Beginner climber looking for advice for physical training.

Hi there climber! I am here to ask for help with advice on what routines/workouts/meal plans/etc. for pushing past my current physical abilities, as I feel like it is holding my mentality back.

Where to start? I have been climbing in Bellingham, WA's Vital indoor climbing gym for about two and a half months now. The only prior experience that I have had was a one hour session about a year ago when my co-worker took me to this same exact gym.

Let me stress this, I have no prior knowledge of climbing other than the last 2 and a half months of my life.

A little info on Vital. I am not completely sure on how the V-scale rating works, they use colors there. Green, the easiest, many good holds and straight forward, most beginners won't use all the holds and most will climb straight up. Yellow, the second, a lot of good holds, we start to see sets that will dig zag up the wall but for the most part is a straight forward climb. Orange, the third, enough holds to make most sets easy, you don't need technique with these as you can muscle through https://speedtest.vet/, although if you use techniques, you can easily fly through most of these routes. Red, the fourth difficulty, is where things get interesting. You can muscle through some routes but most will force you to learn some intermediate climbing techniques to get past certain cruxes in the routes. Purple, the second hardest difficulty in the gym. These will stress techniques with a fair amount of physical strength needed to get past certain cruxes. Blacks, the hardest routes in the gym. I haven't touched many of these but they seem like purples that are heavily demanding on physical strength combined with advanced knowledge of techniques judging by watching people climb them. There are a select few routes that will overlap, lets say there will be an hard orange that would be easier than a few of the easier reds. I feel like most of these take place between yellows and purples. Greens will for the most part stay greens, and blacks for the most part I feel will stay blacks.

The have a total of 7 sections (I think I counted correctly) and a center boulder. They have the shorter flat wall, about 15/20ft I would say. An overhang wall that sits maybe an extra 5 feet that has a steady and constant incline on the way up. The "cave" which has about a 7-10ft. deep pocket (maybe 7/8ft. High) that climbs into a small backwards incline after you make it over the overhang for another 10 or so feet. A flat wall the has a low starting overhang for the first 3/4ft. A flat wall that tops out on the center boulder. A solo wall that is flat for the first 10 ft. Or so and has an mild overhang before the last 5ft.

Lets talk about my progress now.

My first two weeks. Completely clueless. I don't know why chalk is so amazing. I am warming up with greens, projecting yellows, and dipping into oranges here and there. I go there alone, everyday, and spend maybe 2-3 hours working on routes. I meet a few people, but not much, mostly new climbers. Towards the ending of the first two weeks I decide to start using chalk as I heare it gets rid of the moisture in your hands, I feel like I am enjoying myself so I pick up the cheapest pair of shoes that I can find, non aggressive ones obviously. By the ending of these two weeks I have a few oranges that I have been climbing flawlessly and get me used to topping out on the walls and over the fear of being up so high.

Weeks 2-4. Im getting the basics down. I am aware if my body is in the wrong position when im on certain holds and have a decent sense of where I need to adjust to get myself into a position that feels better. Halfway through week 2, I complete my first red, and it's in cave. A huge game changer and confidence booster. My mind starts wandering and is confidently open to trying out and jumping on reds. I feel like this was a snowball effect. My third week I start crushing all the easier/mild reds and still struggle with the the harder ones but it doesn't hurt my confidence, I start pushing myself to finish the harder reds. One particular route is a red, then there is a purple, that uses the same red route, but adds some weird long stretches in the beginning. I decide to project it one day and at the ending of December, I have finished my first purple, although it was on the easier side.

January is interesting. I have started the new year strong. I start meeting and introducing myself to other climbers (everyone is amazing there) there are a few people that I can see myself being compared to so i try and climb sets with them. This month is filled with reds and getting quite a few purples done, halfway into the month, I have done about 3/4 new purples, met tons of people, who have been noticing that I've been there almost everyday. My sessions are longer, average 3/4 hours of straight climbing, long sessions have rest times, in which I watch people climb things I want to climb. Pay attention to the beta, what parts I can and can't use depending on their style. Start piecing together routes the way 2 or 3 different people climb them and adjust certain parts for myself if needed. I start stretching in between attempts for harder routes, before, and after my climbs. By the ending of January, I am more flexible than I have been for the past 10 years, I can feel my arm strength getting better. I start working on crimps and gain a surprising amount of finger strength. I start climbing slope-y/crimpy/pinch routes to gain the strength and feel needed as I notice I have been avoiding certain holds. I start taking protein towards the ending of January after my climbs. I have no workout aside from strictly climbing.

February is here. The beginning I start noticing that I am neglecting red routes and trying to project mostly purples. I make it a goal to finish all the reds on the concurrent sets at all times, along with two purples. It is going good so far but I feel like even the two easier purples on each wall take a lot out of my physically. I am a slender body type, 5'6" fairly long arms, average leg length, a little larger than normal hands, larger feet. I have a high metabolism and have been 105/110lb. most of my life. I haven't weighed myself but I can see and feel my upper body and arms gaining a lot of strength. I am guessing I am around 115 currently.

