M35, 194 cm, 110 kg

Background: I started climbing in May. I have done a lot of hiking, and while I’ve been interested in climbing for a while, only got into it recently, mostly due to insecurities about my weight (i have a weightlifting background, and am at around 20-24% body fat), but have realized that it is not really all that big of a deal safety wise, though I bought an ohmega immediately lol. As I have given up on weightlifting into old age, I am currently cutting weight, but unlikely to end up under 95 kg.

I almost only (outside courses) train on autobelay, because I don’t know anyone who climb, and can usually only train mornings until autumn. Currently can onsight most 5bs, and project up to 6a/b. Could probably muscle my way up more 6a if more overhangy, but am reluctant to because I feel my technique sucks and I’ll be likely to injure myself.

Strength: I have ok pulling, hanging, and core strength (scoring 4-6 points on all on the 9c test), but cannot hang at all on a 20mm bodyweight crimp.

Goals: I am mainly interested in progressing to big walls, trad climbing, and technical mountaineering. Cool experiences are worth more than high grades, though this probably means at least being comfortable with low 6 grade trad. Ideally, next summer I would like to start doing some of this, and hope to be comfortable sport climbing in the upper 6 range. I am hoping to attend outside climbing courses this autumn and continue after winter.

Programming questions: right now I am training 2-3 times a week, usually one «projecting» day where I try to climb difficult routes, and then one or two days where I go either for endurance or technique. Because I come from a weightlifting background, I am used to following the concept of progressive overload from day one, but virtually everywhere I look, it seems the advice for climbing for year one is «just climb.»

So, when should I consider changing things up? When does it make sense to look at coaching or structured programming? Should I think about finger strength training at all, given my strength discrepancies?

Thanks everyone! I realize maybe I am overthinking things at this stage, but I enjoy programming and structured training, so I hope my questions are ok.

preamble: I'm not a strong climber, hampered crazy long time by finger issues but finally feel like making progress. If you're crushing training boards or anything hard I probably have nothing for you.

The first huge jump was just a lot of icing for my fingers (ring and middle are the problem ones). I have little ice sleeves that go on individual fingers and will pop them on ~20 seconds at a time frequently after a session. Can run hot water on the fingers in between if I want to do several "reps" in a row. Yes I know this is just contrast therapy but it's colder than you'll usually see recommended and much less hassle than using an ice bath, which I used to do, and didn't seem as effective. The other benefit is being able to just pop these finger sleeves on for like 25 seconds in the morning when I wake up. I will do it as feels helpful so if they're feeling bad one day I might do it a lot more. This made a tremendous difference in my fingers ability to just recover and adapt it seemed.

A very recent change I've incorporated that I'm very fond of is the curling DIP mental cue. If you follow climbing tips IG or anything in that world (hoopers beta did a video), I'm sure you've seen it a bunch but just in the last month I've done that and my fingers feel better than ever. Dropped my crimp block lift from 100lbs 20mm edge to 75lbs (185lb bw, as I've said, not a strong climber) but I feel the engagement in my forearms better. and I'm sure it'll get back up there,

Joint issues, even with loose joints I've found some different mobilizations have really helped my wrists and hips. Also heavy slow resistance is the best I've found for my tendon issues. My shoulders feel much better from HSR than the physio therapy I was given ~20 years ago. Really think weight training is underrated for helping with these kind of joint issues as well.

shoes.. they can be too big. This might be my most personalized issue but I had been out of climbing for a while and getting back into it I was going to stop downsizing my shoes because I didn't want to hurt my feet. my big toe joints started giving me issues when I bought a soft pair of shoes so I bought the stiffest shoes I could find which helped a ton but the issues still cropped back up. I decided to experiment with going back to downsizing (since that kind of crimps your toe and that feels more stable on the big toe joint in your foot) and it's been tremendous. Now I say downsizing but I'm doing that by wearing two pairs of socks but it's effectively the same. shoes went from a bit loose in the toebox (big toe would kind of go into a chisel position instead of crimp) to tight and now my big toe stays basically crimped and my shoes feel more comfortable than they had.

Feels like i'm getting closer to unlocking that cursed 2016 moonboard in the gym, the one training board they have.

Hey everyone, i’ve been projecting this route for a while and could really use some beta or training advice. Sorry the video quality isn't the best, but it highlights the exact move I'm stuck on.

The frustrating part is I have this exact same issue on totally different routes, so I feel like there's fundamentally something wrong on my strenght or how i climb/read the route.

