metolius - hangboard, campus, periodization

7/22/2019 Metolius - Hangboard, Campus, Periodization

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Fingerboard Training

Following are some training routines that have been developed through our own experience as well as that

of our friends and associates. We are not professional exercise people. We are serious about our climbing

and have seen the benefits of making training an integral part of our activities for many years. Our beliefs

concerning training for climbing are the result of years of asking questions and searching for answers.

From our perspective, the single most important thing to keep in mind is that each of us has a very unique

and complex body. To be most effective, your training program starts with a critical and complete

assessment of your strengths and weaknesses along with your goals for climbing. f you use this realistic

list as a filter for all the information available, hopefully you will end up with an individual program that is

ideally suited to you. There are now many sources of information out there that pertain to training for

climbing. Try to keep in mind who you are and who the information is targeted to, a person who can afford

to climb and train full time or the weekend athlete who wants to make some gains in strength and

confidence.

The bottom line in training is that you must be responsible for your own body and your own training

schedule. !esearch the available information, listen to the "experts", take the time to experiment, and then

do what works best for you.

Contact Strength or Finger Training is a Crucial Part of Improving Your Climbing

With the popularity and increased access to indoor climbing walls, fingerboardsare becoming a second

line method of training. #owever, we feel that there are some great advantages to the convenience and

specificity of training boards. #aving a board mounted in a doorway to a spare room or your garage makes

it easy to schedule a quick workout if a little time is all you have. The specific nature of fingerboard

training enables you to gauge your progress much more effectively than bouldering at the rock gym or

your home wall. t is easier to control if and when you fail doing a set exercise on a particular hold on a

board, than if you are desperately thrutching for the last hold on your latest plastic bouldering test$piece.

This factor will hopefully permit you to work to your limits while minimi%ing the chance of in&ury to your

fingers.

Finger training programs can be difficult to figure out. 'eep in mind that what you are strengthening is

essentially connective tissue, tendons and ligaments. t takes a long time to notice gains in strength in this

tissue and a very long time to heal once it has been in&ured. f you are using fingerboard training in

addition to indoor climbing on plastic, be aware of how much stress you are putting on your fingers and

arms, and be careful to not over$do your training. f you start having problems, allow yourself time to heal.

f problems continue, specifically long$term pain and swelling in your fingers, consult a sports$oriented

physician.

The Training

There are two general categories of exercises that you can do on your (etolius training board. n simple

terms, they are exercises that build power or exercises that build stamina )endurance. *ndurance$orientedexercises are a set of tasks that put your muscles in a more or less aerobic state+ that is, training your

muscles to function for extended periods. They generally are a longer duration and a lower load exercises

and you are maintaining a lower level "burn" in the muscles than the pump you get at the limit of your

strength. ower$oriented exercises focus on short duration, higher load tasks that your muscles can-t

maintain for very long. With these exercises, you are building strength muscle fiber si%e / and the capacity

to recruit more muscle fibers for short, quick bursts of movement.

0ny of the training that follows assumes a good base strength level. (ost of the work or exercises that

follow are power$oriented for a couple of reasons1

We feel that you can develop some endurance from a power workout, but you cannot develop good

power from an endurance$oriented workout and in fact, it is best if they are trained independently.

t is hard both physically and mentally, to hang on a board for the extended periods required to totally
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target endurance.

The amount of load you use for each exercise is up to you to determine. We feel the most gains happen if

you use a safe maximum load for the cycle that you are in. Try to pick a load that allows you to barely

hold on for the time indicated in the exercise. 2oad is determined relative to your body weight. f you need

to add weight, use a weight belt. f you need to reduce weight, use a chair or step stool set back from and

under the board that allows you push with one leg. (ake sure your other leg stays below you, so that ifyou fall, you land on your feet. 3ou can use a bathroom scale on a chair to give you a more accurate idea

of how much weight you are taking off see illustration/. f you don-t feel safe using this method, have a

partner lift you instead.

Use Partners

artners can check your time and remove or add weight as well as give you assistance and cheer you on

when you-re trying to get that last bit of effort out. #aving a partner spot you when training to absolute

failure is highly recommended.

Setup A Workout Schedule Stick To It

(ake a chart and use it to keep track of your training. f you keep a detailed record showing amounts of

weight and)or assistance for each segment of an exercise, it will be much easier to slowly increase your

workload. These records will help you get the most benefit from your training time.

