The Key to Climbing Progress: Focus on One Variable at a Time

This post is about the benefits of only changing “one variable” at a time within your workouts to increase the potential of progressing.

If you find your performance ebbs and flows, you are injury prone or you are continuously hitting plateaus you’ll find this training technique beneficial.

Implementing the “one variable” change within your training is extremely simple and effective.

Having been obsessed with all things training for many years I have found this approach to be the back bone of all my training sessions and couldn’t recommend it enough.

Why Focus on One Variable?

In the pursuit of becoming a better climber, it can be tempting to overload every aspect of your training regimen in the hopes of rapid improvement. However, this approach often leads to overloading, burnout and injury. By concentrating on one variable at a time, you allow yourself to accurately track progress, identify effective strategies, and make incremental, sustainable gains.

Identifying The Key Variable

To implement this method, start by identifying the key variable that can impact your climbing performance.

Here are some potential variables that you could work with:

Time
Sets / Reps
Rest Time
Weight
Frequency

Time

Why It Matters: The duration of your climbing or specific exercises can significantly impact the intensity of the session.
How to Apply It: Choose a specific time-based goal, such as hanging from a fingerboard for a set duration, climbing continuously for a certain period, or increasing the time spent on difficult routes. Each session aim to increase only the time aspect.
Example: Start with hanging from a fingerboard for 30 seconds. Once you can do this comfortably, increase to 45 seconds, then to 60 seconds, and so on.

Sets or Reps

Why It Matters: Adjusting the number of sets or repetitions in your training is probably the most common approach to progressive overload. The main thing with the one variable method. Only change one, not both!
How to Apply It: Focus on increasing the number of sets or reps for a particular exercise or drill. This approach is especially useful for strength training exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, and core workouts.
Example: If you typically do 3 sets of 5 pull-ups, aim to increase to 4 sets of 5 pull-ups, and then to 5 sets of 5 pull-ups over time.

Rest Time

Why It Matters: The amount of rest you take between sets and attempts can affect your recovery and overall performance.
How to Apply It: Gradually decrease the rest time between sets or exercises to improve your endurance and recovery rate.
Example: If you usually rest for 2 minutes between sets, reduce this to 1.5 minutes, then 1 minute, progressively challenging your recovery abilities.

Weight

Why It Matters: Adding weight to your training exercises is one of the most common ways to increase a stimulus.
How to Apply It: Focus on progressively increasing the weight for specific exercises, such as weighted pull-ups, deadlifts, or other resistance training activities.
Example: If you can comfortably do 5 pull-ups with a 5kg, aim to increase this to 7.5kg, then 10kg, ensuring you maintain proper form and technique.

Frequency

Why It Matters: The frequency of your training sessions can impact your overall performance.
How to Apply It: Increase or adjust the frequency of your training sessions. This can help you build consistency and progression.
Example: If you climb twice a week, consider adding a third session focused on a specific aspect of climbing, such as technique drills or endurance training. If you live close to the rocks, consider adding in an extra rock day, or even half a day. Nothing beats practicing the craft.

Set Clear, Specific Goals

Once you've identified a variable to focus on, aim to set a clear, specific goal with that workout.

For instance, if you're working on power endurance, your goal might be to increase the amount of sets. Once the goal sets has been reached you can change the variable. That goal might now become, reducing the rest time between sets.

One variable at a time is the key.

Specificity in adjusting one variable at a time will provide a clear target and a measurable outcome.

Monitoring Progress

Keeping a detailed log of your training sessions is crucial. Record your performance, noting any improvements or setbacks.

This data will help you understand what works best and when adjustments are necessary.

Evaluating and Adjusting

After a set period, such as 8-14 sessions of the workout you should see some insights to help plan the next variable to focus on.

If you've met your goal or noticed significant improvement, you can move on to the next variable. If progress is slow or stagnant, reassess your training methods and make necessary adjustments. This iterative process ensures continuous improvement and prevents plateaus.

The one variable approach to climbing training is a powerful and effective method to enhance your performance but comes with one downside. You’ll need to be patient.

By focusing on one aspect at a time, you can make significant, measurable progress without the risk of overloading, burnout and injury.

This approach has been the backbone of my training. It has helped me overcome numerous plateaus and has continued to help progression.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced climber I highly recommend you give it a try.