As a climber I would argue the hardest thing to workout is your strengths and weaknesses. In this post we are going to explore one of the best ways to workout your weaknesses.

One thing we want to keep in mind when working out your weakness is to have a goal. For example, do you want to improve your bouldering grade, become a better redpoint climber or level up your competition skills. By having a goal in mind, it gives direction to the process.

Put yourself in an uncomfortable position

For this example let’s assume you want to level up your sport climbing grade. The idea of getting yourself into an uncomfortable position means trying climbs that are above your current level. Say you have successfully climbed 8a (5.13b, 29) you want to go out and try climbs that are 2 or 3 grades above your current “success” level.

Going out and trying a climb that is above your level is one of the quickest ways to workout what is needed to become better. Climbing is a complex sport and we tend to adapt to what we are challenged with.

Attempting harder climbs is the cheat code to working out what is needed.

Unfortunately you can’t just tie in, try the climb and expect to get better. You need to have the right approach and tactics during this exercise. You need to take it very serious, have a growth mindset and a positive attitude.

Making the most of this exercise:

• Be well rested and make sure the weather is favourable.
• Pick climbs that are inspiring.
• If possible try and recruit someone that has done the climb previously so you can get some help with beta (unless you want to work on the skill of working out sequences). Or do your research with some beta videos.
• Believe you are meant to be at this level.
• Try the climb more than once. Give it respect and time.
• Attempt to link as much as possible of the climb as opposed to just individual moves.
• Take notes during the process (Sequence has a good note taking feature).

Next Steps

So you have now gone out and tried a climb that is above your current level multiple times. You now have some first hand knowledge about what is needed to level up.

Construct some actions and implement them into your training. Repeat this exercise on a regular basis to keep the weaknesses at the top of mind.

One thing to remember, what was once a weakness might become a strength so keeping your mind open every time you do this exercise is a must.

Becoming a better climber isn’t a fast process but with the above method you will stay on track and before your know it, your current “success” level will level up.

Enjoy the process and enjoy the training.