Training for Climbing, 2nd: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Performance (How To Climb Series)

now is to climb thirty to sixty total hand moves with only brief rest periods and no weight added to your body. For most climbers, it will be impossible to climb enough hand movements using the weaker pinch and two-finger pocket third team on the HIT system. Therefore, I suggest you train two different general finger positions: the two-finger pocket (in which you cycle through all three two-finger teams) and crimp (in which you alternate full- and half-crimp as you climb). Perform a comprehensive warm-up of moderate climbing and stretching before engaging in this form of isolation training. Moreover, it’s important to tape your middle and rings fingers (use the X method shown on page 228) so that you won’t have to stop prematurely due to skin pain.
    Train two-finger pocket endurance first. Sit on the floor below the first HIT Strip or pair of System Holds, and then grab onto the lowest pair of pocket holds using the two-finger third team. Begin laddering upward by grabbing alternating strips with the left and right hand. Upon reaching the top strip, immediately reverse the sequence back down the wall. Climb with open feet (use any footholds you like) and allow your body to naturally twist and turn to provide optimal position. Use the two-finger pocket third team for as many hand moves as possible, then switch to the second team and finally the first team. Continue laddering up and down for thirty to sixty total hand moves.
    Rest for two or three minutes, and then commence with a high-rep set using just the full- and half-crimp grips. Again, strive for a total of thirty to sixty repetitions. Upon completing the two sets, take a five-minute rest. Consider repeating the above sequence one or two more times. This should result in a deep pump and lactic acid burn—a highly specific and effective local endurance workout!
THE TABATA PROTOCOL
     
    As introduced in chapter 5, the Tabata Protocol is not an exercise per se, but instead a highly specific method of interval training that can be applied to a wide variety of exercises and activities. Research has shown this protocol to be uncommonly effective in training both the anaerobic and aerobic pathways, despite what is a small time investment in training (Tabata 1997). In the context of training forearm endurance, the Tabata couples twenty seconds of maximum-intensity climbing with a ten-second rest interval. This climb-rest couplet is repeated up to eight times before any addition rest is taken. The result is four minutes of forearm-pumping, finger-cramping exercise!
    Following is one application of the Tabata Protocol for training anaerobic endurance of the forearm muscles on the HIT System. You can also apply this same training strategy to other climbing exercises such as Heavy Finger Rolls, Straight-Arm Fingerboard Hangs, and Lat Pull-Downs.
    Sit on the floor below the first HIT Strip, and then grab onto the lowest HIT Strip using either the two-finger pocket or crimp-grip holds. Begin the first twenty-second work interval by briskly laddering up and down using alternating HIT Strips. Most climbers achieve about fifteen hand moves (1.5 laps on the strips) in twenty seconds, but you’ll need to determine exactly how many hand moves you can do in twenty seconds. Rest for exactly ten seconds, and then resume climbing up and down the HIT Strips for another twenty seconds. Climb with open feet (use any footholds you like) and allow your body to naturally twist and turn to provide optimal position. Rest again for exactly ten seconds, and then begin your third twenty-second climbing interval. Continue for six to eight total intervals, which will take three or four minutes, respectively. Rest for five minutes before you ponder a second HIT System Tabata!
    Remember, the efficacy of the Tabata Protocol depends on precise work and rest intervals and maximum exertion. Stick to the schedule exactly—the ten-second rest is barely enough to quickly rechalk your hands and reposition below the first HIT Strip. Similarly, the climbing intervals should be intense and exactly twenty seconds in length. If you aren’t exhausted and gasping for breath by the seventh and eighth intervals, then you need to add a ten- or twenty-pound weight belt to simulate hypergravity for future sessions. Finally, vary the grip position you use every set to help you persevere through the Tabata, and consider taping your fingers to limit skin wear and pain. Do no more than two Tabata sequences per