Believe me, I understand the urge.  You want to help.  Or you want to show off.  Or you want to be an Exspurt.  It could be that you have every great intention, and you really want to see that person succeed and see progression in their climbing.  I doubt it, but it's possible.  

Problem is, progress is about learning, but because of your spray, they likely didn't learn a damned thing.

"Comparison is the thief of joy."  -Theodore Roosevelt

Around here, we like to use the hashtag #webuildmachines.

However, I'm acutely aware that you could just as often substitute with the hashtag #webuildmonsters, and I don't mean that in a positive way. 

It's the new buzzword that's been around forever.  Sandbagged.

"That 10c is definitely more like 11b!"

"That CAN'T be 12a... I NEVER fall off of 12a!"

Do as I say, not as I do. I wish those instructions actually worked, but they never do. Fact is, I train hard. I train smart. Most of the people I work with do the same, and I'm not shy about telling them that if they are taking shortcuts, they are only hurting themselves. But here's where it goes wrong... 

Recently Rock and Ice posted This Video, from Daniel Woods and The North Face to their Facebook feed, and like everyone else, I watched.  At first I just dismissed it, but the more I thought about it, the more I needed to rant a little to you guys (and whoever else will listen).

Here at The Power Company, we don't often talk about the differences between climbers who choose to mostly climb on routes and those who choose boulders.  I'll go ahead and call that neglectful on my part, because there are some fundamental things that are different about the two. 

It's the new buzzword... "Training".  Everybody and their mom wants to train, has training advice, and can give you a 3 minute video depicting their training.  This may sound like a plus, particularly for someone who sells training programs, but that isn't necessarily the case. 

We've been building a Power Company training room, complete with new toys that you'll be seeing in reviews, including Eva Lopez's Transgression hangboard, and the system holds from Atomik Climbing.

There's more to life than climbing.  It's true.  Some are willing to forego nearly all else for the singular pursuit of living a life on the rocks.  Some aren't.  None of us are right or wrong, we just make our choices and do the best we can with them.

Danger is everywhere.  I’m not talking about the kind of danger that we as rock climbers put ourselves into.  That’s a calculated risk.  I’m talking about the kind of parasitic danger that searches you out.  Unbeknownst to you, it attaches to your promise so that it might reap the glory. 

There are three components you must have if you expect to improve your climbing.  There are lots more you could use, but without these three, none of the others will mean a damned thing.

This winter I've written about 20 training programs for climbers of a wide range of skill levels. One comment I often get in my initial interviews is that they want to train hard and be dedicated to climbing while remaining healthy and injury free.

I feel your pain.  It's easy to get discouraged by how quickly the pros seem to put down the hardest projects, when for 2 seasons you've worked on the same 12c, and still haven't been able to clip the chains.   Maybe you're just in too far over your head?  Maybe those guys and girls you read about just aren't trying things that are hard enough for them.

It's a common excuse.  "But Sharma doesn't train."  Frankly, I could list hundreds of reasons why you aren't Chris Sharma, will never climb like Chris Sharma, and certainly can't afford to "not train" like Chris Sharma, but instead, I'll just focus on the excuse at hand.

A kid at the crag wanted to try and flash a steep, cruxy 12b, which would have been his hardest flash by far.  The hardest moves are right off the ground and ease up considerably after the 2nd bolt, leading to a mostly juggy pumpfest to the chains.  Standard protocol is to stick clip the 2nd bolt, where blowing the tough clip would certainly be disastrous.  I gave the kid, who boulders stronger than I do, beta.  Good beta.  He climbed through the crux, and the very moment the 2nd bolt was at his waist, he said "Take!".

Through many conversations about training with friends and other climbers, I've discovered one common thread... you can almost always find a reason to continue training the short sighted way that you have been.

At the gym recently I've noticed a phenomenon that I've seen a number of times over the years. Call it what you want, "Social Abs", "Core With Friends", "Ab Circle", "Club Core", .... whatever.  I call it a "Fairy Ring".

The Magic Bullet.

