The Climber’s Guide To Periodization: A Focus For Every Season

 Periodization and planning a year of climbing is a great way of staying focused while staying confident on what you are working on. 

This article covers:

• The basics of periodization, definitions, and principles. 
• A program overview designed for two phases you want to peaking/performance. 

Peaking/performance can be for a specific project or a climbing trip. The information I will cover here is useful for the intermediate or advanced climber who has never planned their year of climbing before. This is a good first step to see what it’s like to plan for the year ahead. 

Defining Periodization

Periodization is the systematic planning of athletic training to optimize performance and reduce the risk of overtraining and injury. It involves breaking down the training year into distinct phases or cycles, each focusing on different physical qualities, such as strength, endurance, specific strength, power, and performance. The goal is to allow for progressive overload while providing enough recovery to prevent burnout and facilitate adaptation.

There are typically three main phases in a periodized training program:

1. Macrocycle: This is the longest phase and spans an entire year. It sets the long-term goals and organizes the smaller phases that lead to peak performance at a specific point in time (e.g., competition or an outdoor project).
   
   
2. Mesocycles: These are intermediate training blocks, usually lasting 4-12 weeks, that focus on specific adaptations (e.g., endurance, strength, hypertrophy, or power). Each mesocycle has a different emphasis, such as base-building, strength development, or power training, with the aim to enhance performance in a gradual, structured way.
   
   
3. Microcycles: These are the shortest training periods, typically lasting 1 week. Microcycles consist of daily or weekly variations in training intensity, volume, and recovery to target specific training adaptations, e.g. reps, sets, intensity, rest, number of climbing, the type of terrain etc.
   
   

The Concept Of periodization Is Rooted In Two Basic Principles

1.  Progressive overload - gradually increasing the training stimulus to improve performance. For example, in week 1 I perform a deadlift for 3 sets at 150lbs for 8 reps. My aim is to increase each week by 5-10% for 4-6 weeks. 
2.  Supercompensation - This is the body’s adaptation process, where performance temporarily dips following intense training but rebounds to a higher level after recovery. Therefore, it’s imperative to plan for deloads and tapering to ensure that the athlete is prepared for peak performance without risking burnout or injury.

In essence, periodization tailors the training process to match the athlete's needs at various points in the year, maximizing performance and minimizing the risk of overtraining.

Creating A Year Plan

• Creating the plan: 
  • For example, if my goal is a 5.12 in the Red, then I need to have enough to climb on a steep angle for the amount of time needed to complete the climb. 
  • Another example is going on a climbing trip where you want to climb all the classics at a certain grade. You are likely trying to train for long days and back to back days of climbing. 
  • Choose the dates of your planned trip or performance season. 
1. Define Your Goals: Write down your goal. Do you have a specific goal climb? Are you going on a trip? Whatever you are preparing for, write down what you need to have in order to be successful on that climb or that trip. 
2. Put dates of your performance into a calendar, then work backwards. You know you need to taper before a trip, then calculate how much time you have before this peaking phase. 
3. A good starting point is to do assessments. In last week’s podcast, I covered climbing and health self-assessments. Go check out that podcast and the related article to help get you started on assessments. This will be helpful to understand what you need to work on. 
4. Select Your Phases: Choose when to focus on base-building (endurance), strength, and specific strength phases.
5. Include Recovery Time: Always schedule rest periods between intense phases. And add in a taper week before your trip or projecting season. 
6. Track and Adjust: Use your workouts to keep you focused and you should see an improvement in your workouts themselves. You can always go back to your assessments and re-prioritize. 

Sample Periodized Yearly Plan For An Outdoor Climber

Phases Overview:

• Phase 1 - Base Building & Strength Phase (2-3months): Focus on building endurance and strength. 
• Phase 2 - Trainsition to Specific Strength (1 month): Change your training to mimic movements in your project. 
• Phase 3 - Performance Season 1 (1-2 months): Focus on projecting, testing limits outdoors, maintaining strength.
• Phase 4 - Power Development & Maintenance Phase (2 months): Develop max power, build strength. 
• Phase 5 - Trainsition to Specific Strength (1 month): Change your training to mimic movements in your project. Re-assess if you need some energy system work like power endurance. 
• Phase 6 - Performance Season 2 (1-2 months): Focus on projecting, testing limits outdoors, maintaining strength.
• Phase 7 - Off-Season (Post-Project Recovery): Focus on recovery, moderate level climbing and strength. Reset mindset. 
• Always incorporate Climbing technique, lifting, power, and finger strength. 

