This program is designed for climbers looking to improve their strength and general physical preparedness with 3 days of training per week. Each session is designed to be completed in under 90 minutes, including both on and off the wall training.
Weekly schedule
Recommended weekly schedule
Monday: Power Bouldering
Tuesday: Full Rest
Wednesday: Volume Bouldering + S&C
Thursday: Full Rest
Friday: Movement Mastery + Aerobic Capacity
Saturday: Rest / Active Recovery
Sunday: Rest / Active Recovery
Day 1 · Power Bouldering
Bodyweight warm up (5–10 min)
Focused on mobilizing major joints through full range of motion in a controlled manner.
1 Round
- 10 Joint Rotations Each Direction — Wrists | Shoulders | Ankles | Knees
- 30 Seconds Dynamic Arm Swings
- 10 Gorilla Chest Openers
- 3 Curtsey Lunge Each Side
- 4 Assisted Cossack Squat
- 4 Cossack Squat
- 5 Standing Tibialis Raises
- 5 Calf Raises
- 10 Reactive Hops
- 10 Swimmers — RPE 6–8/10, activate & contract through full range
- 5–10 Push Ups
- 10 Standing Hip Gates Each Side
- 10 Squats (bodyweight only)
- 20 Second Sumo Squat Hold
- 15 Second Lunge Hold Each Side
Bar hangs (5–10 min)
2 Rounds — 10–20 sec Dead Hang Isometric Hold · Rest 30–60 sec
2 Rounds — 5 Scapula Retractions · Rest 30–60 sec
2–3 Rounds — 3 Pull Ups · Rest 30–60 sec
2–3 Rounds — 7–10 sec 120° Isometric Lock Off · Rest 30–60 sec
2 Rounds — 20 sec Knee Tuck Isometric Hold · Rest 30–60 sec
Power bouldering (45 min–1 hour)
Warm Up
- 5–10 boulder warm up, build to max
- Rest 2 minutes between boulders and attempts
- Rest 5 minutes before starting power boulders
Power Boulders
- 6–8 boulders at 85% difficulty
- Overhung terrain — physically challenging, not technically
- Problem-solving should not be the limiting factor
Cool Down
- 1–3 slow climb boulders at ~60% max (RPE 4–6)
- Take twice as long to climb each boulder
- Rest 2–3 minutes between boulders
Aerobic flushing (10+ min)
Moderate cardio to flush waste products from training. Zone 2 (65–70% max heart rate) builds aerobic base and speeds recovery.
Zone 2 = 65–70% max HR · Max HR = 220 – age · Zone 2 = 0.65 × (220 – age)
Zone 2 Cardio Options
- Incline Treadmill Walk — 15% incline, 2.5 MPH, lean forward
- Moderate Rowing — consistent, casual pace
- Stationary Bike — spin quickly, low resistance
Day 2 · Movement Mastery + Aerobic Capacity
Bodyweight warm up (5–10 min)
1 Round
- 10 Joint Rotations Each Direction — Wrists | Shoulders | Ankles | Knees
- 30 Seconds Dynamic Arm Swings
- 10 Gorilla Chest Openers
- 3 Curtsey Lunge Each Side
- 4 Assisted Cossack Squat
- 4 Cossack Squat
- 5 Standing Tibialis Raises
- 5 Calf Raises
- 10 Reactive Hops
- 10 Swimmers — RPE 6–8/10
- 5–10 Push Ups
- 10 Standing Hip Gates Each Side
- 10 Squats (bodyweight only)
- 20 Second Sumo Squat Hold
- 15 Second Lunge Hold Each Side
No-hangs protocol (10 min)
Designed to build resilient fingers. Use a hangboard with feet on the ground to adjust RPE. Can be used as a warm-up or recovery tool.
4 Round EMOM — 10 sec 20mm Hang, 2 Arms, 4 Finger Half Crimp (RPE 4–6) · 50 sec Rest
2 Round EMOM — 10 sec 20mm Hang, 2 Arms, Front 3 Finger Drag (RPE 5–6) · 50 sec Rest
2 Round EMOM — 10 sec 20mm Hang, 2 Arms, Back 3 Finger Drag (RPE 5–6) · 50 sec Rest
2 Round EMOM — 10 sec 20mm Hang, 2 Arms, 2 Finger Drag (RPE 4–6) · 50 sec Rest
Movement mastery (30–45 min)
Work on technically challenging moves at or below flash grade. Moves should not exceed 85% effort.
