Fitness Training for Climbing

A Short History of Mountaineering in Chamonix [Source: Chamonix Networks]

18th Century
1760 - Alpinism is invented.
The Genevan naturalist, Horace Bénédict de Saussure, offered a large reward to a one who could find the way up Mont Blanc.On the 24th July he visited "Chamouny" and climbed up to the Brevent.
1786 - The first ascent of Mont Blanc.
Jacques Balmat ,a local crystal hunter by proffesion, a man with an iron will and an instinct for the mountains teamed up with a Dr. Paccard, a Chamonix doctor .On August 2, 1786 the two men left Chamonix and camped at the summit of “Montagne de la cote”.At 4.00am they left for the Grand Plateau, and at 18.23 they reached the summit. Their ascent was followed by telescope from Chamonix.
1787 – Saussure to the summit.
On the 1^st of August at the age of 47yrs H.B. Saussure with 18 guides arrived at he summit of Mont Blanc.This was acheived after a bivouac at the Grand Plateau.

19^th Century
1808 – First female ascent of Mont Blanc.
By a Local Chamonix woman: Marie Paradis.
1818 – Aiguille du Midi, First ascent by A. Malczewski and Jean-Michel and five other guides on the 4^th August.
1820 – The first catastrophy.
A group of five guides ,left for Mont Blanc. Just below the Grand Plateau an avalanche swept them into a crevasse. Only two survived. The other three bodies were discovered 41yrs later at the bottom of the Bossons Glacier.
1823 – The Chamonix guides company was established.
1857 – The Alpine Club was founded in London. The Mont Blanc and Aiguille de Midi were still the only peaks to be conquered. The Golden age of Alpine Climbing was about to begin.
1864.-. The Golden Age of Climbing. An English designer Edouard Whymper and Michel Croz a trainee guide, accomplished three 1^st ascents in one week; The Col de Triolet, L’Aiguille de Treletete and the L’Aiguille d’Argentiere.
1864 – First ascent of Aiguilles d’ Argentière, 15 July, A. Reilly, E. Whymper, M. Croz, M. Payot, H. Charlet.
1865 – Grandes Jorasses, 24 June, E. Whymper, C. M. Croz, C. Almer, F. Biner
1865 – Aiguille Verte, 29 June, E. Whymper, C. Almer, F. Biner
1871 – Aiguille du Plan, July, J. Eccles, M. and A. Payot.
1876 – Les Droites, 7 August, H. Cordier, T. Middlemore, J. Oakley, J. Jaun, A. Maurer.
1879 – First ascent of the Petit Dru, 29 August, Jean Charlet-Straton, Prosper Payot et Frederic Folliguet
1880 – One century after the first ascent of Mont Blanc over 3000 people attempted to climb
1881 – Aiguille du Grepon, 5 August, A. Mummery, A. Bergener, B. Venetz.
1882 – Dent du Geant, 28 July, J,-J. B. D. Maquignaz.
1887 – Grands Charmoz, 10 September, A. Mummery, A. Bergener, B. Venetz.
1897 – Les Courtes, 17 August, O. Schuster, A. Swaine.
1898 – Aiguille de Blatière, 7 August, By the Spencer couloir, S. Spencer, C. Jossi, H. Almer.
1898 – Aiguille de Triolet, 3 September J. B. Guyot, J. Brocherel, A. Rey.

