A Simple Guide to Sport Climbing Harder

This article is the final in a series of four. Read parts one, two, and three.

After last week’s focus on training for bouldering, now it’s time to focus on a sport climber’s differing needs. This training program will be a good fit for most folks climbing between 5.10-5.13 and addresses only the physical aspects of training—how to increase your strength, power, and endurance—but does not address the vital aspects of climbing technique, mental game, and nutrition.

Balancing Training Around Your Life

To improve as a sport climber, you will likely need to spend more time in the gym (or on the wall) than your bouldering counterparts. It is common for high-end sport climbers to spend a combined 10-20 hours per week training indoors and climbing outside. Finding this kind of time to commit to climbing—amidst a busy work, family, and social schedule—demands disciplined planning and execution.

Energy System Training for Sport Climbers

Under the tutelage of my father, Eric Hörst, I learned to schedule my training thoughtfully, rather than making it up on the go as many folks do. Here’s a quick overview of what my father taught me:

ATP (or adenosine triphosphate) is our muscles’ energy currency, and there are three bioenergetic systems that produce ATP for climbing.

• Anaerobic alactic: Provides instant power for brief near-maximum intensity movements up to 10 seconds.
• Anaerobic lactic (a.k.a glycolytic): Provides a rapid supply of ATP to sustain high-intensity movements, between 45-60 seconds, before a rapid power down and “pump” begins to develop.
• Aerobic (oxidative phosphorylation): The aerobic energy system takes over as the primary source of ATP production about 60 seconds into sustained exercise or climbing—and can continue for hours. The aerobic energy system is the motherlode of enduring power that gets you through very long boulders, sport routes, and multi-pitch climbs, and supports faster recovery too.

Training for Sport Climbing: It’s Complex & Time Consuming!

Training for sport climbing is complex because, unlike bouldering, you cannot simply try moves at your limit, hangboard, and strength train and expect to bump up your redpoint grade.

In sport climbing, all three energy systems come into play—but to different extents depending on a climb’s nature. A short, steep three-bolt route will be far more anaerobic than a 100-foot resistance climb, which pulls from the aerobic energy system. Ultimately, to excel in sport climbing, you need to train all three energy systems so they are on call for the demands of any given route: Powerful individual moves will be powered by the alactic system, the anaerobic lactic system ensures you connect pumpy sequences together, and the aerobic energy system will help you recover mid route.

Most sport climbers are comparatively weak in one of the three energy systems compared to the other two. To decipher which one is your limiting constraint, ask yourself: Do I struggle most with individual hard moves (anaerobic alactic), linking longer crux sequences (anaerobic lactic), or connecting the full route together (aerobic)? If you identify a disproportionately weak energy system, then be sure to target it twice per week during your dedicated gym-training weeks.

Scheduling Your Weekly Workouts

I recommend doing one alactic workout (limit bouldering and near-limit exercises), one anaerobic lactic workout (power-endurance climbing and exercises), and two aerobic system sessions (sub-maximal route climbing) each week. This Daily Undulating Periodization (DUP) schedule could be executed like this:

• Tuesday: Alactic workout
• Wednesday: Aerobic climbing workout
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: Rest or generalized training (antagonist exercises, running, and core)
• Saturday: Anaerobic lactic workout
• Sunday: Aerobic climbing workout
• Monday: Rest or generalized training

The tenets of DUP training are that you never train the same energy system on consecutive days and, if you are doing two-a-day training (common among more advanced climbers), you must separate the training of the two different energy systems by at least six hours. For example, you might perform a limit bouldering session (alactic) in the morning or midday, then in the evening engage in either a power-endurance (lactic) or capacity climbing (aerobic) session.

Assuming sound day-to-day nutrition and recovery practices, you might be able to repeat this DUP program for up to eight weeks, before taking a deload week or tapering your training ahead of a road trip.

Now, let’s get into some training!

The Workouts

Following are three distinctly different workouts, designed to target a specific energy system. They are each standalone workouts, so do not combine them in a single session.

Limit Bouldering & Strength/Power Workout (Anaerobic alactic focus)

• Progressive Warm-up
  • Engage in at least 20 minutes of warm-up activities, including dynamic stretching of major muscle groups, some bodyweight pull-ups and push-ups, TRX trainer Y’s, I’s, and T’s and/or rotator cuff dumbbell exercises, and then conclude with a few fingerboard hangs (5-10’’ body weight hangs on a 20mm edge). If you are a more advanced climber, you should finish the warm up by conducting one set of up-and-down laddering on a campus board.

• Limit Bouldering Pyramid
  • Sport climbers should focus on building the capacity to do several near-limit boulders (and anaerobic alactic recovery) rather than projecting a boulder at their maximum difficulty. Here’s how to do it.
  • Whatever your current “session limit” boulder grade is, begin the pyramid four V grades below it. For example, if you can climb V8 in one session, begin this pyramid with three V4s.
  • Next do two V5s, two V6s, and then one V7 (give it a few tries, then continue on).
  • The top of the pyramid is V8, so spend 10-15 minutes projecting one V8.
  • After 15 minutes on the V8, begin your journey back down the pyramid by climbing one more V7 (~3 tries), one V6, one V5s, two V4s, and finally two V3s.
  • Rest 3 minutes between each boulder, and attempt, and this entire pyramid will take about 90 minutes.

