Redpoint Nutrition

Sample Training Plans

In what follows I will describe 12 week workout programs designed to achieve peak fitness in the areas of maximum strength, power endurance and endurance. The peaks will be classified with some exemplar areas which I believe characterize the type of climbing fitness most needed at these areas. The 12 week prescription is really the minimum amount of time needed to achieve climbing strength gains and they can be extended for any desired time frame. If you decide to go for a 24 week program then simply double the time devoted to each phase. If you want to go substantially longer than 24 weeks (say 36 weeks) then multiple 12 week programs are recommended (i.e. 3 x 12 week programs).

Important: Training programs always begin with a rest phase. You must be fresh before you start a training cycle in order to get the optimal results and avoid injuries and over-training.

We'll be using the following abbreviations interchangeably throughout the rest of my articles.

• AA = Anatomical Adaptation
• MxS = Maximum Strength
• PE = Power-Endurance
• E = Endurance

Real Life Example:

Let’s suppose your are planning a trip to Bishop, California for the month of January. The problems you will be trying will predominately be in the 6 or less move range, so a Maximum Strength (MxS) peak will be ideal. To construct the training program's time-frame, simply work backwards from the starting date of your trip. For an MxS peak, you will need:

• 2 weeks off before starting the program. It's critical that you start your training cycle completely recovered.
• 3 weeks of Anatomical Adaptation (AA) training to get ready for the training cycle
• 6 weeks of Maximum Strength (MxS) training
• 2 weeks of Conversion training to convert strength gains to climbing-specific application
• 1 week of easy recovery to recover from your training and be fresh for the trip

This amounts to a total of 14 weeks, with 12 of those being actual training weeks. Therefore, you would start this program 14 weeks before the first climbing day of your trip.

Peak-Specific Training Plan Outlines:

The following is a list of sample 14 week programs - one for each of the following peak types: MxS, MxS/PE, PE and E. You'll find information on the specific workouts and the weekly schedules in the Workouts section here.

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