Basically, I can get my heel up high on the roof and keep my body close to the rock, but I get completely stuck trying to actually pull myself up and over. The holds above the lip here are polished quartzite slopers and a bad vertical cracks, so I can't generate much upward momentum or release my left hand. Because of my height, once I stand up as high as I can on the bad holds, I still can't reach the good ones.

Not sure if it's a strength issue, a short-person beta thing, or if I'm just reading the movement wrong.

Here are my stats for the sub rules:

1. Amount of climbing and training experience? Been climbing for about 1.5 years.

2. Height / Weight / Ape? 167cm (5'6") and 65kg (143 lbs). my ape index is around 0

3. What's a week of climbing and training look like? I usually get outside to lead climb or boulder indoors twice a week. I also try to do a home workout about once a week (hangboard, rings, pull-up bar).

4. Specify your goals beyond "generally improve": how to transition over a lip when the holds are bad. I want to know what to tweak in my technique or what specific exercises to do at home to improve this issue

5. Evaluate your strengths & weaknesses. How are you working on them?

• Strengths: My core has gotten a lot better. I can throw a high heel hook onto a roof pretty easily and get my hips close to the wall.
• Weaknesses: Actually grabbing the next holds and pulling over. If it's a sloper or a weird vertical crack where I can't just pull straight down, I completely stall out and can't move up.

Any advice on the move itself or how I should train for it would be awesome. Thanks!

https://youtu.be/Ksnfo-eTOXE

Edit: thanks everyone! many useful answers, points of view and resources to work from:) that being said, maybe I didn't explain too well, but I never talked about getting any plans or coach, it's just a course with videos which supposedly talks about how to train for climbing, and just wanted to know if there's enough info to self-coach myself better or if anybody had experience with it
_____

Hi! Not sure if this kind of questions can be posted here, sorry if it's not the case!

in short: I'd like to know if the lattice A Climber's Guide to Training is worth buying or not, and if it actually fullfills the role of teaching how to self-coach yourself

info on myself: 1,85m (6,1ft), 82kg (181lb), onsight grade ~6b+ sport, basically I'd like to improve overall climbing fitness, feel stronger fingers, pumping out less, be able to climb more routes when going out, and after that, go up some grades until I consistently climb 7a (I've done a few already)
Also, when on rock, mental part is a big thing for me, working on that too!

too much text: I've been climbing for many years now, like 8-10, don't remember, with some periods off, some periods full focused, and of course the first 3-5 years it was just random climbing in the gym, going until exhausted, while wondering why I wasn't improving. Of course, my fingers were injured 30% of the time, nothing super bad, but so annoying.

The later years, I started watching youtube videos, trying to improve technique, understanding that more doesnt mean better, etc. I started to cut sessions short, but also include some hangboard sessions here and there, and when I was at my strongest, I always got injured again. Yeah, sounds obvious that I was still doing too much, but it's real hard to tell, never ended the sessions fatigued, etc.

I'm still trying to get all the knowledge, read books, articles, etc. but it's so hard to have all the info straight and manageable, and I'm always afraid of doing too much and injure myself again, or doing too little and not improving.

So I was wondering if that course was actually a good answer to that, to learn how to schedule my training, my loads, my cycles, find and focus on weaknesses while keeping strenghts, etc.

Anyone has bought it and can give an honest opinion? The reviews on their page are so good, but I tend to not trust those so much so I'd like some internet's random's opinion

Thanks a lot!

I have been climbing for 6 years now. As you can see in my flair, I think I progressed fast at the beginning. Within my first two and a half years, I was sending 7a+ boulders and managed to send my first 7c route, which actually felt super easy at the time even though I was scared for my life.

Fast forward three and a half years to today, and my progress feels incredibly weird and frustrating. On one hand, my bouldering has slightly improved, and I am currently close to sending some 7c boulders. On the other hand, my sport climbing feels like it has completely regressed. I recently tried that same 7c route again, and it felt brutally hard and completely out of reach. Even some 6b+ routes are giving me a fight and feeling way harder than they should (3 years ago for me it was unthikable to fall on a 6b+, I onsighted almost every 7a-7b routes).