Use An! of the "olds For An! #$ercise

3ou will probably find that certain holds are better suited to certain exercises than others. For example,

you would probably do pull$ups on different holds than short duration hangs. t is also important to look at

your weakest points and train those first. For example, if you have a hard time holding onto sloping holds,

focus your training there early in your workouts. t is also a good idea to change the holds you use for a

given exercise every few weeks, to maximi%e the effectiveness of your training.

%os %on&ts

0void doing an excessive number of pull$ups on your board. 0 lot of pull$ups on a static bar can lead to

elbow &oint in&uries. f you wish to do more pull$ups than our exercises indicate, we recommend that you

use (etolius !ock !ings.

0void range of motion exercises for your fingers on any training board. Once you place weight on a hold

do not attempt to move your fingers don-t do mini pull$ups with your fingers/ as this can lead to in&ury.

0void using crimp or cling grips. 0 very important aspect concerning any hold is how you hold on to it. t

is extremely important that you do not use any kind of cling technique regularly. 4ecause of the increased

angle of your fingers while clinging, the load on your finger &oint is far too high to be safe for training

purposes. We have found that if you keep your hand more open, you will be safer and still can strengthen

your fingers for both open$handed and cling holds. The illustration pictured shows both types of holds.

5se chalk when training and occasionally clean your board with a nylon brush to maintain a consistent

surface.

The Tasks

Following are the basic elements of exercises that can be done on your training board1

#angs $ either straight arm or bent arm, one arm or both. When hanging straight, there should still be a

slight bend to the elbows.

ull$ups $ can be done with the hands parallel or offset one of your hands on a higher or smaller hold

than the other/. Offset pulls put more training stress on the higher or smaller hold arm and can moreeffectively simulate certain climbing situations.

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'nee 2ifts $ #ang on good holds and bring your knees to your chest, bending at the waist and knees.

This task works the often overlooked abdominals for that solid mid$body connection.

6houlder 6hrugs $ #ang as above and raise and lower your body without bending your elbows. This

exercise works several different muscle groups in the shoulder girdle. 0s with pull$ups, we would

recommend keeping repetitions low.

C!clic Periodi'ation

0s an overall strategy, cyclic periodi%ation allows you to be at your peak when you want to be. Whether

this corresponds to a big road trip or pushing your limits when the weather is the best is up to you. f

properly done chances of in&ury and mental burnout are minimi%ed and gains in strength and power are

optimi%ed.

The concept is simple+ build a base of endurance then work toward maximum power. 4y pushing your

body in these cycles you strike a balance between letting yourself be fresh and strong within the cycles and

not letting yourself totally adapt to the stresses of the workouts. This keeps you from stalling at different

plateaus and makes the gains possible much greater than doing the same sets of workouts month after

month. mmediately following the peak cycle you should be ready to climb strongly. The 7ycle 6hown4elow Would 6tart 0gain n 8une

I

NT

E

N

S

I

T

Y

Peak C!cle

Intensity = 80-100%

Volume = Low

Loads = High

e!etitions = Low

"#e$ueny = &-' days

a wee(

(aximum strength andpower. (ost exercises

done to failure. Taper

training and focus on

climbing midway

through the cycle.

0fter cycle ends, no

gym time. 3ou should

be in peak condition

for the crags for 9 to :

weeks.

(oad C!cle

Intensity = )*%

Volume =

+ode#ate,High

Loads = +ediume!etitions =

+ode#ate

"#e$ueny = '- days

a wee(

The foundation,

endurance, connective

tissue strength, some

muscle power

building.

Conditioning C!cle

Intensity = .0%Volume = +ode#ate

Loads = Low

e!etitions = High

"#e$ueny = &-' days

a wee(

Warm$up and active

rest cycle.

reparation for more

strenuous cycles

)ecover! C!cle

Intensity = *0%

Volume = Low

Loads = Light

e!etitions = Low

"#e$ueny = & days a

wee(

!est and recovery,

prep for peak cycle.

& wee(s

No/eme#

10 wee(s

eeme# - 2anua#y

& wee(s

"e#ua#y

8 wee(s

+a#h - 3!#il

%efinitions

ntensity ; 0 percentage of your maximum effort, as applied to a single set or an overall workout. 0s an

example+ when you are fully rested and it is all you can do to hang on a particular hold for one minute,

then : seconds on the same hold. icking an easy to measure test

such as this and getting to know the level of "pump" that corresponds to that intensity, then allows you to

tailor other exercises to your particular goal. This is the crucial element of any workout program, onethat determines the other elements and one that needs the most attention and ad&ustment. Think of

intensity as a set point that you need to ad&ust upward as you get stronger or ad&ust downward if you are

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not recovering between workouts.

