I love climbing, I love training, and I love trying hard. If you are anything like me, you probably feel the same way and want to do as much climbing as possible.
Unfortunately, actually improving at climbing is not just about doing more. It’s about finding the right balance between the quality of your sessions and the quantity of them.
The coaching phrase “Quality, not quantity” is an attempt to sum this need up. While a focus on quality is never a bad thing, we need a bit more nuance.
Here are some ways we can find the right balance between quality and quantity in our training while still trying to maximize our time climbing, training, and generally enjoying the sport.
Weekly Schedule or Listen to Your Body?
Most of us stick to some kind of weekly schedule. Whether that’s climbing indoors on Tuesdays and Thursdays before heading outside on the weekends or something else, it makes sense. Schedules let us manage our other life commitments and reliably fit our climbing and training around them.
The problem, however, is that our bodies aren’t always on board with a rigid schedule.
You might WANT to boulder on a Tuesday evening. If you aren’t recovered and ready, however, you’re not going to have a good session. So how can we work around this?
One answer is simply to switch from a fixed weekly schedule to a next session up format.
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“Next session up” means that you know the order of sessions you want to do, but each one isn’t tied to a day of the week. Planning to boulder on Tuesday night, but you’re too tired? Don’t force it.
Simply wait until Wednesday or Thursday to boulder so that you can ensure that the session is a quality one. Then proceed to the next planned session on the next available training day.
I know pushing a session back a day isn’t always possible due to scheduling issues.
I also know it works.
More importantly, the added flexibility that this kind of programming creates allows you to work around last-minute interruptions to your climbing/training plans and end up with a higher number of quality climbing sessions in the long run.
This next session up schedule is how I structured TrainingBeta’s Bouldering and Route Climbing Training Programs. If you are new to this programming idea, they are a great way to get started.
How to Know if You Should Do the Session Anyway
Now, because the above advice suggests occasionally training/climbing less frequently, you might already be writing this off.
Stick with me a bit longer.
While there are definitely times when we need to postpone sessions in the name of quality, there are also times when we need to put our heads down and grind a session out in the name of quantity.
The best way to determine whether quality or quantity is the priority of a session is to look at that session’s target stimulus.
Broadly speaking, we can break the target physical stimulus of a climbing training session down into three categories: strength, power, and energy system development.
Quality vs. Quantity Guidelines
Here are my quality vs. quantity balancing recommendations for each category:
Strength:
- Autoregulate your training to meet yourself where you’re at.
- If this means lifting or hanging less weight, do that.
- Using a system like RPE (Relative Perceived Exertion) you’ll be able to still do your planned session at an appropriate intensity.
- Consistency is king when it comes to strength training so simply getting the sessions in is better than trying to make sure you can always hit your maxes.
Power:
- You must be rested to train power effectively.
- If you are planning on bouldering or doing any other power training, waiting until you are fully recovered is essential.
- Quality is more important here than anywhere else.
Energy System Development:
- Energy system development refers to endurance, power endurance, and work capacity.
- When training these attributes, you have more margin to put your head down and grind.
- Grinding out sessions isn’t something you should do year-round, but when you need to ramp up your fitness levels for a performance phase or a particular project, it’s time to just get the volume in.
Training Options with Me
Hopefully, you found these suggestions helpful. If you are looking for a training program that’s built upon these principles, check out the TrainingBeta Route Climbing or Bouldering subscription plans.
Self-Paced Plans for Boulderers or Route Climbers
All three levels of both the Route Climbing and Bouldering Programs contain explicit advice on which sessions require you to prioritize showing up rested and which ones you can grind out. So, while the principles I explained here are important, these programs will take the guesswork out of it for you.
One-on-One Coaching
If you want more personalized suggestions and help managing your training, this is where a coach comes in. Click the link below and we can get started working together one-on-one.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions by replying to this post. Stay the course.
Keep showing up.
Matt
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Photo of Matt Pincus by Nate Liles | @orographic_visual |
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