Biggest issue right now is that my performance is completely unstable. On the rare good days, I will feel like I can send a 7c route on my second go. However, on most days, everything feels heavy, I get flash pumped, and even easy routes feel like an absolute struggle. I can climb 8b routes to the top (figuring out all the moves in the first go), but sending them is something I can't even imagine

I do not get how I can almost boulder 7c but get shut down and pumped out on mid 6s, I think most of 8a lead climbers cannot even do 7b boulders. I always trained for both things, start sessions with harder climbing, end with endurance. But my performance vary so much that I feel like I'm sick, every day getting tired more easily, doesn't matter that I rest or not it looks totally random.

Anyone has felt this? I started focusing my training on only endurance for the last month and half, but still... no improvement, full random performance (even on the routes I set for endurance training, some days I can do 25 moves of it, some days almost 60), maybe only my upper body is strong but my legs can't deal with so much lead climbing? Maybe the endurance training will get me results in the longer run?

Hoping to hear opinions on hangboarding form, specifically using the BM1000/2000.

Context: Hangboarding for ~ 1 year, currently about ~140% on two arms for 3 sets of 10 set reps.

Is it "allowed/recommended" to nestle the index or pinky against the side of the BM1000/2000 as I usually explicitly try not to do this.

I suppose it gives you a bit more friction but the same force would be going through the fingers? I noticed that if I nestle my finger against the side I feel more secure.

I took a look at previous discussions about this but couldn't find much consensus:

• This blog (https://thehangboard.com/blogs/news/beastmaker-workouts) states that nesting your finger in a pocket-designed hangboard, like the BM1000/2000, transfers force to the shoulder and doesn't test finger strength. Not sure if that's true but it does feel easier.
• I read some posts on r/climbharder but couldn't find this discussed much. The only discussion I could find on this was from u/golf_ST in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/climbharder/comments/tqb4pw/hangboard_finger_pressure_and_location/
  • In this comment, they state that you can lift more this way.

I sense that this would only add friction helping to transfer the load to the finger tendons but maybe that isn't the case.

This is a thread for topics or questions which don't warrant their own thread, as well as general spray.

Come on in and hang out!

Hi all,

I’d say I’m a pretty decent comp climber, I climb about v11/v12 and I’ve been climbing about 8 years, and make finals at any local boulder comp that I go to.

But my flash goes are seriously hit or miss, besides random foot pops from a lack of focus I will just straight up not commit to high risk moves untill like 3 or so attempts of trying it.

So I’m wondering if anyone has like focusing strategies on the wall to avoid foot slips and/or any mental habits they do when they are gearing up to do a highly committing move.

Looking for highly specific advice from other comp climbers or anyone in general I guess. I’m aware of things like watching your foot place on the hold or steady breathing, practice makes perfect etc. But I want to hear some other strategies that have worked for people.

Looking back at comp performances, most of the time I’ve gone down places in a comp because of foot slips that lead to me needing way too many attempts and getting tired out, or just bailing for a move without properly setting up or mentally preparing myself to actually stick the hold. Despite reading the climb I’ll sometimes literally just forget about other holds or feet while I’m on the wall.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some constructive, technical feedback on my movement, pacing, and overall technique.

https://streamable.com/pck7t0

Longer shaking: 1:33 - 2:30; 2:57 - 3:30

The route in the video is a 7a+ (5.12a) lead route (Hotberry, Bettlerküche) that I managed to send on my second attempt this week. Physically, I feel like I am strong enough for harder grades (my current limit is 7b), but I constantly feel like my physical strength is overcompensating for inefficiencies in my climbing.

The angle of the wall is around 25-30 degrees overhanging. The route starts with some longer moves on good holds that require some shoulder strength. You then have two good rests which I used for rather long. Then comes the meat of the route with longer moves on smaller holds that get progressively harder. clipping positions are ok. The upper part is not on the video but the route is basically over after the crux just before my last rest.

I felt good on the route but struggle on harder grades although I feel like I should be able to climb much harder.

I’d love your insights specifically on:

1. Rhythm & Pacing: Am I hesitating too much? Am I spending too much energy shaking out in bad positions, or moving too slowly through the cruxes?
2. Technique & Hip Position: Do you notice any glaring inefficiencies in how I place my feet or engage my core?
3. Clipping Efficiency: Am I clipping from stable positions, or wasting power?

Context/Stats:

* Height/Weight: 183 cm / 76 kg

* Max Grade: 7b lead / 7a bouldering

* Style: I tend to rely a lot on upper body strength, but I want to transition into a more fluid, efficient style to break into the mid-7s.

Thanks in advance!

TLDR; Set yourself goals in training context, the grade will come naturally.

