Jorge Díaz-Rullo’s Current Training Schedule: Behind the Scenes

General Training Routine

Can you describe a typical week of training for you?

It depends on the week. If it's a period of more regiment I train less but if it's a period of getting more strong I train differently. Usually I train a couple of sessions a day but doing different things and always am thinking about being fresh enough to train again tomorrow.

How many days a week do you train?

If it's a training season I train every day but it's important to realise that I’m training different things each day so I can complete each session quite fresh. When I’m climbing on rock it's totally different, it depends on the conditions and my projects etc. Usually I do a lot less volume.

How do you structure your training sessions throughout the week?

It depends on my objective and what my coaches think will work the best for my upcoming projects.

What are your primary goals for your training block?

Usually the training will be focussed primarily on my weaknesses - so quite general, but also with some specific exercises focussed on my upcoming projects. I also take time to do some compensation training to be more healthy and balanced in my body - this may be directed by working with a physio or my coaches.

Specific Workouts

What types of exercises or workouts do you include in your training?

Pretty much everything! For example in the last 8 week training period I had in Madrid I was doing the following:

Hangboard

Maximum power on monos, pockets, crimps, pinches and slopers

Boulder

Fingery on Moonboard/Kilter etc
But this season I prioritised more open grips like pinch/slopers for Flatanger preparation
I was also doing a session called “Boulder with stops” where I would hold positions without feet for 5 seconds two times in a long boulder. I would do multiple laps of this.

Endurance

This season, I prioritised competition style routes with slopers and volumes etc - to try to replicate Flatanger a bit.
I also had a 50 move project on the spray wall (2 x 25 moves) that I worked for 3 or 4 sessions before changing.
Sub maximal endurance - Easy climbing, 120 moves (more or less) shaking out a bit each move which I would do at the end of the day, some days.

Power

Pullup variations - one arm, and body weight two arm - always explosive
Campus - explosive, on boulders (not a campus board) sometimes just single moves

Weights gym

General exercises for whole body strength (approximately 1-2 hours, 2 times per week)

Complimentary strength and compensatory exercises (everyday a little bit of something)

Core (fitball, on floor etc)
Theraband exercises
Static and dynamic stretching

Do you focus on different aspects (e.g., strength, endurance, technique) on different days?

Yes, the sessions are structured with a lot of variation so that they complement each other well.

How do you warm up before your training sessions?

Sometimes I feel ready with almost no warmup, especially when I’m training a lot everyday. Sometimes I hold 2 crimps and I know I am ready for anything immediately. Other days I need longer and I will take holds on the spray wall or do some easy campusing on the wall until I feel ready. If I have a specific session such as endurance I’ll warm up to be prepared for that.

What cool-down routines do you follow after your workouts?

Usually some stretching but sometimes I just finish the session. After the first session of two in a day, I don't do any cool down.

Do you have goals for your training workouts?

I like to have a goal each session as it motivates me to try hard, but my coaches don’t want me to have specific goals each session. They want me to improve but not be too focussed on it each session. The goals will be quite general and we want to see progress over the whole training period but not really session to session.

Time Management

How long does each training session typically last?

This is very varied. Sometimes a training day is two long sessions and I’m in the gym all day but other days I come in and maybe I feel tired or have a high quality session programmed and will only train for an hour. But usually I do two sessions per day.

Do you have a specific time of day when you prefer to train?

I am Spanish. I hate the morning. I need my time to wake up. I normally arrive at the gym at about 11am. Before then I am not human. But sometimes I have a lot of training programmed and I have to get in early…in that case i do it.

Variation and Progression

How do you ensure variety in your training to avoid plateaus?

I communicate almost every day with my coaches and we change the training plan depending on how I feel. Sometimes the coaches are happy with me feeling really tired and other times they’ll reduce the volume to let me recover.

How do you track your progress and make adjustments to your training routine?

I share a Google Drive sheet with my coaches where I write down what I do in training and we communicate back and forth.

Do you incorporate any periodization or specific cycles in your training plan?

