Skills

It’s tempting to supplement “just to see if it helps.” But your supplements could be doing more harm than good, especially to your pocketbook.

At last, a comprehensive training plan from professional climbing coach Neil Gresham. This program guides you through the entire year and everyone can do it regardless of age, ability or experience.

Expressive writing may lead to faster recovery from injuries. It helps you organize your thoughts, de-stress, and stay motivated.

Power-endurance conditioning will give you the fitness required for sustained climbing sequences of between 15 and 40 moves, typically encountered on sport routes.

For the sixth phase we’re returning to low-intensity endurance to top up our fitness levels for longer routes.

If you stuck with the first four phases in this ongoing series, you should be feeling fit and ready to start strength training.

You’ve been training all year long. Now it’s time to focus on the skill element and see if the hard work has paid off.

Welcome to the Climbing's yearlong training plan. This eight-phase series will present specific workouts based on the principles of periodization, a proven approach to training that results in peak performance. Each six-week segment will build upon the previous with the end result being a better, stronger climbing machine—you.

Welcome to the Climbing's yearlong training plan. This eight-phase series will present specific workouts based on the principles of periodization, a proven approach to training that results in peak performance. Each six-week segment will build upon the previous with the end result being a better, stronger climbing machine—you.

Welcome to the Climbing's yearlong training plan. This eight-phase series will present specific workouts based on the principles of periodization, a proven approach to training that results in peak performance. Each six-week segment will build upon the previous with the end result being a better, stronger climbing machine—you.

How you hold the rope is just one aspect of the belay and no more or less important than vigilance, rope management, and how and where you stand.

Check out Matt Samet's author page.

In these three short videos you'll learn the secure way to move from steep ice to slabby, tricks for rigging an ice anchor, and how to get the best performance from your ice picks.

Check out Neil Gresham's author page.

Forced to try the routes after the gym hosted a bouldering competition and left them up for weeks, I found one session reignited my stoke.

Still falling on your sport-climbing project? Then you might have your tactics all wrong.

Check out Derek DeBruin's author page.

While highballing isn’t for everyone, its techniques—pad placement, spotting, fall strategies and so on—are.

Is toprope-soloing safe—and how can we make it safer?

From tufas to aretes and even crack climbing, it pays to know how to pinch. (And even better if you do it well!)

How one languishing 5.12 climber finally broke through her plateau (and pushed past her foot phobia) by taking up... of all things... Acro Yoga.

Elbow problems are the most common climbing injuries after fingers and shoulders. If you are suffering nagging elbow pain, there's a road to recovery.

In these three short videos you'll learn basic and advanced dry tooling, and a technique every ice climber must master—placing ice screws.

There's a reason why gear is made specifically for climbing, but this guy just didn't get it.

Power is different from strength and gives you the explosive energy for cruxes. Understanding the difference is crucial to improving your power game.

Climbing outside is pretty different from the gym. The holds aren't color-coordinated. The feet are smaller. The crimps are sharp. But these four tips can ease your transition outside.

Falling is part of climbing. But so, occasionally, is not falling.

A common beginner mistake is to mix skill and strength training into the same workout. To make the best of either, do them separately.

Check out The Editors's author page.

Every training routine doesn't have to work you hard. A bit of moderation every day has its own benefits.

Check out Gear Guru's author page.

Almost every climber has ambitions, but often we simply don’t know how to move forward or at what pace—and so, perhaps, we plateau. Fortunately, there are five simple ways to track your goals and encourage steady progress.

Learn footwork, tool placements, and steep-ice technique from one of the world's best ice climbers.

When a team of inexperienced climbers discovered that their rope was too short, a nearby climber suggested they use an unorthodox method to rappel.

Running out of steam mid-day at the crag? You probably aren't eating right.

Once you get higher than 20 feet, a spot might still seem useful. A reality check.

Coming untied from the rope while on lead doesn't happen every day, but it happens often enough that you should put the scenario on your radar.

Check out Neil Gresham's author page.

Check out Dr. Julian Saunders's author page.

This quick guide explains when to ice, when to heat, when not to and why.

Check out The Editors's author page.

Check out Emily Ipsen BS CHN CNTP & MNT's author page.

Basic exercises to increase endurance and lockoff strength

Change offered an elite athlete an opportunity to better understand herself—and what she still wants from her sport.

Meat is an efficient source of protein and is a complete protein that stimulates muscle repair and supports ligaments and tendons, which we climbers depend on for finger health and strength.

Balancing hydration with the six essential minerals is critical for athletic performance.

Check out Josh Larson's author page.

2022 is just around the corner. Here's a little training inspo.

Your legs are only as strong as your hips when it comes to your form on the rock.

Does gluten cause inflammation in everyone, or just those with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities? Should athletes avoid gluten?

Check out Jane Palmer's author page.

Check out Christopher Tedeschi's author page.

Check out Gear Guru's author page.

You’ve been waiting all week: It’s time to spend a day at the crag. But wait, what do you eat? A huge breakfast of biscuits, sausage, and gravy? Or maybe just have cereal and pack a bunch of gels and gummy bears?

Check out Neil Gresham's author page.

In cherry picking from a huge list of potential sessions, go for the ones that will deliver the most bang for your buck.

Check out Dr. Julian Saunders's author page.

We don’t need to “throw in the towel” simply because it is the Holiday season. Here's how to stay fit through the winter months.

Sure, onsighting involves putting yourself in a new and perhaps uncomfortable situations, but it's also a practice, and as such, there are tricks of the trade.

Is it better to eat three big meals a day or numerous smaller meals for optimal climbing performance?

Seasoned climbing gym managers reveal ways out of the dreaded belay test.

Salas has lived with blindness since age 14. After climbing for three years, he became the first paraclimber to tick V11. His tips are useful for seeing and blind climbers alike.

Check out Emily Ipsen BS CHN CNTP & MNT's author page.

One competition athlete travels to Moscow—and unlocks a training secret she didn’t expect.

Tackle ice leads with ease this winter thanks to this excerpt from "How to Ice Climb!"

Which is the best way to increase the resistance of campus and hangboard exercises—using smaller holds or adding weight?

How to create high-quality problems on an app-driven wall.

Unlock hard sequences and recover with a solid kneebar.

Stay warm and cranking when temps drop.

Check out Matt Samet's author page.

Tips for converting from indoor bouldering to the more involved and difficult world of real rock. Learn the common pitfalls to avoid.

When it comes to major injuries, everyone knows that the right call is to take the time needed to rehabilitate, while focusing on other forms of fitness training. However with minor tweaks, it may be possible to keep going without aggravating the injury further.

Consume too few carbohydrates and you can run out of steam, but consume too little protein and you can feel sore and recover slowly. Balancing the two is an age-old struggle.

Check out Adeline Wright's author page.

Your phone can't help you find your way in the mountains if if the battery is dead.

Most athletes build a base of general strength before concentrating on specific disciplines. For most climbers it's the other way around.

Belaying can strain your neck, causing a host of health issues.

Check out Delaney Miller's author page.

There’s a lot of advice out there for beginner climbers. Here, find seven top tips, from pro climber Jenya Kazbekova, on where to start.

Maintaining performance for prolonged periods can be tricky.