?olume ; The length of your workout or how many sets or exercises. This is one of the easiest elements

to ad&ust according to where you are in your training regime up as you get stronger, down if you are not

recovering/. !emember volume is not the same as intensity.

2oad ; #ow much weight relative to body weight. This assumes that for many of the exercises withcertain holds you will need to add weight by using a weighted belt/ or subtract weight by having a

spotter lift you or by placing a footstool under the board to lightly put one foot on/ to hang for a

particular time for a set intensity.

!epetitions ; #ow many pull$ups or separate movements in an exercise.

Frequency ; #ow many days per week to train.

*ther #lements to Consider

Warm$up1 Take plenty of time to stretch and lightly work all the muscles you are going to use in yourworkout session. @rink plenty of water during and following workouts.

'now the difference between a healthy muscle ache and pain associated with connective tissue damage.

There is no quicker way to sabotage your climbing goals than to try to train through in&uries.

!est 1 figure out what you need for the different cycles and take itA 3ou should go into each workout

without muscle pain.

(icro$cycles1 These are incorporated into the longer, harder main cycles load and peak / to keep you

from plateauing within the cycle. 5sually done in a hard dayA easy dayA moderate day. This is intended

to break up your routines enough that you stay rested, but still are not letting your body settle into one

medium mode.

The #$ercises

These exercises can be added to or used instead of the ones shown in the following example workouts. The

B>$minute sequences especially lend themselves to experimentation. They are good combinations of

endurance and power work and can be adapted to training for a specific climb. 'eep in mind some general

guidelines when thinking about adapting exercises to yourself. ower exercises keep durations of tasks

short, with heavier or harder loads. *ndurance exercises are longer, less intense+ you should feel like you

are maintaining a low$level pump. The easiest element of the exercises to change is generally load+ be

familiar with the various ways to do this. n the exercise sequences that follow, if a C$minute rest is not

indicated, proceed immediately to the next task.

Warming Up

One of the most important steps in muscular development and in&ury prevention is a thorough warm up.

Denerally, the best way to do this is to warm up the large muscles that will be used first, and then move to

the smaller. There are various ways to accomplish this+ start with low level aerobics, then general

calisthenics or weight lifting. 3ou can follow this with a series of one or two pull$ups or a B> to C> second

hang on each hold on your board, with a E>s rest between each task. Take time to stretch after you are

warmed up, once again starting with the large muscles and working your way to your fingers. 0fter you

are completely warmed up give yourself a rest of < to B> minutes before starting the workout.

#$tra Training Tips

0lways give yourself enough time for a thorough warm$up. This is undoubtedly the best thing you

can do to keep yourself in&ury free.

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Take some time before you start each hang to work your fingers into the hold. This "milking the hold"

enables you to get a more powerful grip and mentally prepares you for the task ahead.

When you are ready to hang for a time and after you have set yourself on the hold, let your body

down directly below the hold, so that when you raise your feet your body does not swing. 6winging

makes it a lot harder to hang on.

To be most effective, once you have milked the holds and started your hang, don-t move your fingerson the hold. This is especially true when hanging on slopers.

4rush the holds on your board frequently, even between exercises. 'nowing the holds are clean and

grease free is a big boost psychologically.

7halk your hands and fingers well before each task. For superior performance, on plastic or rock, use

(etolius 6uper 7halk.

ersonali%e your training regime and then stick to it. f you have a balanced program, with enough

variety to keep you motivated you will get stronger. t takes time to see improvements, patience will

make the gains come sooner.

f you feel stuck on a ma&or plateau, go back over your original expectations and make sure they are

realistic. Often, stalling may indicate you need more rest or a break from some part of your routine.Or it may mean take a look at what you can do to improve your motivation. Find a good partner to

train with, dream about your next trip, or think about how good you will feel once you-re done with

your workout. 0nything you can do to maintain your positive attitude will pay off big!

Principals

Fingerboards are most effective at training contact strength and general upper body strength. 7ontact

strength, also referred to as finger strength, is simply the ability to hold onto the holds as opposed to the

ability to move between the holds/. t is the single most important type of strength for a climber to have.

f you cant even hold onto the grips, there is no way you will be able to move between them.

Fundamentals

#ow to Drasp the Drips1 3ou want to use an open$handed grip as often as possible. (ost climbers are

weaker open$handed than crimped, so you may find this difficult at first, but youll get used to it. Training

open$handed will increase your crimp strength but not vice$versa/, and it is essential for holding pockets,

slopers, and certain edges, as well as making moves at maximum stretch and catching dynos. (ost

importantly, however, using an open hand lowers the potential for in&ury. 0s you adapt to training, you

can incorporate a little crimp training to increase your maximum edge$holding power, but keep it to a

minimum.

