Rock Climbing Training: Increase Your Power-Endurance file:///Users/wejaq/Documents/aaa.

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B E L AY I N G ( H T T P S : // W W W.C L I M B I N G .C O M / TA G / B E L AY I N G / ) R A P P E L L I N G ( H T T P S : // W W W.C L I M B I N G .C O M / TA G / R A P P E

Skills

S K I L L S ( H T T P S : // W W W.C L I M B I N G .C O M / S K I L L S / )

Learn to Train for Rock Climbing: Increase

Your Power-Endurance
Fight the pump by building up your power endurance.

AUGUST 24, 2017

BRENDAN BLANCHARD (HTTPS://WWW.CLIMBING.COM/BYLINE/BRENDAN-BLANCHARD/)

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app (https://outsideapp.onelink.me
/wOhi/6wh1kbvw).

This is part four of our five-part series, Learn to Train: A Complete Guide to Climbing Training
(https://www.climbing.com/skills/learn-to-train-a-complete-guide-to-climbing-training/).

The Problem

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You can do all the moves on a route individually, but you can’t link them together.

The Solution
Train power-endurance with 4x4s or circuits to make difficult, pumpy sequences feel easier.

How it Works
If you’ve been training local endurance, you can most likely climb easy terrain for a while without getting pumped.
However, multiple hard moves in a row might still cause you to pump out and fall. Training power-endurance forces
your muscles to adapt and become better at creating ATP, which helps release contracted muscle fibers when there’s
little to no oxygen available. It’s essentially exposure therapy—you’ll routinely bathe your forearms in lactic acid, and
they’ll respond by storing more energy in the cells to create ATP.

Power-endurance training is best done after establishing a solid base of strength and power training, because it will
convert some of that maximum strength into endurance. You’ll lose a little strength and power in the process, but it’ll
pay off on longer routes where you’re fighting a pump. The common methods for training power-endurance all involve
lots of climbing, usually in circuits or laps. Your muscles must be working hard, but not at their max, so you’ll want to
focus on 50 to 80 percent of your limit.

Power-endurance should make your forearms sore. Get 48 to 72 hours of rest between workouts. Start with two per
week, and progress to three as soreness allows. You’ll see gains in as little as two to three weeks, but you’ll also lose
those gains in about as much time. If you’re not actively training, consider a power-endurance workout or laps in the
gym every couple weeks to maintain your current level.

4x4s
To complete a 4×4, pick four different boulder problems about three grades below your limit. Climb the first problem
four times, dropping off and repeating the problem immediately, or downclimbing an easy route back to the start. Rest
for two minutes, then climb the next problem the same way. Complete all four problems like this, then rest 5 minutes.
That’s one set. Pick new problems, or repeat the same set again. Aim for three sets.

Circuits
Picking three to five boulder problems, each three grades below your limit, is a good place to start. Instead of climbing
the same problem back-to-back, climb each problem once, only coming off the wall to move between them. This will be
your circuit. Your circuits can have rests, but don’t remove your pump completely.

After climbing your circuit once, rest for the same duration of time you spent on the wall. If you fall from being
pumped, end your circuit and rest. If a foot slip or botched move spits you off, jump right back on. After completing
your circuit four times with equal rests, take a longer break of 5 to 10 minutes. Next, start another set of four circuits on
the same or new problems.

Mimic your project if you have one. For example, if it’s a long section of V1 followed by a V3 at the top, pick three
problems in the V1 range, followed by a V3. You’ll progress in your circuits by either shortening your rests or by
choosing harder problems. Try starting sets 30 seconds sooner and see how much harder they feel.

Power-Endurance Games

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Drag Racing
With a partner, set a timer for 15 minutes on the bouldering wall, or 30 minutes for roped routes. Try to complete as
many problems or pitches as possible in the allotted time. Either climb the same routes, or create a point system for
grades, so harder routes or problems are worth more points.

Lemon-Limes
Start at the bottom of a boulder problem or route that’s fairly easy for you. Climb the first move, then downclimb to the
start. Next, climb the first two moves, then downclimb to the start. Do this until you’re on the finish hold. That’s the
lemon. Without coming off, downclimb one move and then re-climb to the finish. Repeat until you’ve downclimbed the
entire route, and re-climbed it to the top. That’s the lime. Watch a partner do the same thing while you rest, then go for
another round.

To improve your climbing by learning the proper ways to train your weaknesses, check out the rest of our series
Learn to Train: A Complete Guide to Climbing Training (https://www.climbing.com/skills/learn-to-train-
a-complete-guide-to-climbing-training/).

MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

The Complete Guide to Rock Climbing Training, 5 Lessons (https://www.climbing.com/skills/learn-to-train-a-complete-guide-

to-climbing-training/)
BRENDAN BLANCHARD (HTTPS://WWW.CLIMBING.COM/BYLINE/BRENDAN-BLANCHARD/)

10 Scientifically Supported Climbing Workouts to Increase Strength and Power (https://www.climbing.com/skills/ten-power-

exercises-become-stronger-boulderer/)
CLAIRE LORBIECKI (HTTPS://WWW.CLIMBING.COM/BYLINE/CLAIRE-LORBIECKI/)

Learn to Train: The Proven Way to Get Stronger Fingers (https://www.climbing.com/skills/learn-to-train-how-to-get-stronger-

fingers/)
()

A Full Year of Training—This Step-By-Step Weekly Plan Is All You Need To Know (https://www.climbing.com/skills
/comprehensive-rock-climbing-training-guide-weeky-year-long/)
NEIL GRESHAM (HTTPS://WWW.CLIMBING.COM/BYLINE/NEIL-GRESHAM/)

TA G S

• C O M P E T I T I O N T R A I N I N G ( H T T P S : // W W W . C L I M B I N G . C O M / TA G / C O M P E T I T I O N -T R A I N I N G / )

• ENDURANCE T R A I N I N G ( H T T P S : // W W W . C L I M B I N G . C O M / TA G / E N D U R A N C E -T R A I N I N G / )

• L E A R N T O T R A I N ( H T T P S : // W W W . C L I M B I N G . C O M / TA G / L E A R N -T O -T R A I N / )

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• P O W E R - E N D U R A N C E ( H T T P S : // W W W . C L I M B I N G . C O M / TA G / P O W E R - E N D U R A N C E / )

• TRAINING P L A N ( H T T P S : // W W W . C L I M B I N G . C O M / TA G / T R A I N I N G - P L A N / )

S TAY O N T O P I C

(https://www.climbing.com/skills (https://www.climbing.com/skills (https://www.climbing.com/skills

/power-training/?itm_source=parsely- /interval-workouts /power-endurance-intervals
api) /?itm_source=parsely-api) /?itm_source=parsely-api)

The Real Secret to Effective The Best Way to Start Your Want Endurance This
Power Training Winter Training: Interval Spring? Do Some Power-
(https://www.climbing.com Workouts Endurance Intervals
/skills/power-training (https://www.climbing.com (https://www.climbing.com
/?itm_source=parsely-api) /skills/interval-workouts /skills/power-endurance-
/?itm_source=parsely-api) intervals
/?itm_source=parsely-api)

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Film: How Matt Cornell Free Soloed One of America’s Classic

Hard Mixed Routes
"The Nutcracker" explores the mental challenges of solo climbing and the tactics Cornell used to help him send the route.

Keywords: climbing films | Documentary | Ice Climbing | nutcracker

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