tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127312682007-03-31T09:59:30.488-07:00StaffBlogger231tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-67776943106470412182007-03-27T16:54:00.000-07:002007-03-31T09:59:30.657-07:00

As a climber, have you ever wished you were a little taller so you could make a big reach, or a little more flexible for a high step? Have you ever resorted to picking up your foot and placing it where you wanted it to go because you didn't have the flexibility to get there in the first place? By adding Pilates to your cross-training, you'll find that monster stems, killer high steps, and sketchy

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1170377729339488242007-02-02T16:51:00.000-08:002007-02-01T17:14:33.750-08:00

In the last few articles you’ve learned how performance operates from the inside-out. Your beliefs, focus, fears, confidence, motivation, and for that matter every thought that crosses your mind, form the foundation from which you will either succeed or fail on a climb. Therefore, succeeding on a project or advancing to the next grade level is often more a matter of the mind, than it is the body.

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1169163563755352012007-01-18T15:35:00.000-08:002007-01-18T15:57:05.893-08:00

If you are reading this blog, then you are likely as passionate about climbing as I am. Still, it's not unusual to occasionally experience a drop-off in motivation, despite your love of climbing—do any activity on a regular basis for a long enough time and you will eventually experience periods of low motivation. Often times, such a lapse is simply the result of mental or physical fatigue,

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1166374878609704372006-12-17T09:00:00.000-08:002006-12-17T15:24:20.460-08:00

If you are like me and many other climbers, you are mildly obsessed (or worse!) with climbing, and you mind and fingertips are never far from the rock. However, over the course of a year, accumulating physical and mental fatigue grows to a point that you can no longer recover fully just by taking a couple of days off. This is true for serious athletes in every sport, which is why all professional

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1162742103017912342006-11-05T07:52:00.000-08:002006-11-05T08:29:16.353-08:00

Wolfgang Gullich, the first person to climb 5.14d, often remarked that the brain was the most important muscle for climbing. Unfortunately, many climbers overlook mental training since exercises are less tangible than, say, doing campus training for power or lapping routes for endurance. What’s more, thought control is hard work and takes a long term effort and lots of self-discipline. Surely it’

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1156683551212643432006-09-01T05:41:00.000-07:002006-10-12T18:06:49.170-07:00

When working on a route near your limit--often called projecting--you will sometimes hit a crux sequence that seems beyond your ability. Suppose there's a blatant lack of good holds, the sequence is uncertain, and that voice inside yourself is screaming to "back off!" What will you do in this frustrating situation? Fish or cut bait-or, in a climbers' lingo, climb on or take dirt? Hopefully

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1160699481798796342006-10-10T17:21:00.000-07:002006-10-12T18:05:17.913-07:00

Climbing near your limit can be stressful. Desperate moves, risk of falling, and the uncertainty of what’s next can foster unproductive thoughts and physical tension that snowballs at a rapid rate. Left unchecked, such rising tension will cause you to pump out and fall. While every climber has this experience, it should become less frequent as you improve. Increasing confidence and experience

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1151450507046004232006-07-01T04:19:00.000-07:002006-06-29T17:23:08.366-07:00

The "dangling arm" shakeout is commonly used to facilitate forearm recovery while on a climb. A few seconds or, hopefully, a few minutes of "shaking out" provides some recovery, but often not enough. The effects of a muscular pump can take frustratingly long to subside and, when hanging out at a marginal rest, it's possible to expend as much energy hanging on with the one arm as is being recouped

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1149117874631150082006-06-01T04:16:00.000-07:002006-05-31T17:36:14.050-07:00

Want to recovery faster between boulder problems and routes? If so, then "keep moving." That's the beta from several climbing researchers who have studied different recovery strategies. In my book Training for Climbing I explained the advantages of engaging in active recovery between climbs compared with the common practice of sitting down and resting passively. The effectiveness of active

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1146521590698440852006-05-01T15:11:00.000-07:002006-05-01T16:17:37.656-07:00

Complex training is a cutting edge training method used by elite athletes in many other sports, including most power-oriented Olympic events. Applied to climbing, the complex training protocol described below is one of the most advanced strength-training concepts available. Since introducing Complex Training to climbers in 2002 (in my book Training for Climbing), I have heard back from hundreds

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1140980132191364212006-03-01T10:48:00.000-08:002006-04-11T08:17:17.873-07:00

If you've ever hiked with a heavy pack or carried someone on your back, you've experienced the negative effects of increased weight on physical performance. Conversely, a reduction in percent body fat or excessive nonfunctional muscle mass can have a positive effect on performance, especially in a sport such as climbing where a high strength-to-weight ratio is fundamental. The optimal body fat

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1143892545980496772006-04-01T03:50:00.000-08:002006-04-11T08:15:52.576-07:00

When climbers talk about endurance, they are usually referring to anaerobic endurance local to the forearm and pull muscles, not aerobic endurance as needed for a long-distance run or full day of climbing. Think of anaerobic endurance as the endurance of near-maximum strength needed to climb a continuously strenuous sequence without rests. (Many climbers use the slang term "power endurance"

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1138842755309497402006-02-01T17:08:00.000-08:002006-02-01T17:12:35.323-08:00

Knowledge of the basic principles of training empowers you to design a workout program that will be both maximally effective and time efficient. While you may be familiar with these principles from previous sports training, it's beneficial to consider how each can be uniquely applied to your training-for-climbing program. Let's examine three of the cornerstone principles of sports science.

