Meet the Machine: Andrew Andress

When/why did you decide to start training?

I started training in 2015 when I realized I was on a pretty large plateau that I couldn't get past with my usual trend of just climbing. My prior trajectory was incredible - probably like all new climbers who get fully hooked. The first year was such a fast-paced run of gains. Every month felt like I was getting better and stronger. Then, at the end of year one, it just stalled: no real gains, but no real losses either; just the same. I still had a blast climbing that second year but realized that if I wanted to achieve new climbing goals I was going to have to change my strategy, and that's where the Power Company came in.

What made you choose to go with Power Company?

I think I listened to a podcast episode that inspired me. I specifically remember the P.O.E. podcast, but I think that was after I started my first program.

What plan did you do and how did you choose that one?

I started with the Boulder Better Proven Plan, then Boulder Strong, then the Climb 5.12 Ebook, then a Custom Plan, and now here I am continuing long-term. I was positive I could climb V4 and wanted to call myself a V5 climber until I tried my first outside V5 and found it waaaay hard - like so hard it made me mad at the person who graded it. I then realized that V5's were just harder and that if that applied to V5, it must apply to each grade up. So I chose Boulder Better because it was geared towards V3-V5 climbers to progress to grades beyond. Easy choice.

Did you work with a coach? If so, which one?

Yes, I started with Blake Cash and that's who I've been with since. I trust him... but I couldn't pick him out of a line-up. Weird.

Fisher King (13a) - Cub Cave, San Antonio, Texas | Photo by Joe Kreidel

What aspect of the plan did you like best? Why?

The broken record for me will be structure. I operate best in all life arenas that are well structured. When it comes to training, I loved being told what and how many of things to do. Every program I've done has gotten me through plateaus. I've never seen results like that when I'm not climbing with structure. Even when the structure is just helping me rest, or have fun, or take a week off from training and go deep-water soloing - it's where I thrive and Power Company plans provide that for me.

What aspect of the plan did you like least? Why?

I struggle with the parts that are more ambiguous rather than measured. Limit bouldering is at the top of this list. I pour myself into it; I really enjoy it actually. But I often feel like I'm either making it too easy or too hard. I've rarely had a limit session where I feel like I've nailed it. BUT, this doesn't mean I don't like it. I guess I don't like not being sure if I'm doing it correctly.

What were your goals when you began the plan? How did you progress towards those goals?

My goal was to be able to go anywhere and climb V5. At the time, I was living in Kenya and developing a lot of boulders that had gone unnoticed at the local crag. I was certain I had established and could do V4's but had never known if I could do higher. I had a trip planned back to the U.S. to get married and go on a “Boulder-Moon” and I wanted to send a V5 at every place we stopped. (It didn't happen, but I did send multiple V5's and a soft V6). I was also operating a gym in Kenya and was able to start setting things well beyond my limit. This was where I found the most progress for what definitely translated to climbing outside. I had never tried limit bouldering - truly isolating myself to 1-3 move sequences that at first seemed impossible - but the gains were so awesome once I started digging into it.
***YES, I'm fully aware that this semi-contradicts my answer for a previous question.

Tell us about any memorable successes during/after your training experience.

I wish I could remember the date, but regardless, the day I had distinct measurable proof that all the training was paying off was the day I sent my long-term boulder project and first 5.12 in the same day. It was not the plan at all... it was so much better than the plan. The boulder problem was in my head as much as it was hard. I couldn't put it all together; I'd sent videos to Blake hoping he'd see something and immediately find a fix. It sat in in the sun (on the equator) from 10am-5pm and the top-out is cruxy enough when it's not sizzling. I camped overnight and had worked it in the dark the night before with no luck. The next morning I woke up and did a few warm-up boulders near the camp site. I wasn't feeling great but decided to try anyway. And then, anti-climatically, I cruised the powerful opening sequence and was at the slopey lip perched on a high foot trying to rock over my knee. It took a solid 45 seconds for me to get on top of my old-man hips and and crawl to the top but it was done. I was content to call it a day, but Lindsey (my wife) wanted to keep climbing. There's a sport crag at the base of the hill that gets afternoon shade, so we ate lunch and headed down. She talked me into trying this route I'd tried about 6 months prior but hadn’t been able to get past the 3rd bolt crux. I jumped on with the plan of going bolt-to-bolt, but when I got to the crux the grips felt better than I remembered, so I powered through it. Then came the pump - literally the most pump I've ever experienced - but I was able to fight it off and top it (I didn't know there were no anchors... and didn't care!). So yeah, that's a long story but it was THE day that I knew the training worked, sending “NightCrawler “(V5), and “Jason's Route” (5.12-).

What's the next step in your climbing and training?

As mentioned earlier I just started long-term continued training. I enjoy bouldering and most of my indoor training is bouldering, but I have really fallen in love with sport climbing since moving back to Texas. Mainly because the closest large crag to me is Reimers Ranch and I've really grown to love its style of powerful overhanging limestone routes. Since doing a Custom Plan last summer I've been ticking off quite a few 12b's but still no 12c. My goal for this season is to send a 12c. I am almost 39 now and another goal of mine is to climb a 13a before turning 40... and lots more after. So I am looking forward to having consistent monthly training plans and cycles to help achieve these goals. My previous habit has been locking myself in the gym for a 3 month training block, then going and projecting outside for the rest of the year. I am hoping to keep a good balance of indoor and outdoor climbing. Even if it's just deep water soloing in the brutal Texas summer.

