The Science of Climbing Training: An evidence-based guide to improving your climbing performance

This evidence-based guide analyzes training methods and physiology to improve climbing performance across finger strength, endurance, overall conditioning, and program design.

When it comes to training for climbing, there is an overwhelming amount of information out there. In The Science of Climbing Training, top Spanish climbing coach Sergio Consuegra has analysed our sporting needs from the perspective of exercise and sports science to provide an evidence-based approach to training for climbing. It is designed to help us improve climbing performance, whether we’re taking the next step in our training as we work towards a project, or if we’re a coach looking to optimise our athletes’ training. It doesn’t contain any 'magic' training methods, because there are none – although you might be shocked by the science behind some popular methods.

The first part explains what training is and how different training methods are governed by the physiological and biomechanical processes that occur in the body. The second part looks at how to improve specific needs (such as finger strength and forearm muscle endurance) and general needs (such as basic physical conditioning, pulling strength, pushing strength, strength training for injury prevention) for the different demands and types of climbing and bouldering. The third and final part suggests the best ways to fit it all together. It looks at adjusting training volume and intensity, and tapering to encourage supercompensation, all to help us achieve improved performance, whether it’s a breaking into a higher grade, ticking that long-standing project or climbing a dream route.

Table of Contents

Introduction PART I: UNDERSTANDING TRAINING 1. THE PROCESS OF TRAINING Definition Intensity and thresholds Homeostasis, GAS and supercompensation The principles of training What to train 2. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF STRENGTH What is strength? Types of muscle contraction Types of muscle fibre and recruitment Causes of fatigue Muscle failure: Is it really necessary? Ways to develop strength: hypertrophy and neural Strength training for injury prevention 3. UNDERSTANDING AND OPTIMISING MOBILITY What is mobility? Flexibility, elasticity and stiffness Active vs passive flexibility and mobility reserve Myotatic reflex and autogenic inhibition or inverse myotatic reflex Threat perception as a limiting factor of ROM Brain maps, SIMs and DIMs Options for optimising mobility 4. BRIEF NOTES ON ANATOMY Upper body: pulling muscles Core: the connecting chain Lower body: pushing muscles Connective tissue: tendons and ligaments 5. MUSCLE CHAINS, FASCIA AND BIOTENSEGRITY Fascia anatomy, deep fascia and superficial fascia Main muscle chains The body as a biotensegrity structure 6. BIOENERGETICS AND METABOLISM Focus: energy production The ATP-PCr system Anaerobic glycolysis Aerobic glycolysis Fat oxidation or lipolysis The energy continuum 7. ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS IN CLIMBING PERFORMANCE The old paradigm of performance: intensity and energy systems according to number of moves New findings about limiting factors in climbing performance: routes and bouldering PART II: OPTIMISATION OF TRAINING 8. WHAT CAN I OPTIMISE IN MY TRAINING SESSIONS? Definition of training goals General warm-up. Joint mobilisation. Coordination-based cardio. Increasing ROM. Muscle activation Core activation Specific wall-based exercises Traversing. Introducing the session’s target technique Wall-based core work. Resistance band exercises. Body tension Enhancing performance: post-activation potentiation Climbing-specific training needs Maximum strength training Maximum grip strength. Deadhangs. Evidence and protocols. Adaptation to different levels of training Maximum pulling strength. Pull-ups. Velocity-based training. Maximum intensity methods and calculating your RM Maximum isometric strength. Lock-offs Recovery time during and between sessions Power and RFD training Campus board training Recovery time during and between sessions Integrated strength, power and RFD training: bouldering Endurance training Physiological effects of different intensities Increasing forearm blood flow. Continuous, long interval and intermittent methods. Blood flow restriction training (BFR) Improving recovery. High-intensity interval methods. Active wall-based recovery. Intermittent deadhangs Physical conditioning for climbing Strength training to maximise performance. Methods and techniques for upper body, core and lower body exercises Strength training for injury prevention Cardiovascular endurance training for climbing. Base endurance, HIIT, body composition and SIT Mobility training for climbing PART III: PLANNING OF TRAINING 9. TRAINING SESSION DESIGN Single-focus sessions. Example session Criteria for planning a multi-focus session. Transfer and interference 10. PERIODISATION MODELS: IN SEARCH OF OPTIMAL PEAK FORM Basic concepts: macrocycle, mesocycle and microcycle Linear periodization: traditional and reverse. General and specific preparation period. Competition and tapering period. Advantages and disadvantages. Example periodization ATR periodization: accumulation, transmutation and realisation mesocycles. Types and order of microcycles. Advantages and disadvantages. Example periodization 11. DETRAINING Acknowledgements Author bio Bibliography