The Performance Route Training Program

The complete online training platform for route climbers to build strength, endurance, and skills so you can climb harder routes.

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About the Route Training Programs

These are comprehensive route training programs for route climbers of all ability levels. This is a subscription program, so as long as you have an active membership, you’ll have access to the program and all of the training days within them.

Each of the 3 levels of the route training program guides you in training strength, endurance, work capacity, and various climbing skills. You will have clear instructions for every single training or climbing day, taking you from your warm-up to climing drill practice, to your main climbing portion of the day, and onto supplemental strength training on some days.

These programs are based on the underlying principles of effective route training:

  • Develop the ability to be intentional
  • Facilitate skill development
  • Target individual weaknesses
  • Build a foundation of strength and endurance
  • Systematically achieve progressive overload

I follow these principles when coaching all the athletes I work with on an individual basis and find that, while the details of their progams are important, they pale in comparison to the importance of checking the boxes for the above five bullet points.

These programs are one way to approach improving your route climbing.

I hope that they make you stronger and have more endurance, but, more than any physical adaptation, I hope that they make you think and help shape the mindset with which you approach the sport.

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Why These Route Training Programs Work

Early in my climbing, I was strictly a boulderer. When I started to focus on sport climbing, I was frustrated at how little my bouldering ability was transferring to my route climbing. For context, I had bouldered up to V11 and I was having to invest multiple days’ worth of effort into 5.12a. I immediately fixated on my physical shortcomings and viewed my struggles strictly through this lens:

“I’m a boulderer so I don’t have any endurance.”

“None of these moves are hard – I’m just bad at not getting pumped.”

Fast forward a little over a decade and I now feel like my route climbing abilities have caught up. Yes, I addressed the physical side of transitioning to route climbing, but it wasn’t until I took a step back and acknowledged that I needed to learn a new set of “route-specific” skills to complement my bouldering ability that my route climbing really started progressing and – even more importantly – I started enjoying it more. Essentially, I credit my route climbing improvement to two things:

1. Learning how to climb well on a rope

2. Taking the time to learn those skills on the wall and not separating my quest for endurance from time on routes

These programs are designed to help you do the same. I’m confident you will come out of them feeling fitter and more physically prepared. More importantly, however, I believe they will help you keep the focus on becoming a better route climber overall.

Features

  • 3 levels to choose from, depending on your experience with training 

  • Immediate access to all of the training days on all of the levels

  • Available as a web app or on your mobile device

  • Clean layout developed for TrainingBeta with clear instructions for each exercise

  • Track your progress over time in your online logbook

  • One-on-one time with your coach in Office Hours

Not Everyone Can Afford Personal Coaching

I put this style of training into practice with my personal coaching clients and I’ve seen great results with them. But not everyone can afford personal coaching, so I wanted to create pre-built programs that were more accessible to everyone.

In these route programs, I’ve included off-the-wall training that will help you get stronger, but the importance of this supplemental training is not over-inflated.

There are 3 levels to this route training program, depending on your level of training experience (not your level of climbing ability). Whether you are a beginner climber or an elite route climber who’s been training for years, this program will help you break through in your climbing ability.

All the programs contain a large component of directed deliberate practice.

While it will still be up to you as the athlete to dig into these drills and exercises and push yourself outside your comfort zone, we are giving you a framework through which you can do that.

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Your Coach, Matt Pincus

Watch the Video Tour of the Programs

These are non-linear training programs that will take you step-by-step through full cycles of training throughout the year.

As long as you have a current subscription, you’ll be able to see your program, record progress in your logbook, and continue progressing through all of the levels.

There are three training levels, and you’ll have access to all of them when you subscribe.

  • Program available on any phone, tablet, or computer

  • Monthly access to your coach

  • Video instruction for each exercise

  • Beautiful, clean design

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Overview of the Levels

Office Hours with Your Coach, Matt Pincus

When you subscribe to the programs, you’ll automatically get access to me on a monthly basis.

Office Hours will be 15-minute zoom calls that you’ll be invited to schedule from inside the program. During those calls, we can discuss any questions you have about the program, any alterations you might want to make to it, and how to optimize it for your personal goals.

