Have you ever trained a lot during a long period of time or practiced your climbing relentlessly, without seeing results? You go climb and it seems like you are less fit than usual, that you are even further away from your goals. You draw the conclusion that you should probably just work harder. If you’ve ever found yourself in this type of scenario, you may have fallen into the trap of overtraining, like many of us. The good news is, it is definitely avoidable!

The vicious cycle of overtraining is when we assume that our lack of strength in climbing stems from a lack of training, which causes us to always want to do more. However, when we are overtraining, our body is tired, which is why we feel a decrease in our physical capacities and even our motivation. By continuing to put our body to work, when it’s giving us signs of exhaustion, we put ourselves at risk of injuries, burn outs and it might slow down our progress in the long run.

Prevent, instead of cure

Knowing how to recognize the symptoms of overtraining is a first step in preventing it. Take the time to observe your physical cues, but also the other spheres of your life and pay attention to this: lack of motivation, general and continuous fatigue, changes in your appetite, mood, sleep or concentration, irritability, anxiety or depression, muscle tension that do not decrease with time, significant drop in sports performance, etc. Here is an interesting source on the matter: Overtraining syndrome, A practical guide (Sports Health, 2012)

If you feel significant muscle fatigue, consider varying your training. Since bouldering is mainly demanding on the upper body and fingers and because we train these parts the most, consider focusing on other things, such as slabs, core and abs or your footwork!

You can also add a week of rest after each training cycle (4-8 weeks), which will allow you to recover and adapt better to the next one. Is a full week’s rest seems too much, consider taking an active rest, continuing certain activities, but greatly reducing the load.

Another way to prevent overtraining is to keep an eye on the big picture. While it can be hard to leave a boulder problem behind or cut off a workout, it’s important to remember that an injury will always have more negative impacts than an extra rest day. Giving your body time to adjust allows you to have the gains you want later on. Unfortunately, patiently trusting the process often comes with experience… and with the lessons that sometimes arise from major mistakes.

Ultimately, recovery is key to avoid overtraining and even getting injured. All climbers should value recovery as much as training. My personal rule of thumb is to never allow yourself to increase your training load, if you need to cut back into your recovery routine. A smaller training load with good recovery will be more effective than taking a heavy load, without recovering.

Your recovery routine may vary depending on your needs and habits. Personally, before adding a climbing or training session to my schedule, I make sure that I can regularly release my muscle tension, stretch after physical effort, drink enough water (approximately 3 liters per day), sleep at least 8 hours and monitor my daily stress level. In addition, I frequently observe how I feel on the wall: if I am tense, my flow decreases and I lose on flexibility, I take more time to stretch and recover, while also reducing my load a little.

Why we are at risk

The human body is complex and our adaptation to training depends on several factors. So, it’s hard to understand why we react in a certain way to the workload that we put on ourselves. For some types of exercise, it is normal to feel very tired and underperform on the wall, while for others, like strength cycles for example, we should feel 100% before our session. It’s important to understand what our training is doing and how it affects us.

The concept of “No pain, No gain” is one that can also push us to overtrain. We tend to believe that to reach a higher level in climbing, we automatically need to give ourselves more, which is not always the case. Sometimes, it’s quite the opposite and we need to recover better. Other times, it’s a lack of technique that holds us back. In any case, if you experience pain, do not push through, take a rest and assess the situation with a professional.

In climbing, we are generally very motivated to push ourselves to improve. When our goals are very important to us, it is normal to be tempted to overlook certain signs of fatigue, to repeatedly try a little too much a movement that gives us a hard time or to feel impatient and wanting to speed up the process. It’s especially difficult to navigate all of this without support and feedback from someone who knows you well and knows what to look out for to steer you in the right direction, objectively.

To better guide you through your training and help you avoid overtraining and injuries, contact one of our coaches! They can answer any questions during a private coaching or build you a personalized training plan on our  Bloc Shop Fit app.

You missed climbing’s debut at the Olympics? No problem. Surprising performances, disappointments, injuries and the very first Olympic medals for climbing are on the menu. Here is a recap of the events that took place over four emotionally charged days.

The format announced some time ago has been debated at length in the climbing world. With the sport being awarded only one medal per gender, the IFSC decided to create the combined format, in which all athletes must participate in three disciplines : speed, bouldering and lead. If this format allows all specialties to be included, it also prevents the best of each disciplined from being medalists, relying instead on a point system which multiplies the three positions of each athlete for each discipline. The athlete with the lowest final score wins.

