By Spot Coach Tate Jennings
When I was much younger and Climbing Magazine was still in print, I remember reading an article on training, which argued that “the best training for climbing is climbing.”
For a competitive climber in the youth circuit who was subject to all sorts of crazy workouts, the simplicity of this idea was astounding. As I got older, though, I began to see the value in this training model, especially when I left the youth scene for college and began to write my own training plans.
The climbing community offers a wide variety of perspectives on the best training methods for climbing, from structured strength workouts to the simple act of just climbing more. The type of training that best benefits an individual often depends on their preferences, goals, motivation level, and other factors. This can change over time or across training cycles.
Personally, I now tend to lean more towards the mindset that “climbing is the best training for climbing,” but occasionally cross into a more workout-focused approach when I feel deficits in my climbing. I have found, though, that regardless of the type of training I’m doing, there is one factor that always pushes my training to the next level: joy.
Whether you’re navigating a structured training plan or just climbing for the love of it, striking a balance between progress and passion is key. In this article, I explore why joy in climbing may be one of the most underrated tools for both improving performance and preventing training burnout—especially for those looking to build long-term success in climbing.
The Difference Between Joy and Psyche in Climbing—and Why Both Matter for Progress
Climbing is very unique, primarily because many people (myself included) use climbing as both a hobby and a sport.
For me, my progression in the sport of climbing is heavily rooted in my passion for it as a hobby. For this reason, as cheesy as it may sound, I find joy to be one of the most important factors in my training.
Joy has a hand in a lot of different emotional components of climbing, like the sensation commonly referred to as “psyche.” I tend to view psyche as a combination of motivation and passion for the sport, driven by enjoyment of climbing. A lot of people struggle with psyche, especially during intense training cycles or periods of perceived stagnance, and this often reduces their capacity to improve.
I tend to experience this phenomenon when I haven’t made time for joy indoor climbing sessions or training-focused workouts. This typically means that I haven’t dedicated enough time to fun climbs. While some people really enjoy the rhythm and consistency of training, most share my opinion that training is not always fun, especially when working on weaknesses. Including time for fun within my sessions allows me to look forward to them, even when they also include less desirable training exercises.
This may seem like common sense, but I can get extremely wrapped up in the minutia of improvement and forgo the components of climbing that aren’t as essential to training, especially when my sessions are limited by time, low skin, and fatigue.
How Joy in Climbing Supports Long-Term Progress and Prevents Burnout
Another aspect that makes climbing unique is its potential for lifelong participation, thanks to the sport’s nearly infinite avenues for improvement. Because the sport is so rooted in technique and mental fortitude, climbers can improve despite limits of age or strength level.
That is, of course, if they don’t succumb to burnout
In the grand scheme of things, I consider myself pretty young, but I’ve been climbing for almost 13 years and, for the most part, I’ve bested burnout. One of the biggest factors in this success has been the emphasis I’ve continually placed on joy, and the subsequent pleasure I’ve derived from climbing.
Many of the complexities that make climbing rewarding over time can also be extremely frustrating. Climbers are always trying to improve the most minor weaknesses, and because the changes they make are so small, sometimes it feels impossible to differentiate current skills and strengths from those of the past. In fact, it can feel pretty hard to tell if you’ve improved at all.
I often grapple with this feeling when it comes to my raw strength, worrying that I’ve plateaued—or even regressed—in that area. I’ve developed some ways to cope with this over time, but I find the most perspective when I defer to incorporating joy into my sessions. While working weaknesses is incredibly important, sessions where I’m able to simply enjoy climbing amidst some training-centered self doubt allow me to maintain a healthy relationship with climbing. This helps me stay confident that I will always be able to balance the more difficult aspects of training with my passion for climbing itself, and therefore will be able to push myself to improve for many years to come.
How to Add Joy Into Your Climbing Training Plan (Without Sacrificing Gains)
Ultimately, everyone has a different mental approach to climbing that will help them achieve their goals, and the idea that fun and joy are essential to success may seem a little frivolous for some people.
However, as someone who prioritizes both high level and rapid improvement, as well as longevity in climbing, this idea has truly reinforced my love for the sport and allowed me to improve as desired. For me, purposefully spending time on movement I find fun serves as this joy and sustains my ability to train as hard as I see fit. This means that, for me, I could definitely cite climbing as the best training for climbing.
Here are a few ways I intentionally incorporate joy into my training:
- Include at least one “fun” climb per session
- Warm up with familiar routes I enjoy
- Try creative or silly challenges like climbing silently or one-handed
- Climb with partners who bring good energy
- Occasionally replace a strength workout with a project session
So, the next time you’re struggling with some training exercise and are feeling a little unmotivated or even bored, try to have a little fun, whether that be putting your shoes away and doing a mobility challenge, pulling on your project just one more time, trying to hit 1-5-9, or whatever else will make you smile.
Tate Jennings is a competitive climber who has competed in the youth, collegiate, and open circuits. She is a routesetter and the head coach of the Elite teams at the Spot.
Struggling to find joy in your training? Try private instruction with Tate to find the perfect training plan for you!