Customer Reviews

Training for Climbing: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Climbing Performance

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Udo Neumann and Dale Goddard did would-be authors of climbing training manuals a real disservice when they published Performance Rock Climbing back in the early nineties. It was beautifully written, comprehensive, and extremely well researched. Few subsequent books on the subject have added anything to the knowledge base and some actually managed to subtract from it.

Having said that, many found PRC a tough read in that it was consumed with `why' and not so interested in `how.' Training for Climbing, on the other hand, is a much needed blueprint for `how' and is the first book that I'd rank in the same league with PRC.

Horst breaks his book into the triad of skills necessary for climbing: Mental, Technical, and Physical. The first two are, for the most part, a repetition of methodologies laid out in PRC, but with cute monikers like `Metal Wings.' The physical section is were Horst's book comes into its own. While it breaks little new ground, the focus on very specific training protocols will be highly useful to those who got bogged down in PRC. Horst tells you exactly what to do, when to do it, and how long to keep it up. He also includes chapters on nutrition and injury prevention that many will find useful and interesting.

Having said that I have a few serious reservations about the book (and a number of nitpicky ones that I won't bore you with.)

First, Horst's 3/2/1 week training cycle, while catchy sounding, is probably too short and will be sub-optimal for many people. For more on this, see PRC or if you want to go nuts check out Tudor Bompa's Periodization of Strength.

Second, Horst may have been a bit hasty in completely discarding muscular endurance training. I can't help thinking that his opinion on this subject is the result of an overly narrow interpretation the facts. Again, see PRC for more on this.

Lastly, there is no discussion of the strengthening of connective tissue-which may be why Horst is pretty much covered in tape in every photo.

Overall, though, a strong effort and a book that if read carefully, will help just about anyone improve their climbing.

First off you must know that this is a book for a hardcore athletic climber. If you are a novice or a weekend climber you may want to start with something lighter.
This book treats climbing from a super-athletic perspective - covering exercise, nutrition and climbing techniques. Some of the info was way too heavy on the anatomy and physiology.
Still, this book focuses on improving your physical and (often not mentioned in any other book) mental technique. It breaks down skills into physical strength, mental and technique areas. Even though much of the training was over my head, this helped me focus on mental hindrances that were inhibiting my performance and had tests which illuminated my weaknesses and then helped me to focus on strength building exercises to work on those weaknesses (like forearm burn and elbow pain after climbing hard).

I've been climbing for a few years and I wanted to begin a more serious, structured training program to help me break through to the higher grades. Training For Climbing is the book I was looking for, given its scientific look at improving technique, strength and the mind. While such a detailed, measured approach to training may not be for everyone, it has great appeal to me as a longtime athlete who engaged in formal training for other sports. Training For Climbing helped me understand the many unique aspects to, well, training for climbing, which I found to be much different than what I had been used to from my previous sports experience. Furthermore, I enjoyed seeing the many research references and footnotes, and more importantly I was pleased by the overall LACK of "do as so-and-so hot-shot climber does" or "train like I train." Training For Climbing helped me diagnose and design the best training program for me, and I sense that the book will remain a key resource for me for many years to come.

Hearing of this new Horst book I wondered how much new material there could be above and beyond his previous books? The answer is: a lot! This big new volume has ten chapters of new or refined information that in many cases presented ideas I had not even thought of before with regards to climbing performance> One slight con to the book is the at times technical nature but overall the book is loaded with practical ideas I can begin using this winter to improve my training> There are also countless mental training< nutrition and recovery tips I look forward to trying out on the rocks In the end its a wonderful book that I could not put down!

Everyone I know who has read this book agrees it is the absolute best book on training for climbing. It's well written, comprehensive, and beautifully designed and printed. The information is science based (complete with dozens of research footnotes) and accurate, not anecdotal or shallow like some of the other training books out there. It seems well crafted for beginner, intermediate, and advanced climbers to utilize. It's a bit long (almost textbook like), but everything presented is relevant and useful; definitely a great buy ... Whether you are looking for guidance on improving your strength, power, technique, or mental skills, Training For Climbing rocks!

I just read Training For Climbing, and it's really nice to have a complete guide in one well-organized package. I had previously gathered training information from numerous sources and it was kind of hit or miss. Now there's a single manual that covers pretty much every aspect of rock climbing performance and training. I would compare this book to Joe Friel's classic "Training for Ironman" and "Cyclists Training Bible" as the most concise guide to training for a specific discipline. I give it 5-Stars.

I am an intermediate climber and have been searching for a good source of training techniques to better myself and accomplish more advanced climbs. "Training for Climbing" was suggested by the folks that work at my gym, so I ran out and bought it. This book is so full of information, that I'll be devouring it for weeks! Everything I've read so far is very fact based and straight forward. The parts on developing mental skills are especially interesting to me, as concentration is one of my biggest areas to work on.

My trainer at the gym has requested to look over the book and then we will formulate a work out program to get me in top shape for climbing. I can't wait! Thank you to Eric J. Horst for this comprehensive book on Training for Climbing.

This book delivers what it says, "Training for Climbing". It is not a technique book but very specifically a guide to training most efficiently for climbing. If you want to climber harder, this book provides lots of good advice.

This is an outstanding book about training for climbing. It covers a wide range of topics and all with a solid scientific basis. The writing style is extremely easy to read and entertaining to boot. I have to say I disagree with the reviewer who said there is too much focus on mental training. This is a small, but integral part of this book. This book looks at mental training, skills and strategy, strength training, personal programs, nutrition, recovery and injury prevention. It also includes training charts you can use, additional tips and a comprehensive glossary. All in all an excellent guide to training from a respected climber and climbing journalist. Highly recommended for beginner or more experienced climber alike. Note: There is a second edition of this book now which is worth checking out.

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i've bought every book that this author wrote and it seems he just rehashes the same stuff he wrote from his previous books. there's nothing that's really new, except more up-to-date pics. not impressed at all.