Climbing tips

Learn the main types of climbing tape and when to use them for skin protection, minor support wraps, pulley tweaks, and crack climbing.

Wondering when to buy climbing shoes? Learn how to compare rental costs, climbing goals, outdoor plans, budget, and beginner-friendly options.

Want to climb stronger? Focus on the fundamentals that matter most: better sleep, smarter nutrition, and a structured training plan.

Resistance training helps rock climbers build balanced strength, reduce injury risk, and improve power for stronger, longer-lasting performance on the wall.

If you want to get better at climbing while working a 9-to-5, you do not need to live in the gym. Social media can make progress look like a full-time job, but most climbers improve with less time than they think. Three focused sessions per week are often enough to build technique, strength, and endurance—as long as you train with intention. Quality matters more than endless volume. When you show up with a plan and stay consistent, you can make meaningful progress without spe

Rock climbing rewards consistency more than heroics. If you’re new to the sport or getting back into it after a break, the fastest way to improve is to follow a plan that builds the right skills in the right order. This 6-week climbing training plan is designed to help you go from low climbing volume to structured, purposeful sessions that move you closer to sending your project. Before you start, it helps to know two common climbing terms: Crux: the hardest move or sequence

Many climbers think about recovery as something that happens between sessions. In reality, recovery is part of performance itself. If you want to climb well consistently, you need to understand how your body and mind respond to training, stress, sleep, and rest. That is where journaling can help. A simple journal gives you a place to track what happened during a session, how you felt, and what may have influenced your performance. Over time, those notes can help you make bett

Pull-ups are one of the clearest benchmarks of upper-body pulling strength. They are not a perfect measure of climbing ability, but they can give beginners a useful sense of where their pulling power stands. If you are working toward your first pull-up, the process usually happens through a series of smaller wins rather than one sudden breakthrough. The good news is that there is a progression that can help. By focusing on recovery, foundational pulling exercises, and a few s

Yoga shows up in almost every gym now. Whether it’s Power Flow, Restore, or Align, there is always something happening in that dark yoga room. For climbers, that raises an important question: can yoga actually improve performance on the wall? It can’t replace climbing-specific practice. If you want to become a better climber, you still need to climb. But yoga can be a valuable supplement to your training. It can improve mobility, help you manage your breathing, and support re

Climbing is more strength-dependent than cardio-dependent, but that does not mean more lifting is always better. With so many ways to build strength in the gym, it is fair to ask: should climbers train for strength, hypertrophy, or endurance? Which lifts actually help on the wall? And how do you balance weight training with climbing so one does not interfere with the other? The short answer is that strength training can absolutely benefit climbing when it is done with intenti

If you want to climb stronger, your training should not stop when you leave the gym. A simple at-home strength routine can help you build power, improve body tension, and stay more resilient over time. The goal is not to train like a bodybuilder. It is to build strength that transfers to climbing-specific movement patterns like high steps, rock-overs, heel hooks, mantles, and controlled movement on the wall. Why Strength Training Matters for Climbers Strength training is one

Heading to the climbing gym and not sure what to pack? With so many gear options, it can be hard to know what’s truly essential and what’s just nice to have. This checklist breaks down the most important items for a climbing session—from must-have gear to comfort-boosting extras—so you can show up prepared and focused on sending your next project. Core Essentials For Every Climbing Session Climbing Shoes Climbing shoes are the single most important piece of gear you’ll bring

Just like a car needs gas to run, climbers need consistent, quality fuel to get up the wall. The right nutrition helps you climb stronger, stay focused, and recover faster between sessions. Before we dive in, a quick note on weight. Climbing is about skill, strength, and strategy—not chasing a specific number on the scale. Restrictive eating, skipping meals, or obsessing over weight can starve your muscles, increase injury risk, and make climbing less fun. There are countless

The fear and the myth behind “bulky” Many climbers avoid the weight room because they’re afraid lifting will make them “bulky” and hurt their strength‑to‑weight ratio. Climbing rewards relative strength—how strong you are compared to your bodyweight. A heavier climber can be just as strong as a lighter climber, but the lighter climber often has better strength‑to‑mass efficiency. That nuance gets lost, and the result is a common fear: start lifting and you’ll suddenly look li

The First Climb Experience Picture this: your first time climbing. You push your body against the V-point scale, maybe even shoot your shot at your first dyno. You climb until your forearms can’t take it anymore. Your skin starts to crack from using chalk, and you might even begin to blister from trying that dyno one too many times. Optimistically, you look forward to trying it the next day. But when the next day comes, you feel sore in places you’ve never been sore before. Y

After a big night at the gym, it’s normal to wake up with sore fingers, tired shoulders, and a brain still replaying your project. How you recover between climbing workouts matters just as much as how hard you try on the wall. Taking time to care for your body helps prevent injury, improve performance, and keep you feeling strong for the next session. Here’s a list of things you can do to help your body recover both during and after a climbing workout. During Your Climbing Se

Strategies to Advance Your Skills Whether you’ve been climbing for a month or a decade, everyone hits plateaus that prevent them from sending their next project. Hitting a climbing plateau is normal, but you don’t have to stay stuck on the same grades forever. If you’re walking into the gym, warming up, and falling off the same move every week, this is for you. Depending on where you are in your climbing journey, here are some tips and tricks to help you push past those barri

Assisted Locking or Pass There are many types of belay devices. But which one works best for you? What does it mean for a device to have “assisted braking”? And should you trust it? Using a belay device you feel most comfortable with will allow your climber to climb confidently without fear of you not catching them. Tubular Belay Devices With an ATC being the most common, these devices are wonderful for multipitch trad climbing, sport climbing, and top-rope climbing. The rope

Rock climbing can become an addictive hobby. Different aspects of the sport lure you in, whether it’s the endorphins you get after sending your project, the social interactions and friendships you’ve fostered, or the love of the training grind to advance your climbing to the next level. Without realizing it, you may be in the gym six days a week for multiple hours per day. You only take notice when the soreness lingers for days, or you begin to feel fatigued, and no amount of

There are many types of belay devices. But which one works best for you? What does it mean for a device to have “assisted braking”? And should I trust it? Using a belay device you feel most comfortable with will allow your climber to climb confidently without fear of you not catching them. Tubular Belay Devices: With an ATC being the most common, these devices are excellent for multipitch trad climbing, sport climbing, and top-rope climbing. The rope is folded and pushed thro