I'm not going to claim I'm not like the most of us trying to chase a certain grade as my climbing goal. It's simply how climbing culture is, unfortunately.

However, lately I have learned to shift away from it and I think I am developing a mindset that may also be helpful to many of you, so let me share:

I thought, how do the strongest climbers get so strong? Through training. Training the right way. Climbing hard is a result of consistent, structured and healthy training, compounded over years. So instead of focusing on our next grade, if we focus on learning how to train and also set ourselves goals in the context of training, we will probably be much better off in the long term. If you learn to train consistently, with enough rest, with enough progressive overload, that is how you become a beast in a couple years from now. The grade is a result of the training, and focusing on the grade is like focusing on the outcome instead of the process. Make the process better, then the outcome will be better too.

Story time: When I started climbing 15 years ago there was a guy a couple years younger than me climbing in the same competition. I was a bit stronger than him at that time. Fast forward 15 years later (I'm 30 now he's 26 or so). That same guy is in the national team, flashing V12s climbing 5.14c and competing at world cups. He was not necessarily talented 15 years ago. But what he did do different than me was training. For 15 years.

I'm getting into that now, better late than never! Instead of saying "I want to climb 5.13b next year" I try to say: "I want to complete all my training sessions the next 4 weeks" or "My next goal is to ramp up the grade in my lead doubles session from 5.11d to 5.12a" or "My next goal is to improve my max hang by 10%" or "I want to go from 1-4-6 to 1-4-7 on the campus board". Basically the concept of setting SMART goals (look it up if you don't know it). Small and achievable goals. It makes training very motivating if you achieve a new goal every couple weeks! And that is all you need to keep making progress, I think.

Of course we all try to focus on our training plans to get stronger so it sounds like most of us do this already perhaps, but it's different to actually forget about that grade and see the training itself as the goal.

Think about it! Would be great if this sub-reddit gets more posts like "This is the secret that helped me train better" instead of people asking "How do I climb V10 next year"

I notice that whenever I'm pulling hard, my shoulders shrug up to my neck. I can include photos if needed. Is this something I just need to be more conscious of, or are there some exercises I could do to help?

1. Amount of climbing and training experience?

Climbing for 7 years and training for most of them

1. Height / Weight / Ape?

6'1" 155-160lbs +0 inches

1. What's a week of climbing and training look like?

Climb Tue, Thur, and Sat for 3+ hours each day with board climbing, focused route climbing (doubles, singles, ARD, etc.), weight lifting, and minimal finger training - just recruitment at the moment. I climb outside more than half the weekends of the year and in those weeks I climb Tue, Thur, Sat, and Sun.

1. Specify your goals beyond "generally improve"

Climbing Hard 5.13, increasing technique and endurance

1. Evaluate your strengths & weaknesses. How are you working on them?

Really strong fingers and ability to memorize sequences. Need better technique.

Block pull 20mm 140 lbs in both hands on tindeq/force board and can add 115lbs on beastmaker 20mm for 5 sec, weighted pull up with 100lbs added. Weak on slopers more than crimps and pinches. Drag grip is weak.

I’m a 25M, 5’7”, currently 113 lb.

I’ve been rock climbing for around 2 years, usually 2–3 times per week. I’m good at climbing, but I’m still underweight and my weight has stayed mostly the same.

Since the start of 2026 I've also started going to the gym for strength training, but recenly someone mentioned that the fact that I rockclimb so much is killing my gains, since apparenly rockclimbing "is more cardio than strength training". I mainly want input on how true this is.

(Extra info for rockclimbers: The gym I go to is mainly vertical walls with barely any negative incline, pretty much just sport climbing. No artificial steep bouldering on my country, sadly)

My goal is not really bodybuilding. I want to reach a healthy weight (around 130–140 lb) while continuing to climb because I really love it. I’m planning to track calories with MyFitnessPal, start around 2650 kcal/day, aim for around 100–110g protein/day, and keep with the push/pull/legs split on strength training. I wanted to ask for advice and input on that too.

Does this sound like a reasonable approach? For climbers or people who gained weight while staying athletic, what would you change?

Hey all! I've been climbing for about 2 years now, 1 year of taking it seriously. I climb outdoors most days, but have stopped training (gym) over the past 2ish months. I boulder indoors when the weather stops me from climbing outside.

I'm currently projecting a 21, which I've been able to do all the moves on in isolation. I've done it on top rope, too, but recently when I'm trying to lead it, I get paralysed with fear past a certain point on the route.

