The world is full of bad advice when it comes to rock climbing. How many times have you heard or read advice that sounds like this, “Climbing is all about technique, not strength,” or “The fastest way to improve at climbing is simply to climb,” or “You have to use your legs, not your arms.” Then, inspired, you head out to your local gym or crag, ready to give this advice an earnest try, and what happens? You struggle and fail to climb a problem, and someone else approaches the same climb, ignores all the “rules” and “good advice,” and effortlessly campuses it (climbs it without even using his or her feet). So much for those great tips.
Do you really want to get better at rock climbing? Well, if so, I want to dispel all that bad advice and tell you the truth. The real separator between an average climber and an exceptional climber is one simple thing, grip strength. And really, doesn’t that a sound a bit obvious? Your instincts have probably already told you at one point or another that this is the case, but with so many suggestions of the contrary out there, it’s understandable to be confused.
Now I’m not saying that grip strength, in a vacuum, is the only variable in climbing performance. There are many other attributes that are necessary to climb at your personal best. However, for most of those things, you are going to develop them naturally over time, just by climbing, experimenting, and watching others climb. Strength, however, does not reach optimal levels from climbing alone, especially if that climbing is haphazard and unstructured. For a comparison, consider athletes in other strength-based sports. Imagine if football players or rugby players never lifted weights and instead attempted to build all their strength only from playing the sport. Imagine if gymnasts never did any controlled exercises and instead attempted to build all their strength only by going through performance routines. These athletes would all fall miles short of their full potential with such approaches, and the same applies to climbers.
Additionally, while some things like technique can be learned quickly, sometimes in a matter of days, strength can take months or even years to build. In other words, if you want to make substantial gains in your climbing grip strength, you have a very long road ahead of you. Therefore, it is imperative that you start the process as soon as possible and that you advance through the process as quickly as possible.
The first big secret I want to share with you is really no secret at all. When it comes to building climbing strength, the hangboard is king. There are many other exercises out there for improving grip strength, and most of them will yield some measure of benefit. However, none of them are comparable to hangboarding for making the most of your time and effort. With that said, realize that there is much more to an effective hangboard program than simply installing a board and “going with the flow.” I have seen far too many people walk up to a hangboard, grab the biggest holds, crank out 3 pullups, and then walk away feeling accomplished. Please don’t let that be you. For these reasons, the hangboard is the core focus of this program, and although that sounds simple, there are an enormous amount of details here that you won’t find anywhere else. While hangboarding is the core focus, this program does also cover several other important topics listed below.
Here is what I will NOT do in this program:
- Give vague advice or wishy-washy high-level principles that leave you with no plan for action.
- Gloss over important aspects of training and leave you to work out the details on your own.
- Give you any advice that I haven’t personally tested and verified.
Here is what I WILL do in this program:
- Teach you to build grip strength that is specifically suited for climbing in the fastest way possible.
- Show you how to set up a training station in your home or apartment that meets all your demands and does not ruin your walls.
- List which hanging methods are the best use of your time and which should you avoid.
- Teach you to properly track your progress over the long term and manage your training data.
- Explain how to adjust difficulty in the smallest possible increments for continued progress no matter how strong you get.
- Describe the basic physiology behind climbing strength and the most common myths that confuse our understanding of climbing strength.
- Reveal the truth behind the controversial campus board and explain how to use it safely at any skill level as a highly effective supplement to your primary training.
- Explain the role finger injuries play in your training, the riskiest activities leading to finger injuries, the best methods for recovery from finger injuries, and the most effective prevention methods to eliminate finger injuries from your climbing.
- Explain how to transfer your strength gains into actual climbing performance quickly and safely.
- Teach you to use your actual climbing time in the most effective manner to synergize with your strength training and avoid wasting your time.