Warm 5p, Warm @own1 t is critical to warm up thoroughly. 3ou can start by climbing, bouldering, or

doing easy pull$ups and dead hangs, along with gentle stretching. (ake the first B< minutes ridiculously

easy and gradually increase the intensity until youre at full power. !everse this process at the end of your

session to prevent in&ury and speed up recovery. The warm down should be even easier than the warm up.

t should feel as if youre doing almost nothing. The idea is &ust to keep the blood flowing for B< or C>

minutes after the high intensity part of your workout.

!ecovery1 To maximi%e your gains and prevent in&ury, you should always be fully recovered before a

training session. Got resting enough between workouts will soon lead to a plateau, quickly followed by

in&ury and burnout. f it takes you longer than normal to feel warmed up, or if you havent noticed any

improvement in E or 9 sessions, you probably need more rest. 2isten to your body and be flexible with

your training schedule.

(aking t *asier1 f you find certain exercises or holds too difficult at first, you can put one foot on a chair

or have a training partner assist you to take off as much weight as necessary. 4e sure to have a clean,

open, well$padded landing area, as an awkward, off$balance fall is a greater possibility when your feet arehelping to take your weight.

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Ten +inute Se,uence

The B> minute sequence consists of B> tasks, one performed at the start of each minute with the remaining

time used to rest until the start of the next minute. t is an excellent format for training both strength and

stamina in the same workout, for improving your recovery, or &ust for warming up. t is also a great way

to simulate the demands of your current pro&ect. We have included two sample routines, but the ten$

minute sequence is most effective when you custom tailor it to your own personal needs. 4e creative and

dont limit yourself. t could be five minutes or thirty minutes+ you could do it in 9< second cycles or two$

minute cycles. *xperiment with your training and keep it as varied as possible.

E3SY H3E

Time Tas( Tas(

1st min4 ' !ulls +edium Edge . !ulls ounded Slo!e

&nd min410 se4 hang ound Slo!e

& !ulls +edium Edge

&0 se4 hang +edium Edge

' 5ulls 2ugs

'#d min41* se4 hang Small Edge

& !ulls ' "inge# 5o(et

&0 se4 hang Small Edge

' !ulls ' "inge# 5o(et

th min41* se4 hang 2ugs

' !ulls +edium Edge

&* se4 hang ounded Slo!e

* !ulls La#ge Edge

*th min4&0 se4 hang ounded Slo!e

' !ulls ' "inge# 5o(et

&* se4 hang La#ge Edge

' !ulls +edium Edge

.th min410 se4 hang +edium Edge

& !ulls Small Edge

'0 se4 Hang ounded Slo!e

* !ulls Small Edge

)th min410 se4 hang 2ugs

!ulls ounded Slo!e

&0 se4 hang La#ge Edge

' !ulls 1 ',86 & "inge# 5o(et

8th min4 * !ulls +edium Edge

&0 se4 hang +edium Edge

' !ulls 1 1,&6 & "inge# 5o(et

7th min4 ' !ulls 2ugs1* se4 hang "lat Slo!e

' !ulls 2ugs

10th min4 +a4 Hang ounded Slo!e +a4 Hang ounded Slo!e

+ore #$ercises

@ead #ang1 This is the fundamental exercise for developing contact strength. 3ou should master the dead

hang on any particular hold before attempting any other exercise on that hold. Gever lock you elbows

completely. 0lways keep a slight bend to prevent in&ury.

4ent 0rm #ang1 0 variation of the dead hang which will begin to develop your ability to pull throughand lock$off. This can be done at any angle, and should be varied as much as possible. ull yourself up to

the designated angle and hold a static contraction for the designated amount of time. 4e careful of doing

maximal contractions at full lock$off, as they can be as in&urious as fully locked$out elbows.

Offset #angs1 4egin as with the bent arm hang. 6hift your weight all the way to one side and hold a

contraction. 6hift your weight laterally, all the way to the other side, without lowering your body and hold

an equal contraction. !epeat. ?ary the angle of your lock$off, the duration of your lock$off, and the

number of repetitions.

ull$ups1 Try to be as smooth as possible. @ont &erk, kip, swing, or otherwise cheat. 'eep your lower

body quiet. @ont lock your elbows completely at the bottom. Focus on maintaining perfect form, and

dont worry about the number of repetitions.

Offset ull$ups1 The first step to one$arm pull$ups. osition yourself with your weight centered under onearm, as if to do a one$arm pull$up. 7hoose a lower hold with the other hand and give yourself &ust enough

assistance to complete the exercise.

