If You Aren't Making Progress, You're Probably Making Excuses.
I hear them coming from every corner of the gym. From the mats beneath the boulder. From 30 feet up the lead wall. I hear them in the lobby before I even make it into the gym. No, not the voices in my head. Those are mostly quiet these days. What I hear are excuses. Tons of them. Never ending.
"I'm too short. I wish my arms were longer."
"I'm getting too old to climb hard."
"I climb trad, and that's harder anyway. 5.8 trad is at least as hard as 5.11 sport."
"My schedule is just too crazy to have time to get stronger."
"I climb for love. Training would kill that."
Blah, blah, blah…
WANT MORE? READ THE REST IN: The Hard Truth: Simple Ways to Become a Better Climber
Skaters do one important thing much better than climbers: they chase mastery instead of success.
It's exactly the same amount of challenging for you no matter what number anyone attaches to it.
How often do you give 100%? REALLY give 100%? I make my living coaching climbers, and I seldom see a climber try their hardest. Myself included.
While in the gym, for the most part, boulderers are closer than sport climbers to training the correct way.
It's easy to get discouraged by how quickly the pros seem to put down the hardest projects.
I get it. Talking is easier than doing. What it isn't, however, is nearly as satisfying.
Nate snapped the banana in half. Clean break, right through the middle. Like a ninja.
You can almost always find a reason to continue training the short-sighted way.
There is NO single workout that any group of people can follow to get the optimum results for each of them.
Newbs, rejoice! You get a whole post. A short one, but your very own set of training wheels.
So how do you get better faster? There's a simple answer. You don't.
After much deliberation over a list of about 25, I've decided on the 5 ways I see experienced climbers derail their progression.
I hear them coming from every corner of the gym… excuses.
The fact is, you WILL NEVER get to within earshot of your potential if you don't have a complete skill set.
Our egos are ruthless. I've seen climbers stop a workout early because they didn't want to "look bad".
Fact is, seeing the "chains" as the sole representation of success is holding you back.
Improvement comes from challenges, not from the number they are given. If you focus on being challenged and trying hard, then the numbers will follow.
I don’t have much experience with making rock climbing feel easy. What I do have experience with is transforming myself from a lover of 5.10 trad climbs to a sender of 5.13 sport climbs.
It’s been a wonderful pump-free five years, but that time has come to an end.
It's exactly the same amount of challenging for you no matter what number anyone attaches to it.
Often times, the numbers don't quite reflect what I know to be the truth.
A climber since 1994, Kris was a traddie for 12 years before he discovered the gymnastic movement inherent in sport climbing and bouldering. Through dedicated training and practice, he eventually built to ascents of 5.14 and V11.
Kris started Power Company Climbing in 2006 as a place to share training info with his friends, and still specializes in working with full time "regular" folks. He's always available for coaching sessions and training workshops.
Redpointing is an ultimate success built on the backs of many failures.