I've taken falls before - not a whole lot of them but I have taken deliberate and accidental falls, all of which I know are good for me. (If you can't fall, you can't progress etc.) Even after taking a whip on the 21 project, I still couldn't push myself past to do it again. I've had this fear before, and it passed, but I've become a pain in the ass to climb with. My climbing partner is getting fed up of my negative attitude which I totally understand but I just can't seem to get my head out of that fear mindset. I know I will be fine when I fall, what is holding me back?

I know a lot of climbers have this fear, and I am no unique case. But what I don't understand is how they get over it. I take falls, have a laugh about it, but when I get back to that move, I find myself still too scared to progress.

What can I do? How can I start to move past fear? How do climbers train themselves to stay out of their mind and in their body? At the very least, how can I stay positive when it only feels like I'm going backwards? I'm ruining the fun for others and for myself. I just want to have fun climbing again but I just get so wound up in the fear and frustration of not being able to do something I know I can physically do. All tips welcome. Thank you!! <3

Hi everyone from Italy!

A quick disclaimer: I know I’m not training in the most optimal way because I have several constraints, but I’d like to ask how I could get the most out of my training despite them.

My main limitation is time: I can train twice a week, and occasionally I might be able to add a third indoor session. I’m an ophthalmologist, so I can’t climb the day before surgery, and I absolutely cannot afford to get injured.

Current level: I climb around 6c and have climbed a 7a on lead outdoors.

Goal: To feel confident at these grades so I can be relaxed during multipitch outings with my girlfriend. I’d like to be able to climb 6c-7a routes without worrying that I won’t be able to continue.

My current training routine:

One day I go bouldering at the gym with friends: limit bouldering, some Kilter Board climbing, and I finish with a few circuits. Total duration: 2–2.5 hours.

Home training on a Beastmaker 1000 using a 7-second hang / 3-second rest protocol. I do:

1 minute on the large 45 mm edge,

3 minutes rest,

1 minute on the comfortable central sloper,

3 minutes rest,

1 minute on the shallow three-finger hold,

10 minutes rest,

and then I repeat the whole sequence for a total of 3 sets.

Whenever I can (once, at most twice a month), I climb lead outdoors.

My level has been stuck for more than a year. Considering my limitations (mainly lack of time), what could I do to improve?

So ive been climbing around 4 years now and I feel like ive been stuck for awhile. Im about 5ft 6in, 140lbs, "regular" ape index, 34 year old female. Ive had people tell me I look very physically fit and have well defined arms and shoulders, but i feel like theyre really not doing much for me. Im feeling incredibly discouraged because I feel like most of the guys around me that I climb with have climbed for shorter periods of time but can climb much harder routes. Many of them dont do any additional training outside of the gym. I have not had any consistent long term female partners to "compare" to, they tend to come and go a lot.

I feel like i can climb 5.10a on slab and sometimes flash it in the gym. You add any overhang and I struggle with 5.9s. For outdoor climbing (northeast, in NY), i can lead sport climbing some 5.8s but I struggle with those sometimes too. To add to the full story, when my adrenaline spikes or im trying really hard on the wall to keep pushing and not fall, I get extremely nauseous and have to stop. I often try to pre-medicate my climbing nights with anti nausea pills in preparation for this.

I started climbing 2-3 times a week about a year ago and was previously mostly only doing once a week. I added in bouldering to help with balance. I know i need to add in strength training off the wall and am looking at routines to do. I had a private session with a CRG staff member but all he really said was I need to work on footwork. Ive been trying to be more conscious of that when climbing, but I also dont really know how...

I see posts like this in here a lot, but it seems like people are plateauing at 5.11s and 5.12s.....My goals are to climb 11s and 12s and honestly I want to hang with the "big boys". I just dont totally know how to get there...My non-climber husband suggested this work out routine and idk if its right. One week you do push 1, pull 1, next week you do push 2, pull 2.

Part of my job is to sell climbing shoes and I have tried a lot of different shoes myself. I am by no means an expert but I just wanted to address something I have heard a lot from brands, customers and fellow climbers. First, a little disclaimer that most of what I'm talking about is relevant to indoor bouldering, where most beginners are starting out.

I hear a lot of people saying a beginner's shoes should be flatter shoes, potentially with a harder rubber but particularly with a thicker amount of rubber. This is reflected in most beginner shoes on the market. They also tend to have a single piece of rubber along the bottom to give the shoe a bit more support. The main reason for the thicker rubber seems to be that, as a beginner, you are a little more careless with your feet and will wear the rubber out quicker.