Qualifications – Men

Speed

Bassa Mawem delivers a spectacular performance in the first round with a time of 5.45 seconds which allows him to take first place. He is followed by Tomoa Narasaki with 5.94 seconds and Mickaël Mawem with 5.95 seconds. Canadian athlete Sean McColl also records a good time with 6.93 seconds, which allows him to beat his personal best.

 

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A post shared by Mawem Mickael & Bassa (@lesfreresmawemofficiel)

Bouldering

Qualifiers continues with the bouldering event. With three out of four boulders completed, including two on the first try, Mickaël Mawem takes us by surprise and wins the event, which puts him in a good position to make finals. Tomoa Narasaki takes second place and Adam Ondra takes third for this event.

Lead

In the last event, athletes must try to get as far as possible on a route, despite the humidity and heat of Tokyo. Although no one manages to complete the route, Jakob Schubert and Colin Duffy both make it to the same point and it’s the best time that separates their positions. Jakob Schubert wins the event, Colin Duffy placing second and Alberto Gines Lopez, third.

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A post shared by Jakob Schubert (@jakob.schubert)

One of the biggest disappointments in qualifiers was Bassa Mawem’s injury. Reaching out to a hold in the last event, he suffered a complete rupture of the lower tendon of his left biceps. His impressive performances still allowed him to make finals, alongside his brother Mickaël Mawem, but he unfortunately had to forfeit because of this incident.

Despite a good time in speed and an 8th place in lead, Canadian Sean McColl finished 17th overall after a difficult bouldering round. He sadly did not advance to the finals.

Eight people qualify for the finals after these three events :

1. Mickaël Mawem (FRA)
2. Tomoa Narasaki (JPN)
3. Colin Duffy (USA)
4. Jakob Schubert (AUT)
5. Adam Ondra (CZE)
6. Alberto Gines Lopez (ESP)
7. Bassa Mawem (FRA)
8. Nathaniel Coleman (USA)

Finals – Men

Speed

The finals begin with the speed event which opposes climbers in pairs, according to their results in qualification. Bassa Mawem’s injury allows Adam Ondra to automatically win his first round and places him against Alberto Gines Lopez for the second round. Lopez wins the event, followed by Tomoa Narasaki and Mickaël Mawem. The latter two, having performed exceptionally well so far, seem on the right track to getting the gold, but nothing is guaranteed until the very end.

Bouldering

The final bouldering event leaves many puzzled. The first boulder, which begins with a precarious slab and ends with a more dynamic and risky movement, is completed by all climbers in one or two attempts, except for Alberto Gines Lopez, who still manages to get the zone. The second boulder, however, only sees one top. Nathaniel Coleman is the one who finds a way to make the first huge jump to start, in addition to the technical coordination move to finish the problem. This result implies that if the American completes the last problem or obtains the same score as the others on it, he automatically wins the event.

 

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A post shared by Nathaniel Coleman (@nathaniel.coleman)

On the last boulder, the athletes are challenged with small elusive holds on a series of volumes placed in a circle. While no athlete manages to complete it, many people wonder about the sequence envisioned by the route setters. Ultimately, since the first and last problems don’t offer much separation, the final ranking is largely determined by the last move of the second boulder. Nathaniel Coleman wins the event, Mickaël Mawem placing second and Tomoa Narasaki placing third.

Lead

Finally, the podium is decided in the last event. The last route has a section with a couple of tiny crimps which causes many to fall. Adam Ondra, who specializes in bouldering and lead, takes the highest point so far with 42+, but falls on the last section of the route which requires a lot of tension as well as precision. Alberto Gines Lopez falls only a couple of holds lower, giving him a score of 38+. The last climber to conclude this final is Jakob Schubert. The stakes are high. If Schubert finishes the route, he’s on the podium, but if he falls before the point where Adam Ondra fell, it is the latter who will get a medal.

Jakob Schubert delivers a perfect performance and he is the only one to make it to the anchor. Still tied to his rope, he learns the great news, the certainty that he will win the first Olympic bronze in climbing and celebrates without restraints. With his major bouldering result, Nathaniel Coleman wins the silver medal and can hardly believe what is happening to him.

The first Olympic games winner in climbing is Alberto Gines Lopez, of Spain. After a knee injury just months before the event, the 18-year-old fulfills his dream and seems speechless about his accomplishment. On his Instagram page, he shares a photo of his medal with the caption “WE DIT IT”.

