I Started Climbing at 41 | Progression Questions for "Intermediate" and "Advanced" Climbers

Last year at the young age of 41 I began a climbing journey on a whim and it has since become a very big part of my life.  Confidence / strength, joy, and community are just a few of the perks I've experienced in my short 15 month journey so far.

I'm wondering how late some of you Sage Crushers started climbing, what is your highest sport and / or V grade (Outside), and what does your weekly training look like.

It'll help provide some inspiration and realistic expectations on how I and anyone else in my boat can go about training in a safer (injury free) manner and also hopefully provide some near and long term goals to work towards by seeing how quickly others have progressed and even more importantly, how late in life you've climbed healthily and strong.

Thanks in advance!

A 42-Year-Old Gumby

Bobby Wheat wrote:

Last year at the young age of 41 I began a climbing journey on a whim and it has since become a very big part of my life.  Confidence / strength, joy, and community are just a few of the perks I've experienced in my short 15 month journey so far.

I'm wondering how late some of you Sage Crushers started climbing, what is your highest sport and / or V grade (OUTSIDE), and what does your weekly training look like.

It'll help provide some inspiration and realistic expectations on how I and anyone else in my boat can go about training in a safer (injury free) manner and also hopefully provide some near and long term goals to work towards by seeing how quickly others have progressed and even more importantly, how late in life you've climbed healthily and strong.

Thanks in advance!

A 42-Year-Old Gumby

Started Age 41 (15 Months Ago), Highest Grade Sport Lead 11.a (Scorpions, Red Rock Nevada), Boulder V4 (Ultimate Grandstaff, Kraft Boulders Nevada)

Current Training Regimen 3 days per week (Started with two until my fingers and elbows could handle more).  One day hard / project bouldering.  One Day endurance bouldering on steep wall at the gym.  One day lead climbing.  Hoping to incorporate moon boarding, but I can only complete three of the problems right now. Lol.

Any training suggestions welcome!

Bobby, you will always suck, NTTIAWWT.  Dollars to donuts you will never even graze the upper grades.  Just have fun and try not to get hurt.

Russ Walling wrote:

Bobby, you will always suck, NTTIAWWT.  Dollars to donuts you will never even graze the upper grades.  Just have fun and try not to get hurt.

This is probably true. And fair advice.

It all depends on your natural strength and natural body build. If you have a slight body type and you are unnaturally strong then you can climb V9 in like 3-5 years. otherwise expect to plateau around 5.11/5.12 and V5/6 for pretty much forever like 95% of us. either way you will have fun. 

If you're open to advice from someone a few years your junior ...

Prioritize healthy climbing over hard climbing.

You are more susceptible to overuse injuries for the following four reasons:

- You're a new climber.

- You're over 40.

- You go bouldering.

- You're STOKED! :-)

Practice antagonist muscle exercises. Develop a bulletproof warmup routine. Learn how to push your limits without getting wrecked. Eat clean and smart. Use short imperative sentences.

bryans wrote:

I'm 48 and a few years ago went to Maui and Jeff Jackson (the climbing writer) showed me a cave with sport routes.  He was working a 13d bolt to bolt. And doing V4/5 boulder problems in approach shoes. A few weeks after I flew home he told me that he sent it, and at age 57 it was his hardest redpoint yet. It was an endurance line and he just patiently worked the sections until he could link them. He inspired me to try a bit harder and not even think about age as a limiting factor. Lots of people in their 50s and beyond are cranking hard. For my part I first sent 12a at 27 after 3 years climbing, but never tried to send a harder grade as I never got into projecting or chasing grades. Never trained, just climbed for fun, and got into route development all these years. Then 2 years ago I bolted some great lines and got the FAs at 11d/12a even though i don't focus on sport climbing, ainly do moderate trad. This tells me I'm not that much "worse" at 48 than I was at 27. For what it's worth.

