Training

I know that mental-preparation routines can be hugely beneficial for climbers, but the books never tell you how to fit these in when you're hanging out with your buddies. What routines do you recommend and how can you do these before a climb without looking like a geek?

Climbing coach Neil Gresham shares his tactics for onsighting during a climbing trip.

A sustainable, common-sense-based approach to weight control is just as important as a training program to anyone who is serious about improving their climbing.

Specificity is the number-one training principle for climbing, and laps on routes will always produce more specific endurance gains for climbing than hitting the pavement.

I slacked all winter and didn't train a lick, and still want to dominate on the rock this spring/summer. How can I whip myself into shape in short notice?

When it comes to gaining muscle bulk, the type of training you do will always have far more influence than what you eat...

I am tired of reading the same old stuff about sports nutrition. Has anything new been discovered this century and do you think that minor tweaks to a nutritional regime can help give climbers an edge?

Last winter I followed a basic periodized program. Now I want to take things further. I'm clear on the idea of breaking your training up into microcycles and prioritizing them toward either strength or endurance.

I get flustered by complex cruxes above good rests. I down climb to the rest and get more confused, then finally go up and slap aimlessly for something just to get it over with. Any advice for calmer route reading?

I hate slabs! Any technique tips?

Training without goals is like coffee without caffeine—pointless. Set some goals. Write them down. Vary your sessions. Vary your climbing.

After recent miserable sport climbing performances, I’m finally knuckling down to address my weaknesses—and use the hangboard I bought 18 months ago!