What would you say were the most important things (positive or negative) you learned during your training experience?

I can't remember if this was a quote from Power Company or somewhere else but it helped me while limit bouldering: "Try really hard things over and over until they become easy." That is a quote that really sticks with me when the problem, route, or even just the move, feels way too hard. I can think back on limit problems that seemed so impossible. But then, after I trained the move over and over it became thoughtless - not necessarily effortless, but my mind wasn't on how impossible it seemed, because I'd spent the reps proving it was possible. And once I knew it was possible, I could put in the reps until it became easy.
This is a hard but very rewarding part of the training process. My first instinct still is to assume the move can't be done, but I'm slowly getting better at proving myself wrong. If I had not been introduced to limit bouldering through training, I think I would still just be only climbing things that seemed closely attainable.

What would you consider your greatest strength or superpower when it comes to climbing?

I can live in the pain-cave for a pretty long time. But it's not often that I volunteer myself to it, which is why I love having a coach telling me to go in. I used to race mountain bikes and my specialty was endurance. I was best at 24-hour solo races but I also loved anything that lasted longer than four hours because then it becomes more mental. I love to flip the mental switch and know that I can suffer for a long time.
I also had a coach tell me that every training ride should be painful, so that every race seemed easy and fun. It helped me because I found I could turn myself inside out during training. Every race I ever won honestly seemed easy, but I lost (or didn't finish first) more than I won and even in those races, I knew I could turn myself inside out trying and that it wasn't unlike something I had previously suffered through and survived.
Not sure if that's a superpower but it is definitely a mentality I take in to all my training. I train really hard because I want the sends to feel easy.

Orange Heart (V5) - Rocklands, South Africa | Photo by Kristina Lane

Tell us about your proudest (not necessarily hardest) send.

My proudest is my most recent. Lindsey and I went to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch for her spring break. I told myself before the trip not to get sucked in to any projects that I couldn't finish. There are plenty of 12a's there that I still haven't done so my plan was to climb 5 good ones. But then, on the first day, I saw Crab Louse - a 12b that looked my style - so I thought, “Why not hop on it and see how hard it is?” I was able to do all the moves except the move to a jug in a crack above the anchors, and I couldn't clip them from below. I tried just the top part the second day to see if could figure it out, but no luck. We were there for 6 days and I told myself I'd take a rest day but never did. Instead, I just climbed lots of easy stuff on days 3 & 4 and called them rest days. With 2 days left, I was able to stick the move in isolation, but in 3 redpoint attempts, I missed it every time. The night before our last day the weather was bad and it was for sure going to storm the next day. I was kicking myself that I had gotten sucked into this project and hadn't tried anything else on my list. My pride was hurt because my wife had a much stronger tick-list than me. (She's awesome. She stuck to her plan and climbed her first two 11c's. I was super proud of her, but I can be honest that it stung a little). The last morning we woke up to fog but no rain yet. We hiked up and did 3 warm-ups. A few other parties were packing up because the storm was on us. I had time to give it one burn and as I put my shoes on, I started feeling rain drops. The lower part was dialed by now and I clipped the last draw feeling good but anxious. As I set up for the final big move it seemed like the hold above the anchors was 2 feet closer. It surprised me; I hit it statically it and tried to clip the chains. Lindsey was so used to me falling there that she was bracing for another big whip. She had to gather herself to feed rope, but the jug was good and I knew it was all over; once she fed me rope the anchors were clipped. We packed up quickly and hiked back down in a monsoon but I didn't care; it felt so great to get that send. We drove 10 hours home in a downpour to return to a world we'd soon find out was being shut down by a pandemic. So, considering all the circumstances, it is my proudest send to date.

What would you say is a weakness or skill you need to improve in climbing?

Mobility, mostly hip-mobility. It is my dreaded weakness. It is my least favorite thing to work on. It is my main reason for not liking certain climbs. It is may main excuse for not sending certain climbs. I'm working on it more than ever, but it is hard for me to get motivated to work on mobility.
I'm also not powerful at all, but at least I see light at the end of that tunnel.

What advice would you give someone considering starting a training plan?

New passionate climbers in the gym usually take notice when I'm on a training program. They will ask and usually want to know what they can do to train. It’s the same as when I saw a strong climber on a campus board for the first time and I thought that was obviously what I needed to be doing. I asked him what I should be doing and he gently talked me out it. Which is usually my answer for newer climbers who are still feeling the gains that I remember from my first year of just climbing. I encourage them to do that, keep having fun, take a few of the technique classes the gym offers and really soak in what they're learning from the rest of their body as grip strength and endurance increases. But I encourage them to come find me when they hit a plateau. I'm usually impressed how much stronger people are able to get before they hit their first plateau (kids these days!). I like to know their goals, and highly encourage them to direct their goals towards real rock. And of course, I tell them my training history and recommend a plan that suits their style and discipline. Some people I encourage to get an Ebook, others I recommend something with more feedback. But I definitely recommend they get a plan.