I talk to climbers from all kinds of sports that express the understanding that being stronger and more durable is a way to keep themselves in the game longer and more frequently. Despite this, I still have so many climbing athletes that have yet to embrace any kind of strength training.
The crazy thing about it is that the volume of training per session can be ridiculously low and produce amazing results. The athletes aren’t going to lose out on any of their bouldering training. They’re not going to bulk up, and the only true result they’re going to see is more good days when they’re out climbing.
I’ve experimented with assigning weight workouts on days off from climbing, such as Thursday morning after a Wednesday session and Saturday morning after a Friday session, but I find the compliance just never gets there. This is why I started doing what I call “foundation strength additions.” In these sessions, an athlete can do whatever they care to do in their normal bouldering sessions. I generally stay out of their hair, whether they are doing circuits, limit bouldering, or on the minute or three strikes. It doesn’t really matter in the framework of this session.
What I’m trying to achieve with these is to get them in the habit of adding a small amount of high-intensity strength training to their weekly sessions. What follows is a description of the volume and intensity of the weight work we are looking for, as well as an eight-week example of how this might fit within what a climber would consider a normal training week.