I get this question all the time.  ALL the time.  Mostly from beginners and climbers who can't seem to break out of the plateau they hit after doing what they always do stopped working.

Disclaimer:  I don't rant much on here.  Today I will.  After the rant I'll go back to putting together a great interview with Angie Payne concerning the mental space required to perform at such a high level.  That will be posted up in the next week, possibly in two parts.  For now...

I hear them coming from every corner of the gym.  From the mats beneath the boulder.  From 30 feet up the lead wall.  I hear them in the lobby before I even make it into the gym.  No, not the voices in my head.  Those are mostly quiet these days.  What I hear are excuses.  Tons of them.  Never ending.

When it comes to training, and training for climbing in particular, it's incredibly rare that a product hits the market that I really feel is a game changer.  On average, most products are just a reshaping of another, equally useful (or useless) product.  Many of these "NEW!", "AMAZING!!", "GUARANTEED!!!" products quickly end up as toys for circus tricks or drunken contests.

Chalk is chalk, right?

I've long known this statement to be false.  As a gymnast, I entered climbing with a preconceived notion of what chalk should feel like.  That makes me something of a chalk diva.

Give me a choice between two equally useful items, and I'll always opt for the simpler version over the one with all the bells, whistles, and embellishments.  Of course, give me something with elegant, clean lines that out performs the over complicated, and I will sing it's praises.

While I've not had the opportunity to read either of these books, I definitely plan to (and review them both), and wanted to let you all know of their existence, so you can check them out HERE.

Out of nowhere, my brief break from climbing and training is over, and I'm back in The Engine Room.

By now you've seen it.  It's unmistakable.  The Transgression hangboard (and it's little brother, the Progression) is the first commercially available hangboard in some time to depart from the "little bit of every grip type" design.

Now that we know how and why to use a System setup, we need to put together a board.  I’ve been through this process, so I realize how difficult it can be. 

I love pinches.  Generally speaking, I’m abnormally strong on them.  Not Steven Jeffries kind of strong, but stronger than the average climber.  I often honestly refer to good pinches as jugs, only to have a climber who just fell off the same hold look at me like I’m speaking in a foreign language. 

Shortly after it was available in the U.S., I eagerly got my hands on this new book from Patrick Matros and Dicki Korb, trainers and coaches of German wunderkind Alex Megos.  I'm naturally a skeptic, particularly when it comes to a training program that any uber-strong climber uses.  I mean, who's to say that said training program had anything to do with getting them there?

By now you've all seen them somewhere.  The first time I remember seeing anyone using hanging "balls" for training was Patxi Usobiaga in the BigUp film Progression.  While the way Patxi's training was portrayed struck me as not only uninformed but possibly dangerous, the image of those free hanging orbs stuck with me.

If you've seen, or been lucky enough to climb on any of the dual textured holds created by the DRCC, then you're already aware that they serve two important functions.

In my own experience, as well as in my experience with clients, Limit (or Max) Bouldering is a tough exercise for many people to connect with, and is probably the most misunderstood exercise in your training plan.  Ironically, for most of us, it is also the most important.  

We measure our sport in numbers.  A silly concept, really, but it's what we've got, and I've come to accept that.  However, as an individual I can reserve the right to measure my own progressions however the hell I want to, and often times, the numbers don't quite reflect what I know to be the truth. 

In Episode 2 I sit down with Steve Bechtel at his gym in Lander, Wyoming, to talk resistance training for climbers.  Yes, lifting weights.  No, you won't get swole.  Yes, you should do it.  But enough of that.  Just listen.  We've already recorded two more hours with Steve, so you'll hear more from him in the coming months!

Many of you have seen the video of Daniel Woods sending the infamous "Bubble Wrap" project at CATS in Boulder, Colorado.  If you haven't, you should.  But prepare yourself... this isn't the typical bouldering video.

When I was just starting my love affair with athletics and moving heavy weights, the science of how to train for sport hadn't trickled down to the teenage set.  Despite how clueless we were, we inadvertently got one thing right... we were doing all 4 basic movements.

Squat.  Hinge.  Push.  Pull. 

