The Top 5 Bad Gym Habits of Sport Climbers
Originally here at The Power Company, we didn't often talk about the differences between climbers who choose to mostly climb routes and those who choose boulders. I'll go ahead and call that neglectful on my part, because there are some fundamental things that are different about the two. We'll talk more about those differences in a later post, but for now I want to focus on a difference that wasn't obvious at first. The fact that while in the gym, for the most part, boulderers are closer than sport climbers to training the correct way. Since many people have a tendency to automatically jump to extremes to discount everything they read, let me note here that I said, "for the most part." You boulderers aren’t off the hook.
To paraphrase several readers of Jaime Emerson's excellent site, B3 Bouldering, "Why 5? Why not 10? Why not 20?" And to paraphrase Jaime's answer, "Because it's my site/book and my list."
Any more questions? Ok then, on with the show…
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 the journey that matters most. Or is it?
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.
Even the sprayers with good intentions might be harming you.
Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle.
It's the new buzzword that's been around forever: sandbagged.
Fact is, I train hard. I train smart.
Goals aren't made to be met.
While in the gym, for the most part, boulderers are closer than sport climbers to training the correct way.
You aren’t training. You’re working out. There’s a difference.
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.
There are aspects of climbing outside that lead us into learning specific things that we don't necessarily find as easily indoors.
Kris chats with our very own coach Nadya Suntay to remind us why it’s better to keep it simple when it comes to our training.
A 5 hour session might be too long…
Paul joins Nate and I to discuss the Top 6 Training Myths, of many we see, persisting in the climbing industry.
We’ve all done it, and it might just be why you’re stuck where you are.
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.