[cjsheps]

Here goes. Got a big trip to Ceuse planned in mid July and I'm willing to work as hard as is humanly possible to get strong in the mean time. My coach has given me a 6-month training programme that goes something like this:

2 months endurance
*1 month crossover
1 month power endurance
*2 month crossover
1 month strength

The issue I face now is that I have till the 15th of January before I start this plan. My current advice is to just start early with the endurance because it can't injure me. I'd be tempted to have an extra strength phase at the start but my finger's been a bit iffy as of late.
My question is - should I extend each individual training phase, put in an extra one, or do general conditioning until then?

(I'm quite well conditioned but my endurance and recovery is shocking, and my fingers could do with being stronger. My goal of the trip is a flash of Vagabond/Blockage)

Thanks UKB 

[JohnM]

I find that power and power endurance take the longest to develop.  I would concentrate on improving your base level of these aspects.  If you can combine this with some general conditioning as well you will be more robust when you start your training plan proper.

[cjsheps]

Cheers! I think I could do with a focus on general conditioning, as the reason my fingers are becoming screwed is that I had a trip to Cresciano in October and trained nothing but power for ages. Reckon I could work max pullup/1 armer power and some campus board, but should stave off the fingerboarding.

On weekends, should sheer volume of climbing be the goal at the moment?

[nodder]

From my recent locking myself in the mill training programme, I would suggest that unless you have already had a rest you rest. 6 months is a long time I am not a coach and don't have one but certainly for me what happened was 3 mouths of good steady improvements to a personal high point. Followed by two fucked fingers then 3 months to get back to where I was after the first 3 months.  If your finger is a bit dickey already, to not put to fine a point on it your going to be fucked after 6 months. Rest and climb outside whenever you can/want.  Run do core or weights or something diffrent but don't try to make 6 months 8 months there is no need.

[shark]

So 6 months traing starting now will finish at end of May. That gives you 6 weeks before your big trip. If you spent that time climbing on rock 4 days a week that should set you up perfectly. If you don't have the time or access to rock to do that then you should ask your coach to re-jig the programme to 7 months.