I recently decided to follow a training plan to try to improve at climbing. Up until this, I’ve spent all of my time at the gym or outside projecting routes just within my reach (or sometimes just out of my reach). I have had worlds of fun climbing this way and have slowly and steadily improved over the last two years. But there is a constant nagging voice in my head to find out what exactly I can do at my very best. So I read a book and lots of online garble and put together a training plan. It consists of a long period of endurance training (laps and traversing) followed by a period of strength training (pull-ups and hangboard drills) and then a period of power training (campus board and dynos). I’m nearly through the endurance training and for some reason in a deep panic that I am actually regressing. For fun, I tried some hard routes at the bouldering gym yesterday and performed miserably. Perhaps it was an off day. Perhaps I was still recovering from three sets of thirty minutes non-stop on the wall Sunday (ouch, that was hard!). Perhaps I was putting too much pressure on myself to show results too soon. But I am worried that the part of my brain that was deeply engaged in climbing when I just climbed for fun has turned off. On a positive note, I did notice that all of the traversing and laps had taught me to stay relaxed throughout a sequence and to stay tuned into unnecessary body tension. Anyways, I’m just looking for a little encouragement – success stories from following a training plan or whatever. I’d love to hear about it if you also doubted the plan or yourself at times, but came out the other side with a different perspective. Or even if you found a way to shut up the nagging voice in your head that wants you to improve and instead climbed just for fun. Thanks!

I recently decided to follow a training plan to try to improve at climbing. Up until this, I’ve spent all of my time at the gym or outside projecting routes just within my reach (or sometimes just out of my reach). I have had worlds of fun climbing this way and have slowly and steadily improved over the last two years. But there is a constant nagging voice in my head to find out what exactly I can do at my very best. So I read a book and lots of online garble and put together a training plan. It consists of a long period of endurance training (laps and traversing) followed by a period of strength training (pull-ups and hangboard drills) and then a period of power training (campus board and dynos). I’m nearly through the endurance training and for some reason in a deep panic that I am actually regressing. For fun, I tried some hard routes at the bouldering gym yesterday and performed miserably. Perhaps it was an off day. Perhaps I was still recovering from three sets of thirty minutes non-stop on the wall Sunday (ouch, that was hard!). Perhaps I was putting too much pressure on myself to show results too soon. But I am worried that the part of my brain that was deeply engaged in climbing when I just climbed for fun has turned off. On a positive note, I did notice that all of the traversing and laps had taught me to stay relaxed throughout a sequence and to stay tuned into unnecessary body tension. Anyways, I’m just looking for a little encouragement – success stories from following a training plan or whatever. I’d love to hear about it if you also doubted the plan or yourself at times, but came out the other side with a different perspective. Or even if you found a way to shut up the nagging voice in your head that wants you to improve and instead climbed just for fun. Thanks!