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One$arm ull$ups1 Gow you really have some powerA Follow the same guidelines as for pull$ups but

pronate your arm more. f youre getting close, but cant quite do one$arms, do an offset pull$up, but

perform the negative contraction lower yourself/ as a pure one$arm. The potential for in&ury is very high,

so it is absolutely critical to be smooth. @ont bounceA

2$#ang1 The emphasis here is on core strength. 7hoose a hold that youre fairly comfortable on. 3ou can

dead hang or bent arm hang. ull your legs up from the hips, keeping your knees straight and your toes

pointed. #old a static contraction with your legs at H> degrees to your torso or do slow repetitions raisingyour legs as far as you can but only lowering to about 9< below hori%ontal. f you lower you legs all the

way, it will take the tension off your abs and constitute a rest. The idea is to keep your abdominal muscles

contracted the entire time. f straight leg raises are too difficult, bend your knees at a H> degree angle.

Front 2ever1 Work up to these by performing them first with both legs bent at the knees, and then with

one leg straight and one bent. f you can do a good front lever, try it with one arm.

C!clic Periodi'ation

We would next like to introduce cyclic periodi%ation as a method for planning a year of training. 0s an

overview strategy, cyclic periodi%ation allows you to be at your peak when you want to be. roperly done,

chances of in&ury and mental burnout are minimi%ed. 0lso, the amount of time you spend stuck atconditioning and strength plateaus tends to decrease.

Our version of cyclic periodi%ation consists of five ma&or cycles, which are sequentially organi%ed to cover

an entire climbing)training year. The five ma&or cycles are as follows1

Conditioning C!cle

@uring this cycle, you should train at :> to I>= of your maximum effort if you can hang fully rested for

one minute, then : seconds/. The volume of work should be moderate,

with long hang times and many repetitions. 6pend one to two days a week in the gym during this cycle. @o

not push yourself to absolute failure.

This period serves as a warm$up and active rest cycle. 0s a warm$up, the conditioning phase prepares the

body for the intense training to come. 0s an active rest phase, it assures that no ma&or de$conditioning

occurs, while providing a mental and physical break from strenuous workouts4

(oad C!cle

@uring this cycle, you should train at I> to J> = of your maximum effort. The volume of work should be

moderate to high with long hang times and many repetitions. Three to five days per week should be spent

in the gym.

The load cycle builds endurance, connective tissue and some muscle strength and provides specific

movement. @uring this phase, work in micro cycles of a hard day, easy day and moderate day. Then,

repeat the micro cycle with more weight and)or longer hang times. @uring the last part of the load cycle,

you will actually be weaker than in the middle of the cycle due to the high volume. n this endurance$oriented phase, you should only occasionally be pushing yourself to your absolute failure point. 6trenuous

climbing days may occasionally be substituted for time in the gym.

)ecover! C!cle

@uring the recovery cycle you should train lightly at to :>= of your maximum effort. The volume of

work should be low, with short hang times and few repetitions. 6pend no more than one to two easy days a

week in the gym during this phase. The recovery phase prepares your body for the upcoming intense4

Peak C!cle

@uring the peak, you should train at J> to B>>= of your maximum effort. The volume of work should be

low with high resistance, low hang times, and few repetitions. Two to three days a week should be spent in

the gym during this phase.

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The peak cycle produces maximum strength and power muscle hypertrophy/. 0s in the load cycle, work

in a hard)easy)moderate micro cycle. n this phase, you should usually be pushing yourself to your

maximum. (any climbers will need to hang weights from their waist to keep the hang times short. 5nlike

the load cycle, climbing days cannot substitute for gym days during this phase.

*ff C!cle

@uring the off cycle, you should spend no time in the gym whatsoever. 3our body will now be peaked to

climb very hard.

Gow comes the tricky part K combining these cycles with your climbing time. 3ou must be sure to spend

enough time on the rock during your training to insure that you will be climbing well when your peak

arrives. deally, this should occur &ust as the weather begins to improve.

