Juliet Hammer

The reality is that you likely need to eliminate some training protocols and narrow your focus to become a better climber.

Many of us attempt to perform at our highest ability all the time. With access to outdoor climbing and the constant availability of the gym, it’s easy to be in “go” mode 24/7. However, in order to push to your true limits, you also need careful planning and preparation to create discrete performance peaks.

Climbing is a unique sport that requires both strength and technique. But it can be difficult to figure out where to focus your efforts: Do I need to get stronger? Do I need to improve my movement skills? Do I need to do both? The answer can be surprising.

We climbers often underestimate the importance of our lower body, and specifically the hips. When we fall, we tend to think we just need to pull more and pull harder. And when we train, we focus solely on the upper body. However, the hips play a number of important roles in both the physicality and technique of climbing.

Train too hard and too much without adequate rest and recovery can quickly get you into an overtraining cycle—almost as detrimental as not training at all.