Does anyone have advice on any workout plans I could add into my routine or will climbing alone be enough to take advantage of taking protein? I feel like my mentality is being held back by my physical strength. Or maybe I'm just making excuses for not being able to finish my purple route projects.

I didn't expect this to be so long. :c

TLDR - srsly do yourself a favor and not be so verbose.

Patience and determination are the keys to anything and everything.  It's a healthy lifestyle and keeping fit that will get you climbing higher grades and saving injuries.  Almost everyone injuries their fingers in the first year or so due to stress so chill out and work the problem with a lifelong goal and not intermediate success. 

My new favorite treatise on training, from Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll on his preparation for the singularly impressive first ascent of "The Moonwalk" (solo reverse traverse of the Fitz Roy skyline):

"My preparation consisted of running, hangboarding, bouldering, sport climbing, lifting heavy tree trunks, push ups, pull ups, cold water swimming, stretching, mobility, yoga, tai-chi, chi-gong, meditation, gardening, playing music, singing, eating healthy, sleeping well and visualization."

Sounds like fun! Good luck on you own journey of a lifetime, OP. 

Just posted this on another thread:

"As a beginner, I would suggest you vary the movement you're trying as much as possible. Start your session with a proper warmup (easy climbing, stretching, and then warm up boulders up to your limit). Practice technique (footwork, body tension, hip positioning) on your warmup climbs. Then try applying it to some hard (for you) climbs. Projecting will help you gain some strength and teach you to try hard. Then try a little bit of everything... slabs, static and dynamic moves, slopers, crimps, pinches, etc. Remember to rest A LOT! Beginners never do (I didn't). I rest 5 min. for every 30 seconds of limit effort. You can't build strength w/o quality, and you can't have quality if you're not rested. But also have fun! Structure is good for getting good but it can make you forget the most important part of improving. If you aren't psyched about something you can't get better at it in a sustainable way.I'm not a coach, but this is my suggestion for a session:

-easy traversing for 5ish min.

-stretch (arm circles, forearm stretches, the butterfly, etc.) for 10-20 min.

-warmup boulders (If you're limit is V3, then climb a pyramid of boulders with V3 at the top. ie. 4xV0, 3xV1, 2xV2... then go to the next step)

-try something at your limit (1-2 problems with lots of rest. Spread it out.) 30-45 min.

-try a variety of styles (these problems will be less difficult than the limit problems, but can still be hard. Just aim for mileage. The more mileage you get, the more practice you get.) Do till the end of your session...

Finally, don't go until you're wrecked! Then you'll need a rest day (or rest days) to recover enough to actually TRY HARD. 

For proper technique, youtube is your friend. I suggest Lattice Training. Here's some good stuff on body tension: youtube.com/watch?v=MjtTQYZ…;list=PL9PHO95puRXVWqS5OE6XW9rj5jAymcLBe&index=40 (if you have any questions on tension I can see if I can better explain it to you)"

When it comes to more serious training stuff, take my opinion w/ a grain of salt. I'm still experimenting w/ myself. Training is a cycle of trying something, evaluating the results, and reassessing. What works for me might not work for you. Same w/ nutrition. Your body is unique, so do some research and learn what works. Here is some basic advice that I've learned: DO NOT UNDEREAT! Most climbers do. You need energy for your session, and for your recovery. Eat good quality foods (whole grains, healthy fat, veggies, etc.) Get enough carbs to fuel your session, and enough protein to recover. The specific amount depends on you... if you wanna dive deep into it buy the book Nutrition for Climbers (Michaels).

If you want to look into training, look at the stuff Tyler Nelson has posted and this guy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsqZk5V2d44TNLRFSI5aVfg I have heard that training fingers and strength can be beneficial for beginners IF they start out at their level. Building strength prevents injury. Nelson's stuff is good b/c it's self-regulated. The exercises he suggests make sure that you don't go past what you're ready for. Do NOT try it w/o reading the entire thing though. Here are some links: https://www.trainingbeta.com/the-simplest-finger-training-program/ and https://www.trainingbeta.com/media/tyler-simple-fingers/ Podcasts like Trainingbeta and Powercompany are good, too. 

In the end, though, I suggest you work or varying movement and getting lots of practice. Also, have fun!

OP:

I didn't read the whole thing and you lost me in the first sentence.

Don't overthink it. Climbing, in the beginning, isn't about traditional training (programs, diet, etc). Your biggest gains are improving your climbing technique. Strength, mobility/flexibility, will all follow. Stay off of the damn hangboard. You will get injured and it isn't needed at this stage.

Climb, DONT hangboard, try hard, eat good food, and rest more.

I had a similar first few months of climbing and then plateaued for 6 months, got hurt, had surgery, came back weaker and have been figuring out ways to get stronger ever since (3 years later).

Enjoy the ride....

Billy banks 

I was going to write something longer, but I'll try to keep it short.

Finger strength comes with time. If I remember correctly, it actually takes up to a full year for the tendons to fully cycle cells and rebuild as compared to other muscles and tissues that only take maybe days to weeks to a couple months at most. So, don't push the crimps and other hard on the fingers holds too hard for at least a year after you start to climb.

