 6m. Try each 5 times 2’btw tries, 5’btw boulders. Now design a 20m short resistance circuit. All moves same difficulty instead of broken with cruxes. If you fall, one hang it. Climb in a good pace, no rests allowed(shouldnt be any opportunities anyway). 3 burns 5’rec, you should send at least one of those tries. 10x9 pullups 1 set per minute, so rest the remainder of the minute.
Wed 30’ running
Thur 100m and 3 warmup boulders, 30m long resistance circuit 85%. 4 tries 6’rec. You should send at least 2 of the 4 tries. One hang it when you fall. Pullups as Tue
Fri- rest
Sat routes outside. Try max routes onsight at your limit. Finish day with 3-4 laps on stuff below your limit
Sun- as Sat

Week 2
Mon- 30’ running
Tue- same warm up. 4 boulders instead of 3. 4 goes on circuit instead of 3. 10x9 pullups 1 set per minute.
Wed 30’ running
Thur- warm up. Take same 30m circuit, add 10m, try 5 times instead of 4. 6’rec. pullups same as Tue.
Fri rest
Sat same
Sun same

Week 3
Mon 30’ running
Tue warm up. 5 boulders. 5 goes on the circuit. Pullups 10x10, 1 set each minute
Wed 30’ running
Thur warm up. Add 10 more moves(now 50), and try the circuit 6 times. 6’rec. pullups same as Tue
Fri rest
Sat same
Sun same

Week 4
Mon 30’ running
Tue warm up. 5 boulders. No resistance today. Pullups 10x10, 1 set each minute
Wed30’ running
Thur warm up. Set new circuit, much harder than first 3 weeks but only 30m. 4 tries hard with 10’rec. No pullups.
Fri rest
Sat same. and if it goes according to plan, you will climb hard this weekend
Sun same

Next month is performance. Get out and climb your best outside. 1-2 times/week do an intense session with several max deadhangs on fingerboard, a little campus work, max boulder problems, and short resistance and long resistance circuits similar to ones from last several weeks. Not necessarily all those in 1 session, but work them in during this month. Keep volume low for these workouts and don’t destroy yourself. Save the juice for sending. Perhaps alternate each week climbing 3 or 4 days to stay feeling fresh.

[mrjonathanr]

My top priority would be building endurance on circuits on the bouldering wall. Increasing intensity difficulty and volume progressively.

For pure stamina, do some tradding on moderately challenging safe routes. Lots of slow climbing with a weight belt(rack), great for your pump. 

[shark]

Any plan is better than no plan as long as you follow it !

Having said that a few observations:

My personal preference would be to replace push-ups and crunches with bolton complex, dishes, and deadlifts probably once a week.
Replace the running with other stuff or just have it as active rest as there is no benefit to climbing endurance from increasing your cardio fitness.
Include some progressive deadhanging twice a week.
Make each 4th week an easy week.

[Nibile]

Buy supplements! It seems quite intense to me!!!
Personally, although I know nothing of sport climbing training, I'd skip the push ups and the other routines, for some progressive fingerboarding.
I'd also start the bouldering much earlier, since starting bouldering after a 4 weeks long endurance training could find you very tired and thus unable to reap the most out of the bouldering.
Anyway, stick at it, and good luck!!!
Also, remember to keep us posted about how it goes, how you feel, and how it ended up on rock finally!!!

[gibbonsd]

Thanks for the responses.  By progressive deadhanging, do you guys mean 2 arm weighted hangs on a few hold types?  Crimp, half crimp, 3 finger open?  I think I could throw in 1-2 fingerboard sessions a week without piling on too much fatigue.

I really like deadlifts, but I always seem to tweak my back doing them.  I usually dont have a training partner to monitor my form, so its kind of tough.

[Nibile]

By progressive I mean getting back into it gently and build a solid base before pushing it with max hangs, added weight, splitting fingers (back3, etc).
Let's not forget that hard routes have small holds.
They say.

[gibbonsd]

Replace the running with other stuff or just have it as active rest as there is no benefit to climbing endurance from increasing your cardio fitness.

Are you certain about this?...... 
These days I rarely climb anything long, but I took a trip to Kalymnos a few years back and some of the routes took between 15-20 minutes for me to climb.  I would say that you need some level of cardio fitness for that type of climbing.

Yeah, there seems to be a disconnect between the current training research and knowledge, and what the super elite climbers actually do.  I've had a lot of people tell me that pullups, crunches, pushups, and running wont help climbing in any way at all because they arent specific enough.... Yet a quick perusal of some climbing videos on the internet shows Sasha Digiulian doing massive amounts of running, Patxi doing crunches, pullups, and cardio, Magnus doing plank type core work with his feet elevated.... I remember reading that JB Tribout won a pullup contest at Smith Rock by ripping out 75 consecutive pullups! (By the way, Im not building this plan off snippets of climbing videos, but it is interesting to note that elite climbers do all these things and common wisdom is that those exercises are uselss)

As for the running and cardio, for sport climbing it seems to be that we dont just have a 15-20 minute event, but an all day multi-stage event with maybe 3 or 4(or more) 15-20 minute events.  Thats quite an endurancey sport!

[Bonjoy]

Week 1
Sat- Climb routes outside
Sun- same as Sat

Week 2
Sat- Routes outside
Sun- As Sat

Week 3
Sat Routes outside.
Sun as Sat

Week 4
Sat Routes outside.
Sun as Sat

Month 2

Week 1
Sat routes outside
Sun- as Sat

Week 2
Sat same
Sun same

Week 3
Sat same
Sun same

Week 4
Sat same
Sun same

  Good luck with that one mate!!!

[shark]

I've split off posts about the suitability of running in climbing train9ng here