20^th Century
1901 – Mont Maudit, 31 July, P. Cassan, P. Kornacker
1904 – The Charpoua refuge opened
1938 – The Walker Spur, Grandes Jorasses, 6 August, R. Cassin, L. Esposito, U. Tizzoni.
1938 – First winter traverse of the Drus by Armand Charlet et Camille Devouassoux
1952 – South face of the Dru, André Contamine et Michel Bastien
1955 – Bonatti Pillar, The Dru, 22 August, Soloed by Walter Bonatti.
1957 – First winter ascent of west face of the Dru, Jean Cousy et Réné Desmaison
1961 – Central Pillar of Freney, 29 August, C. Bonnington, R. Robbins.
1962 – American Direct, The Dru, 26 July, G. Hemmings, R. Robbins.
1963 – First solo of the West face of the Dru, Réné Desmaison
1964 – The first winter ascent of the north face by Georges Payot – Yvon Masino – Gérard Devouassoux
1966 – A rescue on the south face of the Dru
1967 – First ascent of the route des Guides on th N. face, Yannick Seigneur – Claude Jager – Michel Feuillerade – Jean Paul Paris
1973 – First ascent of the north Grand Couloir on the Dru – Claude Jager et Walter Cecchinel
1975 – First ascent of Col du Dru, Emmanuel Schmutz, Claude Tuccinardi
1975 – The first descent of the south face of the Dru on ski’s Jean-Marc Boivin
1979 – First ascent of the route”C’est rrive demain” Patrick Bérault – Claude et Yves Rémy 1981 – Enchainement Fou – American Direct, Jean-Marc Boivin – Patrick Bérault
1982 – First solo ascent of the American direct on the Dru, Christophe Profit
1980 à 1989 : Des enchainements … Eric Escoffier – Rémy Escoffier – Daniel Lacroix – Christophe Profit – Michel Fauquet
1982 – First ascent of the French Direct on the Dru by Christophe Profit – Michel Bruel – Hervé Sachetat – Hubert Giot
1983 – The American Direct freed on the Dru, Thierry Renault – Pascal Etienne – Christophe Profit – Eric Escoffier
1983 – First Winter ascent of the Leseuer route on the N. face of the Dru, Thierry Renault, Andy Parkin
1984 – Grand Pillar d’ Angle, 8 August, Direct route of Divine Providence
1986 – First descent on snowboard of the Dru by Bruno Gouvy
1989 – The first winter solo ascent of the Bonatti Pillar on the Dru by Alain Ghersen
1990 – Enchainement: Directe Américaine – Walker – Intégrale de Peuterey, Alain Ghersen 1991 – First ascent of the route “Destivelle” on the West face of the Dru, Catherine destivelle
1992 – First solo of the French Direct on the Dru, Francois Marsigny.

Regardless of your climbing goals, be it Mont Blanc, grade V ice, 5.10 rock, or whatever, your chances of success can be greatly enhanced through some sort of prior training. Though specific training methods can be vastly different and can take on many forms, training need not be a dreaded chore that you have to force yourself to do. Make it fun, don’t overdo it, and always keep sight of your long-term goal.

The type of training for you will certainly depend a lot on your own personal skills, strengths, weakness, time, and goals. Here I will present to you some basic training guidelines for different types of climbing goals. Feel free to contact me for more specific information regarding your own personal needs.

I put a lot into my own climbing and train hard. I am motivated to do it because I have seen the direct results of how it can improve my own performance and allow me to be better prepared when it comes time to get out there on the next mountain or crag. Training need not be just about working out in a gym. On the contrary, most people will find much better improvement in their own performance by focusing on improving their own technique, thereby "training" their body to work more efficiently.

The bulk of mountain climbing, even in ascents with very technical sections, is all about aerobic fitness: the ability to work at a very moderate pace for long periods of time. BREATHE! Yes, you will do yourself worlds of good by simply training your body to breathe efficiently, increasing your aerobic capacity. This is especially true when climbing at higher altitudes. That being said, any training regimen involving regular aerobic exercise is great for general mountaineering. Sure, if you are lucky enough to live near mountains, getting aerobic exercise by hiking up hills, skiing, biking and so forth is excellent sport specific training. But you can also train for this just about anywhere, even in Florida.

By doing just about any aerobic activity inside or out, you can get your body into better aerobic fitness. How much and how far? I recommend longer and slower, thus improving your overall aerobic base. Certainly not everyone can go work out on the stairmaster for two hours a day, but 45-60 minutes of aerobic activity three to four times a week is great. By keeping a slow pace you will improve your base aerobic fitness, but it also has the added bonus of training your body to burn fat a source of energy. This is great for mountaineering where you will usually be keeping a slow, but steady pace and are always able to consume enough food to keep up with the energy demand. In order to really reap the benefits of this type of training, you should begin at least 4-8 weeks prior to your planned ascent. As an added bonus you will most likely be losing some unnecessary pounds to boot! I recommend incorporating general aerobic fitness into your lifestyle if mountaineering is a hobby you enjoy.

You may also want to include about one hour of strength training a few times a week if your are unable to get out and climb. Weight training will help prepare you for the demands of the occasional powerful move encountered and help you avoid injury. A well-rounded weight training routine is most recommended for general mountaineering. A good one would include: squats, leg presses, calf raises, abdominal crunches, lat pulls, rows, bench press, and shoulder press. In the weight room, aim for medium resistance, unless you are a seasoned training junkie. I recommend doing about two three sets of each exercise, completing about 8-12 repetitions per set.