First Olympic podium for the men :

1. Alberto Gines Lopez (ESP)
2. Nathaniel Coleman (USA)
3. Jakob Schubert (AUT)

 

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A post shared by Alberto Ginés López (@albertogines_)

Qualifications – Women

Speed

Women’s qualifications start off big with the speed event. Canadian Alannah Yip breaks her personal best as well as the Canadian speed record with a time of 7.99 seconds. She celebrates with a huge smile, knowing that this performance puts her in a good position for the rest of qualifiers. Aleksandra Miroslaw delivers an excellent performance with a time of 6.97 seconds, one hundredth of a second longer than the previous world record set by Russian Luliia Kaplina. The latter, who specializes in speed, starts off her first round with 7.65 seconds, higher than usual and, despite a promising start on her second round, she slips right before the end, which leaves her with only her first score. She bursts into tears as soon as she lands in her harness, aware of the consequences of this lower than expected result.

Aleksandra Miroslaw wins the event, followed by Anouck Jaubert (7.12 seconds) and Yiling Song (7.46 seconds).

Bouldering

The bouldering event begins with a dynamic coordination move on a slab. Despite the balance required for it, it’s the most successful of the four problems. Janja Garnbret, one of the most dominant competitive climbers today, makes a perfect round, with four tops achieved on the first try. Young climber Brooke Raboutou follows closely behind with a second place, completing three boulders. Third place goes to Akiyo Noguchi, one of the most experience competition climber of the group.

 

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A post shared by Brooke Raboutou (@brookeclimbs)

Lead

Qualifiers end with a physical and engaging route. Korea’s Chaehyun Seo wins the event, followed by Jessica Pilz and Miho Nonaka. Lead specialist Laura Rogora finishes 10th for this event, visibly tense during her round. Affected by the pressure of such a big stage, she doesn’t manage to deliver a performance that lives up to her expectations and, after a poor result in speed, she does not qualify for finals.

 

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A post shared by Laura (@laura.rogora)

Canada’s Alannah Yip finishes with a score of 21+, indicating she used 21 holds and made the move to the 22nd without reaching it. Her result places her in 12th for the event and 14th over all. She unfortunately does not advance in finals, but seems satisfied with her first experience at the Olympics.

Eight people qualify for the finals :

1. Janja Garnbret (SLO)
2. Chaehyun Seo (KOR)
3. Miho Nonaka (JPN)
4. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN)
5. Brooke Raboutou (USA)
6. Jessica Pilz (AUT)
7. Aleksandra Miroslaw (POL)
8. Anouck Jaubert (FRA)

Finals – Women

Speed

Speed specialist Aleksandra Miroslaw dominate the first round of the finals and, in her last race against Anouck Jaubert, she breaks the world record with a time of 6.84 seconds on the 15-meter route. Miho Nonaka also makes an impressive time and finishes in 3rd. Anouk Jaubert, another speed specialist, takes 2nd place.

 

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A post shared by Ola Mirosław (Rudzińska) (@ola_rudzinska)

Bouldering

The bouldering event proves to be very difficult. The athletes only have three problems to show off their skills and the third, featuring dynamic and very physical moves, sees no tops. Even Janja Garnbret, after an uncomfortable fall, fails to finish it. However, Garnbret still shows her competitive edge as she is the only athlete to complete the first two problems and does it in very few tries.
Brooke Raboutu tries to follow and get ahead of her competition, but a foot slip just before matching her hands on the last hold of the first boulder prevents her from taking first place. Janja Garnbret wins the event, followed by Brooke Raboutou and Miho Nonaka, who gets two zones.

Lead

Finals end with lead, where all athletes give an impressive fight. Jessica Pilz, a favorite for this discipline, obtains a score of 34+, allowing her to take third place for the event. Brooke Raboutou begins her turn with a big smile, clearly recovered from the disappointments she faced in the very demanding bouldering round. Despite her remaining energy, she slips going into a two-finger pocket, which requires precision to be caught, and falls lower than expected. She immediately grabs her head in disbelief, knowing what this mistake will cost her.

Miho Nonaka misreads the route in the same spot and tries to use a high heel hook instead of keeping her feet low. The technique doesn’t work for her and she falls, scoring 21 holds and putting her in 5th place for the event.

The event is won by Janja Garnbret scoring 37+ and, as a result, she wins her first Olympic gold medal, something many people expected. She bursts into tears in the arms of her coach Roman Krajnik and later posts a photo of her medal on her Instagram page with the caption “Unfinished business…FINISHED”. The two Japanese, Miho Nonaka and Akiyo Noguchi, win silver and bronze respectively.