• Max Hangboard Training
  • Do two sets of weighted near-limit hangs using the seven second on/53 seconds off x three-hang protocol:
    • Do a 7-second weighted hang on a feature that you can barely hold for 10 seconds with near-maximum effort (select added weight appropriately). I recommend using 14-20mm edges and a half-crimp or open-crimp grip. Rest for exactly 53 seconds, so that each hang-rest couplet takes exactly one minute. Do two more hangs following the above protocol. Each hang should be near maximal, but not quite take you to failure…except, perhaps, on the third hang of a set. After doing the first set of three hangs, rest for five minutes before doing a second set of three hangs. Increase the added weight as needed to keep this exercise “near limit.” Note: If the bouldering pyramid left you exhausted or with achy fingers, then you must skip this exercise.

• Pull-Up: 5×5 Protocol
  • Do five sets of five pull-ups with a 3-5-minute rest between sets. Add enough weight to make each set challenging.

• Core Training
  • Perform three core exercises that target different aspects of the large torso muscles (e.g. Deadlift (three sets of five reps), Front Lever, and Windshield Wipers).

Power-Endurance Workout (Anaerobic lactic focus)

• Progressive Warm-up
  • Engage in at least 20 minutes of warm-up activities, including dynamic stretching of major muscle groups, some bodyweight pull-ups and push-ups, TRX trainer Y’s, I’s, and T’s and/or rotator cuff dumbbell exercises, and then conclude with a few fingerboard hangs and, for the more advanced climbers, one set of up-and-down laddering on a campus board.

• Power-Endurance Interval Training
  • Perform only one of the following interval training protocols:
    • Bouldering 4x4s: Select a moderate boulder problem and climb it four times in four minutes. The ideal boulder would take 30 seconds to climb followed by a 30-second rest. After sending it four times, take a five-minute rest. Next, select a second problem and climb it four times using the same protocol. Continue in this manner, decreasing the difficulty if needed, until you’ve climbed four different boulders a total of four times each. Note: A more advanced climber could take a 20-minute rest and then repeat the 4×4 protocol a second time.
    • 30s/30s Intervals: Perform these intervals on a spray wall or treadmill, not on established boulders. You are going to climb intuitively with the hardest movements you can manage (without falling or reaching premature failure) for 30 seconds. Rest exactly 30 seconds, before launching into your next all-out 30-second climbing interval. Continue for a total of six 30/30 intervals. One set will take six minutes if you time your intervals precisely. Now rest for 10-15 minutes before performing a second set of 30/30 intervals. Advanced climbers can do up to four sets (a total of 24 intervals). Note: Each interval should be “all out.” Use small holds and bigger moves when you’re fresh, then move to better holds and easier moves as fatigue grows.

• Route Projecting
  • Partner up and take turns projecting gym routes near your limit for up to two hours. Strive to make high-quality efforts with each go ending with either a fall or clipping the chains. Rest 10-20 minutes between each attempt or send. By its nature, this near-limit route climbing is very lactic (pumpy) but also draws heavily on the aerobic energy system.

• “Frenchie” Pull-ups
  • Using a pull-up bar (palms-away grip), pull your chin above the bar and lock-off with your hands against your chest for a four-second count. Lower yourself to a straight-armed position, and then immediately pull up to the top position again. This time, lower yourself only halfway and lock-off at a 90-degree angle. Hold this position for four seconds, then lower yourself to the bottom. Pull up a third time, and lower yourself about two-thirds of the way (elbow angle of 120 degrees) and hold here for another four-second lock-off. Lower to the bottom position to complete the first cycle. But don’t stop here—immediately begin a second cycle of Frenchies: pulling up three more times with four-second lock-offs in each of the three positions. Continue through a third and fourth cycle, if you’re able. Stop when you can no longer perform a full pull-up or hold the lock-off. Rest for five minutes, then perform a second set of Frenchies.

Climbing Capacity Training (Aerobic system training)

• Warm-up
  • Complete 15 minutes of warm-up activities, including 5-10 minutes of generalized aerobic warm-up activity (treadmill, rowing, stationary bike), a set of bodyweight pull-ups and push-ups, and a bit of dynamic stretching or other mobility work.

• Submaximal High-Volume Route Climbing
  • The goal is to climb as many routes (or aggregate feet) as possible over 1-2 hours without falling. Therefore, the climbing must be very submaximal with nothing more than a mild to moderate forearm pump. Select routes between 1-3 full number grades below your redpoint limit. For example, if 5.12 is your redpoint limit, then climb routes mainly between 5.9 and mid-range 5.11. If climbing on an auto-belay, rest for 5 minutes between climbs. Otherwise, partner up and take alternating turns at lead climbing. To get the intensity right, think of this climbing workout as the equivalent of going for a “zone 2” run. Your effort should be steady, but moderate—never approaching “try hard” territory. Begin by climbing around 400 feet of wall in a session, but build towards 800 feet or more over a year of training.

• Plank Core Circuit
  • Do two sets with a 10-minute rest in between.

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