We all know that getting stronger is an important part of improving climbing performance. However, many periodized programs give us the idea that we should only work on strength during certain blocks of our training.

According to Steve Bechtel of Climb Strong, this isn’t the best approach. Instead, he advocates working on foundation strength year round.

“Foundation is the hard-earned strength you don’t want to pay for twice. Getting strong is a real chore and can take years and years. Staying strong, well, that’s the key to being able to do all the specific stuff. If you don’t have to worry about strength, conditioning is a snap.”

“Foundation strength is what you do every week. It is not forced, it is coaxed. It is the kind of strength that you can’t fake, and it’s the kind you want to prioritize in every phase of your training.” – Steve Bechtel

Foundation Strength

As Bechtel outlined above, improving your foundation strength means improving your baseline level of athleticism. In his article, Bechtel outlines what this kind of strength looks like, why it’s so important, how often you should be training it, and its place within your overall plan for the year.

This article contains a lot of really valuable information and we can’t recommend reading it enough. So often we all want to hear about the exercise, training technique, or training plan that’s going to take our climbing to the next level, but there’s no magic pill. The real answer is taking a long-term approach to improvement and putting in the work consistently over time. This article is a great place to start.

Full Article: Climb Strong – Foundation Strength

(photo courtesy of climbstrong.com)

Other Articles You Might Like:

• Strength Training Guide: Why Train Strength?
• Steve Bechtel: Power vs Strength
• Transcript Highlight: Charlie Manganiello on Gaining vs Maintaining Strength
• Top 5 Strength Training Articles