How Should Climbers Train Endurance?

In this video Steve shares 3 sessions to improve your specific aerobic endurance, why this is valuable, and the ways your system might be limited by its aerobic capacity.

When we go climbing on long and steep routes or when we hammer through a 3-hour bouldering session, we can feel the pump in our forearms and the general fatigue that sets in. Even though we are generating a lot of energy anaerobically in these situations, it is important to understand that the majority of energy still comes to us aerobically. Additionally, remember that all recovery from anaerobic training is achieved via aerobic modes.

It follows, then, that if our aerobic fitness is poor, both our anaerobic output and our recovery from anaerobic efforts will also be poor. This has been a major revelation in my coaching over the past few years. Although deeply interested in improving sport-specific conditioning, I was dismissive of the tremendous potential of the aerobic system.

If we train for aerobic power, and eventually increase overall energy production via this pathway, we will see a significant decline in reliance on anaerobic energy stores. An increase in pulling power from the aerobic system effectively moves the anaerobic threshold (the point at which our bodies switch to primarily anaerobic energy sources instead of aerobic ones) up. The anaerobic threshold moves closer and closer to your maximum heart rate the more aerobically fit you become.

With greater aerobic power production, it follows that at any given heart rate, power production increases. In the real world, this means that after improving your aerobic power, a route at a given level can be done at a lower heart rate (energy cost) than before, or a harder route can now be done at the same heart rate as a slightly easier one did. In the realm of pure endurance climbing, this is a major gain.

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[Dave-ob]

Great video, I really learned a lot! Thank you very much. All the best, Dave

[samhparker]

Love this channel for the training tips. Looking forward to using this for winter training!

[richardhawkes]

Thanks for the video!

I've previously been taught that route 4x4s are a "power endurance" exercise and that I should be doing it a couple of grades below my hardest flash, or the hardest grade that I can complete the session on. The opinion of many friends is that if I've got anything left at the end of a route 4x4 session, then I should have chosen a harder route.

What you describe is quite different and, if I understood right, the only difference is the intensity. Do it at a lower grade so that you can remain relaxed throughout the session and not be completely spent at the end.

I'm struggling with how the same 4x4 set at a lower intensity is still beneficial for my climbing. I thought that aerobic endurance wanted greater volume.

[taylor.douthit]

Thanks for making this video! I wasn’t sure if going up and down the auto belay would really wreck my skin, but you were totally right—it did. In my next session, I swapped in the air bike to give my feet and skin a break, and it went much better.

Do you have any ideas for a fourth workout in this zone using a wooden hangboard? I’ve been doing repeaters at around 30% of my max weighted hang, which seems to hit the right intensity. I’m just looking for more ways to save skin while still building that aerobic base!

[thiagods]

Great video as always Steve!

However, I'm confused about the Boulders OTM. What Energy System am I actually working here? In the Sequence App, it is listed under both Endurance and Power Endurance. Lattice calls it an "Anaerobic Capacity" exercise. In some workouts, Boulders OTM time under tension is required to be 12s and in this video it says 30s. Some workouts ask for sets of 8mins, and here it says 20min. Could you perhaps clarify on what circumstances each of these variations are more appropriate? Let's say I really want to improve Aerobic Capacity, what would the ratio and set duration be?

[Dr.serhii]

Very interesting and useful, thanks a lot!

[christophejavon]

Great video! Quick question, can you do endurance training at the end of a session (like after finger board, boulder and power endurance circuits) and provided of course you’re not completely destroyed? Or should the endurance training be its own separate session?

[santiagocirigliano]

Great vid! but theres something I still don't understand:
When climbing my project after 5 minutes, I get super pumped. There, my blood flow is mega restricted and therefore I undestand there is very little blood getting in and out of it. I guess my forearm soon starts to run out of oxygen and so, what is the main methbolic system delivering energy?
If the alactic energy system is out of phosphocreatine stock and blood can not get in my forearm, is it the glycolitic?

[alan_long]

Super interesting! Thanks for the video :)) quick question: when programming something like this, say at 3mins and 90s rest say for 5 reps for a 22ish minute session, would you rather add time to the climbing, add another rep, or take a longer rest and do a second set of 5?

[giorgiotidei]

Such a good content! What about integrating this training once week in my protocol? Would I be stimulating the aerobic system enough to see benefit in the long term? Thanks much

[JoseRojas-tqzw]

Thanks for the video Steve! You said building this aerobic endurance can take several weeks so would you recommend doing endurance training consistently all year long or doing it by cycles? And if by cycles how long should an aerobic endurance cycle be?
Thanks!

[tomstavert]

For route 4x4s, what length of route is best for this? I imagine you could increase the total number of pitches climbed if you only have shorter routes available (or decrease if you have access to longer routes).

[martinkolar]

for the 20x boulders is it better to go for overhang with good holds or for more vertical wall with smaller to crimpy boulders? Just wondering if endurence differs in forearm and fingers fatique

[felixd]

Hello, I have a question: are all the things you present, including the exercises and the theoretical connections, based on any studies or just experiences? Thank you very much.

[davidswaine]

Great video
Don't you think a good way to train specific endurance is to have a multi angled spray wall and just create circuits that replicate the energy system demands of one's target goals.So for a physical 80 ft route in the Red it might be sprinting between shakeouts then a crux by the chains.So you'd have a link up that would push your recovery and sprinting abilities on the same exercise.

[daniellelblackwell]

Is this sort of endurance training recommended for a beginner? Or should I continue to first focus on technique, strength, power, route reading etc. before dedicating time to endurance training?

[plastikmaiden]

I'd love to do more route 4x4. But in at the gym it feels so inconsiderate to hog routes for so long. What is your take on off the wall ARC training (aka cARCing of lattice fame)?

[GJ_]

Thanks for another great vid Steve! Just to clarify, are the three sesions you ouline different flavours of achivieving the same thing, so fatigue / pump level (or absence of!) Should be about the same for each? Ao can pick and choose which I do deoending on preference / facilities. Thanks again.

[felixd]

Another question that interests me a lot and I have not been able to clarify it for a long time.

How can you find out which energy system is lacking, the anaerobic one or the aerobic energy system?

[niklasb]

Hey Steve, I was wondering if monitoring heart rate would be useful while doing this? I mean runners basically don't do their sport without it. Would the same rules apply for climbing?