Sample Training Session With Analysis, Part I

Preface

This is the next installment in an ongoing series exploring training for climbing. Now that you have the rules, let’s make sure you are a law-biding citizen in you daily life, i.e., the training session. The work done during the training session is the walking of the path to your goal. There is plethora of sample training sessions on the internet or in books. However, most of them lack data and logic. I define the relevant data as the results derived from adhering to the training. I define logic as the coherent rational or mechanism that connects the method to the data. I, too, am a scientific sinner and will only allude to data. I have consistently improved over my climbing career. However, it is hard to quantify that improvement because of the qualitatively different venues I have expressed my "climbing as art." I have followed my bliss in climbing from indoor to alpine to traditional to sport to bouldering to developing. The only constant has been outdoor bouldering. That will be my benchmark. I have improved (but only modestly) every year for the last 5 years. I have increased by redpoint bouldering level by one V grade per year, from V5 to V10. I have enjoyed that run, but no trend is linear forever. I don’t (and shouldn’t) expect to climb V15 in 5 years. However, that modest improvement is better than many climbers who do don’t measurably improve after using up the novice effect. What I lack in actual data, I hopefully will make up in logic and reason. It is common to supply workouts without logic. It is the evaluate of dealing drugs without telling the addict the wholesaler’s phone number. This post will provide a sample training session with supporting logic.

Any logical treatise has givens. I have already alluded to one given - You want to improve at climbing. If don’t want to improve in climbing, then stop reading. Your time would be better spent at an internet Crank Bank. If you want to improve (at anything), model someone that is successful. If you think I’m successful, then model me. If not, model someone else. Another given - You have to train to improve. At some point, just climbing (or just performance) will yield diminishing returns. From my observations, that happens ~5 the year mark. You can “just climb” for 5 years and see beautiful linear improvements. After that most people will have to train to continue to see linear improvements. One way to view training is separating outcome from process. In training, I’m process-oriented. In performance, I’m outcome-oriented. All climbers (including me) perform too much. I made this rule to simply my life - In the gym, I’m training. Outside, I’m performing. Other people play by different rules. Ask yourself, “Are the rules you choose to follow moving you closer to your goals”?

Sample Training Session

Date: 02/17/11

Objective: Increase maximal finger strength
Increase technique
Maintain stamina

Theme: Thumbless

Blocks: 1) Technique

2) Threshold

3) Hang

rest 3 hours

4) Flash

5) Technique

6) Prehab & Core

Location: Home gym - #1, #2, #3
Commercial gym - #4, #5, #6

Part II (The Analysis) will be posted tomorrow.