5 Tips to Train for Outdoor Climbing

Outdoor climbing may feel like an entirely different world from gym climbing. The holds aren't marked, the routes don't have signifying grades at the base, and the rock is sharp! While it's easier to continue climbing in the gym, if you're psyched, you should check out the following five tips to train for outdoor climbing.

Beware, not every tip is about sending more challenging climbs or hanging longer on a 6mm edge. Some of the tips are things you must train within. These can help you become not only a better climber but also a better person.

Discover Why You Climb

Climbing is much more than just pulling up a rock face. While that is the peeled-away, rudimentary definition, climbing is much more to many people. Climbing is a way to connect with nature while delicately navigating a rock face.

It's also a way to be in tune with one's body. Climbing requires precision and focus, and commands your attention to be fully present in your surroundings. It's easy to misstep and take a whipper when your mind wanders.

Discovering why you climb will help you find like-minded climbers who share the same passion for the experience. While one person may be a projector who wants to fill out a tick list, another person may be a romper who wants to get mileage in on any terrain. This will help you choose your climbing partners and plan your adventures.

Build Your Mental Resilience

Many climbing areas around the country will make you question the sanity of the route developer. Extensive runouts to start a route can make even the most seasoned climber a little queasy.

Many outdoor routes feature bolts that are much further apart than those in gym climbing. Consider twice the distance compared to the gym, often more. You must master your mental game to climb with a cool head.

Don't let yourself get spooked by the cavalier that many developers bolted. Confidence goes a long way in climbing; it is your best friend when climbing something spooky.

Developing a General Fitness

Climbing is essential for climbing, of course. However, outdoor climbing requires more than just touching rocks.

Oftentimes, you must hike your climbing pack to the crag or the boulders. Not everything is as easy as walking into the climbing gym. You want to develop general fitness to avoid burning out before you even reach the climbs.

Some crags can be over an hour's walk away. (You'd know that before you go somewhere new). Having even just a general level of fitness can be the difference between huffing and puffing the entire approach or enjoying the hike.

Endurance is Key

You might think you have pretty good endurance now, and that's a good thing! But wait until you're up on the wall, searching for the next hold.

Searching, holding, and hanging out on the wall takes precious energy. It's much easier to have better endurance when you can easily spot every hold, such as when you're climbing at the gym.

Rock is typically one color, and it's much harder to distinguish between what is a hold and what isn't. You'll spend time slapping around for the next best hold only to realize you spent all your energy on your warmup. Develop your endurance like it's going out of style. Hammer it into every gym session; you'll need it when you go outdoor climbing.

Get a Warmup Routine

If you don't already have a warm-up routine, develop one and never train without doing it. A warm-up routine is crucial for staying injury-free and maintaining strength.

After speaking with many climbers on this subject, many admitted that they do not always warm up properly when climbing outdoors. They have observed a connection between skipping their warm-up and sustaining injuries.

Take an exercise band to warm up your shoulders and a finger block to warm up your fingers. Do some gentle stretching and focus on awakening the body. The best way to deal with an injury is to prevent it from happening.