I want to draw your attention to the fact that this is purely financial advice. If you want to get better at climbing, I strongly recommend finding a softer shoe with thinner rubber, as you will get much more feedback. The softness will also allow you to quickly determine what technique is required for each foothold and draw attention to your limits, and even why you might need a harder shoe in the first place (I'm looking at you, sharp foot chips!). My journey involved beginner shoes that I came to learn were too big. Then going super aggressive with a huge amount of rubber on the toe. It wasn't until I had a soft, thin shoe that I felt I understood climbing shoes a bit better and how to stand on volumes.

In short, if you're cost conscious, go for a shoe with thicker rubber. If you don't want tight shoes, go for something more supportive, but this can be thick or thin rubber. If you want to learn quickly, go for a tight but not painful pair of softer, thinner rubber shoes. They have the added bonus of generally being more comfortable than the harder and more aggressive shoes.

I'm sure people in the comments can recommend some shoes, but if I had to go for two options I would pick the Tenaya Tanta for a less aggressive, cheaper option and the Scarpa Drago for a more aggressive, performance option.

This is the first frame from MoonClimbing's newest video. As a nerd who's been keeping a close eye on the board climbing scene I could immediately tell the school room remodeled (the 2016 used to be butted up against the 24, and then a 25 degree 2019 setup). After relistening to Ben's interview describing this product, I'm positive this new wall is their upcoming Moon Spray Wall.

It starts at 30 degrees (left) and ends at 45 degrees. 14 feet high x 16 feet wide. If you look closely you'll see row numbers on the side. And finally the dead giveaway is that I could spot 2024 holds on it. Looks really cool, I did not expect it to be a true spray wall (dense, varying hold sizes, volumes, gridless).

Just thought I'd share for anyone else who's been anticipating this launch! Original timeline was April/May this year.

Looking for advice on training. As mentioned in the title I want to be consistently doing or at least projecting v7 in the next couple months or about a year since I started.

Currently flashing v4 80% of the time, send v5s I've projected + 3 v6s. 

information about me and my climbing:

• 17yo, 58kg, 5'10-11 with slightly negative ape index
• Started Sep 2025
• Vast majority of my climbing is indoor bouldering

Schedule: 

• Tuesday: Main gym, bigger with higher quality sets
• Wednesday: Second, more local gym
• Weekend: usually no climbing but sometimes at main gym
• Can get a session in at local gym at any point in the week

Have access to at least once a week:

• 2024 40 degree moonboard
• 45 degree custom wood board
• hangboard
• pullup bar
• gymnastic rings
• standard gym equipment

Home equipment:

• custom hangboard with 5, 10, 15, ~18 mm (incut) and 20 mm edge
• pull up bar
• Two adjustable 10 kg dumbbells, plates are used in my backpack for max hangs because I don't have a belt yet

Strength training related stuff: 

• weighted pullups: +~18 kg for 3–6 reps
• weighted hangs: +~18 kg on a 15 or 20 mm edge for about 12 seconds, don't have enough weight to do 7 sec hangs
• record hang: ~3 seconds on 5 mil
• am now able to do 1-arm lockoffs on the bar

Current hangboard routine:

Once sometimes twice a week, only when I have a rest day before and after climbing. 3–5 sets of +~18kg weighted hangs with 3–5 minute rests, and sometimes a couple of bw hangs on the incut edge in a half-crimp/clawed position since I heard its good for DIP joints.

Relevant dietary stuff:

3.5g/day creatine since about 2 weeks ago. Can usually get in at least 30g of protein after climbing/training with whey, milk, chicken, cheese etc.

Weak points

• route reading for very beta dependant problems
• general technique and footwork
• dynamic stuff or body coordination generally
• Slab

Extra notes:

Shoes are currently ocun advancer QCs 2 sizes bigger than street size. Not at all ideal, but will be switched in the next couple weeks for properly sized solution comps unless I find something better.

Current max on 2024 moonboard is v4 (benchmark)

Slight problem with my left wrist where it occasionally feels like it's slipped out the joint a little, causes some pain afterwards but happens less often now.

Id like to know any and all useful info on improving technique, route reading, coordination and board climbing.

If anyone has any useful info/advice for me on route reading, recovery/schedule, training coordination, board climbing, or any generic advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

This is a thread for simple, or common training questions that don't merit their own individual threads as well as a place to ask Injury related questions. It also serves as a less intimidating way for new climbers to ask questions without worrying how it comes across.

