How to: Structure Your Training
In my (Coach Jon Procter) opinion, how we structure our training within the week and within the individual sessions is super important. Get it right and you should feel good, with the quality of the session being as good as it possibly can be. Get it wrong and the quality of the session could be compromised.
Clustering stimuli
1. What to do
If you are clustering multiple workouts within a session it’s important to train within the same stimulus. 3 to 4 hangs on the fingerboard followed by a strength and power bouldering session and then an antagonist workout to finish is a good example of this.
2. What not to do
The main thing to avoid is mixing stimuli. The best example of this would be an approach that many sport climbers opt to take before a trip or peak phase. This is to complete a strength and power bouldering session and follow this up with a super pumpy aerobic power session. The more efficient approach here would be to complete those workouts on separate days to ensure they are both of a good quality.
Antagonist training
It has been widely documented that antagonist training should be included as part of every climbers training programme, and I agree with this. I would go as far as to say it should be included year round. If we neglect this area imbalances can occur which can result in injury. This is the last thing that any of us want, because if we are injured then we are not training.
I like to include a little antagonist training within every climbing training and climbing session. This can be as simple as using a resistance band to perform full range of motion (ROM) exercises at a low intensity as part of your warm up. Complete exercises such as the shoulder press, bench press or push ups at the end of a climbing workout. The 5 to 8 rep range would be my favoured approach here.
The fingerboard
Whether the fingerboard should be included in every climbers training plan is debatable (Check out this Instagram post from me earlier this year).
However, if it is in your plan and you are including a fingerboard workout into your session then you should keep the number of sets low (3 or 4) and complete the hangs before the on the wall session. Or you can complete the fingerboard session on a day on its own and increase the number of sets (6 to 8).
Looking to get a 100% customised and structured plan to get your training in gear? Check out our 12-week Lattice Training Plans to see what we could do for you!
Hi Carl,
For any suggestions or ideas for the Crimpd app you should contact [email protected].
We are a separate company from them and now offer our training plans via the Lattice Training app 😊
Thanks,
~The Lattice Training Team
1. Regarding the pre made traning plans in the Crimpd App:
For me (someone new to doing structured training) it would be very helpful if every pre made training plan would have a example Layout for the week.
I’m always unsure if I’m supposed to spread the workouts out over the whole week or if (and how exactly) I’m supposed to concentrate them on one ore two days. Especially regarding the finger strength based workouts I don’t want to run into the risk of doing to much on the same day. A better guideline would be helpful here.
2. This is a bit of topic, but I don’t know where else to write it. A feature to build a custom workout in the Crimpd App (other than Fingerboard) is something that is still missing for me. I would like to track and plan all my climbing specific training in the App and right now that is not possible (for example doing specific drills to improve my technique).