Bill Ramsey: Treadwall Training

Bill Ramsey is a philosophy professor at UNLV who has been climbing and training for climbing for nearly four decades. He has incorporated a treadwall into his climbing training on and off for at least 20 years and here, he shares his treadwall training tips.  Thanks Bill!

(Mike Call photo: Bill Ramsey on Show of Hands, V11, Moes Valley)

Enter Bill….

TREADWALL TIPS:

Treadwalls are probably the most valuable device for indoor route training, especially the motorized ones with adjustable speeds and angles.  They are to indoor climbing training what treadmills are to indoor running training.

Yet they aren’t utilized by many climbers, nor are they often promoted by training specialists.   I’ve been in gyms that had a fully functioning motorized treadwall, and absolutely no one besides myself was using it (although lots of people were waiting to get on the slack-line).

I’ve also had climbers tell me you cannot get strong on a treadwall because “the holds move downwards” (yes, someone actually said that).  I suspect part of the neglect is because some treadwalls are not properly configured for training or because people just don’t know how to use them.

If you are lucky enough to have access to one and are interested in how to use it, here are some things I’ve found after about 20 years on the “gerbil wheel”.

SET-UP 

As with any training wall, the first step is getting it set up properly. Whether it as at your home or in some sort of commercial gym, the surrounding area should provide plenty of space and there should be adequate padding underneath (you should feel like can fall on your back at any point without getting hurt).  Also, arrange a fan or two (or use a swamp cooler or AC unit) to keep it cool and help preserve your skin.

Timers and clocks near the machine are also helpful for timed circuits.  While most treadwalls have a calibrated angle indicator of some type, these can be unreliable so I use a cheap angle finder that you can get at Home Depot (you can also download an angle indicator app for your smartphone).

I often wear a weight belt that I can drop to go a bit longer when I’m about to fall.  And, as with any training regiment, you want to keep a journal recording what you do, how many times, at what angles, and so on.  Finally, I like to work between “routes”, so I also have a work space nearby where I can set up my laptop.

Again, just like any wall, it is important to use the right sort of holds for interesting and valuable sequences.  Most treadwalls provide about 20 feet of climbing in one revolution – somewhere around 14 moves. That’s about a long boulder problem or very short power route.

 It is important to set a variety of “routes” for different purposes.

The one I’m currently using has routes targeting specific grips, say one that is all crimps, one that is all pinches, one with more open-handed holds, and so on.  Other routes involve a variety of holds and moves. Some routes should be easier, designed to be climbed at a much steeper angle or toward the end of a series of link-ups, and even have one that is mostly jugs for warming up.

It is possible to set tracking routes, but I believe machine routes with all feet are best.  It is important to use holds that are skin friendly, not too in-cut but not too slopey, and use colored tape to mark the routes.

Do not make cruxes that are terribly difficult or substantially harder than the rest of the route; you can work hard moves on a normal wall, so use the machine for training the ability to keep going.

It is important to put a decent rest hold near the on/off button (or clutch), and then you should make that hold the start and finish of most one-rotation routes. That way, when you chain together link-ups, the link hold can be used to shake-out while the machine is paused.

Different models allow for a different number of holds, but cram as many holds on as possible (if screw-on holds are possible, put several on).

A perfectly good training route would involve comfortable but smallish edges, pinches, pockets, with some of side pulls and underclings, and maybe one or two dead-points.

People think it is impossible to do dynos or long reaches on a rotating wall because of the limited space, but very big moves are possible, even though you might have to wait for the hold to appear.  With some creativity and overlap, it is possible to have as many 25 or more routes on a single machine.

TRAINING 

Most home bouldering walls allow variance only through the changing of holds.  But a motorized treadwall also allows you to alter two other dimensions – the angle of the wall and the speed of the climbing, so this should be incorporated into the training.

For example, as routes sequences become increasingly wired or as you get stronger, you can make them more difficult by making them gradually steeper, adding, say, a couple of degrees every week.

Being an old man, I tend to climb slowly, so I work on climbing faster by speeding up the wall. Initially you need to experiment with the speed; as you get more accustomed to the terrain, you can usually speed things up.

 As for work-outs, by having all routes start and end on the same hold you can develop a variety of different combinations for different workouts.  For example, if you want to target specific types of hand strength, then do two or three laps on the route with those specific holds (like crimps or pinches).

If you want more power training, then try to do one lap at a much steeper angle.  Alternatively, do combinations — you might do two fairly hard routes, then stop the machine, shake-out for a bit, maybe change the angle to make things harder or easier, and then try to do two more routes for a total of 80 feet of climbing.

This a better form of endurance or power-endurance training than doing something like 4 X 4s on a normal wall because there is no jumping off or down-climbing; you are training to climbing continually upwards in a fatigued state.

You can also contrive some version of a pyramid – say, three rotations of a problem at an easy angle, rest on the wall, two rotations on the same or another route a little steeper, rest, then one even steeper, rest, then reverse.

Another good workout involves linking two routes, resting off the wall for 2 minutes, another 2 routes, another 2 minutes off, and so one for 4 or 5 reps, adjusting the speed or angle as needed.  In truth, just about any of the currently prescribed training workouts involving intervals or bouldering link-ups can be adapted to the treadwall.

The treadwall is also good for training with a partner using a laser-pointer to designate the holds to use.

Ideally, a good pointer will get you pumped, and then keep you going by putting you on larger holds or stopping the machine on a rest hold, or even by adjusting the angle to make it less steep – ideally taking you down and bringing you back more than once.  With good people pointing, you can get ridiculously worked.  You can also do this with any number of different intervals, where climbers point holds while resting and waiting for their turn. 

ACCESS

OK, so maybe this primer has gotten you interested, but you don’t currently have access to a treadwall.

Here are some options:

Brewer’s Ledge currently sells different versions of a non-motorized treadwall.  I don’t believe these are as quite good as the motorized versions, but they are relatively simple and you can certainly get ridiculously strong with one – just ask Andy Raether, Rob Pizem or anyone in the Horst family.

As far as I know, there are two models of motorized treadwalls that are no longer manufactured, but used versions are floating around that sometimes become available on E-bay or on used sports-equipment websites.  These are the “Rock and Roll Machine”, which was originally manufactured by Enterprise, and versions of “The Rock”, made by a company called Ascent.  I’ve used both extensively and think they are awesome.  These also can be quite pricey, though when I was at Notre Dame I found a Rock and Roll machine at a health club for $500.

Sometimes facilities buy one, no one uses it, and then because they take up considerable space, are happy to sell it for cheap as long as you come and get it.

If you find one that is too expensive, consider doing what we did in Vegas; namely, forming a cooperative (Club Tread!) where everyone kicks in for part of the purchase.

Whether you buy one just for yourself or with a group, you will need to find a space with roughly 11’ high ceilings and 15 feet of open space. 

If you don’t want to try to get one on your own, you still might be able to gain access to one by checking with different climbing gyms or normal health facilities.  When I was living in Salt Lake one year, I found one at a non-climbing gym in Sandy. I subsequently joined and then talked the management into letting me set it up as I wanted.

My guess is that there are currently about 200 or 300 of these different sorts of motorized treadwalls out there, so there is likely one closer than you think.

 One final option was pursued by my friend Steve Lapen. He just designed and built one for himself.  For this option, it helps to be a crafty and resourceful engineer.  Does it work?  Well, shortly after building and training on his, Steve became the first American to climb the notorious Ghetto Booty (5.14c/d) at Charleston.

(featured photo above by Norah Siller)