• r/Climbharder Wiki - many common answers to questions.
• r/Climbharder Master Sticky - many of the best topic replies

Commonly asked about topics regarding injuries:

Tendonitis: http://stevenlow.org/overcoming-tendonitis/

Pulley rehab:

• https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/stories/experience-story-esther-smith-nagging-finger-injuries/
• https://stevenlow.org/rehabbing-injured-pulleys-my-experience-with-rehabbing-two-a2-pulley-issues/
• Note: See an orthopedic doctor for a diagnostic ultrasound before potentially using these. Pulley protection splints for moderate to severe pulley injury.

Synovitis / PIP synovitis:

https://stevenlow.org/beating-climbing-injuries-pip-synovitis/

General treatment of climbing injuries:

https://stevenlow.org/treatment-of-climber-hand-and-finger-injuries/

So recently I have discovered that I send best after being in the gym for over 2 hours. I do warm up off the wall and climb up to my limit which is typically around v6-v8 depending on how sandbagged it feels to me.

My warm up routine is below. I generally FEEL pretty ready to go after this:
Jump rope
Shoulder circles
Band scapula pulls
Leg swings
90-90
Glute and adductor engagements
Cossack squats
Scapular pulls
Pull ups
Runner stretch
Downward dog: knee to elbow, nose, opposite elbow and reverse. Include handstand practice
Hip flexor stretch
Weighted kneeling shift
Finger curls with a block and some light weight
Pancake.

Once I do a slow pyramid, I’ll try to lightly pull on a few limit climbs before I head to work on some moonboard problems which typically ends up being around 1-1 1/2 hours into the session.

I know I should typically end it here after 30min to an hour on the board but i get psyched on a new set or with friends so i go back to trying some harder climbs and here is where ill typically send a project pretty quickly which before the moonboard felt impossible.

How can improve my warm up or what can I do better to feel my appendages recruited as well as possible earlier in the session and without pulling on the moonboard?

Thank you beasts!

As someone with separate Autism and ADHD diagnoses I struggle with overstimulation at busy crags, particularly regarding noise. This manifests itself as intense anxiety and fatigue and an inability to think clearly. This was evident recently at a popular DWS crag where the noise of the sea + wind + many people meant I didn’t feel comfortable climbing until much later in the day when almost everyone had left. Unfortunately they left because the beach had gone into shade and the temperature dropped significantly which gave me a short window to do anything before we left ourselves. This is a recurring theme, basically if I want good conditions or to have multiple high quality attempts with rests then I need to climb during times which are unfavourable to my conditions.

To those climbers who have had similar issues, what have you done to mitigate them when you need to be on your game, eg your project is at the busy end of the crag? Understanding my relationship to noise as a trigger has been a recent discovery so I’m keen to pick up tactics to improve not only my ability to perform but my enjoyment of my days out overall.

EDIT: I didn’t specify but my main discipline is route climbing so I’m keen to hear anything that caters for that as well as overall tips

Looking for community input on a training question, some context below.

The route: 5.14 finger crack. Opens with a 10m dihedral (11d/12-) to a sit-down ledge, then the crux: short thin crack (~V4) to a jug on steep rock, into a V6, to a good finger lock, then a V10 to a big hold. Feet are tricky, shallow crack, insecure smearing. The whole crux (ledge to end of V10) takes about 3:30. After that it's easy 5.9 climbing to the top.

My history: On and off since 2022, 50-60 days total. Skipped 2025 entirely. Back this year, 5-6 sessions in so far this spring/summer.

Current prep on a session day:

• Gym warm-up, 45min-1hr: boulder ladder up to one V6, one V7, one V8 (also doubles as strength maintenance)
• 45 min hike to the crag
• One lap on a 12b/c of similar style to confirm I'm properly warmed up
• Then 2 redpoint attempts on project (can't do more — very aggressive finger locking, hard on the joints)
• Separately, once a week: a 5-10min max-effort finger recruitment session

Season so far: Every session, both go #1 and go #2 have been improving, one more move each time, pretty consistently.

What happened recently: Fell at the very last move of the crux, going for the final big hold — felt too pumped to hold on. Worth noting: the finale involves crimps for the left hand (not the finger crack itself), and that's specifically where I felt the pump, not from the finger-locking below. First time ever feeling pumped on this route, but also the highest I've ever climbed on it. I'd rehearsed that last section before on top-rope (though less volume than the lower crux, since it's easier in isolation), so the moves weren't new, arriving there already fatigued from the whole crux below was new. Stress and fear could have definitely played a role in that pump developing.