Warm Up
- 5–10 Rounds: 1 boulder (build V0 → flash grade) · Rest 1–2 min
Main Session
- 4 boulders involving technically challenging moves
- Repeat each boulder up to 5x to solidify confidence
- Focus: coordination, balance, precision, patience
- Slab or vertical terrain primarily
Cool Down
- 5 boulders: work from flash grade back down to V0 · 1–2 min rest
Core — bodyweight (5 min)
5 Rounds
- 10 sec Kneeling Side Plank LEFT
- 5 sec Hollow Body Hold
- 10 sec Kneeling Side Plank RIGHT
3 Rounds
- 20 Butterfly Sit Ups
- 20 sec Hollow Body Hold
2 Rounds
- 30 sec Front Plank
- 15 sec Copenhagen Plank LEFT + RIGHT
Stair EMOM (20 min)
Feeling 1 (Recovery): Intensity you can maintain for an hour · Zone 2: 65–70% max HR
Feeling 2 (Push): Hard but doable · Zone 4: 85–90% max HR
10–20 Min Alternating EMOM
- Odd minutes = recovery pace (Feeling 1)
- Even minutes = fast pace (Feeling 2) — note: 0 is even
Day 3 · Volume Bouldering + S&C
Bodyweight warm up (5–10 min)
1 Round
- 10 Joint Rotations Each Direction — Wrists | Shoulders | Ankles | Knees
- 30 Seconds Dynamic Arm Swings
- 10 Gorilla Chest Openers
- 3 Curtsey Lunge Each Side
- 4 Assisted Cossack Squat
- 4 Cossack Squat
- 5 Standing Tibialis Raises
- 5 Calf Raises
- 10 Reactive Hops
- 10 Swimmers — RPE 6–8/10
- 5–10 Push Ups
- 10 Standing Hip Gates Each Side
- 10 Squats (bodyweight only)
- 20 Second Sumo Squat Hold
- 15 Second Lunge Hold Each Side
Bar hangs (5–10 min)
2 Rounds — 10–20 sec Dead Hang Isometric Hold · Rest 30–60 sec
2 Rounds — 5 Scapula Retractions · Rest 30–60 sec
2–3 Rounds — 3 Pull Ups · Rest 30–60 sec
2–3 Rounds — 7–10 sec 120° Isometric Lock Off · Rest 30–60 sec
2 Rounds — 20 sec Knee Tuck Isometric Hold · Rest 30–60 sec
Moderate volume bouldering (45 min)
Focus on quality and variety over maximum intensity. Build familiarity with a wide range of movements.
Climb 15–20 boulders at or below flash grade
- Rest 2–3 minutes between attempts & boulders
- 3 attempts max per boulder
- Vertical, overhung, slab — all hold types
- Focus on beta reading, patience, and repeating moves
- Technically challenging over physically challenging
Functional strength 001 (30–45 min)
3 Rounds — same weight for both (row weight)
- 5 Barbell RDL
- 5 Barbell Bent Over Row · Rest 1 min
3 Rounds
- 10 Low Cable Row
- 20 Cable Tricep Extensions · Rest 1 min
3 Rounds
- 5 Tripod Row
- 15 Bench Push Up · Rest 30 sec
2 Rounds
- 10 TRX Low Rows
- 10 TRX Brachii Curls · Rest 30 sec
2 Rounds each
- 20 Hammer Curls · Rest 30 sec
- 20 Lateral Raises · Rest 30 sec
Aerobic flushing (5–10 min)
Moderate cardio to flush waste products from training. Zone 2 (65–70% max heart rate) builds aerobic base and speeds recovery.
Zone 2 = 65–70% max HR · Max HR = 220 – age · Zone 2 = 0.65 × (220 – age)
- Incline Treadmill Walk — 15% incline, 2.5 MPH
- Moderate Rowing — consistent, casual pace
- Stationary Bike — spin quickly, low resistance