Training for Climbing Power Endurance

          If you've been following my recent posts here, then you know that I've spent the last four weeks or so working on my climbing power.  Now the time has come to make sure that that power A) can last longer (e.g. for a day's worth of climbs), and B) total power isn't lost.  This next "training camp" is a six-week process that I've adapted from the ClimbStrong website (link).  The program prescribed on the website seemed more geared towards bouldering, however, it is my intention to give it a spin oriented towards sport climbing (e.g. vertical "lead" routes).
          The big picture here is actually not to develop two separate training plans.  Rather, it is to gather beta and trial data from these two meso-cycles in order to formulate a long (10 weeks or so) training plan that will be implemented once the school year starts in late August.  The culmination being good preparation for a multi-day climbing trip over the Thanksgiving holiday break while school is out.  Other resources will be included, but as you can see, I've primarily been experimenting with those form the ClimbStrong website.  Ideally, these experiences will be implemented into the larger picture training plan.  More on that later, but just a heads up, that is where these posts are headed.
          For the next six weeks I'll be working on power endurance.  That is, training my body to make the power I've accumulated over the past four weeks last A) for the duration of a sport route rather than boulder problems, and B) for several maximal effort climbs within the same day.  In past climbing outings I have felt that this is an issue for me.  I can get a moderate warm-up in, but after a couple of hours of hard climbing, my body and mind are pretty well shot.  That makes the trip look more like an afternoon's worth of climbs rather than an entire weekend of adventuring.  I plan to change that.
          My diet and supplementation for this training camp will remain the same as it has been in the past weeks as I have found it very adequate and suiting to my lifestyle.  I've posted many links in the past that you can reference, but the most complete synopsis of the modifications I've made to Tim Ferriss's "Slow Carb Diet" can be found here.  My training prescription for the following weeks is as follows; however, there will be (I'm sure) some scheduling conflicts / modifications that will need to be made along the way.  As always, I'll keep careful notes and post them here as well.  Most likely I'll follow the same posting format as before:  1)  A mid-way review / check-in, 2) A review of the training camp in its entirety, and 3) A review and analysis of the event I've been training for.  The following training plan has been adapted from here.

* All pullups preferred to be done for large (jug) climbing holds

Week 1
Monday

• 6 x "Taps" @ 5.8 - 5.9
• "Taps" = must tap each hand-hold twice before grabbing onto it. (1...2... grab)
• Campus (no legs) 1 x 5.7, resting along the way if needed
• 5 pullups / min for 10 minutes

Tuesday - 6 x up/down/up boulder problems

Wednesday

• 1:1 Work:Rest Ratio
• 1 onsight level boulder problem / min for 10 minutes
• Repeat for 8, 6, 4, and 2 minutes

Thursday - Yoga Class

Friday

• 6 x Taps @ 5.8 - 5.9
• Hangboard:  3 grips x 4 sets x 8 seconds
• 5 pullups / min for 10 minutes

Saturday - Yoga at home

Sunday - Rest / Diet Cheat Day

Week 2
Monday - 4 x 5.10 routes
Tuesday

• 8 x Taps @ 5.8 - 5.9
• Hangboard:  3 grips x 5 set x 8 seconds
• 5 pullups / min for 10 minutes

Wednesday - 3 problems x 3 laps (u/d/u/d/u/d) each - Full Rest
Thursday - Yoga Class
Friday

• 1:1 Work:Rest Ratio
• 1 onsight level boulder problem / min for 10 minutes
• Repeat for 8, 6, 4, and 2 minutes

Saturday - Yoga at home
Sunday - Rest / Diet Cheat Day

Week 3
Monday

• 8 x up/down/up boulder problems
• 4 sets x 4 problems @ 4 min rest (not laps, each prob is independent effort)

Tuesday

• 8 x Taps @ 5.9
• 3 problems x 3 laps @ 3 min rest

Wednesday - 4 x 5 min easy travers @ 5 min rest
Thursday - 2 x max effort routes
Friday - Repeat of Tuesday
Saturday  - Yoga at home
Sunday - Rest / Diet Cheat Day

Week 4
Monday

• Hangboard:  3 grips x 5 sets x 8 seconds
• 3 x max pullups on jugs
• 25 reps knee-to-elbow

Tuesday

• 6 problems x 2 laps each
• 1 max effort route

Wednesday - 4 x 5 min easy travers @ 5 min rest
Thursday - Yoga Class
Friday

• 3 x 5.10 routes
• 3 x max pullups on jugs
• 25 reps knee-to-elbow

Saturday - Yoga at home
Sunday - Rest / Diet Cheat Day

Week 5
Monday

• 8x Taps @ 5.9 - 5.10
• 7 pullups / min for 7 minutes

Tuesday

• 5 sets of 4 problems (independent efforts) @ 5 min rest per set
• 4 x 20 move traverse

Wednesday

• 4 problems x 4 laps each @ full rest
• 7 pullups / min for 9  minutes

Thursday -Yoga Class
Friday

• 2 x max effort routes
• Hangboard:  3 grips x 5 sets x 8 seconds

Saturday - Yoga at home
Sunday - Rest / Diet Cheat Day

Week 6
Monday

• 1 x max effort route
• 8 pullups / min for 8 minutes
• Hangboard:  3 grips x 4 sets x 8 seconds

Tuesday - 10 x up/down/up problems
Wednesday

• 8 x Taps @ 5.9 - 5.10
• 8 pullups / min for 8 minutes
• Hangboard:  3 grips x 4 sets x 8 seconds

Thursday - Yoga Class
Friday - Rest / Travel
Saturday - EVENT!

Note on Cardio and Strength Training - I've talked in previous posts about strength and conditioning and their application to climbing training.  At this time, I still believe that the thing that will most help me climb better is simply climbing.  The closer related to climbing my training activities are, the better.  That being said, there is a lot of climbing and yoga in this training plan for that reason.  In the future, however, depending on the specifics of the mesocycles of the training camp, there may be room to include strength and/or conditioning sessions.