Climbing techniques – a plan to raise your game: Week 9 – Guest post from Ignacio Romero

Hi everyone. Here we are at week 9 (out of 16) of my climbing techniques and climbing improvement plan. Here’s where it all starts to get a little bit more difficult as we go into Christmas. For most people it’s going to be pretty difficult to stick to a decent diet and get plenty of training in.

This week is a really special week because this post is from a new friend from Argentina. Please allow me to introduce Ignacio Romero from Mendoza. Ignacio has been kind enough to send me a climbing drill for those of you who don’t use a gym but would like a structured training plan that you can implement at your local wall.

The workout is split into 2 sessions; short endurance and long endurance. You can do them alone or with a climbing partner.

Day 1 – Short endurance

1 – Warmup: “Traverse”
Traverse around the climbing wall for 5 minutes straight. Easy movements.

2 – Warmup: “Five plus five”
With a partner: start traversing, taking turns adding 5 holds each time, partner repeats and adds 5 more, so on, until you reach a maximum of 50 movements each. Challenge each other to tougher and tougher movements.

Without a partner: set an easy traverse, but of 80 movements. Resting is allowed if necessary, but never without hands.

3 – Short endurance:
Set one or two routes of 25 movements, of high intensity, avoiding finger stressing holds.
Do 3 sets of 3 repetitions (a repetition being a full route) resting 5 minutes between repetitions and 10 minutes between sets.

4 - Flexibility: Stretching
Always stretch properly before you head home. I’ll post a full stretching routine soon.

Day 2 – Long endurance

1 – Warmup: “Traverse”
Traverse around the climbing wall for 5 minutes straight. Easy movements.

2 – Warmup: “Five plus five”
With a partner: start traversing, taking turns adding 5 holds each time, partner repeats and adds 5 more, so on, until you reach a maximum of 50 movements each. Challenge each other to tougher and tougher movements.

Without a partner: set an easy traverse, but of 80 movements. Resting is allowed if necessary, but never without hands.

3 – Continuity: Long endurance
Set one or two routes of 40 movements, of medium/high intensity avoiding finger stressing holds.
Do 3 sets of 4 repetitions (a repetition being a full route) resting 6 minutes between repetitions and 10 minutes between sets.

4 - Flexibility: Stretching
Always stretch properly.

I hope you enjoy this routine. I’ll certainly be giving it a go. Thanks Ignacio!

If anyone else out there has a killer climbing workout or even just a single exercise or tip that you want to share, please let me know.

Tagged as: Climbing Improvement, Climbing Techniques, Climbing wall training, Training

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Written by Gareth Hanson

Gareth Hanson is a hugely enthusiastic climber and the editor of Rock Climbing UK (this very website!), an online rock climbing magazine for UK climbers. Check out RCUK's Twitter account here.

See all posts by Gareth Hanson.