If you really want to work those fingers a bit more now, then do hangs on a pullup bar and pick up some rocks rings to use the sloper top and four finger pocket for hangs (save the three and two finger pockets for at least a few months down the line).

Take breaks. Allowing your body time to recover really does help. Plan to climb maybe twice a week or about every other day and then use the off day for some light body weight exercise, yoga, or whatever.

Proper nurition is good for energy and recovery. You likely don't need to go anywhere near protein powders or other vitamin supplements if you eat properly. One egg has like 6g of protein, Greek yogurt can up to 15g, one serving of chicken breast is like 26g, beans, nuts, and other foods have good amounts too. Spinach and other dark leafy greens add lots of vitamins that help with muscle growth and repair, and pair well with the eggs for omelettes. Smoothies are always great; frozen berries, a banana, or whatever else as long as you don't add anything sugary (extra sugars; actual fresh/frozen whole fruit is fine). Just start by finding one simple dish that fits your needs and lifestyle, then if you like it make it more often, if not try another, and then repeat.

A lot of your climbing progression will end up coming down to learning proper technique. This also just takes time by trying the same hold in different ways, practicing toe/heel hooks, and just general body positioning. Make climbing friends and watch other climbers to help pick up on this a bit quicker, but a lot of it just comes down to feeling it out for yourself.

tl;dr

Practice, pullup bar, rock rings, rest, nutrition.

I'm a beginner climber, I'm looking for a basic training guide can squat and deadlift help to building stamina and strength in climbing?

If you are entry level, the best strength training for the initial advancement beyond Gumby is to do tons of bouldering traverses. Stay on as long as you can, force yourself to cling beyond the onset of lactic acid burning. Gotta strain the fingers and toes first, get them to adapt to much greater tensioning than they're used to.

Get a GripMaster finger exerciser and use it for commuting or studying or reading time.

The first aspects of physiology you need  to reconfigure is your finger and toe strength.

After you have made gains there, then the more specific regimens await. Remember that overall fitness, improved vascularity and O2 saturation is very critical. 

Pretty much every new climber I meet remarks that they're lacking in strength, particularly finger strength. I bite my tongue and avoid quipping, "If you weren't climbing like a jackass, you wouldn't need finger strength." If you look around the gym, I'll bet you'll see some folks who climb way harder than you, but can't do a pullup. You'll definitely find some outdoors. Study them.

A novice or non-climber watches a video of a pro climber and keys in on how much upper body strength must be involved. They don't pay as much attention to subtleties such as footwork, breathing, attitude, body position, or core tension. To be fair, these subtleties are glossed over in climbing videos because the videos are developed to sell products...and only novices pay retail.

Sure, you'd probably benefit from better fitness. Still, I'd bet you'll get a lot more out of developing technique--both mental and physical. You get this by climbing a lot. When you stop over-gripping and climbing with your center of gravity way out from the wall, your forearms suddenly seem to have much more endurance. When you learn to breathe while climbing, your cardio fitness seems to improve. When you learn that you can fall safely, you also feel stronger--because you aren't wasting a bunch of energy being terrified. You'll learn these skills by climbing a lot, and you'll learn them a lot faster if you're climbing with experienced climbers. And you will develop fitness in the process...if you don't get hurt.

To echo what others have said (and been saying for decades), tendons and ligaments develop very slowly. If you're cranking on tiny holds in your first year or so (on climbs or on a hangboard), you're probably going to get injured. I did. Luckily for me, I've fallen in with some older climbers. They are my heroes because they're doing what I want to do: enjoying their golden years on the rock. They got there by learning how to avoid getting injured.

There will be plenty of time to get strong after you learn to climb. My advice: redpoint your first V6 or 12a before you worry much about that.

Do some stretching to begin any training.  Lots of pushups, pullups, squats.  Run or get some aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week.  Work at it slow, and add reps as you get stronger.

You don't need any fancy equipment to start with.  As they say, just do it.

You mentioned early on in the post that you were climbing every day.  Are you still climbing every day? I'd think every day is overdoing it a bit.  I feel, at least for me, three to four days is good. It'd be good to get some idea of how the colours may loosely relate to V grades, or, better, get outside if you can and climb some actual boulders.  That way you can get a real feel for where you are on the grade spectrum. Our climbing gym also uses colours, and while they try and relate them to V grades they're WAY off; WAY easier, so, a 'Green' at my climbing gym is supposed to be V4 - V6 but I feel in reality they correspond to about V 3 -V4. It doesn't REALLY matter as you've already indicated you know what WAS easy and hard and what is now, you know your own progress at your own gym. 

I actually feel training can be overrated esp for beginners.  Just climb. Try not to eat crap, try and be as lean as you can be while still maintaining power. If you DO what to train, obviously you'll need to give up some climbing days. But, why aren't you resting? If you're climbing every day when do you expect your body to recover?

Steve Williams wrote:

Do some stretching to begin any training.  Lots of pushups, pullups, squats.  Run or get some aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week.  Work at it slow, and add reps as you get stronger.

You don't need any fancy equipment to start with.  As they say, just do it.

I would argue against running for the sake of getting better at climbing... I suggest you watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKpweUFGlSo&t=624s 

Thank you! guys for your information and response.