Phase 1: Winter (2-3 months) – Base Building & Strength Development 

Phase Goal: Develop endurance through both time on the wall and general cardio, and general strength. Start building a foundation for power.

Strength Focus:

• Strength Training: Full-body strength to support climbing performance. The exercises themselves matter less, but as long as you are consistently training a push, pull, hinge, squat and core exercise, you’ll be good to go. Ideally you choose exercises that can easily increase intensity. You can use machines too, don’t discount these. My go to exercises are: 
  • Pull-Ups (3 sets x 8-12r reps)
  • Deadlifts (3 sets x 8-12r reps)
  • Bench press (3 sets x 8-12r reps)
  • Squats (3 sets x 8-12 reps)
  • Planks and leg lifts (3 sets)
• Key Exercises:
• Finger Strength: Start incorporating light fingerboard work (3 sets x 3-5 reps of 7-10 second holds for each grip type)
• Pepper In Power: Integrate in your warm-ups, including jumping & medicine ball throws.

Climbing Focus: Focus on building endurance by progressively increasing time on the wall by completing more climbs in a row or linking longer climbs, and refining footwork and body positioning. Add in finger strength on these days or on strength training days. 

Climbing Drills

•  Footwork Drills: Focus on silent feet and precise placement (e.g., climbing easy to moderate terrain and using only your feet to ascend, no use of hands).

• Endurance Climbing: Arcing - Climb easy to moderate routes continuously for 20-30 minutes, focusing on endurance and technique. Density climbing - climbing as many boulders as possible in that time frame. 

Weekly Schedule:

• Climbing Days (3-4 days): 
• 1-2 days: Technique-focused & Finger Strength. 
• 1-2 days: Endurance & cardio
• Strength Training (2-3 days): 
• Full-body strength
• Rest/Active Rest (1-2 days): 
• Focus on yoga, flexibility, and mobility. Cardio or walking. 
• Deloading & Recovery: 
• Every 3-4 weeks, it’s a good idea to reduce total volume by 30-50% At the end of this phase.

Phase 2: Transition To Specific Strength (1 month) 

Phase Goal: Transition from general strength to more specific strength, peaking your strength before you head into your performance phase. Focus on projecting hard routes outdoors, optimizing power endurance, and specific climbing movements. Aim to be outdoor-ready for your first peak season.

Climbing Focus:

• Climb harder more consistently by limit climbing: Focus on hard routes or bouldering problems. Work on projecting and redpointing tactics and get outside.
• Climbing Drills tailored to your goals:
• Power-Endurance Climbing: Short bursts of high-intensity climbing for 5-10s with 1-2 minute rests in between. One the minute climbing. 4x4’s. 
• Contact Strength Drills: Practice short, explosive movements like deadpointing or dynamically reaching holds during indoor bouldering sessions. 
• Technique and movement: use a training board to focus on project specific movement.  Time under tension drills. 
• Project Work: Start working on specific 5.12 routes or problems outdoors, including redpoint attempts, crux work, and route sequencing.
• Finger Strength: Continue hangboarding with more intensity (e.g., 4-7 sets x 5-10 seconds with 3-5mins rest).

Strength Focus:

• Maximal Strength: Focus on increasing maximum strength by adding more weight to compound lifts and working on uni-lateral exercses to mimic climbing coordination and tension. 
  • Weighted Pull-Ups (3 sets x 4-6 reps)
  • Deadlifts (3 sets x 3-5 reps)
  • Barbell Rows or ring rows (3 sets x 5 reps)
  • Front Squats to single leg squats (3 sets x 5 reps)
  • Dumbbell Bench Press to single arm push ups (3 sets x 5-8 reps)
• Key Exercises:

• Pepper In Power - in your warm-ups, include jumping, medicine ball throws, explosive pull ups. 

Weekly Schedule:

• Climbing Days (4 days):
• 2 days: Limit climbing 
• 1 day: Power endurance (e.g., one the minute, 4x4)
• 1 day: Bouldering with explosive moves (dynamically reach holds, test power and contact strength) + Finger Strength
• Strength Training (2 days):
• 1 day maximal strength
• 1 day unilateral strength
• Rest/Active Rest (1-2 days):
• Focus on active recovery (light cardio, mobility, yoga).
• Tapering/Recovery:
• Taper one week before you head into your performance phase: reducing climbing volume and intensity. Focus on light climbing and recovery.

Phase 3: Performance 1-2months

Phase Goal: Try hard climbing, get on projects, get outside as much as possible and maintain strength. 

