Having a clear goal for a climbing session makes that session far more focused than a vague aim such as ‘get better at climbing’ – which is the sort of goal that rarely leads to any useful progress.
Pick a Grade That Stretches You
Find a grade that stretches you. So if you’re consistently completing routes at a V2 try aiming for a V3. V5 is too far and you’ll get frustrated with not completing routes which will put you off climbing.
Set Process Goals Alongside Outcome Goals
Your outcome goal is the grade you wish to climb at some point in the future, and your process goal is the method by which you will work to achieve this. This means that each session will have a specific aim, such as practising ‘quiet feet’ for slab climbing, or practising overhangs in a later session. This will help you to work in a more focused manner and ensure that you are building the specific skills that are required for climbing at higher grades.
Break Big Targets Into Session Milestones
As a rough example of how this could work, let’s say your goal is to climb V4 in 8 weeks. By the end of each climbing session you would attempt to complete 2 new climbs (as well as any others you like), and in your 15 minute warm up / skill work / cool down you would work on holding / climbing on a specific hold type (e.g. pockets, crimps, open hand).
Track Progress Simply
This can be written down in a simple notebook or even just on your phone at the end of the session. Write down what you attempted to climb, what you managed to complete and what felt particularly tricky. You will begin to see a pattern very quickly and it’s great to look back on when you feel that you haven’t made any progress.
Time Goals Around New Route-Setting
It’s also worth noting that climbing walls tend to change their route sets every few months and you can get more out of your goal if you time it to coincide with a wall’s refresh. Find out from your local climbing wall when they’re next putting up new problems.
If you want Climbing Walls, https://www.270climbing.com/climbing/ is a good place to start.
Adjust Goals When They Stop Working
When a goal ceases to challenge you (because you’re completing your target grade for example before the end of the eight weeks) then it’s time to increase the difficulty of your goal. If you’re not making any progress with your current goal after two or three sessions then it’s time to drop a grade and turn your attention to a process goal for the newly decreased grade. This is not failure; this is merely good planning and is covered in more detail in structured goal-setting for sport.
A well-thought-out goal will do more for your climbing than a hundred aimless sessions.
