Weight Training
Training Power in the Weight Room
Tags: Power, Power Training, Strength, Weight Training
“Power,” said Hassan Saab, “If you’re talking about it, you ain’t got it.” In hard climbing, power is everything. When we reach our limits, whether they be 5.11 or 5.15, we start having to use speed and momentum to get between the holds. Most climbers recognize this and train for it specifically – buy using…
KB Swing vs. Deadlift
Tags: deadlift, Kettlebells, Q+A, Weight Training
When you say that kettlebell swings are a good hip hinge option, I assume you are talking about HEAVY swings, right? Like sets of only 5-10 reps? If so, how do you manage progression here? It’s not like I can just add a plate to the bell every session. Is there any strength benefit to…
So You Started Lifting…Now What?
Tags: Progress, Strength Standards, Training, Weight Training
by Steve Bechtel Over the years, many climbers have started weight training at my urging, but it doesn’t take long before the questions start rolling in. So you started lifting, now what? How much? How heavy? How many exercises? It always depends on the athlete, but we keep coming back to a few guidelines. The…
Strength Session Design Part 2
Tags: Movement Preparation, Progress, Session Design, Strength Standards, Training, Weight Training
by Steve Bechtel I wrote my first article on strength session design a few years back, and I thought it might be useful to update that article with the changes we’ve made to our programs over the past few seasons. In general, climbers agree on the need for climbing – sport specific movement – to…
Pull-Up Progressions: The Rules
Tags: Progress, Pull-Ups, Strength Standards, Weight Training
by Steve Bechtel Sometimes, the simplest movements are the hardest to master. When we look at the value of particular resistance exercises, it’s hard to dispute that a very few movements can make or break a training plan. Working with just a squat, a deadlift, a push-up variant, and pull-ups, you can develop a life-long…
Strength Training for Rock Climbing (Part 3)
Tags: Strength Standards, Strong, Training, Weight Training
By Steve Bechtel There was never supposed to be a third part to this article, but I’ve received a few good questions about what was in the first two parts, and I’d like to elaborate. One of the biggest misconceptions about resistance training is the belief that it can directly improve your sport performance. Resistance…
Leg Strength as a Limiting Factor, Revisited
Tags: Force, Leg Strength, Squats, Strength, Weight Training
By Steve Bechtel This is a re-post of my article “Leg Strength as a Limiting Factor” published in 2009. I’ve updated it with a few more ideas and a couple of videos that better illustrate the exercises. — Sure, your fingers peel off the hold and you fall, but is it always the fingers’ fault?…
Improving Arm and Back Strength
Tags: Isometric, Progress, Specificity, Strength Standards, Upper Body Strength, Weight Training
By Steve Bechtel Fingers aren’t the only part of a climber that can be weak. On hard routes and particularly in bouldering, we often see arm and back strength as a limiting factor. The ability to move between holds effectively, to lock off on holds, and the ability to keep your body close to the…
Pull-Ups Are a Waste of Time
Tags: Inverted Rows, Pull-Ups, Specificity, Strength Standards, Weight Training
By Steve Bechtel There’s nothing like a title almost everyone disagrees with. It’s a sure-fire way to make people at least look at the article. So, now that you’re looking, I’ll be more clear. If you’re interested in actually improving your climbing ability, you’d be wasting your time if pull-ups were a major part of…
Strength Session Design 2
Tags: Movement Preparation, Progress, Session Design, Strength Standards, Training, Weight Training
by Steve Bechtel I wrote my first article on designing strength sessions a few years back, and I thought it might be useful to update that article with the changes we’ve made to our programs over the past few seasons. In general, climbers agree on the need for climbing – sport specific movement – to…
Unilateral Strength
Tags: Pull-Ups, Training Plans, Unilateral Strength, Upper Body Strength, Weight Training
The Plan Unilateral strength training is simply training one limb at a time. When we do squats or barbell bench press or pull-ups, we are training bilaterally – both sides of the body at the same time. Most of the time, this is a perfectly effective mode of training. There are two reasons, however, to…