The Training Bible, Your Yearlong Guide To Climbing Success. Part 2: Low-Intensity Endurance
Welcome to the Climbing year-long training plan. If you followed phase one, then you’ll be feeling fit and ready to move on to the next phase. You have laid down a base of general strength and fitness, and the next stage will move on to sport-specific endurance. This plan will work for all climbers regardless of experience and, and begins with Conditioning, followed by Low-Intensity Endurance, Strength Training, Power Endurance, Strength/Power, Endurance, Power Endurance, and Peaking.
PHASE TWO: LOW-INTENSITY ENDURANCE (6 weeks)
For this six-week period you’ll be focusing on high-volume, low-intensity training. You’ll start racking up routes in multiple sets and going for the burn. You must also keep up your bouldering sessions, at least one a week, but prioritize mileage rather than working projects. For best results, add a personalized touch by adapting the plan to your goals or weaknesses; for example, by focusing more on specific types of holds or angles. But this kind of specializing on weaknesses is in no way necessary; you’ll still feel big gains by just doing this cycle as it’s laid out.
As always, be sure to warm-up, cool down, and listen to your body. Adjust the workload if you don’t seem to be recovering enough.
Weekly Microcycle Calendar:
Select the appropriate weekly plan for your level. If you are required to train on two consecutive days, boulder on day 1 and do endurance on day 2. It’s up to you how to fit the sessions into your weekly schedule. The numbers below indicate days per week.
|
Beginner |
Intermediate |
Advanced/Elite |
|
|
1. Low-Intensity Endurance |
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
2. Bouldering – Volume |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
3. Conditioning and Flexibility |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
4. Antagonists and Core |
1 |
1 |
2 |
SESSION-PLAN DETAILS
1. Low-intensity Endurance
So that you can adapt this plan to your facilities (and keep sessions interesting) we’ve given two different options for both the lead wall and the bouldering wall. Do not attempt more than one option in each session. Ideally, you’d alternate between the options.
a) Routes / Option 1 [ 5x3s ]
- Warm-up first. Select 3 different routes of the same grade that you can climb consecutively, “3 in a row.” See guidelines below for optimum wall angle.
- Note that the grade will be at least 2 or 3 below your onsight grade for beginner/intermediates and 4 below onsight grade for advanced/elite.
- Lower off and make the transition to the next route as quickly (and safely) as possible.
- Climbing 3 routes in a row equals one set. Do 5 sets with rests equal to climbing time.
- Aim to make subsequent sessions slightly harder by bumping up the grade of the three routes by one letter.
b) Routes / Option 2 [ Up-down-ups ]
The aim is to climb up a route, then back down a route (usually approximately 2 grades easier), and then back up the first route. For beginners and intermediates, the grade of the up-climb should be at least 2 below your onsight grade and the down-climb will be 3 below. For advanced/elite, the grade of the up-climb will be at least 3 below your onsight grade and the down-climb will be 5 below. Do this a total of 5 times, with rest times equal to climbing time. Aim to make subsequent sessions slightly harder using the following target sequence: 1. Make the up-climb a letter grade harder, 2. Make the down-climb a letter grade harder.
c) Low-Intensity Endurance on the Bouldering Wall [ Random climbing ]
Find an easy and quiet area of the bouldering wall. Warm-up first, then climb around, selecting holds at random for 10 minutes. Go up, down and diagonally, as well as traversing. Try linking color-coded problems together, provided they are easy enough. Aim for a moderate and continuous level of pump . If you get too pumped, find a resting position and work at recovering before continuing. If you have a training partner, take turns pointing each other around the wall using a stick.
[ 5 mins on /5 mins off ] [ 10 mins on /10 mins off ] [ 15 mins on /15 mins off ] [ 10 mins on /10 mins off ] [ 5 mins on ]
NOTE: Optimum wall angle for low-intensity endurance training
- Beginner / Low Intermediate: Vertical
- Intermediate: 5 – 10 degrees overhanging
- Advanced: 10 – 20 degrees overhanging
- Elite: 20 – 30 degrees overhanging
Finish all endurance sessions with sets of pull-ups and straight-leg raises to failure.
- Beginners: 2 sets
- Intermediates: 3 sets
- Elites: 5 sets
2. Bouldering – Volume
Climb the problems in pyramid formation. The hardest problem, at the top of the pyramid, should take 3 or 4 tries. Rest 1 minute between problems at the first two grade levels. Rest 2 mins between problems at the third and fourth levels. Rest 3 to 4 mins between problems at the highest grade level. Aim to do 1 more problem at the highest or second-highest grade level with each session.
[ Beginner / Low intermediate ] V0 x 4; V1 x 3 ; V2 x 3 ; V3 x 1 ; V2 x 3; V1 x 3
[ Intermediate ] V0 x 4; V1 x 3 ; V2 x 2 ; V3 x 2 ; V4 x 2 ; V5 x 1 ; V4 x 2 ; V3 x 2
[ Advanced ] V1 x 4; V2 x 3 ;V3 x 2 ; V4 x 2 ; V5 x 2 ; V6 x 1 ; V5 x 2 ; V4 x 2 ; V3 x 2 ; V2 x 2
[ Elite ] V2 x 3; V3 x 3; V4 x 2; V5 x 2; V6 x 2; V7 x 2; V8 x 1; V7 x 2; V6 x 2; V5 x 2; V4 x 2; V3 x 2
3. Conditioning & Flexibility
This session remains the same as Phase 1.
a) Run (30 mins)—include 3 or 4 intervals
b) Conditioning Circuit (10 mins)—Burpees or rope skipping e.g. [ 1 min on /1 min off ] x 5
c) Flexibility (15 mins)—hold stretches for 20 secs, twice each
4. Antagonists & Core
This session remains the same as Phase 1.
a) Antagonists
Do 3 sets of 20 reps of the following exercises with 2 minutes of rest between sets. Don’t go to failure (or, optional, go to failure on last set).
1. Push-ups (kneeling if required)
2. Reverse wrist curls. Use a weight that you can handle comfortably for 3 sets of 20 reps
3. Finger extensions (with rubber band)
b) Core
1. Extreme plank [ 10 reps x 3 sets with 2 minutes rest ]
Do an extra rep each session.
2. Iron cross [ 10 reps x 3 sets with 2 minutes rest] – As extreme plank but spread arms/legs wide
Do an extra rep each session.
3. Leg paddles [ 50 reps x 3 with 2 mins. rest]
Lie on your back in a half sit-up position. Hands on temples, crunch-up to mid-way. Stretch legs out straight in front, hold feet just above the ground and paddle up and down.
Do 5 additional reps each session.
YOUR INDEX FOR THE COMPLETE YEAR-LONG TRAINING SERIES BY COACH NEIL GRESHAM
Phase One: General Conditioning
Phase Two: Low-Intensity Endurance
Phase Three: Strength Training
Phase Four: Power Endurance
Phase Five: Strength/Power
Phase Six: Endurance
Phase Seven: Power Endurance
Phase Eight: Peaking
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neil Gresham has been training climbers since 1993. Check out his training website climbingmasterclass.com.
The post The Training Bible, Your Yearlong Guide To Climbing Success. Part 2: Low-Intensity Endurance appeared first on Climbing.