Deadlifting for climbing. It's all the rage, there is no denying that. Climbers everywhere are doing it.  I've done it. I've had my athletes do it. But why? Is it really relevant?  Should everyone be doing it?

While I've not had the opportunity to read either of these books, I definitely plan to (and review them both), and wanted to let you all know of their existence, so you can check them out HERE.

Some time ago I received a reader question about System Boarding for Power.  At the time my experience with a system board was limited to the most basic, bare bones, old school version of a system board, containing HIT strips, a few pinches, and maybe a few other holds in random spots.

With this post I'm starting a new, regular section at The Power Company.  "The Specialist" will ask questions of climbers we can stand to learn alot from.  I don't have all the answers... but we can sure as hell try and find someone who does.

Yesterday I posted up Part 1 on "Hypertrophy for Climbing", forgot to title it Part 1 (which has since been changed), and was instantly called out.  I'm glad people are reading closely enough to want more, or at the least, to be confused by my ramblings.

For the final push into the autumn season, I realized that my gains from "technique" power training are diminishing, and that maybe its time to focus on real, honest to goodness POWER.  

In my own experience, as well as in my experience with clients, Limit (or Max) Bouldering is a tough exercise for many people to connect with, and is probably the most misunderstood exercise in your training plan.  Ironically, for most of us, it is also the most important.  

Oh shit, it actually happened... Episode 1.

In this, our inaugural episode, we talk with pro climber Carlo Traversi, exploring the merits of being dynamic in your climbing.

So in Parts 1 thru 3 we learned why we should campus, the basics of how to do it, and when to use the plyometric approach to campusing.  Still, that doesn't tell you much about how to actually implement it, now does it?

Many of you have seen the video of Daniel Woods sending the infamous "Bubble Wrap" project at CATS in Boulder, Colorado.  If you haven't, you should.  But prepare yourself... this isn't the typical bouldering video.

As far as I can tell, and I've looked pretty extensively, not many people who are campusingunderstand exactly what plyometrics are.  More often than not, I see articles or videos labeled with "plyometrics" that contain little or no actual plyometric work.

When I was just starting my love affair with athletics and moving heavy weights, the science of how to train for sport hadn't trickled down to the teenage set.  Despite how clueless we were, we inadvertently got one thing right... we were doing all 4 basic movements.

Squat.  Hinge.  Push.  Pull. 

In the previous post we discussed at length why you spend most of your time on the campus board on the larger rungs, gaining power.  But those smaller rungs are there... and you really want to use them.  So let's talk about when and why you might want to make the switch.

I've been meaning to write this post for quite some time, so to those of you whom I've told "Coming Soon", I now say "Finally!".  I've recently been designing training protocols for our mobile app, and while building campus plans for several types of climber, it reoccurred to me how misunderstood campusing is.  In this post, I'm simply going to go over the basics, and then I'll get into more detail soon.  Promise.

Some time ago I received a reader question about System Boarding for Power.  At the time my experience with a system board was limited to the most basic, bare bones, old school version of a system board, containing HIT strips, a few pinches, and maybe a few other holds in random spots.

With this post I'm starting a new, regular section at The Power Company.  "The Specialist" will ask questions of climbers we can stand to learn alot from.  I don't have all the answers... but we can sure as hell try and find someone who does.

Yesterday I posted up Part 1 on "Hypertrophy for Climbing", forgot to title it Part 1 (which has since been changed), and was instantly called out.  I'm glad people are reading closely enough to want more, or at the least, to be confused by my ramblings.

For the final push into the autumn season, I realized that my gains from "technique" power training are diminishing, and that maybe its time to focus on real, honest to goodness POWER.  

I'm sitting in Lander, Wyoming and doctoring a sick daughter while nursing a sore finger (damned monos!).  While I think my finger will be ready to climb again tomorrow, today it's mostly useful for blogging, so I figured I might take the time to answer a reader question.

Ok, obviously it's important to be able to see, though some would rightfully argue that idea. Regardless, that isn't at all the type of vision I'm speaking of. What I'm referencing is having the ability to "see" moves that you can't even imagine. To attempt sequences that you couldn't possibly dream up.