The following table shows what gym and climbing time might look like using cyclic periodi%ation to plan

a year of training at our home areaK6mith !ock. We will start at the end of the usual climbing season in

early Govember.

ate 9yle 9liming Time 5e# :ee(

11/1 to 11/15 Conditioning 1 to 2

11/16 to 2/1 oad 1 to 22/2 to 2/15 ecovery 1 to 2

2/16 to 3/15 "ea# 1 to 2

3/16 to 4/1 "ea# 4 to 5

4/2 to 6/1 $ff 4 to 6

6/2 to 6/3% Condition 1 to 3

7/1 to 7/31 oad 1 to 3

&/1 to &/15 ecovery 1 to 3

&/16 to '/15 "ea# 2 to 4

'/16 to 1%/31 $ff 4 to 6

()ese are only general guidelines* ()e specific variables are up to you* +or e,ample- )ow will

you alter your late pea# cycle training to accommodate serious redpoint attempts. ow

muc) climbing do you want to do over t)e entire year. ()is adapting of cyclic periodi0ation

to fit your own needs results in a training sc)edule youll be muc) )appier wit)* $$ C!

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Campus -oard Training

"istor!

The late Wolfgang Dullich installed the first "campus" board at a gym called The 7ampus 7enter hence

the name/ in Gurnberg in BHJJ. #is intent was to train specifically for his pro&ect, 0ction @irecte, a routethat required extreme finger power.

5sing the board, he increased his one$fingered dynamics to previously unknown levels, culminating in his

success on 0ction @irecte in BHHB, a route generally considered


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week, and then taper back down, as you re$emphasi%e other forms of training. 0s top climbers know,

power takes a long time to gain, but once you have it, you retain it for much longer than endurance.

Fresher Is -etter

When campusing, the general approach is different than when training for endurance. On the campus

board, the idea is to do the hardest exercises that you can, in perfect style. 3ou should only train on a

campus board after a rest day or when you are completely recovered from your last climbing or training

session. 0dditionally, you must rest after every exercise within your campus routine long enough to

recover completely. Three to five minutes is the norm, but you can rest as much as B> minutes if

necessary. ower can only be trained on a totally fresh muscle.

"o. +uch Is Too +uch/

3ou are determined to see an improvement, so you want to keep at it for hours, but you are playing with

fire. On a campus board, more work does not equal more gain+ it equals in&ury. Gever train to exhaustion

on a campus board. @o the hardest moves you can in good style and come back two or three days later. 4e

patient and remember1 so long as you do not get in&ured, you will get stronger.

0s a rule, it is okay to do one to four sets of any given exercise. 0s long as you are improving ormaintaining from one set to the next, it is okay to continue with that exercise. 0s soon as you are weaker

on one set than the last, it is time to move on to another exercise or stop for the day.

6everal exercises are described below+ you cannot train all of them in the same session. 7hoose a couple of

exercises each time and concentrate on those. 6top your session and begin your warm down when your

muscles have lost their "snap".

)est

!esting is perhaps the best thing about campusing because you get to do more of it than with other types of

training. !est, rest and rest some more. 0lthough well$conditioned campus addicts may rest for only about

two full days after every session, if you push yourself hard, take three or four days off. @o not expect

quick results. f you feel like you are resting too long, not doing quite enough, that is good+ that is how youshould feel.

Warm Up0 Warm %o.n

t is critical to warm up thoroughly+ much more so than with other forms of training. 3ou can start by

climbing, bouldering or doing easy pull$ups and dead hangs, along with gentle stretching. (ake the first

fifteen minutes ridiculously easy and gradually increase the intensity until you are at full power. !everse

this process at the end of your session to prevent in&ury and speed up recovery. The warm down should be

even easier than the warm up. t should feel as if your doing almost nothing. The idea is &ust to keep the

blood flowing for B< or C> minutes after the high intensity part of your workout.

0 typical session might involve up to an hour of pull$ups, stretches and climbs up and down the board on

the larger holds, with all of the high$intensity exercises done in the next C> to E> minutes, followed by B minutes of warm down.

Stretching

6tretching is simply insurance against in&ury. 6tretch regularly and you will wonder why you bother, but

do not stretch and one day you will suffer. t is a good idea to stretch between sets and critical to stretch

after the session, but be careful about stretching before your workout. Gever stretch a cold muscle.

"o. To 1rasp The 1rips

3ou want to use an open$handed grip as much as possible. (ost climbers are weaker open$handed than

crimped, so you may find this hard at first, but you will get used to it. Training open$handed will increaseyour crimp strength but not vice$versa/, and it is essential for holding pockets, slopers and certain edges,

as well as making moves at maximum stretch, and catching dynos. (ost importantly, however, using an

1%


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open hand lowers the potential for in&ury. 0s you adapt to campus training, you can incorporate a little

crimp training to increase your maximum edge holding power, but keep it to a minimum.

