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

tie in to a rope. Likewise, the best alpine climbers spend little time working 30-meter sport routes. Targeting your training on the specific demands of your preferred form of climbing is the essence of the SAID Principle.
    In the end you must make a philosophical choice whether you want to specialize—and therefore excel—in one or two of the climbing subdisciplines, or become a moderately successful all-around climber. Certainly there is merit and reward in both approaches.
    Summary of Training for Climbing
     
    1. Training for climbing is any practice, exercise, or discipline that increases absolute climbing performance.
    2. Mental training begins by increasing your commitment to all things climbing (while reducing time, energy, and thought invested in lower-value activities and hobbies) and continues with the development of uncommon self-awareness, and superior thought control and risk management skills.
    3. Skill practice is paramount, since climbing skills and tactics are distinctly unique from those of other sports. Only going climbing will make you a more skilled climber.
    4. Fitness training comprises both general and sport-specific exercises and activities. Novice climbers should engage in a period of general conditioning before advancing to the more stressful sport-specific exercises.
    5. Training support activities are essential for all serious climbers, including scheduled rest days, proper nutrition, and use of techniques to accelerate recovery.
    6. Ultimately the most effective training-for-climbing program will target limiting constraints in highly climbing-specific ways (in accordance with the SAID Principle).
     
     

 
    Jim Ewing on the classic Ridicullissima (5.10d), Shawangunks, New York. ERIC J. HÖRST
     

    CHAPTER TWO
     
    Self-Assessment and Goal Setting
     
    I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.
    —Henry David Thoreau
     
     
    The first step to improving your situation—in anything—can be expressed simply as “Know thyself.” You cannot progress beyond your current state with the same thoughts and actions that brought you here. Therefore, only through constant self-evaluation will you unlock the secrets to incremental improvement. For instance, you must actively distinguish what works from what does not work, as well as be able to recognize what you need to learn versus what must be unlearned. Often the key elements are not obvious or clear, but you must accept that life is subtle; only through improving on the little things will you succeed in the big things.
    In climbing, the process of improvement begins with getting to know your patterns at the crags, in the gym, and in your everyday life. You must become aware of your climbing-related strengths and weaknesses in each area of the performance triad—technical, mental, and physical—and learn to leverage your strengths and improve upon the weaknesses. Toward this end, your prime directive must be to train intelligently—that is, to engage in training activities that best address your weaknesses, while not getting drawn into the trap of training as others do.
    Of course, a clear understanding of your mega goals in this sport is equally important to achieving success. Only with a clear goal in mind can you take consistent actions that keep you on route, as well as have the sense to recognize when you have wandered off route. Finally, at the very deepest level, you must closely examine your level of commitment to climbing—are you willing to make the sacrifices necessary for reaching your mega goals? This chapter will guide you through the fundamental steps of self-assessment and goal setting that, in turn, will initiate your ascent to becoming a better, more successful climber (no matter your gauge of measuring success).

Self-Assessment: The Breakfast of Champions
     
    Identifying personal weaknesses often requires a paradigm shift—a dramatic change in the way we see things—because it’s human nature to think about and practice the things at which we excel. Too many climbers (myself included) have wasted precious years practicing and training the things at which they already shine while the ball-and-chain of their weaknesses holds them back. For instance, many climbers think “more strength” is the panacea to their climbing woes; but as shown in figure 1.1, it’s just one piece of the climbing performance puzzle. It requires an awakening for