Why Copying Pro Climbers Often Fails
As intermediate climbers pushing into the V5-V8 range, you've likely watched countless videos of professionals sending hard projects. But here's the reality: blindly copying what pros do is one of the least effective ways to improve. Why? Because you're often focusing on the wrong elements.
The problem isn't that pro climbers do the wrong things – it's that we tend to copy the flashy, novel aspects of their training while missing the fundamental drivers behind their success. Let's break down the six most impactful training decisions that can transform your climbing, based on a professional climber's journey from average to elite.
1. Don't Copy – Understand
When you see a pro climber using a specific hangboard routine or training on a particular board angle, don't simply replicate it. Instead, understand the principle behind it and adapt it to your circumstances.
Practical example for V5-V8 climbers:
- "Climb more" isn't one-size-fits-all advice. If you're struggling with V6 crimpy problems, the answer might not be more climbing volume, but rather targeted sessions on similar terrain with adequate recovery.
- Ask yourself: "What can I handle, and what can I shift in my life to handle more?"
2. Separate Tactics from Strategy
Many intermediate climbers get lost in tactical details (sets, reps, edge sizes) without establishing a clear strategy. Strategy is the broad approach that guides your training decisions.
For strength training:
- The tactics are: how many sets, which grip positions, what edge size
- The strategy is: quality efforts – learning to genuinely pull as hard as possible
Intermediate climbers often train hangboards for years without significant gains because they focus on completing the workout rather than maximizing each effort. When doing a limit hang, imagine your life depends on it – this level of focus and neural drive is what triggers adaptation.
3. Pursue Mastery, Not Just Measurable Goals
At the V5-V8 level, it's easy to become fixated on adding 5kg to your max hang or ticking your first V7. While measurable goals have their place, they can lead you to neglect crucial elements of climbing development.
Practical approach for intermediate climbers:
- Do one thing outside your comfort zone every session: try a style you avoid, attempt a move that feels impossible, or climb in suboptimal conditions
- Build breadth in your climbing experience: instead of only projecting hard boulder problems, mix in volume days on varied terrain
This approach builds a foundation of mastery that translates to performance across all climbing situations, not just your preferred style.
4. Lean Into Being Different
Exceptional performance requires you to diverge from the norm. At the V5-V8 level, this might mean:
- Training when the gym is empty instead of during social hours
- Declining invitations to climb with friends when it interferes with your training plan
- Following an unconventional approach that works for your body type
Key insight: If you're going to be considered different, sometimes it's easier to fully commit. People will stop trying to pull you back into the norm if they see you're serious about your path.
5. Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurdles
The biggest jumps in climbing often come from simplifying your life and removing obstacles to training:
Questions for V5-V8 climbers to consider:
- Could moving closer to a climbing gym save you hours of commuting each week?
- Would building a home wall allow you to train more consistently?
- Are you spending more time analyzing your training data than actually recovering?
Optimizing a fundamentally suboptimal situation (like only having 6 hours per week to climb) will still yield suboptimal results. The most impactful change might be creating more space for climbing in your life.
6. Embrace Educated Experimentation
Evidence-based training doesn't mean only doing what research has proven. At V5-V8, you need to:
- Make educated guesses based on the available evidence
- Run careful experiments with your training
- Be willing to try approaches that might not be mainstream
The evidence in climbing training is like a half-drawn map. Use it as a starting point, but be willing to explore the blank spaces through thoughtful experimentation.
Putting It Into Practice
As you push through the V5-V8 grade range, your biggest breakthroughs will likely come from these strategic decisions rather than tactical tweaks to your training program. Focus on understanding principles rather than copying specifics, emphasize quality over quantity in your training efforts, pursue mastery across diverse climbing styles, embrace your unique path, create more space for climbing in your life, and be willing to experiment thoughtfully.
Remember: The path to exceptional climbing performance rarely follows conventional wisdom.