For those really serious about getting fit, consider purchasing a heart rate monitor. This doodad is very handy for getting the most out of your training. With a heart rate monitor you can target specific heart rate zones that are best for certain types of training. The best rate for general aerobic conditioning will be keeping a pace in the 60-70% training zone. The % "training zone" heart rate is calculated using the Karvonen Formula, which is as follows:
(maximum heart rate – resting heart rate) X % "training zone" heart rate
+ resting heart rate = training heart rate

Example: For an individual with a maximum heart rate of 180 and resting heart rate of 50, the calculation for the 60 percent training zone would be:
((180-50) X 60%) + 50= (130 X 60%) + 50 = 78 + 50 = 128
And for the 70% training zone it would be: (130 X 70%) + 50 = 91 + 50 = 141
Therefore, this individual would want to maintain a level of exercise with his or her heart rate between 128 and 141 in order to stay in this aerobic base conditioning zone.

You can also keep track of your recovery and overall fitness by monitoring your waking heart rate. If you waking heart rate is not back near the normal, then you likely need another rest day or perhaps you have an illness coming on.

Technique training is perhaps as important as any other aspect of physical training. To work on this, consider getting out onto some off trail areas for hikes. Most climbs end up off trail and on rugged terrain. It is amazing how well we as Westerners have adapted to walking on relatively flat and clean surfaces. When we get out on even the easiest of cross country terrain we are often loose any surefootedness. By simply being able to move more efficiently in the mountains and on rough, irregular terrain, we save energy even with no gains in general fitness. Spend some time walking around in places where most people don’t so that you are able to move more efficiently in the mountains.

Finally, lets talk a little about technical climbing as it relates to mountaineering. If your goals are to just get up the big summits then you are better off spending your time with aerobic base conditioning and off-trail hiking. If your goals include climbing to the summits via more technical routes than it certainly would behoove you to hone your skills in this department. You certainly do not need to go off to the gym and start weight lifting to develop superhuman upper body strength to get up technical mountain routes. However, you should spend some time at the crags or climbing gym to improve your technique in the type of climbing you expect to encounter. By becoming more proficient at the specific movement skills required of your upcoming ascent, be it rock climbing, ice climbing, or ascending fixed lines, you will be able to move more efficiently, use less energy and be faster. If you are going to climb the Matterhorn, for example, you do not need to become a 5.10 rock climber, but feeling comfortable on a variety of 5.6 would be a benefit. As well, you do not need to be able to climb vertical ice, but if you did spend some time learning ice climbing skills you would likely feel much more comfortable when wearing your crampons on the moderate snow field near the top.

So, suffice it to say that augmenting your regular fitness training schedule with the occasional day at the crag will help improve your overall mountaineering ability. Hence better chances of success on the technical mountain climbs.

If you could care less about bagging the big summits of the world, but would rather just be able to haul your carcass up some desperate test piece at Joshua Tree or the Ouray Ice Park, then your training focus will have somewhat different demands than that of mountaineering. For short, technical climbs and even longer multi-pitch technical climbs aerobic fitness is much less important. Still it is very important to maintain good overall physical fitness. If you are at all overweight, than regular aerobic exercise is still your best bet to get better at climbing. Just try doing some pull ups, then try doing them again with, say, 15 extra pounds in a backpack. Feel the difference? I thought so. So, first of all weight becomes much more of an issue when "pulling down" is your desire. Second, your technique at the particular movement skill (rock, ice, etc.,) is crucial to improving your efficiency of movement.

Though I could go on and on about specific weight training programs that could help your strength, I do not feel that any increase in strength will necessarily benefit your climbing until your technique is at a high level. With a lot of strength, many people tend to "muscle" their way up climbs in poor technique and though they may get up one or two pitches that way, they usually don’t last very long. For this reason, I recommend just plain climbing as the best form of training to improve your own personal technical climbing skills.

See below for a Sample training routine for technical climbing and one for rock climbing

The more variety, the better. The more you can get out on many different types of rock and climbs, the more experiences you will have in your muscle memory "engrams" to draw upon in future climbs. If you only climbs cracks at one particular area, then you will find yourself stumped when you come upon a slab higher up in Yosemite at the end of one of the famous crack climbs there. Variety is key for improving your technique.