What2s The Point/

The deadpoint is an instant in time, at the apex of any dynamic move, when you are neither rising nor

falling. n all dynamic moves, large dynos or short snatches, the goal is to be in perfect position to grasp

the target hold during the deadpoint. 0s you perfect this technique, the deadpoint will begin to feel like an

instant of weightlessness. 0s you continue to improve your timing and coordination, the deadpoint will

seem to get longer and longer.

"7ampusing" is one of the best ways to improve your all around "deadpointing" skill. 4ecause you train

movement between holds at varying distances, you learn how to generate the precise force and timing

required to catch holds accurately and consistently. t cannot be over$stressed how fundamental dynamic

moves are to good climbing technique. 0 well$executed dyno is often more efficient than a static move,

even when it-s not strictly necessary.

Alternate Your (eading "and

3ou should do most sequences as pairs, first leading with one hand, then with the other. This avoids over$training your strong side and keeps you balanced.

+aking It #asier

f you find some of the moves or exercises suggested here too difficult to start out on, put your feet on a

chair or on the wall behind the board, to take off as much weight as necessary. 4e sure to have ample

padding under your board, as landing on your back is a distinct possibility.

#$ercises

Po.er Thro.s

This fundamental exercise trains forearm recruitment, upper$body power and deadpoint accuracy through

explosive upward moves between rungs at various levels. *ach sequence involves two moves plus

matching at a hold.

Gumber the rungs B, C, E on up, starting with the lowest. With your feet hanging free and both hands on

the lowest convenient rung, launch for another rung with one hand, then reach for an even higher rung

with the other, match, and you-re through. For example, match and hang on rung B. Throw with your right

hand to rung 9, then pull through to rung : with your left. (atch on rung : and drop.

Try to complete the same exercise by using every possible sequence of holds between the lower and upper

chosen rungs, for example1 B$C$:, B$E$:, B$9$:, B$


12/16

4e careful not to overdo it. This is a very advanced exercise, and the potential for in&ury is very high.

Gever catch a hold with your elbows locked or extend all the way to a locked elbow on the negative

contraction. Feel out your tolerance with some easy moves on large holds the first few times. ntroduce

this exercise gradually, a little more each week for a few months. *ven when you have adapted to high

intensity campus training, don-t do hard plyometric sessions more than once a week.

Static +oves (ock3*ffs0ny kind of campusing will improve your static strength as a spin$off, but you can train it specifically by

doing small "power throws" slowly and as statically as possible. 0lso try "laddering" up and down the

board a rung or two at a time, without dynoing. 6tatic lock$offs can be trained by putting your feet on the

wall behind the board or on a chair, to take as much weight as necessary.

0s with all campus board exercises, make the moves hard enough to keep the total number of repetitions

low E$< on each arm/. The idea is to train maximum force, not endurance.

4ariations

When you feel like you-ve adapted to full hand training, you might want to try isolating fingers. Two

fingers is the norm here, but don-t be afraid to mix it up. 0s with everything, build up slowly. 3ou mightwant to start by doing dead$hangs and pull$ups with various combinations of three, two, or one finger.

0gain, use the wall or a chair to take weight as necessary.

t is important also to reali%e that different si%ed holds will train different muscles. f you-ve been focusing

your training on small holds, forearm strength may no longer be your limiting factor. 3ou should also train

longer moves on larger holds for a while, to increase the recruitment of your upper arms and torso.

ncut or flat holds will slightly alter the muscles used and it-s worth experimenting with as many types as

possible. The more you vary your training, the more effective it will be.

What Works For You/

While we are not sports physiologists, we do have a lot of hands$on experience and have learned fromsome of the best climbers in the world. #owever, exercises that work for us may not work for you and

vice$versa. *xperiment with your own program and figure out what works best for you. 0lways remember

to warm up thoroughly, start small, and take plenty of rest days.

%on2t Forget To 1o Climbing

Finally, of course, the whole point is to improve your climbing. "7ampusing" is a powerful tool for

improvement, but any gain made on the board will require a period of adaptation on the rock for you to see

its full value. 6o go climbing, have fun, and remember, all it takes to succeed is a modicum of talent and a

lot of dedication. n the words of 6heffield-s master boulderer !ichie atterson1 "4e good, and if you can-t

be good, be strong."

12


13/16

56 +inute Se,uences

4egin and complete the task or tasks within the one minute intervals. 5se the remaining time to rest. #ang

a watch from the bottom of the board or mount a wall clock so that you can look straight at it while

training.