My training periods are often dictated by the conditions. For example in summer it's hard to climb on rock in Spain so I usually have a training period.

The other factor is my motivation. For example when I came to Flatanger I told my coaches that I wanted to try two projects and they helped me shape my training to suit.

Recovery and Rest

How do you incorporate rest and recovery into your weekly schedule?

In a training cycle I don’t have many days off. For example this last season I trained 30 days in a row but with lots of variety as discussed above.

When I have a rest day, I take it seriously - it's part of my training to actually rest to promote recovery on my rest days - I don’t go running in the mountains. I usually feel really tired on these days.

Do you have any specific recovery techniques or routines you follow?

I sleep a lot - I try to sleep at least 9.5 hours or even more if I can.

Nutrition and Hydration

How do you manage your nutrition and hydration around your training sessions?

Normally during training I am quite relaxed but I try to eat well (healthy and balanced) and have enough energy for the training. When I am in a hard project and close to sending I eat more strictly and count the calories of everything I eat. For example, if I’m close to a hard project I don't go and eat a big pizza the day before but Madrid when I’m training I will if I want to.

Do you follow a specific diet or nutritional plan to support your training?

It's important for me to eat enough protein (2.2g/kg of bodyweight per day) and carbs (for energy) but I don't want to eat much fat.

For example, when I was close to my hard Margalef project this year I was eating less than when I’m training. I was counting 2300 calories on a climbing day and 1800 calories on a rest day.

Challenges and Adaptations

What challenges have you faced in your training, and how have you overcome them?

When I was young I was weak but had a lot of endurance. I have had to train power a lot because I used to have trouble with doing individual hard moves. Now this is less of a problem for me.

Now I want to be a complete climber so I work a lot to keep all the different aspects of my climbing at a similar level.

How do you adapt your training routine when faced with injuries or other setbacks?

I have been injury free for about 10 years now. I have had some minor injuries/niggles but nothing that has lasted more than a week or so.

When I was 14 years old I had a growth plate injury in my finger and this took a year to heal. I also had a tendon injury that took a few months to heal. I climbed through both injuries but this probably meant they took longer to heal.

Mental and Emotional Aspects

How do you stay motivated and mentally focused throughout the week?

For me this is easy. Usually I am very motivated - I enjoy climbing and training, and even on my rest days I want to climb, and I don't stop thinking about my goals.

Do you incorporate any mental training or mindfulness practices into your routine?

In the last year I have been trying to get better at managing my emotions when I am not doing well on a project. Obviously when I am doing well, it's easy but when I am not performing how I would like to I find it very difficult to manage the emotions.

It's difficult for me because I push myself very hard and get angry when I don’t do what I expect of myself.

Additional Activities

Do you participate in any cross-training or complementary activities?

No, I don't want to get tired for the next day’s climbing or training.

How do you balance training with other aspects of your life (e.g., work, family)?

Climbing is my work. When I’m in Madrid I live with my family. My family and friends are important but they also understand that to climb at my limit I need to spend a lot of time climbing and training.

Advice and Insights

What advice would you give to someone looking to improve their training routine?

Focus on their weaknesses. For me, this is the most important thing. It's important if you have a high level, but even more important if you’re newer to training because every climber needs a balance and getting better in your antistyle will also help you to be better in your preferred style.

Are there any resources or tools you find particularly helpful for your training?

I have two coaches that I work with but for me it's important to know myself and how I respond to training, and be able to have good conversations with the coaches that help direct my training so that I really believe that the training plans will work.

Extras

Have you read/listened/watched anything recently that you think others would enjoy?

I get very motivated watching videos of people climbing hard. Especially the people that I look up to in climbing like Adam, Jakob and Stefano.

Who’s training schedule would you like to hear more about?

Jakob Schubert and Adam Ondra (because they are the best!) but I’m also interested in what everyone is doing. I find training very interesting and like learning what other people do.

Anyone you would like to thank?

Doug for holding my legs so I can do one arm chin ups.

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