Training is a popular topic in the climbing world and everyone has an opinion on what works and what doesn’t. Your strength training program should be as individual as your opinion. Unfortunately, strength training is a science, and your opinion doesn’t matter.

Some strong career climbers have arrived at a point in their life when they want to become a trainer, relying solely on their climbing accomplishments, which does not make them qualified. As in most sports, the best athletes are not the best coaches and trainers were not the best athletes.

Trainer Adam Macke explains why online training programs are far less beneficial and possibly detrimental to progression, performance, and joint integrity.

Training is a process, not a program. Online training programs have become the latest fad in climbing training and climbing trainers have attempted to make a quick dollar with fast work of copy and pasting by calling it an “individualized” program.

The truth is, it can’t be individualized. Health history and physical assessments such as muscle function and joint mobility are standard in one-on-one personal training. These cannot be done through an online service and are vital for effective individualized training.

I find muscle imbalances in every climber I assess, that affect climbing performance. If these imbalances are not first addressed, the climber will not progress and the training will not transfer to the rock. When a climber has muscle imbalances, functional exercises will only reinforce compensation patterns. The strongest muscles will get stronger and the weaker muscles get weaker, leading to injury.

Too often, climbers have poor technique when it comes to strength training. There are many exercises that are aimed at the same strength goal, but selecting which exercise to perform is critical and depends upon the climbers ability. Climbers have specific individual goals, yet they are performing the same exercises. General programs are best for climbing drills on the wall, not for strength training.

Can you give some examples?

Using gymnastic rings for back rows, climbers tend to internally rotate the shoulders, abduct the arms and emphasize biceps and pectoral involvement. A live trainer may suggest seated rows as an alternative, to focus on scapular muscle engagement. Other examples of exercises are the Turkish get-up and kettlebell swing. There is a lot of joint action in both of these exercises and specific cueing is critical and should only be done in person. Proper form is not only limited to complex exercises; seemingly simple movements like the biceps curl, bench press, and lunges always require cueing. The most efficient way to move the resistance is the least effective for strength training.

So what do people do to make their workouts work against them?

Programs are typically progressive, increasing in intensity weekly. What your program won’t do is adjust to levels of fatigue preventing injury from overtraining. I often see climbers using momentum to carry the resistance and unintentional cueing of muscles that shouldn’t be involved in the exercise. Faulty movement patterns from compensations are impossible to determine over the internet.

Online programs could be beneficial if the climber executes the exercises properly. Hire a knowledgeable trainer that understands your goals and the exercises. Learn the techniques, even if it is for a short period of time. The trainer does not have to be a climber. Indicators of poor programs are things like specific numbers of repetitions, leaving the user assuming their own tempo, which usually is too fast. Most climber programs are designed to use minimal equipment, which is not the most effective way to strengthen.

If you are contemplating purchasing an automated online training program, question the trainer’s motive, qualifications, and experience, as well as your own goals, before committing to a new training regimen.

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