My question for the community: My warm-up (boulder ladder + the 12b/c) doesn't get me pumped at all going into my redpoint attempts. I'm wondering if I should deliberately build some pump into the warm-up, to simulate/prepare for the scenario where I arrive at the top-out already gassed.

My hesitation: my warm-up seems calibrated well to get me warm without fatigue, and my results this season back that up (progress every session). If I add pre-pump before my redpoint goes, I'm spending some of my only 2 tries pre-fatigued, which muddies whether a miss is "the move" or "the pre-pump," and probably lowers my send chances on days I'd otherwise be fresh enough to close it out.

My current plan is to leave the warm-up alone and instead practice pump-management after my 2 redpoint goes are done (toprope laps or link burns into the crux top-out while already tired from the session), since that fatigue is "free" and doesn't cost me a fresh attempt.

Does that seem right, or is there a case for building some controlled pump into the actual warm-up before redpoint burns? Also curious if the fact that the pump is specifically on the final crimps (a different grip type than the finger-locking below) changes anyone's thinking, e.g. targeted crimp-specific fatigue practice vs. general pump. Curious if anyone's dealt with something similar on a route where the crux comes very late and pump is more of a surprise-factor than a constant.

The target of this post is someone who was maybe more like me 5 months ago, who has maybe felt somewhat demotivated from climbing due to a lack of progress. I am on the younger side, and I was about 5’9” and 140 pounds a bit ago. I think, among climbers, that’s a pretty common height and weight, and I did not necessarily feel weak. Bouldering around v7, v8, projecting 5.12+ on the lead wall, but my strength metrics were always around what you would expect for the grade. Could do a weighted pull-up with maybe about +90 pounds, never measured my max hang but adding any more than 50 or 60 pounds with two arms on 20mm started to feel quite uncomfortable. I made friends with a few guys a little bit younger than me who climbed tension board v9 in less than like a year and I was like damn I guess just don’t have those finger strength genetics.

Literally just eat more food bro, especially if you’re kind of a naturally twitchy athlete, a lot of y’all (maybe not on this sub but climbers in general) sound like people who are like “I don’t want to lift weights because ill get too bulky”. Building muscle does not happen by accident.

Can now one arm pull up. Can hold a lock off for like 10 seconds. Can do a one arm pull-up on a 20mm edge if I grab my shoulder for stability. Can hold a one arm hang on a 20mm edge for like 5 seconds now, and I’m working towards doing it with a 5 pound weight in my hand. Did my first few tension board v9s and first v10 and now my potential grade ceiling feels substantially higher, I now feel considerably more limited by technique.

The absolute biggest thing is that I can now handle way more training volume and having some amount of progression leads me to be extremely motivated, nice little positive feedback loop.

I think there is (perhaps) a perception that finger strength is so fickle that gaining or losing a little bit of weight can significantly impact how hard you climb and I’m here to tell you that gaining muscle in your back and forearms will ONLY make you stronger, which is exactly what will happen if you’re in a mild surplus while you’re climbing seriously. Perhaps there is an endurance tradeoff on long lead routes but the vast majority of y’all are bouldering in the gym on massive holds. If you’re wondering what my finger strength program was it was just doing no hang block pulls in my apartment gym like 6 days a week, doing 5 reps at like 1-2 reps RIR after warming up for about 20 minutes, which is not a particularly intelligent way to do that but the point is that it didn’t really matter, was just sufficient volume to get the stimulus and I was in a surplus. (Would not be surprised if the majority of my gains were neuromuscular adaptations but that’s besides the point, easier to push your CNS if you’re well fed)

Furthermore, you can get quite strong in antagonist excersises without necessarily chasing hypertrophy. Genuinely doing a few sets of like 3 reps at like 1-2 RIR in deadlift or bench or [whatever heavy compound movement] for a couple sets once a week is enough to progress without necessarily training like a body builder. We all know that its nice to have well developed antagonist muscles for joint stability particularly in the shoulder and hip and hamstring and yet the amount of climbers I know, even strong climbers, that dont consider it that important or even quasi detrimental is like ridiculous.

Also food tastes good and you’ll probably be hotter as long as you don’t get fat. Though if you’re climbing hard and consistently the latter is difficult to accomplish