 

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A post shared by JANJA GARNBRET (@janja_garnbret)

First Olympic podium for women :

1. Janja Garnbret (SLO)
2. Miho Nonaka (JPN)
3. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN)

 

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A post shared by NOGUCHI AKIYO / 野口啓代 / のぐちあきよ (@noguchi_akiyo)

Bloc Shop Fit : New app for fitness and coaching

Why get a coach, for climbing? For most sports, getting started with the right guidance is a no brainer. In climbing, however, we usually do it on our own, learning from our mistakes, our inevitable plateaus and sometimes even our injuries, as we try to improve.

Amongst the advantages of coaching in climbing, our coaches can answer four main questions: what to do, when, why and how.

What to do : Coaching in climbing allows you to know which exercises will be applicable on the wall and will meet your needs. These exercises are structured in an organized plan that works to maximize each training phase, for optimized results. Our coaches also aim to produce calculated and consistent progression, knowing that fast lanes to success sold are usually unrealistic in the long run.

When : As each person chooses a specific goal and is at a different level in their development, training for climbing can’t be applicable to everyone equally. Coaching is used to adapt training to each person’s context, considering their abilities, constraints, strengths and weaknesses. This way, our coaches make sure to put injury prevention first.

Why : Is it a lack of strength that is holding you back or poor technique? Are your fingers letting go or your biceps? How long before a climbing trip should you start training and when should you stop? Coaching provides feedback from someone who knows what to observe to guide you objectively and logically. If your goal is time-bound, our coaches will build your program so you can be at your best at the right time.

How : Inadequate form during exercise can quickly lead to injury and an overloaded or poorly constructed plan, to overtraining or wasted efforts. Our coaches are also there to make sure your training program allows you to recover well and access the gains you are working for. They will adjust the number of repetitions, depending on your goals.

A coach in your pocket

Bloc Shop Fit is an app that makes it easier to follow and organize the workouts given to you by your coach. Depending on your needs, you can opt for a general fitness plan or a personalized plan, with regular follow-ups from your coach. With Bloc Shop Fit, we want to provide you with the means to develop a lifestyle and a level of fitness or climbing that matches your goals, no matter what constraints may have held you back in the past.

From now on, each EFT Bloc Shop member will be able to join our community for free on Bloc Shop Fit for 2 weeks. Here are some examples of what you will find on the app :

1. An answer to your needs, no matter your constraints

Whether you’re looking to climb harder, manage your health, do your first pull up, send a project outside or improve your lifestyle habits, we have a solution for you. Our coaches are motivated and ready to find an answer to your needs. Our training plans are created to adapt to the context of each person, so that there are no obstacles preventing you from reaching your goals.

2. A motivating community

Several groups are available in the app, in order to bring together climbers who share the same passion. In these groups, you will be able to share your accomplishments, challenge others and receive additional information from coaches related to your training.

3. A simple and easy way to organize your training

Your training plan will give you a number of sessions to do per week, that you can easily organize according to your personal schedule. Each day, you will be able to see the exercises to be done, follow them directly through the app, then note the difficulty and leave a comment for your coach, if necessary.

You will receive motivating content to help you develop healthy habits and guide you through your training journey. For some programs, an in-app messaging system will allow you to contact your coach directly. You can always ask questions to coaching@blocshop.com as well.

4. Physical evaluations and challenges

In order to specifically target aspects that you should be working on, physical evaluations are offered to steer your training plan in the right direction. Depending on your results, you and your coach will be able to target your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the skills needed to achieve your goals.

Challenges will also be available on the app. These can be used to test you during your training. Some challenges will be created for a specific group, allowing you to share results with others or challenge your group members. These challenges are also used to get a better idea of your progress and may direct you to more advanced fitness programs over time.

Follow-along trainings XXProgress, Graphs and Goals XX

To purchase a training program or a coachin session, click here!

Questions? Contact us at coaching@blocshop.com

Summer is officially here and for many that means finally having time to get back to reading. A variety of climbing-related books are available at the shop, ranging from training or nutrition books, to biographies of exceptional climbers or guide books for outdoor climbing.

On vacation, however, the best books are the ones that make us dream, that inspire us and make us see things differently. So I suggest a list of of climbing books for this summer that have the potential to completely change your outlook on yourself and the sport.

The Rock Warrior’s Way – Arno Ilgner (EN/FR)

The book that had the biggest impact on my climbing is without a doubt The Rock Warrior’s Way. When I first started climbing, people around me mostly climbed outdoors, especially in trad. With almost no sports background, I lacked self-confidence, I was extremely scared and these difficulties negatively tainted my experience. In the end, I had very little fun.

I discovered The Rock Warrior’s Way while desperately trying to embrace traditional rock climbing on my first trip to Squamish. I remember reading the book straight through, hooked on the revealing and directly applicable lessons of Arno Ilgner. Although my climbing level also increased, it is the changes that occurred in my mind, in my approach and in my attitude that stood out to me from this reading.