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Testimonials from Clients

Went from 5.12- to 5.13-…

Before I started working with Matt I was a climber stuck in a plateau. I had tried various training regiments and fads with mixed results. I could never stick to a program, self-made or otherwise, that built me into a better climber. I was fed up with falling off the same climbs and the same grades.

Shortly after starting with Matt, he immediately identified a serious weakness in my technique. He introduced new climbing drills and tailored the training to not only hit my goals but to fundamentally improve my skills as a climber. In the short time I’ve been with Matt, I went from 5.12- to 5.13-. For me, the numbers are meaningless. Far more importantly, Matt has given me a framework for continual improvement and enjoyment of this activity we love so much.

– Said Parirokh, Southern California boulderer and sport climber

photo by @climbak15

I sent my first V12…

I signed up with Matt 6 weeks out from a trip to the USA to try and send my first V12, ‘Wet Dream’ in Red Rocks, Las Vegas. After our initial consultation, Matt did an awesome job of restructured my training schedule to target specific areas, while working around my somewhat limited facilities and 50+ hr work weeks.

I really appreciated his analytical approach and solid justifications for the workouts, and after the 6-week phase I’ve no doubt that I was in the best shape of my life. Three weeks later, late in the day on my last day of the trip, I managed to link all the moves, and top out the boulder. So psyched to have achieved a long-term goal, and to start the next round of training! Cheers Matt!

Lans Hansen, Boulderer from New Zealand

Lans_Wet dream_webres copy

Pricing Options

MONTHLY

$18

per month


Clearly laid-out training sessions
All 3 training levels visible
Videos with Exercises
Built-in logbook to track progress
Office Hours with Coach

3 MONTHS

$49

every 3 months

SAVE 10%
Clearly laid-out training sessions
All 3 training levels visible
Videos with Exercises
Built-in logbook to track progress
Office Hours with Coach

YEARLY

$180

per year

2 MONTHS FREE
Clearly laid-out training sessions
All 3 training levels visible
Videos with Exercises
Built-in logbook to track progress
Office Hours with Coach

All options are recurring subscription payments. You will first be charged 7 days after signing up and then again either monthly, quarterly, or yearly until you cancel. You can cancel at any time. Have questions? Email us at info@trainingbeta.com or call us at (650) 731-5615. 

Equipment Required for Route Training Program

This is the equipment you’ll want to have in order to make the most of these programs:

  • Route Climbing Wall
  • Bouldering Wall
  • Gymnastics Rings or Suspension System
  • Hangboard
  • Kettlebells (a couple moderately heavy)
  • Deadlift Setup (not required)
  • Exercise Bands/Cables
  • Pull-up Bar
  • Foam Roller
matt training climbing

About Your Coach, Matt Pincus

Matt Pincus is a boulderer and a sport climber who lives in Lander, Wyoming, and often travels all over the world to climb. He’s sent up to 5.14b and V12 and is constantly changing and tweaking the ways he trains as he learns new things. He began training climbers all over the world in 2017, and this program is a culmination of his most effective training methods.

Matt has studied the art of training for climbing for years, reading dozens of books on climbing training, general strength training, mindset, and coaching. He’s attended two Performance Climbing Coach seminars, a Blood FLow Restriction Certification Course, and various other continuing education programs to hone his skills as a coach. Beyond providing guidance about strength training and skills development, Matt educates his clients about redpointing tactics and other crag/gym behavior changes that lead to quicker sends.

Matt’s ability to understand people’s needs, his attention to detail, and his keen interest in all things training contribute to his ability to create effective training plans.

From projecting v6 and 12a to onsighting v6 and 12b…

Having followed several self-guided training routines over the past 4-5 years, I had seen some results but didn’t have the support structure I needed to simultaneously address the mental, technique, and strength improvements needed to make sustained progress. Without a good in-person coaching option in the San Francisco Bay Area, I turned to Matt to try something new. Through our 18+ months of working together, we’ve been able to talk regularly about training approach and workout specifics, optimizing the dials to make the most use of my time in the gym and focus on the power development and projecting tactics that have shored up my patience, confidence, and performance abilities. In the gym, I’ve been able to improve from projecting v6 and 12a to onsighting v6 and 12b, and getting some regular v7 and 12c sends.