Frequency is also vital. Try and log in as much mileage as you can. If you can climb a couple days a week, even if at a gym, this is great. If you find this too difficult due to your location and/or schedule, then perhaps you can build a small wall in your basement or garage. I have an 8’ X 10’ wall in a shed in my backyard that rocks! I have been able to do a variety of training on it from short, hard boulder problems, to longer linkups of many easier problems, to practicing dry-tooling techniques with my ice tools. A home gym is great if you have the resources and time to make it happen.

Finally there is weight training. Perhaps best used for general conditioning and helping avoid injuries, weight training can also help supplement the lack of climbing for those who just can not get out and do any real climbing for whatever reason. Again, here variety is key. Try and do a variety of mostly upper body exercises. Good ones for technical climbing include: Lat pulls, rowing, forearm curls, reverse wrist curls, bench press, shoulder press, abdominal crunches, and calf raises. I recommend doing about two three sets of each exercise, completing about 8-12 repetitions per set. You should work out with weights no more than two to three times a week, less if you are able to climb often.

Finally, training for any particular climb can be very specific and you may unique issues of your own that demand special attention. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about training for your own specific goals or upcoming trips.

Final tip: A CD walkman or portable MP3 player goes a long way towards breaking the boredom of long training sessions.

Winter is drawing to an end and you have not been climbing since last fall. You really want to do the Escape Artist, a classic ten pitch 5.9 in the Black Canyon. Will you have the guns to do it by May? This ten week training program has been adapted from that Eric Hörst's book, How to Climb 5.12. It will also benefit just about anyone trying to get into better rock climbing shape regardless of the grade, even if you are just trying to get up that single pitch route at the local crag. This plan also works great for ice climbing!

This phase is to establish a good foundation from which to begin the more strenuous strength and power workouts to come. The emphasis here should be on volume and low intensity. A list of the Agonist and Antagonist weight training exercises and aerobic activities can be found at the bottom. Climbing should be moderate, but with lots of mileage. Try doing laps on easy routes and doing long, easy routes.

This phase is all about getting more power! You should have a good base by now and are ready for the stress of this high intensity training. Climbing should be on short, powerful routes and/or boulder problems that spit you off before you get a chance to get pumped. 5 to 15 moves is ideal. Make sure to get plenty of rest in between climbs or problems and give it your all on each try. In general, try and climb first and then lift weights afterwards.

Now that you have some "power to waste" you will want to build up your power endurance. That is the ability to stave off a pump. This is one part of training where the saying "No pain, no gain" really has some truth. Try and look for routes and problems that will get you pumped stupid. 20 to 40 moves is ideal. When bouldering, you may have to do traverses or link ups of several problems to achieve this. Aim for about 30 total minutes on the rock with around 2 minute rests between attempts. It can really help to employ some form of belay slave to get this done effectively.

Well, the last nine weeks of training should have made you stronger. Now is the time to take a break and rest up for that upcoming climbing trip. In about one weeks time you will be about as strong as you are going to get from this cycle. Spend some time stretching and doing other fun, non-climbing activities. Drink lots of water and live the good life! You may do a little light aerobic activity, but don't over do it, next week you will rage on the rock.

Your Agonist (pull muscles) weight training should consist of around 12 total sets of exercises of this type. You should use enough weight so that you can complete about 5 reps of movement.

Stiff Leg Dead Lift: Lower Back, Full Body Strength, and body tension. Use a barbell on the ground. Keep lower back arched, feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed slightly outward. From bent over position, lift until standing upright. Be careful with this one, if done incorrectly you can destroy your back.

Back arch: This is an alternative to the Stiff Leg Dead Lift. Position yourself in a back-extension machine, then slowly pivot down and up 30 times.

One-Arm Cable Pull-Downs: Arm, back and shoulder strength. Pull the handle until elbow touches side. Maintain posture, don’t twist.

Seated One-Arm Row: Arm, back, and shoulder strength. Maintain good posture and bring the handle to your ribs. A little twisting is permitted.

Front Levers: Core and low lock-off strength. Use cable pull down machine with wide grip pull down bar. Sit on chair and face machine, lean back and crunch abs to save lower back. Pull bar to hips. Maintain same amount of bend in arms throughout.

Wrist Curls: Thumb on bottom. Don’t let the dumbbell rotate—it should stay parallel to the floor throughout the movement.

Dumbbell Finger Curls: Thumb on top. Don’t let the dumbbell rotate. The weight should be lighter than for wrist curls.

