"Climbing is not a sport, it's a way of life!"
- Alex Lowe
Each of us is unique. We have different bodies, with different capabilities. We vary in age, gender, and level of commitment. All these factors influence how we train and prepare for climbing. It's your task to adapt a training regime to your lifestyle, and modify your lifestyle to accommodate the necessary training that allows you to climb at a satisfying level. What is effective for you may not work as well
everybody.
There is more effort to climbing than just ascending the rock. You have to get there. The approach and retreat from a climb may be quite involved and far more effort than the climb itself.
Training for climbing should strive to improve overall strength, flexibility, endurance, and fitness. It needs to include aerobic as well as power exercises. Rather than "bulking up", strive for a high strength-to-weight ratio. Every extra ounce on you is that much more you have to haul up the
rock.
