So you want to get better at climbing? Whether you’re a recent convert or a veteran, welcome to the club.
Climbing has always been a distant sport compared to running, cycling, swimming, etc., and even the most basic training protocols have historically lacked scientific backing. Hangboard routine? Endurance wrap? While these exercises make intuitive sense, they have long lacked research-driven nuance. That’s changing fast, thanks to the collective prayers of .
This article series aims to review current knowledge and current training protocols to help young Guns and older chaffers alike get the most out of climbing. Psychedelic? We too!
Read Part I, Part II, and Part III here.
Pitch 4: Maximum strength training
If you’ve been following this series, you know strength is one of the most important predictors of climbing performance, and there’s still a lot to learn about how best to build it.
We talked about how strength and endurance are (largely) determined by strength, and dispelled the myth that bloating is bad for climbing. We took a deep dive into advanced hypertrophy, uncovered the importance of employing diverse training methods, and incorporated all of this into a wide range of needs in a cyclical program that includes a variety of protocols.
Hypertrophy training increases strength by increasing muscle potential. Maximal strength training does so by triggering neuromuscular adaptations. Both are needed for full developed strength. After a cycle of hypertrophy training, a cycle of maximal strength training wires up your system to take full advantage of the new potential means of force generation you have acquired.
maximum.strength means being neurotic
Your muscles are made up of motor units, which are made up of motor neurons and innervated muscle fibers. The amount of strength a muscle can generate depends on the distribution of Type I and Type II muscle fibers and the muscle’s ability to contract.
muscle fiber type distribution Half is genetic, half is training. maximum. Strength training may promote changes in fiber types. Science This is certainly part of building strength, but the real benefits of training come from neural adaptations that increase contractile capacity. can be obtained.
Training teaches your body to get more out of what it already has.
Neuromuscular adaptations through training
maximum. Strength training commands your system to become better in three ways.
Recruitment of athletic clubs
Training lowers the threshold at which large alpha motor neurons can be recruited. In fact, it overwrites evolutionary adaptations that try to maintain strength by first adopting less powerful motor units before bringing in larger siblings.
Firing frequency of motor unit
Similarly, training increases the rate of motor unit firing. The faster rate of fire of the motor unit means an enhanced ability to generate force quickly. This is why power, which is simply strength over time, increases with maximum value. strength training.
Synchronization of motor units
Finally, training prepares the motor units to fire synchronously. Science has yet to prove that this adaptation increases muscle strength, but it makes sense that it would.
cycling max. Incorporating strength training into a program means modulating six basic training variables (load, endpoint setting, volume, frequency, rest, exercise choice) to promote these neuroadaptations. increase.
maximizing strength training
The best training programs make the most of current knowledge and apply it to achieve well-crafted goals. This requires thoughtful self-analysis and diligent research (yes , teeth what we now call the Internet’s endless information binge).
I do not want to study? Here’s a cheat sheet of everything you need to know to train max effectively. Power. Note: This cheat sheet cheat sheet appears last.
Load
Load refers to the amount of resistance used during training. This can be expressed as a percentage of maximum intensity or as a targeted repetition goal.
The higher the load, the better the strength. study show Exercises performed at 60% or more of the maximum load tolerable in one rep (up to 1 rep or 1RM) or less than 15 repetitions. Per set is better at building strength than lower resistances.
As you gain experience, you will need more loads to progress. A well-trained climber should train at 80% or more of her 1RM to see continued neuroadaptations.
Additionally, varying the training load will have the greatest effect.when we saw muscle hypertrophy training, introduced dropsets, supersets, clustersets and emphasized eccentric loading as ways to increase training diversity and efficiency. These methods can be used for at most the same. strength training.
Finally, you should increase your training load on a regular basis. Every time he completes two consecutive workouts at his target intensity, studies recommend that he apply a 2-10% load increase.
set end point
When to finish a set is a matter of how close you are to failure. Training to failure (TF), or training until a muscle temporarily fails, is in vogue. Conflicting scientific evidenceOtherwise, the algorithm is convinced that we are obsessed with TF and is throwing a ton of material at us on the subject. Either way, TF is no.
Yes, we mentioned that TF is an important tool for experienced athletes to use sparingly in hypertrophy training, but it’s not the same here.
Improving muscle strength relies on repeated application of high mechanical tension. Failing a set reduces the number of reps that can be performed on subsequent sets. The resulting reduction in training volume means that muscles spend less time in tension, which is counterproductive.
TF also does not help with neural adaptation. Studies have shown that non-injury protocols have comparable benefits in motor unit recruitment, firing frequency, and synchrony.
Volume
Volume is the amount of work you do in your workout.
Low volume and high load are the biggest trademark features. Strength training and science (mostly) back this up.
All researchers agree that doing multiple sets is better than just one. This applies regardless of your training level, but if you’re new to training, you don’t need to do as many sets as a seasoned gym rat. However, the latter may require 4-6 sets for lasting effect.
frequency
Training frequency represents the number of sessions you perform in a week. Best practices are goals that vary based on training volume, intensity, exercise choice, personal fitness, and recovery ability. Time and resources also intervene.
When writing about hypertrophy we quoted 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis We’ve found that weekly training frequency doesn’t matter as long as your volume goals are met. Different systematic reviews and meta-analyses (This is from 2018) This concludes that the opposite is supremely true. strength training.
Training frequency is important. Studies show that the sweet spot is 3-5 sessions per week. In most cases, this has to do with achieving higher training volumes. However, as the frequency increases, so does the selection and volume of exercises per muscle group, making it more specialized. This is very important in a low-margin sport like climbing.
Frequent short sessions followed by meals, rest and recovery are key to maximizing your max. Ideal for strength training as it supports high intensity training and reduces fatigue during exercise.
one of many studies It’s even been shown that splitting your training volume into two times a day instead of one will improve your strength. It’s certainly tricky if you’re working full-time, but it might be another reason to finally quit and move to a riverside van.
holiday
1 day off? two? It’s hard to say without considering the specifics of your training plan. strength training and rest.
First, you get the most profit when you put in the effort.This means enough rest to go Muerte in every session.
Second, more is more when it comes to resting between sets. Studies show that rest intervals of 3-5 minutes are ideal for taking breaks of up to 2 minutes. strength set. Please bring me a book.
exercise selection
Of course, the exercises you do and the order in which you do them are also important.
The golden rule here is to do multi-joint exercises before single-joint exercises and high-intensity exercises before low-intensity exercises. as a result, Maximize your body’s metabolic response.
TLDR: Max.Essentials of strength training
maximum. Strength training is a method designed to increase strength by improving the neuronal components of strength and power production.
According to current science, this goes something like this:
- Training at various loads above 60% of 1RM (80% to 100% for experienced athletes).
- Increase resistance by 2-10% after each successful 2 workouts at a given intensity.
- Prioritize high loads, low reps, and multiple sets. Beginners can start with 2-3 sets per session. A highly trained climber should perform 4-6 reps.
- Do 2-3 sessions per week for target muscle groups and 1-2 sessions per week for muscle groups you want to maintain.
- Rest completely between workouts, with 3-5 minutes between sets.
- Perform multi-joint exercises before single-joint exercises, and high-intensity exercises before low-intensity exercises.