Do 1 set of each exercise in this order for the first 3 weeks. Then do 2 sets for the remainder of the program.

Your Antagonist (push muscles) weight training should consist of around 6 total sets of exercises of this type. Training the antagonist group of muscles is a fundamental step towards preventing injury and strengthening stabilizing muscles. Once again, you should use enough weight so that you can complete about 5 reps of movement.

Overhead Press: Lower Back, Full Body Strength, and body tension. Keep lower back arched, feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed slightly outward. May stand on step.

Dumbbell Press: Lower the dumbbells until they touch your chest at the nipple line, then push straight up. Don’t bounce them off your chest. Don’t arch your lower back.

Lateral Shoulder Raise: Bend your knees and lean forward slightly, keeping the natural arch in your lower back. As the weights approach head level, turn your thumbs down slightly. Maintain your posture throughout the lift, and keep your shoulders stable. Start with light weights.

Forward Shoulder Raise: Don’t lift any higher than the top of your head. Keep your shoulder stable and the dumbbell level. Start with very light weights.

External Shoulder Rotation: Excellent for preventing shoulder injuries. Your upper arm should rotate like an axle. Press up as far as you can without moving the rest of your body. Start with very, very light weights.

Reverse Wrist Curls: Thumb on top. Don’t let the dumbbell rotate. The weight should be lighter than for wrist curls.

For aerobic exercise, you should try and build from 20 to 60 minutes. Use any method of exercise you prefer for this. Biking or jogging are great. Try and maintain an easy pace, just enough to break a mild sweat.

Your rest days should include some stretching and lots of hydration. Also, it is a good idea to get regular massage. As if you did not need a good reason to do so, massage will help your body recover from the stress of training and allow you to get the most out of your training sessions.

Rock climbing involves both strength and technique. In order to achieve your best, it is important to develop both. Rock climbing technique is not something that can be developed by lifting weights. As well, strength can not be improved by just doing multi-pitch climbs. With the exception of advanced climbers, most people will improve the most by working on developing better technique. You should favor technique training over strength training at a ratio of 2:1. You should aim for no more than four to five days a week of training.

The following are recommended methods of technique and strength training.

The best way to develop technique is simply to go climbing. Better yet, go climbing in as many different areas as possible. Having a varied climbing experience will help you to develop a vast repertoire of techniques from which to draw from. It will also keep you from developing habits that only work well at your favorite crag. If you are not fortunate enough to live near to any rock climbing areas, perhaps you can visit a climbing gym. Climbing gyms are a great place to hone your skills, get stronger, as well as interact with other local climbers. If your climbing is restricted to gyms only, then try and get on all different types of routes available from vertical walls to corners to roofs and steep climbs. Once again, diversity is the key here.

Strength is also best trained by climbing. Sure, lifting weights will make you stronger, but the more "sport specific" your strength training is, the better it will actually transfer to the sport for which you are trying to get better at. Strength and power are improved by doing activities that push you to your absolute limit in a very short amount of time. For this reason, bouldering is a great choice here. To do an hour of short, powerful boulder problems will do wonders for your climbing strength. You can also work on strength in the climbing gym or at the crag. Again, you will want to do short routes that take no more than 30 seconds or so to complete. You should be failing, or better, falling. You must push yourself to your absolute maximum in a short amount of time. If you are sending the routes, then you are not pushing yourself hard enough. When you are climbing to train your strength you are not climbing to make it to the top of routes, simply to get stronger. You should try routes that are above your level of climbing and go until you fall off. If you want to get stronger, first you must fail.

Your power comes from your core. You can do wonders if you have a strong core. Martial arts experts have known this for centuries and can accomplish feats of incredible strength from this power generated in their core. Rock climbers can do the same. Yoga and Pilates are both great ways to develop core strength as well as many other potentially helpful skills. You can also develop core strength by doing a few supplemental exercises. For climbing, I recommend using a pull-up bar or finger board. With this you can get a great core-training workout. First, do pull-ups. Three sets to failure are good. Then do hanging knee or leg raises. Again, three sets to failure. Then, do another three sets of hanging back arches. For this, simply arch your back as much as possible from a hang. Imagine trying to touch your head to your butt. Lastly, do hanging twists. Here you hang, raise the knees and slowly twist as far as possible from one side to the other. Do 8 rotations to each side for three sets. After this, your core should feel alive!