Understanding Dopamine for Climbing Progression

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in various functions of the brain, including motivation, reward, pleasure, and movement. I recently read a brilliant book called “High on Life” by David JP Phillips, and he hypothetically separates dopamine into “fast” and “slow” forms. This differentiation can be applied to our climbing, to make sure we’re making the most out of motivation and intentions.

The terms "fast dopamine" and "slow dopamine" are often used to describe different pathways and mechanisms through which dopamine acts in the brain.

Fast Dopamine Release

Characteristics: Quick, Immediate Effects: Fast dopamine release is typically associated with immediate, short-term responses to stimuli. This type of dopamine release occurs rapidly and is often triggered by unexpected rewards or events.

Behavioral Impact: Fast dopamine release is linked to the immediate "high" or sense of gratification that people experience from activities like eating delicious food, playing video games, or engaging in social media. It can drive behaviors aimed at seeking quick rewards. Applied in a climbing sense, this might look like flicking through Moonboard problems of a certain grade, until we find one that looks easy for us. It can encourage the desire for more instant rewards, such as topping out easy boulders or quickly finishing a route. However, it can lead to chasing easier victories or focusing on quantity over quality.

Slow Dopamine Release

Characteristics: Sustained, Gradual Effects: Slow dopamine release involves a more prolonged and steady release of dopamine over time. This type of dopamine release is linked to long-term motivation, goal-directed behavior, and overall well-being.

Behavioral Impact: Slow dopamine release is associated with activities that require patience, persistence, and delayed gratification. It helps with long-term goals, building a career, or maintaining relationships. In the realm of climbing, this would be the satisfaction that comes from working on a challenging route over multiple sessions, improving gradually, and finally completing it after days or weeks of effort. The reward here is more profound but takes longer to achieve.

Dopamine Stacking

Dopamine stacking refers to the practice of layering multiple dopamine-releasing activities or stimuli in quick succession to maximize motivation and enjoyment. As an example, think of having a strong coffee before a board session, listening to your favourite music, focusing on ‘easy, quick’ sends and scrolling social media in your rest periods. Whilst dopamine stacking can increase motivation and enjoyment in the short term, it also has potential downsides, particularly in climbing, where sustained focus and long-term goals are key.

Overstimulation and Diminishing Returns

What Happens: When you consistently stack dopamine-releasing activities, your brain becomes accustomed to high levels of stimulation. Over time, the same level of dopamine may no longer provide the same rush, leading you to chase increasingly more intense stimuli.
Impact on Climbing: You might find it harder to enjoy more mundane aspects of training, such as repetitive drills, technique work, or long-term projects that don’t provide immediate gratification. As a result, patience for complex or difficult climbs can diminish, and you may lose focus on important but less thrilling training aspects.

Shortened Attention Span

What Happens: Continuous dopamine hits can make it harder to concentrate for extended periods. Since climbing often requires prolonged mental and physical effort, an over-reliance on quick rewards can impair your ability to focus during longer sessions or on difficult projects.
Impact on Climbing: You might struggle with patience and perseverance when working on long-term goals. Instead of sticking with a challenging route or technique that requires repeated attempts and gradual improvement, you might gravitate toward easier routes or problems that offer quicker dopamine rewards. This could limit your growth as a climber.

Increased Risk of Burnout

What Happens: Chasing constant dopamine stimulation can lead to burnout. When every session is geared toward maximum excitement—whether through social climbing, competition, or constant novelty—the brain can become fatigued. It may become difficult to maintain the same level of enthusiasm, leading to a mental and physical crash.
Impact on Climbing: Burnout can manifest as a lack of motivation, chronic fatigue, or even injury. You may lose interest in climbing, feel mentally drained during sessions, or push yourself too hard in pursuit of dopamine, leading to overtraining and injury.

Loss of Long-Term Focus

What Happens: Dopamine stacking can shift your focus toward immediate rewards rather than long-term goals. When you're always seeking the next quick win, it can be harder to invest time and effort into long-term projects that require patience and incremental improvement.
Impact on Climbing: You might prioritize easier routes or fun sessions over more difficult projects that take weeks or months to complete. This can slow your overall progression as a climber, preventing you from reaching your full potential on harder or more technical climbs.

Dependence on External Validation

What Happens: Social media and competition often play into dopamine stacking by providing external validation. Getting likes, comments, or recognition from peers can become a key motivator. However, when this external validation is removed, your internal motivation to climb may suffer.
Impact on Climbing: You might find yourself climbing for the wrong reasons, such as to impress others or to get social media attention, rather than for personal fulfilment. This can take away the intrinsic enjoyment of climbing and make you more reliant on external factors for motivation.

Mitigating the Downsides

To counteract the potential downsides of dopamine stacking, climbers can adopt strategies that emphasize balance, mindfulness, and long-term thinking.

Be aware of your dopamine sources

Think of your sources of ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ dopamine sources, and what you enjoy about each form. Save your sources of ‘fast’ dopamine for times where you need an extra boost of motivation, such as a particularly difficult session or a day on your project.

Incorporate Mindfulness

Practice mindfulness during climbing sessions by focusing on the process rather than the outcome. Pay attention to the feeling of movement, the mental engagement, and your body's response to the climb. This can help shift the focus from external rewards to internal satisfaction.

Periodization in Training

Introduce phases of lower-intensity training focused on skill development, endurance, or recovery. This helps prevent overstimulation and burnout by balancing exciting, dopamine-heavy sessions with slower, more methodical training.

Set Long-Term Goals

Set long-term climbing goals, such as working toward completing a multi-session project or improving specific techniques. Break these goals into smaller milestones, but stay focused on the overall journey. This helps mitigate the focus on short-term rewards.

Vary Your Training

Engage in a variety of climbing styles (e.g., bouldering, sport climbing, trad climbing) and complementary training (e.g., hangboarding, flexibility work) to avoid relying too heavily on one form of stimulation. This can provide novelty without overstimulation.

Take Rest Days Seriously

Prioritize rest and recovery as part of your training. This not only helps prevent overtraining and injury but also allows your dopamine levels to reset, making future sessions feel more rewarding.

The key is balance: integrating both "fast dopamine" activities, like quick sends and novelty, with "slow dopamine" activities, such as working on long-term projects, technique refinement, and recovery. This ensures sustainable progress, mental well-being, and physical longevity in our pursuit of climbing mastery.

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