#ntr! (evel7

1 1* seond hang; Jug

& 1 !ull-u!; Rounded Slope

' 10 seond hang; Medium Edge

1* seond hang w, ' sh#ugs; Pocket

* &0 seond hang w, & !ull-u!s; Large Edge

.10 seond hang; Rounded Slope

* (nee #aises; Pocket

) !ull-u!s; Large Edge

8 10 seond hang; Medium Edge

7 ' !ull-u!s; Jug

10 Hang as long as you an; Rounded Slope

Intermediate7

1 1* seond hang; ' !ull-u!s; Large Edge

& & !ull u!s; Rounded Slope&0 seond hang; Medium Edge

'&0 seond hang; Small Edge

1* seond 70< ent a#m hang; Pocket

'0 seond hang; Rounded Slope

*&0 seond hang; Large Edge

!ull-u!s; Pocket

.' oset !ulls eah a#m >high a#m ?ug; low a#m small hold@; Jug/Small Edge

9hange hands and #e!eat

) 1* (nee #aises; Jug1* seond hang; Medium Edge

8 &* seond hang; Medium Edge

71* seond hang; Slope

' !ull-u!s; Jug

10 Hang as long as you an; Rounded Slope

13


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Advanced7

1&0 seonds st#aight a#m hang; Large Slope

' !ull-u!s; 4-Finger Flat Edge

&&0 seonds slightly ent a#m hang; Large Slope; stay on

&0 seonds L-sit o# &0 hanging (nee u#ls

'* !ull-u!s; 3-Finger Pocket; stay on

&* seonds st#aight a#m hang

Ase every holdsta#ting at the 3-Finger Pocket and wo#(ing u!; staying on eah o# * seonds

>donBt get o to hange holds@

"inish on Large Slopewith a &0 seond hang

*&0 seonds single a#m hang; Four-Finger Flat Edge

swith hands and #e!eat

.* oset !ull u!s; Large Slope >to! hand@ 3-Finger Pocket>ottom hand@

hange hands and #e!eat

)'0 seonds 70 deg#ee ent a#m hang; Four-Finger ncut Edge

1* seonds st#aight a#m hang; 3 Finger Pocket

8' L-sit !ull-u!s >end (nees i you ha/e to@

* seonds #ont le/e# o# 1* seonds st#aight a#m hang; Large Slope

7&0 seonds st#aight a#m hang using only & inge#s on 3 Finger Pocket!

' !owe# !ull-u!s >use weights o# hel!e# o# #esistane; should ?ust e ale to do ' !ulls@

10maimum slightly ent a#m hang; Large Slope>go Ctil ailu#e@ no #est

maimum st#aight a#m hang - Large Slope

14


15/16

Taping a Split Fingertip

With your finger slightly bent, starting halfway between the first two &oints, run a B)9" wide

strip of tape vertically, around the tip, and back down the same distance on the other side of

your finger. (ake sure this vertical strip covers your split.

0gain using a B)9" wide strip, starting at the fingertip and working toward the hand, wrap

down to &ust above the first &oint, making sure to overlap the wraps by at least a third.

4ecause your fingertip tapers, youll notice that its impossible to keep the slack out of the

wraps all the way around. Thats okay, &ust make sure to keep the wraps smooth andevenly tensioned on the front side. 2et any slack build up on the fingernail side.

0nchor the tape &ob by making a figure J wrap around the &oint. @o this with your finger

bent. The wrap will pass on either side of the knuckle on the back of your finger and

cross on the inside of the &oint.

Follow the figure J with a single wrap around your finger.

Finish by pinching the slack out of the fingernail side of the wraps from step PC.

3our tape &ob will stretch out during the first few pitches so it should feel a little too

tight at first, without cutting off your circulation.

15


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Steep Techni,ues

ts critical to place micro$si%ed TCUs and Po.er

Camsnear their full retraction. Only trust micro camsto hold a fall in hard, solid rock types.

The flexible wire body easily accommodates this

hori%ontal placement. Go tie$off sling is necessary.

The TCU body will naturally bend when loaded.

@ouble up protection pieces when climbing close to

the ground or above a ledge. ts also wise to double

upon placements &ust before cruxes or at good stances

where you can conserve strength. Gever trust your life

to a single piece of gearA

0 choice, end$wise placement for this Curve "e$.

Gotice how its end profile perfectly matches the curve

of the stone. (ake sure to seat the piece well into its

placement with a firm downward tug.

The new Q versatile PAS 8Personal Anchor S!stem$ a

strong, ad&ustable system for connecting yourself to

the anchor/ has been removed from the climbers

harness and is employed as an anchor$equali%ing

sling.

Our straight$sided taper makes it easy to &udge

placement quality. This Curve 9ut&s taper perfectly

matches that of the crack, making it an ideal

placement.

16
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