Little by little, the touring skis are making their way back down to the cellar, and it’s that time of year again: the routes you’ve yet to tackle are waiting to be climbed at last. If you’ve spent the whole winter out and about on skis, it’s now high time to do a bit of training before the climbing season gets properly underway.
The Finishing Point for the next four weeks is to build up a solid base level of fitness before you head out to the crag and tackle your unfinished projects. You want to finally tick off the routes that have been on your mind all winter – and then tackle new challenges, all of which you’ll, of course, redpoint before next winter.
The most important thing over the next four weeks is: quality over quantity! Even if you start to feel a boost in performance after just two or three weeks, your ligaments and tendons need considerably more time to get fit for climbing. The problem is that muscles adapt to training stimuli more quickly than ligaments and tendons. These take longer to get used to new stresses and to become stronger. That’s why, especially at the start, you should avoid small holds and maximum-effort pulls, or approach them very cautiously.
The first week is all about ‘basic endurance training’. Two to three sessions per week are recommended. The aim of each session is to climb as many routes as possible (around ten to twelve) that are one or two grades below your redpoint level. It is important to choose a Level of Difficulty such that you only start to feel the burn gradually after five to six routes.
For example, if you redpoint 7a, the best way to train your basic endurance is on routes in the 6a/b range. All routes should be roughly of the same Level of Difficulty – the aim is to find a rhythm that you could maintain even after twenty pitches. Between routes, allow yourself a partner break or around five to ten minutes’ rest. If there’s no rope wall nearby or your climbing partner can’t make it, you can do laps on the bouldering wall.
Tip: Basic endurance can be trained particularly well in Tirolean climbing centres – for example, at the Imst Climbing Centre, Koasa Bouldering in St. Johann or the Top station in Telfs.
Week 2 sees the addition of your first interval session – you’ll now be specifically training your strength endurance. You’ll stick to two basic endurance sessions, but add an interval session as well. Important: Make sure you’ve recovered properly beforehand (ideally with a rest day).
For the top-rope interval, choose a route that is two to three grades above your redpoint level and clip in up to around the 20th move. Your belayer times you. As soon as you reach the 20th move, they lower you back down. The rest period is two-thirds of your climbing time (e.g. 40 seconds for a one-minute climb). Repeat the whole process eight times. From the sixth or seventh round onwards, you should find it almost impossible to complete all twenty moves. After a 20 to 30-minute break, climb another three to five routes to wind down – this kick-starts your recovery!
Tip: Strength endurance can also be trained effectively on the warm, sun-drenched rocks of the Galerie/Martinswand near Innsbruck or in Nassereith.
You’re already halfway there! The basic training sessions are now being replaced more and more by interval sessions. This week, there’s just one basic training session on the programme, but you’ll be doing two interval sessions. One is the same as in Week 2 (top-rope interval), whilst the other is a so-called lead climbing interval.
For the lead climbing interval, choose a route you’re already familiar with and which is about three grades below your redpoint level. Make sure you warm up properly! You’ll now climb the route top-roped. As soon as you’re back on the ground, untie yourself, let your Partner take the rope off – then tie in again straight away and set off. Repeat this eight times. Here too: by the sixth or seventh go, you should find it almost impossible to top out the route.
Tip: The Ötztal has loads of projects and rewarding routes to kick off the season!
Now it’s time to give it your all one last time! The final week will be intense: two lead climbing interval sessions (as in Week 3) and one project climbing session are on the programme. Optionally, after a break of 30 to 40 minutes, you can follow this up with a short basic session covering around eight routes, if you feel fit enough.
New for Week 4 is project climbing: find a route that’s two to three grades above your redpoint level. You’ve got 15 minutes to boulder it and, ideally, climb to the top. Then take a 20-minute break – you shouldn’t feel any pump afterwards. Then climb again, followed by another break – repeat this cycle five times. After the final repetition, take a further 10 to 15-minute break, then climb three to five routes to wind down.
Inspiration: The Great Lines in Tirol – five excellent routes ranging from mid-6 to high-7 on the Level of Difficulty scale – offer perfect material for project climbing!
To finish off, here are a few important points to bear in mind during your four-week plan:
Never train if you’re injured or feeling unwell! Make sure your body has always had time to recover properly before you start a session. Ideally, plan your two to three climbing days a week so that there’s always at least one rest day in between.
As soon as anything hurts or feels strange, stop immediately and wait and see! Always ensure you carry out a proper partner check and drink enough – this is crucial, especially during long training sessions with a distance of two to three hours.
Keep in mind: this four-week last-minute training programme is no substitute for three months of winter training. The aim isn’t to build muscle mass, but to condition the muscles you already have. And most importantly: it should be fun! That’s the only way you’ll stay motivated for the next sessions.
Good luck over the next four weeks – and have a great start to the rock climbing season!
Tips & Safety
Would you like to find out more about climbing safety? Click here for our safety tips.
