books to help me climb harder.

[DRep]

Which ones are worth while. I've always been taking random training advice from random climbers. I am pretty sick of trying to piece stuff together and form my own exercises and cycles. I am not looking for general cardio training, but actual rock/ice training advice. I know there are several out there ie. (falcon guide and mountaineers), but want to know which most people prefer. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[sk]

rock, ice, or mountains?

 

how to climb 5.12 by Eric Horst is great.

 

there is also one about the rock warriors way or something... i have heard good things about that but I have not read that one.

 

 

[genepires]

if mixed and ice is your game, then both Gadd and Isaac both have how to guides that have winter specific training ideas. maybe use these in the fall to get ready for winter.

 

horst has the better rock specific training book. It is mainly a rock gym book.

 

mtneer books "expert series" has a training book that is mainly a indoor gym and cardio training that is very good. has different training for different sport and time of year. I forget the title.

 

rock warrior way complements these books well as it deals with mental (fear) aspects of climbing. probably the best training we could work on.

Edited November 13, 2007 by genepires

[selkirk]

I'll put in a good word for "How to Climb 5.12" though I don't climb 5.12 yet primarily because I'm a lazy ass

 

Oh, and what level are you climbing at? Going from 5.8 to 5.10 is a bit of a different beast than going from 5.10 to 5.12.

Edited November 13, 2007 by selkirk

[Sherri]

I'll second the votes for Rock Warrior. At first glance, it can seem sappy and New Agey, but you will find that there's good stuff in there that you can apply on every climb(especially leads, I've found).

 

I havent' read the 5.12 book yet. Sounds like that one should be next on my list.

[fern]

 

encyclopedias are good. Nice and heavy. Put 4 or 5 in a pack and go climbing.

[G-spotter]

encyclopedias are good. Nice and heavy. Put 4 or 5 in a pack and go climbing.

 

And the encyclopedia stack makes a good substitute for cheater stones too.

[Hendershot]

I picked up Rock Warrior's way last week and already have it highlighted like it was a coloring book.

 

Mark Twight's Extreme Alpinism book is bad ass. He has more overall nutirion and workout training information than Gadd's book. Although Gadd's book gets into specific excercises that I put into my repetiore immediately.

[DRep]

I have read extreme alpinism, its great. Is the Gadd book you speak of Ice and mixed climbing? It sounds like I should check out the Horst and RWW books because I can onsight tens and redpoint some elevens on trad and would love to break into twelves. Thank you for all your info!

[spotly]

Rock Warriors Way was a bit....different. Some of it made sense and was helpful though. Personal preference I guess.

 

"How to climb 5.12" was very useful. Still can't climb 5.11 but I picked up some good stuff any way.

[G-spotter]

If "The Rock Warriors Way" helped you climb, maybe the "Celestine Prophecy" will too.

[DRep]

Oh yes, I can't believe I didn't think of that. "Celestine Prophecy".... HUHHH. where do I buy that? middleschoolwarcraftnerds.com?

[i_like_sun]

"1000 positions in 1000 ways"

 

 

[Rad]

Performance Rock Climbing - Goddard and Neumann.

[cycling_mike]

Extreme Alpinism for training and nutrition is good but the rest of the book seems kinda dated (check the advice re: headlamps, ice tools in the chapter on gear). For rock gymnastics I like The Self Coached Climber for it's emphasis on body position and technique.

[sexual_chocolate]

If "The Rock Warriors Way" helped you climb, maybe the "Celestine Prophecy" will too.

 

says climber mired in 5.10 climbing for uh 43,000 posts!

 

 

Rock Warrior's Way is great reading, and applicable in other areas of one's life, me thinks.

 

Performance Rock Climbing is good too, i think, and has been inspiring and fun for me.

 

I think the biggest thing is to take the workouts suggested, and then STICK TO THEM! that's the hard part, is simply starting a training program and sticking to it for a cycle of maybe 6-8 weeks. If one does that, tries and works hard, then results are pretty much guaranteed. it's actually kinda boringly scientific, because anyone can do it, if they want. the body responds to a training stimulus when healthy and properly nourished.

[Rad]

I think the biggest thing is to take the workouts suggested, and then STICK TO THEM!

 

Amen. I used to think improving was mainly about getting stronger, with some mental training on the side. I've since come around to the idea that the greatest gains come from mental training (even if only to gain the discipline to stick with your chosed workout scheme).

 

 

 

[crackers]

 

I think the biggest thing is to take the workouts suggested, and then STICK TO THEM!

 

I just pawed through the self coached climber, and it seems like it's just PRC for people too dumb to read PRC.

 

This is my current favorite for all that: mike anderson's training protocol. Kinda interesting and free...

[hafilax]

I found the articles on this site informative:

http://climbingwalls.net/training.html

 

The links on the left lead to even more information. Last winter I tried following a 4-3-2-1 cycle from Hoerst's Training for Climbing with moderate success. I'm a little wary of his pushing of the HIT program especially given my current climbing level. Seems like a good way to get hurt since I don't really know what I'm doing.

[sexual_chocolate]

 

This is my current favorite for all that: mike anderson's training protocol. Kinda interesting and free...

 

seems like a great article!

 

i like this:

 

Why Train?

It seems every time someone asks a question about training, or attempts to have a meaningful discussion, it doesn’t take long for some moron to chime in with “I train my biceps by lifting a beer up to my fat face.” Insecure and below average climbers love to bash those of us with enough self respect to seek improvement. Someone once said: “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” I believe this applies to climbing as well as it does anything else in life. I cannot understand the attitude of someone who would spend every weekend out on the rock, but not be at least mildly interested in getting better.

 

another one i used to hear a lot was "well chris sharma doesn't train."

 

well who cares? maybe he doesn't like "training". he has enough inclination to hang out and climb and try routes over and over again (ummmm, training anyone?), so that's what suits him.

 

and can anyone say Patxi Usobiaga, Or Josune Bereciartu?

Patxi in one week recently climbed two 15a's, onsighted a 14a, and onsight FA'd a 14b. Holy....

and josune, a woman with a 14d/15a to her credit, and a (controversial) 14a onsight.

and do you think he trains? hell yes, both him and josune are training freaks, like full-time job training shit.

 

(just a pet peeve, the negative creep shit-talkers!)

[hafilax]

I have a hell of a time saying Josune Bereziartu.

[sexual_chocolate]

you have to say it right, like a soft whisper.

 

Like "Where have you been all my life, Josuneeeeeeeee?

[sexual_chocolate]

here's another good link:

 

 

http://www.mikedoyle.ca/climbing/coachingdoc.pdf