Divided into seven sections, The Rock Warrior’s Way offers a mental training program that breaks self-limiting traps that one often unconsciously sets in rock climbing. Arno Ilgner brilliantly addresses several themes such as ego, confidence and the tricky relationship we have with failure, while offering the tools to push forward that personal growth. What’s even more perfect is that these lessons are just as relevant to other areas of our lives.

If you want more, the same author has also published Espresso Lessons, a book that puts into practice the theories elaborated in The Rock Warrior’s Way.

Le Choix du Vide – Steph Davis (FR)

Climbing since the 1990s, Steph Davis is a symbol of dedication to climbing and one of the few women at that time who made the choice to live for adventure and outdoor sports. Practicing many forms of climbing, she collects a number of first female ascents of some of the most difficult routes in the world. In 2005, she became the first woman to climb the Salathé Wall, located on El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park, California. Graded 5.13b/c over 35 pitches, this ascent is one of the many accomplishments that makes her a pioneer in the history of the sport.

If her successful climbing career, her significant alpine climb and her experience as a base jumper are amazing, it is her resilience and her outlook on life that make Steph Davis so inspiring. She has always made the sacrifices necessary to make rock climbing her priority and will inspire you to question the importance you five to freedom and passion in your own life.

In her book Le Choix du Vide, we can feel her intense love for the sport and the determination that pushed her to reach summits never seen by a woman, like Mount Fitz Roy, in Patagonia. Her biography instills the courage of a climber who is also one of the most experienced in Free solo (climbing without protective equipment) and who has been through her fair share of challenges and grief.

If you want to know more about her before reading her biography, here is a video that might interest you :

Revelations – Jerry Moffatt (EN)

If the history of this sport and the first major climbing legends captivate you, this biography is for you.

Following the life of the colorful climber Jerry Moffatt, his book Revelations recounts the many climbs that made him an important figure in the sport and provides insight into the training methods created and used in the 1980s and 1990s. With mentors like John Bachar and Wolgang Güllich by his side, Jerry Moffatt quickly became one of the best, at a young age.

Over the years, he accumulated impressive climbs and established several firsts of the grade. Following an overuse injury that forced him to undergo surgery, Moffatt turned to the world of competition, which was seeing its early days in rock climbing. In 1989, he won the first ever World Cup in Leeds.

Jerry Moffatt has also published Mastermind, a book that aims to improve one’s mental game for climbing. You can read several testimonies and the advice of the best athletes in climbing.

The Hard Truth – Kris Hampton (EN)

The title of this book says it all. The Hard Truth introduces you to the most common mistakes that hinder your progress in climbing, although the truth is not always what you want to hear. In his short book, Kris Hampton basically answers the question we’ve all heard (and sometimes even asked ourselves) : What should I do to improve faster in climbing?

One of my favorite analogies from this book is “don’t squash the banana”, when it comes to engagement. The author says that a person who tries to “snap” a banana in half, will only be able to do so if they commit 100%, otherwise they will squash it. This analogy stuck in my mind and I still use it to this day when I notice in the moment just before doing a committing move, when doubts can sometimes set in. It is this work on yourself, in terms of getting rid of bad habits that The Hard Truth can offer.

If you are looking to become like that climbing beast you admire or the athlete that seems to have it all figured out and in order, this book is for you. Kris Hampton’s approach allows us to better understand our motivations and face the truth about the relevance, effectiveness and effort we truly put into our training. Plus, the author clearly explains some simple ways to make these changes. If you want it bad enough to do the work, this book have the potential to make you a better climber.

Some Stories : Lessons from the Edge of Business and Sport – Yvon Chouinard (EN)

Warning! Your list of travel destinations could be extended by this book 😉

Filled with short anecdotes and life lessons and dotted with magnificent photographs, this book from Yvon Chouinard is one in which we want to dive back in several times over the years. A legend in the outdoors community and the founder of the successful company Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard favors the title of storyteller, rather than author. It’s the art of storytelling that we see throughout his book.

Perfect for a dreamy summer reading and a typical coffee table book, Some Stories gives the impression of chatting one on one with the author. From rock climbing to entrepreneurship and from surfing to fly fishing, you’ll be treated to a collection of stories, articles and thoughts from a man who wore many hats in his life. You can read personal adventure stories, but also lessons about his career and the different sports he practices. As always, Yvon Chouinard pushes forward his love and above all his respect for nature, with wisdom.

This book is to be enjoyed bit by bit, but without moderation!