Years ago, lying in the floor of my grandparents house, and reading an article about Alex Huber, I was taken aback by a seemingly audacious statement he made.  "I have power to waste".  Really?

While sitting in the gym staring down the orange problem, and examining the love/hate relationship that I share with it, I can't help but notice the frustration bubbling up all around.  I watch several climbers, good climbers, who I consider to have more natural power than I have, quickly giving up on moves they can't yet comprehend.  Rather than learn a new body position or movement, they instantly release a familiar barrage of excuses...

If it weren't for the fact that it's 70 degrees outside today, it'd be easy to know that winter is fast approaching.  How?  Simple.  Just go to your local climbing gym and see how many people are "preparing" for bouldering season.

I won't bore you with the details of why I haven't posted in two months. Instead, I'll just say that it's been an action packed start to the season and I'll update you shortly.  For now, I'm going to hand over the writing reins to a lovely young lady by the name of Aicacia Young.

Our first training program is live and for sale for just $24 on TrainingBeta.com!

Like so many of us, my time is very much monopolized by parts of life that have nothing to do with climbing up rocks.  Between building a house, work, fathering, and boyfriending, I had already come to grips with the fact that my fall 2011 season would be a short one.  Rather than get into any big projects I had decided to just consolidate my climbing where it already is, send a few more 13c's, and get back to building the house before winter hit.

ARC (Aerobic Restoration and Capillarity) is the new buzz word around my gym. I've seen or heard of 5 or more climbers recently making this ARC training the focus of their sessions. One even told me that you can't build endurance unless you're training ARC.

I get immensely motivated when I know that climbers who are really putting thought into their approach to our sport are reading this blog.  I've recently had a few great comments that force me to articulate my ideas from other angles, which is exactly the sort of communication I was hoping for in starting The Power Company.

Its true.  In fact, I'd say I never "train" recovery anymore.  While it was a main focus of most phases of my training for several years (it was a part of local endurance, as well as anaerobic endurance phases), I now only do short "tuneups" immediately before and during "the season".

Recently, while reading through the "Kill Bill" workout designed over the years by 50 year old hardman and former Red River Gorge local, Bill Ramsey, one phrase stood out to me.

"for shaking out, which most climbers don't train enough of."

I've gotten several questions about my schedule during my High/Low training, and to those I've answered "I'll be posting it soon", and then I never posted it.  I promise I wasn't trying to throw you off the trail so that I was the only one reaping benefits.  Or maybe I was.  You'll never know.

Simple question, right?  Well, the simple answer is that yes, in my opinion, it worked wonderfully. In fact, my training season is ramping back up as I write this, and I plan on continuing with the high/low approach.

The High/Low approach to training for climbing sounds incredibly simple.  If you feel strong, and it's been at least 48 hours since your last "high" day, then do another.  If you don't feel strong, or it hasn't been that long, do a "low" day.  The problem is that it's much more challenging than first meets the eye, particularly when you are training for something as complex and hard to measure as rock climbing.

Conditions worsening by the second.

I’m in the car on the way to Denver from snowy Lander, Wyoming.  We arrived in Lander just in time for the good weather to fall apart.  Realizing that my main objective, The Strawberry Roan, would be completely out of the question with the impending snowstorm, we headed up to Sinks Canyon so I could put in a little work on a 13c called “Endeavor To Persevere”.

It seems to be the question everyone is asking.  Admittedly, I had my reservations as well.  I love training anaerobic endurance.  Leaving the gym absolutely wrecked just FEELS right.  I mean, AE is the main building block of hard sport climbing, right?  So when I read that Charlie Francis trained his sprinters by avoiding AE training, I was a little taken aback, and extremely skeptical.

Tomorrow is the official first day of my autumn season. I've got high hopes and big goals that I'll be working toward, and the lead up to this point has been a little bit nerve wracking. Reason is, I've completely scrapped the old model of periodization training that I've followed for the last several years in favor of something new.