Awesome. Great insight. And congrats on the FAs! 

bryans wrote:

I'm 48 and a few years ago went to Maui and Jeff Jackson (the climbing writer) showed me a cave with sport routes.  He was working a 13d bolt to bolt. And doing V4/5 boulder problems in approach shoes. A few weeks after I flew home he told me that he sent it, and at age 57 it was his hardest redpoint yet. It was an endurance line and he just patiently worked the sections until he could link them. He inspired me to try a bit harder and not even think about age as a limiting factor. Lots of people in their 50s and beyond are cranking hard. For my part I first sent 12a at 27 after 3 years climbing, but never tried to send a harder grade as I never got into projecting or chasing grades. Never trained, just climbed for fun, and got into route development all these years. Then 2 years ago I bolted some great lines and got the FAs at 11d/12a even though i don't focus on sport climbing, ainly do moderate trad. This tells me I'm not that much "worse" at 48 than I was at 27. For what it's worth.

Yeah, but Jeffe is the consummate lifer. However, you can absolutely progress well past your fifties.  The progression will be slow, you’ll need more rest, and if injured, recovery will be slower still.
I and my wife started training for real well into our fifties when the pandemic hit. Our RP grades  went up about two letters after a two-decade plateau. My wife started climbing at 37, but she was a college gymnast and a pretty decent dancer and triathlete after gymnastics, so she did have some body awareness. 

As mentioned above -- it depends.

Avoid hurting yourself, which is very easy to do when older and not having a long background in climbing. Tendons (connective tissue) take perhaps 5 to 10 times longer than muscle to build up to the strain of hard moves. If you hurt yourself, never "work through it," rest instead.

I was near top climbing shape in my early to mid 50s. But, your experiences will be your own. Use moderation and use good sense.

I also started at 41, now 53.  Progress is slow, gaining a letter grade every couple years, climbing 1-3 days per week of sport/trad/gym.  But there is an infinite amount of fun to be had, new places to go, new things to try.  

I started climbing when I was a wee 13 year-old. I cut my teeth out in Joshua Tree and Tahquitz during the Golden Years of free climbing. From that very first day, my instructor told me that to be a great climber, one must use their feet well.

To this day, as I continue to teach others to climb, they tell me that I "make it look so easy." I'm convinced that if that statement is true, its because of the importance I put on footwork. I also believe that I continue to avoid injury because I always focus on the feet, letting my legs and balance do most of the work. 

So many climbers today learn in the gym, where the focus is often on upper body power on overhanging routes. Subsequently, I believe it's easy to miss out on the value of quality footwork. A number of years ago, I rescued a guy and his girlfriend who got freaked out on the first slab pitch on South Crack in Tuolumne. He said he was "a 5.12 climber in the gym", but all of that was for naught when he reached the 5.6 run out slabs. 

Traditional climbing roots have served me well, and have allowed me to continue to have fun, and climb hard and injury free. I'd be remiss if I failed to mention that "first day" for me was 49 years ago this week. 

If you want to progress well and have the most fun, as well as enjoy longetivity, I'm convinced that it's all in the feet.

I started at age 40, red pointed .12d sport outside in my late 40’s (after several months projecting) and have bouldered indoors up V6-7. 

Now early 50s, I recently ticked my highest onsight, an .11c at RRG.

Like others have said, avoiding injury is key. It’s harder to improve in mid-life, but you have the advantage of living in one of the best places for year-round climbing in the US, if not the planet. All you need are a few, preferably younger, climbing partners to keep pushing your limits.

Stay out of the gyms and climb climb climb, you have the ability to train on 10 pitch classics, great sport climbs and awesome boulders.  Go with the flow, don't force training over climbing.  Sometimes it may seem like climbing easy trad routes won't build strength like "training" but it will and its fun.

M M wrote:

Stay out of the gyms and climb climb climb, you have the ability to train on 10 pitch classics, great sport climbs and awesome boulders.  Go with the flow, don't force training over climbing.  Sometimes it may seem like climbing easy trad routes won't build strength like "training" but it will and its fun.