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1136223679085181532006-01-02T09:07:00.000-08:002006-01-02T10:28:43.356-08:00

Want to increase your "pull strength", lock-off ability, and lunging power a full 20 percent by Spring? Here's how. Commit to performing weighted pull-ups, three times per week, for the next ten weeks. Sound simple? Yes it is, but you need to make a commitment and follow through completely to obtain the results. First, give yourself a test. Determine how many complete, controlled pull-ups you

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1133401656682010992005-12-01T17:38:00.000-08:002005-12-01T16:17:42.210-08:00

Good technique and a positive attitude are important attributes for climbing success, but sometimes you just need to be stronger. You know what I mean...those wicked cruxes where you just need to make a sick lock-off and reach...or sometimes you just need to stick a single heinous pocket or sloper to make a move. Your performance constraint in these situations is likely your "limit" strength. In

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1130981489978357112005-11-06T17:25:00.000-08:002005-11-06T12:47:56.016-08:00

Motivation is an integral part of the success formula and, therefore, being able to create and maintain motivation is an invaluable skill you need to develop. Here are five techniques to amp-up your motivation and elevate your performance. 1. Set Goals. Training and performance goals are the ultimate motivator. Write down five things you'd like to accomplish over the next twelve months--set

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1129504154492756112005-10-16T15:57:00.000-07:002005-10-18T14:59:51.146-07:00

The late-season is a time when your training and climbing should yield a performance peak and, hopefully, a few breakthrough ascents. But the process of sending a route at your limit can be frustrating and often doubt-producing. Clearly, you will be tested physically, technically, and mentally. Rehearsing and sending your project is a process in which you must review and refine every aspect of

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1127867201903480602005-09-27T17:16:00.000-07:002005-09-27T18:02:55.346-07:00

It's an old adage that "climbing is the best training for climbing," and many climbers use this line as an excuse for not engaging in any supplemental training activities. Let's examine this precept and determine, once and for all, if it is valid. When I am asked the question "Is climbing the best training for climbing?", my canned answer is "it depends." There are two sides of the

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1125239543442315822005-08-28T07:26:00.000-07:002005-09-06T12:38:42.940-07:00

As a climber of three decades, I've been fortunate to meet, climb, and hangout with countless climbers of wide background and experience. Most memorable, however, were conversations with a variety of top climbers such as Güllich, Sharma, Davis, Skinner, Hill and Gill. In meeting these (and other) masters of rock, it is interesting to learn that they are not all that much different from you and

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1123691567075736752005-08-10T09:26:00.000-07:002005-08-10T12:09:40.090-07:00

If you are like most climbers I know, you have a "mega goal" for this climbing season or the next. Maybe it's to send your first V6 (or even V12!), redpoint your first 5.10 (or 5.14?), climb a big wall, or maybe take an extended roadtrip across the country or overseas. No matter your goal, it takes a plan to make it reality. Goals rarely "just happen", you need to make them happen. Here's how:

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1121879381984556422005-07-20T09:43:00.000-07:002005-08-10T10:47:19.470-07:00

The late, great Wolfgang Güllich was fond of saying that "the brain is the most important muscle for climbing." What makes this statement even more provocative is the fact that Güllich was one of the strongest to ever pull down on stone. Anyway, I agree completely with Wolfie's sentiment that a serious climber must be equally serious about mental training. Consider that everything you are and

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1117676472646313952005-06-01T18:39:00.000-07:002005-06-04T06:47:22.656-07:00

Bouldering is arguably the best all-around training for climbing since it targets all three areas of the performance triad (strength, technique, and the mind). Without the constraints of a belay and placing gear, bouldering allows you to narrow your focus onto the mission of climbing the hardest moves possible. What's more, steep boulder problems are a boon for developing upper body power as well

Eric Hörsttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12731268.post-1116286232759163122005-05-16T16:28:00.000-07:002005-05-16T16:49:03.940-07:00

Many words can describe the wonderful activity of rock climbing—elegant, powerful, rewarding and, sometimes, frustrating. While there may be nothing more natural and intuitive than climbing (just watch how children climb around on everything in sight!), rock climbing is indeed a complex activity with demands unique from those of living and playing in the everyday, horizontal world. Performing in

Eric Hörst