Unless you are lucky enough to live somewhere with year round outdoor climbing, then there is probably a good chunk of the year when it is either too hot, too cold, or too wet to get out to your local areas.  While these periods may not be our favorites, they are the perfect time to buckle down, train hard, and work towards our goals.

To give you some offseason training motivation, here’s a blog post from boulder Teal Dreher in which she outlines some of her goals for the new year and the training plan she wrote to help her reach them.

“When it comes to training, I definitely don’t think there is a “one-size fits all” solution. Everyone is different and has different strengths and weaknesses, and I think training should be catered to those individual needs.. So given those factors, here is what I have come up with for myself. First I will say that my goals are pretty general at the moment; I’d like to be ready for the spring bouldering season. For training, while I generally prefer a non-periodized schedule, I have decided to do 4 weeks of strength specific training followed by 4 weeks of power specific training. For the strength phase, I have decided to focus on two specific goals: the one arm pull up and the front lever. I currently can’t do either, but I figure both will be good to work towards!” – Teal Dreher

As she notes above, Teal is starting her year off with two periodized 4-week blocs of training: one of strength, one of power.  While this may seem fairly straight forward, that is exactly the point.  Teal’s goals are to improve as a boulderer so getting stronger and improving her power are the top priorities.  Obviously, she designed these workouts for herself and aren’t suitable for everyone out there, but they are a great example of a climber planning ahead and devising a way to systematically target their weaknesses and work towards their goals.

Teal Dreher’s Strength Workouts:

Here’s a general outline of the strength workouts that will make up Teal’s first 4-week bloc of training:

  • Monday: Rest
  • Tuesday:
    • Warm-up: Bouldering
    • One arm repeaters on slopers (5″ on, alternating sides. 3 reps. 5 sets)
    • Max effort dead hangs – partial crimp (10″, 5 sets)
    • Max effort dead hangs – 3 finger open hand (10″, 5 sets)
    • One-arm pull up (eccentric)
      [I assist myself into a one arm pull up and then slowly lower down from there] (1 rep, alternating, 5 sets)
    • Weighted TRX Plank (60″, 4 sets)
  • Wednesday:
    • Deadlifts (5 reps, 5 sets)
    • Shoulder External Rotations (20 reps, alternating. 4 sets)
    • Shoulder Internal Rotations (20 reps, alternating. 4 sets)
    • TRX Core Super Sets (Saws/V-ups, Planks/Sit-ups, Reverse Crunches/Crunches; 3 sets each)
  • Thursday: Rest
  • Friday:
    • Warm-up: Bouldering
    • Repeaters – partial crimp (10″/5″ rest, 4 reps, 6 sets)
    • Repeaters – 3 finger open hand (10″/5″ rest, 4 reps, 6 sets)
    • Assisted one-arm pull-ups with pulley (1 rep alternating, 5 sets)
    • Front Levers (one-leg) (10″, 5 sets)
  • Saturday:
    • Deadlifts (5 reps, 5 sets)
    • Shoulder External Rotations (20 reps, alternating. 4 sets)
    • Shoulder Internal Rotations (20 reps, alternating. 4 sets)
    • TRX Core Super Sets (Saws/V-ups, Planks/Sit-ups, Reverse Crunches/Crunches; 3 sets each)
  • Sunday:
    • 4x4s on Moon Board
    • Burpees (2min, 3 sets)
    • Core: v-ups/bicycles/crunches (30/50/50, 3 sets)

Again, it is important to note that this plan isn’t suited for everyone.  This training schedule has a lot of volume.  Teal had been training for years to work up to this kind of intensity.  Use this schedule as inspiration and for some ideas, but remember, the best training for you targets your individual weaknesses and works towards your specific goals.

Full Article: Teal Dreher – 2017 Training Plan (link no longer available)

climbing training programs

(photo courtesy of tealasaurus.wordpress.com)

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