In addition to building strength and, more importantly, being fun, climbing 'easy' ( a grade. or 2, at least, below your limits) routes or problems is the best way to work on and improve your technique ( footwork, in particular, as mentioned above). This is basic for enabling you to improve your max grades while greatly reducing the likelihood that you will hurt yourself. This is true for any age, but especially so when starting in your 'mature' years. I do disagree with M.M. when he/she says to stay out of the gym. I find that climbing in that controlled environment is a great way to focus on certain aspects of technique. I realize that you live in Las Vegas so you have decent weather most of the year and plenty of easily accessible rock, but still it is easier to fit regular gym sessions into your daily 'other' life.  Enjoy your journey.

rock climbing wrote:

I remember 41 it was when everything started to fall apart.

I've been hearing that since I was in my 30s by older retired guys ( retired from the military that is).  Now at 56 I think most of them just quit pushing themselves and leaning how to recover correctly.  

we age because we stop playing, not we stop playing because we age.... 

Don't stop pushing outside you're comfort zone, just focus on the recovery side of the equation after you do.

Jim Urbec wrote:

I've been hearing that since I was in my 30s by older retired guys ( retired from the military that is).  Now at 56 I think most of them just quit pushing themselves and leaning how to recover correctly.  

we age because we stop playing, not we stop playing because we age.... 

Don't stop pushing outside you're comfort zone, just focus on the recovery side of the equation after you do.

Jim is absolutely correct. Unless one is an elite level athlete, like world class level elite, your early forties are your prime…when everything starts coming together. I had my best season of road and cyclocross racing at at 42, and my best season on the rock was at 51. These are sports that I was doing, with varying levels seriousness and dedication, since my late teens. 

Jim Urbec wrote:

...Don't stop pushing outside you're comfort zone...

This right here. Using age as an excuse is, well...   Anyway if you're stoked and you want to, you can and will get better, but it's up to you. Only you can truly understand what motivates you. Yes - focus on recovery, nutrition, etc. but don't be afraid to climb hard and try hard.

For me, I started climbing at 55 and plateaued around 59. Then I started bouldering and board climbing, broke through that plateau and am still improving - climbing harder than ever. Everyone is different. I LOVE the challenge of hard sport climbs. If that's what floats your boat, don't be afraid to go after it.

Also - listen to Fritz. Be smart and don't get injured. The line between enough and too much can be pretty thin sometimes.

Started at 44, was pretty sedentary playing poker & video games before climbing found me. Like you, it has taken over my life. I'm healthier, happier & always looking for the next climbing vacation.

I agree to a certain extent on staying out of the gym. I tend to overdo it when I'm in the gym & that's not very helpful when you're fighting w overuse injuries. It is very convenient when you want to satisfy your climbing fix before/after work & it's a great place to meet partners for climbing outside. Good advice above w warming up, antagonist muscles, REST.

Dollars to donuts you'll get what you put in. If you're happy getting outside, enjoying fresh air, hanging w friends, cruise/struggle up routes that you're comfortable with, do that. If you want to see what's possible & challenge yourself, do that.

As a general rule, Grade Chasing is frowned upon for some reason but I guess it depends on why you climb. If it's to flex for the gram, sure, that's lame. All I'm gonna say is moves on harder climbs requires more problem solving, needs more time (at our age), involves a lot of frustration but way cooler.

Good luck on your journey.

MP only allows me 3 replies per day so I’ll just say it’s pretty incredible reading each one of your personal journeys and the insight and advise that go along with them. Pretty inspiring to say the least. And exactly what I was hoping to hear, that this is something that I can not only enjoy, but push and improve for many years to come. You guys are badass and set a great bar to aspire to regardless of grades. Thanks for the replies!

Jeremy L wrote:

Started at 44, was pretty sedentary playing poker & video games before climbing found me. Like you, it has taken over my life. I'm healthier, happier & always looking for the next climbing vacation.

I agree to a certain extent on staying out of the gym. I tend to overdo it when I'm in the gym & that's not very helpful when you're fighting w overuse injuries. It is very convenient when you want to satisfy your climbing fix before/after work & it's a great place to meet partners for climbing outside. Good advice above w warming up, antagonist muscles, REST.