Outside on my summer trips, I’ve moved from 11a projecting to solid 11a trad onsights and my first 11b PG13+ redpoints. In the same timeframe, I’ve upped my sport climbing results from three 12a’s in two years to twenty 12a’s in the next year and added a good handful of 12b redpoints too. Matt has a great understanding of when to challenge and when to commiserate with his clients, and I’m confident nearly anyone will see great gains working with him while putting in honest efforts and communicating their ideas and reflections!

– Jason Albino, dedicated sport and trad climber

Hit my goal of 5.12…

I started training with Matt about a year ago when I began to run into trouble matching my 80+ hour work schedule with climbing. I shared with him my goals of climbing v8 and 5.12 and he assured me I could get there even with my time restrictions. For the last year, he has been available whenever I’ve needed and happily adjusted my workouts to keep them exciting, efficient and fitting into my ever-changing schedule. I’ve recently hit my goal of 5.12 and know that v8 is not far behind.

– Sarah Marschall, medical resident climber with limited free time

Pricing Options

MONTHLY

$18

per month


Clearly laid-out training sessions
All 3 training levels visible
Videos with Exercises
Built-in logbook to track progress
Office Hours with Coach

3 MONTHS

$49

every 3 months

SAVE 10%
Clearly laid-out training sessions
All 3 training levels visible
Videos with Exercises
Built-in logbook to track progress
Office Hours with Coach

YEARLY

$180

per year

2 MONTHS FREE
Clearly laid-out training sessions
All 3 training levels visible
Videos with Exercises
Built-in logbook to track progress
Office Hours with Coach

All options are recurring subscription payments. You will first be charged 7 days after signing up and then again either monthly, quarterly, or yearly until you cancel. You can cancel at any time. Have questions? Email us at info@trainingbeta.com or call us at (650) 731-5615. 

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

This is the same easy-to-follow process I take my coaching clients through that’s been proven time and time again. It’s worked for pro climbers, novice climbers, and every climber in between.

If you’re not 100% satisfied with the results you see after using the program, I’m going to give you your entire investment back.

All I ask is that you go through the program and stick with it for 30 days. Then be honest with how your body feels, how much more organized your training is, and how much your climbing has improved.

If after that, you’re not completely satisfied, just let me know and I’ll refund you 100%.

Are You Ready to Sign Up for the Performance Route Training Program 100% RISK FREE Now?

At the bottom of this page, there is a button.

When you click it, you’ll be taken to the order form where you can purchase the program duration you want.

It takes less than two minutes, and your information will be 100% secure.

When you finish, you’ll be sent a welcome email and given DIRECT access to your training program. That means you’ll be able to get started TODAY!

Who is this for?

  • You want to climb harder route grades and feel more confident doing it.
  • You’re ready to start taking your training seriously
  • You want a training plan but don’t know how to make one yourself
  • You feel tired all the time and need some guidance on efficient training
  • You’ve been stuck at the same grade for too long
  • You want to work on skill development – not just strength and power endurance training
  • You want an affordable plan but still have access to a coach
  • You don’t want a linear training plan
  • You’re psyched to start making progress in your climbing!

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Always has a reason behind the plan…

When I started working with Matt I had been climbing at the 5.11- range for a bit, but couldn’t quite move past it. I was still being held back mentally on harder sport climbs and was hesitant to try harder routes. Shortly after we started working together I sent my first 5.11c in a few tries over a very short trip and went on to send a few 5.11+’s shortly after. Later that year I sent my first 5.12 and then a few more since. Over the time we have been working together, Matt has been very responsive and has always been available to answer any questions I may have. I like that he always has a reason behind the plans, he is willing to listen to my concerns, and that he takes a long view approach to training and climbing. I always get something out of our conversations, be it about training, tactics, and even logistics around climbing trips.

Beyond the physical aspect of training, working with Matt has really helped me develop a toolbox to tackle the mental challenges of trying hard on the sharp end, from fear of committing on hard moves, all the way to dealing with the frustration that sometimes comes in the later stages of working something at your limit.

