Mental Discipline and Training: The New Process

By: Cody Grodzki

Scheduling is regularly the crux of many climbers’ fitness routines, especially when it comes to managing time spent at work, at home, at the gym, and at the crag. Personal trainer Adam Macke of Macke Fitness has been refining his training schedule for the better part of six years, developing a process that he believes many climbers could benefit from- if it is utilized properly.

For Macke, this has allowed him to consistently increase his bouldering ability by one V-grade, and his sport climbing ability by 2 letter grades, each and every year.

Sounds enticing, right?

To break it down a bit, Macke states that most programs revolve around periodization, making a climber exceptionally strong on the workout’s point of focus, but at the cost of regressing in the aspects that are not being immediately trained.

With Macke’s itinerary, the goal is to make micro-progressions within a person’s overall climbing ability every week. It is not a program designed with short-sighted goals in mind, but rather, a long-term physiological adaptation with the greater overall emphasis on climbing fitness.

The schedule works in a rotation, so as to maximize the amount of training within each muscle group, while allowing for optimal recovery, without wasting time or skipping out on days, which will ultimately allow you to become a more well-rounded climber. Every day of the week serves a specific purpose, with workouts, training, or projecting calculated to a precise level.

So what does that mean for you?

In short, this plan does not allow for any changes or alterations. Ever.

Yes, seriously.

Still intrigued about transitioning from your old plan to Macke’s? It is easy enough to explain, but rather difficult to follow. The individual must stay on the program’s track to gain the full benefit of the science behind it, regardless of seasonality, weather, climber fatigue, emotions, climbing trips, or even your parents coming into town for the weekend.

This can be hard for many climbers to adjust to, especially when one must regularly forego perfect climbing days to instead hit the gym. Psyched to work your project on Thursday because the conditions look better than Saturday? Too bad. Feeling tired and sore from your power workout on Monday? Better suck it up, Tuesday night is filled with active rest climbing, legs, and then core.

When you’re on this plan, feelings do not matter anymore. You are committed to a process of which maintenance is vital if you wish to succeed. The schedule doesn’t quit.

With all of that being said, Macke takes about 3 weeks in the fall and spring to project boulders and routes, respectively, that require a more intense effort than a standard weekend endeavor.

He feels that this is a necessary part of the process to allow the climber a chance to put all of the disciplined hard work to good use. After all, what is the purpose of following such a stringent program if you are not going to use it to send some hard rock climbs every now and again?

To sum it all up:

Unwavering training schedule + designated projecting periods + mental and emotional discipline = One V-Grade and two letter grades every year.

Do the potential benefits outweigh the perceived costs?

If so, it may be time to reconsider your training program.

Check out Macke’s schedule and workout breakdown in the charts below.

Schedule

Cody is the Director of Route Setting at High Point Climbing & Fitness in Chattanooga, TN.  He has been climbing and setting for 6 years and is an ambassador athlete with Anvil Crash Pad Rentals and Granola Products. To find out more about Cody, check out his website ticktapetighten.com