Dollars to donuts you'll get what you put in. If you're happy getting outside, enjoying fresh air, hanging w friends, cruise/struggle up routes that you're comfortable with, do that. If you want to see what's possible & challenge yourself, do that.

As a general rule, Grade Chasing is frowned upon for some reason but I guess it depends on why you climb. If it's to flex for the gram, sure, that's lame. All I'm gonna say is moves on harder climbs requires more problem solving, needs more time (at our age), involves a lot of frustration but way cooler.

Good luck on your journey.

Love it. And grade chasing for clout I agree is a pretty stupid endeavor. I’m pretty sure nobody is going to be impressed by my v2  or my 5.10 flashes. lol. But to say grades are pointless is equally as silly as they provide guidance through a personal strength progression and also provide some context regarding what I could be trying / projecting at any point in that progression vs routes that I probably have no business being on. They also give context on what types of holds I can expect to encounter at a given crag relative to other routes on the same terrain / wall.

And mostly it’s amazing to hear that people in their 50s are still climbing hard and getting stronger. Seeing that you guys are progressing and climbing steep and technical terrain nearly two decades older than I am (as well as what you’ve done to take care of yourselves in order to do so) paints a bright picture for the future. The grades are somewhat irrelevant other than the fact that they represent strength progression at ages that most people on earth just resolve to a “well I’m old so I might as well act like it.”

Bobby Wheat wrote:

Last year at the young age of 41 I began a climbing journey on a whim and it has since become a very big part of my life.  Confidence / strength, joy, and community are just a few of the perks I've experienced in my short 15 month journey so far.

I'm wondering how late some of you Sage Crushers started climbing, what is your highest sport and / or V grade (Outside), and what does your weekly training look like.

It'll help provide some inspiration and realistic expectations on how I and anyone else in my boat can go about training in a safer (injury free) manner and also hopefully provide some near and long term goals to work towards by seeing how quickly others have progressed and even more importantly, how late in life you've climbed healthily and strong.

Thanks in advance!

A 42-Year-Old Gumby

Average for 15 months flash V3 and reliably lead 5.10d in the gym.

You’ll see a more gradual progression since gyms grade much easier up to V6/5.12c.

Outdoors is much less easy to see progression, and you won’t see much progression until you’re pulling V5/6 and 5.12 indoors. This is at a standard  graded gym that expects to host competitions. Some gyms have shorter walls and need to compensate by making the climbs much harder.

Climbing hard indoors first may be a better option if you’d like to see some progress rather than repeating the same V3/4 outdoor problems for another 15 months?

My progression over these past 11 months getting back into climbing after 25 years got me to flash V3/4 and on-sight 5.11d in the gym. I sent a V5 and two 5.9 trad at Joshua Tree in 10 months. My typical gym session is to complete muscle failure every session. Month 11 I’m working on 5.12 and V6 indoors.

Indoors you can safely climb until you’re fatigued. I’d not recommend doing that outdoors.

My main climbing partner started when he was 40-something and just turned 68 pulling the same climbs I am though he doesn’t boulder.

Edit: Adding that my partner from 3 decades ago is now 74, and we got him to lead some tough steep 5.10b problems at the gym the last week.

Some good advice here. I'm 62 now and started climbing around 30 or so. It was a transition point in my life. I was a near elite athlete in another sport but I started phasing out of that and focusing on family and career. I needed some sort of athletic outlet and climbing fit the bill. Because of my high fitness level I progressed quickly to 5.10+/5.11- on gear. I didn't do much sport climbing though since there wasn't much of it close to where I lived and I didn't have time to travel far in those days. I suspect that this is an issue for a lot of us who start climbing in their 30s and 40s. Family and career are limiting factors especially if you don't live close to a lot of outdoor climbing (the proliferation of gyms have helped with this). And while I think grade chasing to impress other people isn't a good idea doing it so you have more options is different. There are a lot of crags where if you can't climb a certain grade you don't have many choices and that gets boring.

As for now while there have been ups and downs I'm not that far under where I used to be. I'm doing it differently though. My technique has gotten better which helps compensate for physical declines. At some point the physical decline is going to win out of course but as long as I'm having fun that's fine.