Climbing Focus: Plan for consistent outdoors climbing

• 1-2 outdoor climbing days (projecting)
• 1-2 gym days (moderate to hard)  + fingerboard (maintenance): 3 sets of 5-7 seconds hangs.

Strength Focus: Maintain strength, continue main lifts. 

• Pull-Ups (3 sets x 5 reps)
• Deadlifts (3 sets x 4-5 reps)

• Pepper in power 

Phase 4 & 5: Repeat Phase 1-2 or Power Development & Maintenance

Power Phase Goal: Maximize power, speed, and strength endurance to prepare for the second outdoor peaking phase in the fall.

Climbing Focus:

• Power and Explosiveness: Focus on explosive movements and maintaining climbing strength.
  • Training board: Short explosive efforts on the big moves to improve power (3 sets of 3-5 explosive moves).
  • Speed Climbing: move on easy to moderate boulder problems as quickly as possible.
  • Power-Endurance Bouldering: Contrast pumping power endurance like 4x4s, aiming to do 4 short bouldering problems in a row with minimal rest with non-pumpy power endurance such as one the minute boulders, explosive moves for 10s with 1min rest. 
  • Fingerboard RFD (rate of force development): 3-5 sets x 3-5 reps 1-2s explosive hangs. 
• Climbing Drills:

Strength Focus:

• Explosive strength and max strength: Continue strength training focusing on maintaining maximum strength and building explosiveness. Alternate sessions weekly or every other week. 
• Power Exercises:
• Kettlebell Swings (3 sets x 12 reps)
• Medicine Ball Slams (3 sets x 10 reps)
• Explosive Pull-Ups (3 sets x 5 reps)
• Plyometric Push-Ups (3 sets x 5-8 reps)

 
• Max Strength:
  • Heavy Pull-Ups (weighted if possible) – 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps
  • Deadlifts (moderate-to-heavy weight) – 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps
  • Barbell Rows (heavier weight) – 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps
  • Front Squats or Back Squats (heavy) – 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps
  • Overhead Press (heavy) – 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps
  • Core: weighted carries, weighted leg raises, wall planks
 

Weekly Schedule:

• Climbing Days (3-4 days):
  
• 1 day: Training board, dynamic bouldering, speed climbing (explosive movements).
• 1-2 days: Power endurance bouldering (include either pumpy and non-pumpy drills, short intense sessions).
• 1-2 days: Outdoor climbing (maintain outdoor climbing fitness, focus on maintaining strength and skill).
• Strength Training (1-2 days):
• Alternate between max strength and power strength each week.
• Rest/Active Rest (2 days):
• Focus on rest or light activities. Taper one week before performance phase. 

Phase 6: Performance 1-2 months

Phase Goal: Try hard climbing, get on projects, get outside as much as possible and maintain strength. 

Climbing Focus: Plan for consistent outdoors climbing

• 1-2 outdoor climbing days (projecting)
• 1-2 gym days (moderate to hard)  + fingerboard (maintenance): 3 sets of 5-7 seconds hangs.

Strength Focus: Maintain strength, continue main lifts. 

• Pull-Ups (3 sets x 5 reps)
• Deadlifts (3 sets x 4-5 reps)

• Pepper in power

Phase 7: Off-Season (1-2 months)

• Goal: Recovery, mobility, easy strength, and moderate-level climbing. Mindset reset. Reflect on the past year. 

The drawbacks

Sometimes periodization can be too structured for some climbers to be consistent with. If you decide to do this, ensure you have the time to dedicate to this. 

If you have to take more than a few weeks off, it can change your plan. Make sure to have a flexible mindset and reset expectations. 

Common Problems

What happens if you get sick? Use this as a natural deload. Pick up where you left off. If you are out for more than a month, repeat the last month and adjust expectations as you approach your performance season. 

What happens if you have vacations? Build this in. Can your vacation be a deload? Can you continue to pull on your fingers by getting a traveling hangboard? Can you do bodyweight training? What about making sure there is a lifting gym or climbing gym? Keep at it, even if you are traveling. 

What if your project changes? It’s okay to change plans! 

What happens if you lose interest or motivation? It’s normal to lose motivation. Training can be a grind, and part of it is to take the thinking out of it and just show up. You have to punch the clock. But don’t do this at the expense of your health. If what you are doing isn’t fulfilling, then you need to re-evaluate what you are doing. Reassess if what you are doing is in accordance with your values and identity. Go back to my goal-setting episode from a few weeks ago and go through the step by step process. 

What if the trip is canceled? Should you still peak? Yes absolutely. You can push your limit because you have trained hard for the past few months. Try hard!