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

based on your capabilities, time available to train, and your climbing preference. Design and vary your workouts according to the training principles outlined in chapter 5.
SAMPLE MICROCYCLES
     
    The appropriate amount of training stimulus (workout length, frequency, and intensity) will vary greatly among elite climbers based on climbing preference, quality of nutrition, genetic factors, and age, among other things. Some individuals may do best by training hard just twice per week, while others do better by training and climbing a total of four days per week. Given the tendency of elite climbers to push their limits, however, it is often necessary to take forced rest days instead of training or projecting while sore. As a guiding principle, elite climbers should “train hard when training, and rest completely when resting.” While many elites will choose to train intuitively, it would be best to roughly follow one of the accomplished climber microcycles shown in table 8.5.
SAMPLE MESOCYCLE
     
    As in planning weekly training and climbing, many elites will intuit their multiweek mesocycle. Even so, it’s critical that you consider your outdoor climbing and travel plans, then build a workout schedule around these dates. One planning strategy is to schedule rest and workout days backward from your climbing days—for example, allow for at least forty-eight hours of rest before a weekend of climbing and then plan a workout day or two prior to these rest days. On a calendar, mark in your climbing days and trips, then mark the preceding rest days, then fill in your training days. Elite climbers preferring a more structured schedule will do best by planning their workouts according to the 3-2-1 mesocycle shown in figure 8.3.
SAMPLE MACROCYCLE
     
    Elite climbers tend to be very goal-oriented and compulsive long-term planners. It’s in the macrocycle that you need to book long road trips, competitions, and an annual month off from climbing, so you can plan the most effective training schedule to produce a physical peaking for key events. You can plot your own macrocycle using the blank chart found in appendix B.

Training Considerations for Female, Over-Fifty, and Junior Climbers
     
    This final section takes a look at special considerations for female climbers, those over age fifty, and juniors. I’ve intentionally kept this section brief, because I feel that these groups are particularly gifted for climbing; there are only a few things they need to consider or do differently compared with others.

Unique Issues for Female Climbers
     
    Female climbers differ from males both physiologically and psychologically. While the psychological differences are more difficult to measure, there are clear physiological differences that may be an asset or liability in terms of climbing performance. The average female is about 5 inches shorter, thirty-five pounds lighter in total body mass, and forty-five pounds lighter in lean body mass (due to a higher percentage of body fat) than the average male. This large difference in lean body mass (muscle) is largely attributed to greater levels of the hormone testosterone in males (Bloomfield 1994).
    Consequently, the average female possesses approximately 40 percent of the upper-body strength and 70 percent of the lower-body strength when compared with men. In terms of strength-to-lean-body-mass, however, the ratio is notably less—females possess about 55 percent of the upper-body strength and about the same in lower-body strength as men (Wilmore 1974). Thus, it’s clear that the greater level of adipose tissue in females has a negative effective on physical performance, especially in sports requiring a high strength-to-weight ratio. The female climber, therefore, will benefit much more from regular aerobic training (to lower her percentage of body fat) than her male counterpart—running for twenty to forty minutes several days per week will effectively increase strength-to-weight ratio in many females (due to changes in body composition).
    Though females are naturally weaker than males (less testosterone and lean mass), they do respond to strength training in the same ways as men. Consequently, the serious female climber should not hesitate to engage in the sport-specific strength-training exercises described in chapters 6 and 7. In particular, the focus should be on increasing maximum strength in the pull muscles and the general condition of the core and antagonist push