By Steve Bechtel
It seems like we all have defaults when it comes to exercise and training. Some of us just can’t get enough, and sneak in a hard workout at every opportunity. Others want to do just enough to still do the sport, but want to invest their time elsewhere. There are issues at both ends of the scale, and I argue that the best place to be is somewhere in-between. I think that a human being should have no days of total rest, and that the training should vary tremendously in its duration and difficulty throughout the week. Let’s look at this idea.
I’m going to assume that you like climbing enough to do it frequently. I’m also going to assume you are the kind of person that wants to get better. If you’re not and you feel triggered by someone suggesting you improve, stop reading now. OK, so part of improving is exposure to whatever it is that makes you improve. Much like the long recovery period people experience from total bedrest—adapting to doing nothing—doing things frequently makes you good at doing things frequently.
The idea that our bodies “need” a day of total rest is not supported by sport science or even by human evolution. We are exceedingly good at moving around daily, having some amount of strenuous activity daily, and hyper-resting during sleep cycles when things are especially hard. Although this piece is not aimed at laying out all of the advantages of being generally active, you can probably figure that the rise in obesity and the drop in average adult fitness over the past decade might have something to do with doing less stuff and looking at phones for large percentages of the day.
Not sure where to begin?
We have training plans available for any level athlete!
What I do want to suggest is taking advantage of the habit drive we all have. We do many of the same things at the same times every day, and we can leverage this into greater performance if we do it right.
Step one is to schedule “training” into your calendar every single day. You probably already have some times set aside that you plan to go to the gym, but marking them on the calendar holds space for them. Let’s say Tuesday and Thursday you go to the bouldering gym for two hours, and on Saturdays you like to get outside. Perfect. Mark them on the calendar.
On Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, find some time to put in at least 30 minutes for training. “I’m too busy,” is a weak answer here, and as I have said in the past, show me your phone usage and I’ll find you the time. Holding 30 minutes, even if it means waking 30 minutes earlier, is the minimum.
More time is better, but with just 30 minutes a day, we can start to build solid habits. Step two is to build out a bit of a basic framework for your training sessions, like this:
| Short Session | Medium Session | Long Session | |
| Restorative Intensity | 20-30 minutes, very easy | 30-45 minutes very easy | 45-60 minutes very easy |
| Reinforcement Intensity | 20-30 minutes, medium difficulty. No increase in loads / grades | 30-60 minutes, medium difficulty. No increase in loads / grades | 60-90 minutes, medium difficulty. No increase in loads / grades |
| Development Intensity | 20-30 minutes, maximum efforts | 30-45 minutes, maximum efforts | 45-60 minutes, maximum efforts |
With one session template for each of the nine boxes in the grid, you then have the tools to know what to do with each of these days. You’ll probably have more than one possible workout for each box in the grid. For example, you might choose a short walk around the neighborhood as your short / restorative workout, or you might have a bike ride, or a light mobility session.
Your developmental sessions could be bouldering hard for an hour or a performance day at the crag, or a hard weight session. Regardless of what you choose, you must have an idea of what could be done with any amount of time on these days.
And execute.
If I plan a Long Developmental session, but am unable to make it all fit in the time available, a shortened one is a good alternative, and is vastly superior to skipping the day.
A week with a bunch of “rest days” is possible, but only if you’re the kind of person that has discipline around getting back to the gym and hitting it hard. For most of us a rest day is simply a gateway to a second or third day of taking it easy.
A week that has “no days off” can still be quite restorative, and will help us maintain the habit of moving. Here’s an example:
- Monday: Short / Restorative
- Tuesday: Medium / Developmental
- Wednesday: Medium / Reinforcement
- Thursday: Medium / Restorative
- Friday: Short / Developmental
- Saturday: Long / Restorative
- Sunday: Medium / Developmental
This is not a manifesto supporting overdoing it. This is not machismo. This is simply a reminder that we are biologically capable of doing work on each and every day, and that we need to rethink what we consider “training.” I don’t need to do more hard days all the time in order to get better. What I do need is the impulse to move, and to keep moving.
ABOUT STEVE BECHTEL
Steve is the founder of Climb Strong, and is proud to be the worst coach on the Climb Strong team. A climber for nearly 40 years, he has traveled the globe bouldering, sport climbing, and doing first ascents of some of the world's biggest walls.
He lives in Lander, Wyoming, with his wife Ellen, and children Sam and Anabel.
Tags: Motivation, Planning, Steve Bechtel, Training