Ruben Duque, Sport Climber from Seattle

Have any questions? Here are some FAQs about the programs:

Q. Do I need to have prior training experience?

A. No, not at all! If this is the first time you’ve focused much on your training, it’s actually great to have someone guide you through it so you’re not just guessing about what to do. This program will work for you no matter what your experience with training is. If you don’t have any training experience, just start with level 1.

Q. How often will I train on this program?

A. These programs don’t specify how often you should train each week because we think that should be left up to you. However, as a general rule, do not exceed 4 total climbing/training days in a week during each training block.

One of the priorities of this training program is that you have high-quality training sessions. For this to happen, you need to be honest with yourself about how quickly you recover. For each training block, we outline what sessions are most important to be fresh for.

Q. How long are the workouts?

A. The workouts are around 2 to 2.5 hours long, sometimes longer in Level 3.

Q. What kind of equipment do I need?

A. The ideal climbing training setup is a route climbing wall, a bouldering wall, a hangboard with the ability to adjust the load (a pulley system or whatnot), weights/kettlebells, and gymnastic rings/TRX. That being said, you can definitely get by with less. It’s just not as ideal.

Q. How long does it take to see results?

A. As climbers, we shouldn’t be thinking of training as a path to quick gain. Long-term development as a climber is much more important, and that’s why I created this as a long-term program.

However, even with a more long-term focus, climbers, especially those without an extensive training background, can start to see results in as little as a couple weeks.

Q. What level should I do?

A. When you purchase a subscription, you get access to all 3 levels of the Performance Route Training Program, so you can move between them as you’d like. The different levels are not based on your climbing ability, but on the amount of time you’ve been training and climbing, and how much time you want to spend actually climbing on a rope (level 3 has less time climbing routes than levels 1 and 2).

The intensity of training is what increases through the levels, not the grades you’re asked to climb on or the amount of weight you’re lifting, etc. Those things are determined by you, no matter what level of the program you’re in.

Q. How long is this program?

A. The duration of this program depends on how many sessions you do per week. Depending on what level of the program you’re doing, there are 48-50 sessions in all of the training blocks combined. So for instance, if you were to do 2 sessions per week, that would mean you’d be training for around 25 weeks, or about 6 months. You can always take breaks for trips, etc. and just come back to the program when you’re back.

If you were to train 4 days per week, you’d be training for about 13 weeks, or about 3 months. It’s completely up to you how much you train, how intense you are about it, and you’re free to go in and out of intense periods of training and take breaks when necessary.

Q. How do I fit this training in with climbing outside regularly?

Depending on the level you choose, there’s quite a bit of performance climbing time built into the programs. For instance, there might be a day in the program that looks like this: warm up, practice memorizing cruxes of routes, try to send hard routes. This is assuming you’ll be in the gym, but you could certainly make that your day of climbing outside, as it’s a natural way to go about a projecting day anyway. Any of the performance route climbing days listed in the program could be done outside.

The strength sessions in some of the other training days can be done throughout the week between your climbing days outside. As you get closer and closer to redpointing a project, you can decrease the amount of time you spend doing supplemental strength sessions in the gym. For instance, you might regularly be doing 2 to 4 strength sessions per week, depending on the level you’re in, but when you’re feeling ready to redpoint, you could take that down to 1 or even 0 to save as much energy as possible for the send.

Q. How will I access my program?

A. TrainingBeta worked with a team of designers and software developers to create this brand new platform, designed just for rock climbing training. You will access this platform on your computer, mobile device, or tablet with a login on a web browser until it becomes a mobile app (soon).

Q. I don’t use pounds – I use kilograms. Can I change my logbook to account for that?

A. Yes! If you go into your settings in the program you can toggle between lb and kg as your default weight measurement.

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The Gist of It

  • If you sign up for this program right now, you’ll get 7 days free to try it out.
  • You’ll get access to all three levels immediately. All of the days of training will be visible to you for every level – that’s 148 total training days.
  • You’ll also get private office hours with me every month to help you tailor this program to you and answer any questions you have about training in general.

This training works. I see it all the time with my clients all over the world, and it can work for you, too.

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