4-Week Climbing Fitness Plan

You’re ready to commit to your training. Ready to become the fittest, strongest climber version of yourself yet. That’s an exciting commitment, but one that requires planning (preferably while you’re still enthusiastic about the idea). Over many weeks of training, the excitement is likely to fade, and motivation will fluctuate. But having a plan to follow ensures you are prepared when motivation fails and discipline rules. 

A 4-Week Climbing Fitness Plan to Get to the Next Level

Following this 4-week plan will improve your climbing fitness and strength, taking your climbing to the next level. Each week includes:

• 4 climbing workouts,

• 2 strength training sessions,

• 1 cross-training session, and

• 2 rest days. 

A good training plan is adaptable to the other demands of your life. Instead of assigning specific weekdays to the work, the plans list workouts by day 1 through 7. You pick which day of the week you want to be day “one” based on your schedule. You can shuffle workouts around. However, the plan was created to promote adequate recovery between more challenging sessions. 

Climbing Workouts

The climbing sessions consist of power, power endurance, endurance, and choice workouts. The plan outlines a variety of workouts for each session type, but you are responsible for selecting the specific workout for the day.

Power Workouts

• Power Hour. For 1 hour, climb the most difficult boulders or 2-10 move sequences you can. Take a strict 5-minute rest between solid effort (90-100%) attempts.

  
  

• Eliminates. For 1 hour, choose a new boulder every 10-15 minutes, try to repeat it, and take holds off after every attempt. Choose moderate difficulty boulders you can safely remove more than one or two holds from (hands or feet). Challenge yourself! Get creative and push yourself outside your comfort zone.

Power Endurance Workouts

• 4x4. Pick four boulders on overhanging walls. The boulders should be 80-90% effort. You have 4 minutes to climb each boulder 4 times. Pacing of rest between reps and sets is up to you. If you finish before the four minutes are up, start your four-minute rest timer. Listen to your body to determine rest duration/boulder intensity; fall on your second rep from fatigue? Downshift difficulty. Complete all four reps with more than two reps in reserve? Upshift difficulty for the next set. Rest 4 minutes between each boulder.

   

• Hard Boulder Repeats. Choose 4-6 challenging climbs that would require 90-100% of your effort to attempt. For each climb, try it three times, with at least 3 minutes of rest between attempts/boulders. Add or subtract holds from climbs as needed to achieve 90-100% effort per attempt.

Endurance Workouts

• Color Tag Circuits. Pick a grade range or grade in your climbing gym (usually denoted by different colored tags, hence the name). Then put one attempt on every climb with that color/grade. The level should be moderately challenging, where you could flash 85% of the boulders of that grade in the gym with a moderate effort. 

  
  

• Up Down Ups. Pick one moderately challenging climb and one easy climb. You climb up the more difficult route and downclimb the easier one. The goal is not to touch the ground nor fall before finishing.

  
  

• Spray Board Circuits. Complete 50-100 move circuits on a spray wall. Alternate between good and bad holds. If you start to become pumped, try to rest and recover on the wall. Rest 5-8 minutes between rounds and complete 4-5 rounds. 

Choice Climbing 

Choice climbing sessions are entirely up to you. Climb with friends, mess around on the new set in the gym, or add a second workout in the area you feel the weakest: power, power endurance, or endurance. The purpose of choice climbing days is to have fun and ensure you remain excited about training. 

Cross Training Options

Good cardiorespiratory fitness helps you climb longer and recover faster in between attempts. The crossing training days in your plan can include one or a mix of the following:

• Running

• Cycling 

• Elliptical

• Long Hike 

• HYROX 

The 4-Week Plan

How the Plank Works

For each day of the Plan, pick a climbing workout from the corresponding section. Upper-body and lower-body lifting plans are readily available online, and cross-training workouts depend on personal preference. 

Weeks 1-4

Day 1: Power Session and Upper Body Lift

Day 2: Cross Train and Core

Day 3: Power Endurance Session and Lower Body Lift 

Day 4: Rest Day

Day 5: Endurance Climb Session

Day 6: Choice Climb and Core

Day 7: Cross Train or Rest Day

Use this article to piece together your 4-Week Climbing Fitness, and you'll be on your way to breaking through plateaus, lasting longer in your climbing sessions, and sending more challenging climbs than before. Recognize that progress won't be linear, but that consistent training is more effective than perfect training. Keep showing up, trying hard, and having fun!