Bouldering is hard.
Nothing new there.
So, considering that bouldering is a hard version of rock climbing, doesn’t it make sense that training for it should be different than for route climbing?
But what is it specifically about bouldering vs. route climbing that warrants a different type of training program?
This article from climbstrong.com helps clarify just that. It describes in detail 8 ways bouldering and route climbing differ, and because of these differences, suggests alternative ways to think about training for bouldering…
For example:
“1. Boulder problems are shorter than routes.
This one is obvious, but I want you to think about it in terms of the physiological demand of the effort. On a typical sport climbing day, a climber will usually do 5-8 pitches of climbing. These pitches will take, say, 10 minutes each to climb, and will be separated by 20 or more minutes’ rest. In contrast, boulder problems usually take less than a minute to climb, and are separated by just 3-5 minutes rest. This shows us that there is a whole lot more low-intensity aerobic metabolism involved in routes, and a bunch more total volume each day. Boulder problems are sprints; they depend heavily on alactic and lactic metabolism and are separated by greater relative rest periods….”
-Steve Bechtel
Check out the full article to learn more about why and how to focus your training specifically for bouldering…..
READ IT HERE:Â Intro to Training for BoulderingÂ
(photo courtesy of climbstrong.com)
Great news!  Our Bouldering Strength and Power Program is ready! It will be released officially tomorrow, but we’re letting you in on the secret now 🙂 It’s a great way to put what you just learned in this Climb Strong article to good use!
The Bouldering Strength and Power Program is a subscription program that gives boulderers of all abilities 3 unique workouts every week in their dashboard. If you follow the program, it will make you stronger, fitter, and more powerful for just a fraction of the cost of a personal trainer.
There is a lot to gain from this training program so be sure to check it out!
