Sending My First 5.12 During Quarantine – Training, Lessons, and More

I sent my first 5.12 this November while performing 100% of my training without access to your conventional climbing gym. This is a story about a man with two kettlebells, a hangboard, the occasional outdoor session, and a whole load of psych.

This post will detail my protocol, lessons learned during training, and what I wish I knew prior to the training phase. The training allowed for me to take down some goals and included the following ticks at one of my favorite places – THE Red River Gorge:

• Starry Night 5.12a (Flash) ✔
• Banshee 5.11c (Flash) ✔
• Hip to Jive 5.11b (Onsight) ✔
• Donor 5.11b (Onsight) ✔
• Last Supper 5.11a (Onsight) ✔
• Air Ride Equipped 5.11a ✔
• Swedish Fish 5.12a (Valiant Onsight Effort) ✔

Friendsgiving & Covid-19 – The Set up

When the month of November rolls around, it is a coveted time for me. The crisp fall air lingers in the morning, temps are ideal for hard rock climbing, and friends are plentiful. In short, November may be my favorite month of the year; it’s like the Super Bowl of my climbing pursuits each year. Also, how could one not LOVE Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving? It’s truly magical. Each year a group of friends and I get together at the Red River Gorge and have one of the most memorable weekends of the year filled with climbing, killer grub, and meaningful conversation.

As 2020 presented a host of different roadblocks, Molly and I were still able to make a trip to the Red happen. This trip would feel much different than years past but it provided some time to restore oneself in the outdoors during the incessant lockdown of 2020. Although the community aspect would be missing from the trip, I was determined to throw down and test out some home-grown training.

I currently live in Southern California where restrictions have been strict due to the pandemic. In a desperate attempt to improve my personal climbing I clung to the tools I had – a standard hangboard and two kettlebells. These would be my whetstone and I was determined to sharpen the blade.

Ground Zero – Knowledge & Training Resources

I dove deep into the science of training different energy systems such as the anaerobic alactic, anaerobic lactic, and aerobic systems. Utilizing the basic tenants of training (time under tension, set/rep schemes, and movements), I applied these principles to the tools I had available during quarantine.

Logical Progression, 2nd Edition was my north star. I pulled multiple hangboard and kettlebell workouts from Power Company Climbing that were offered in their free Quaran-Training series. Finally, I took an amazing course from Climb Strong that went into great detail regarding the theory of training endurance within climbing. I set the plan, got to work, and trusted the process for the impending trip in November.

My Quarantine Training Plan & Methodology

I tailored the training to fit the long, steep jug hauls that are synonymous with the Red River Gorge. My training plan consisted of workouts that looked at the three main facets of climbing including strength (str), power endurance (PE), and overall endurance (enduro). I structured my plan utilizing the concept of block programming found within Logical Progression, 2nd Edition – creating blocks of training to improve one facet of climbing (str, PE, enduro) while maintaining my fitness on the remaining two categories. This is a full breakdown of the 12 weeks of training within my 400 sq. ft. studio prior to the trip:

The goal was to target 8 dedicated training sessions for each block. The exception would be power endurance due to the taxing nature of this training and relative ease to make gains within this energy system.

The objective was to build a strong base through working on my overall strength. Just as a cake needs a solid base for all the frosting and toppings, your fitness within rock climbing needs to have a sturdy foundation of strength. I could train to be a juggernaut of endurance all I want, but if I couldn’t pull the moves then what does it matter?

Once the base was established, I went into my endurance block to target building aerobic capacity. I aimed to build global (entire body) and localized (forearms) endurance through a mixture of exercises. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I could develop endurance with limited tools.

“The best training plan is the one you stick to.”

Every Climbing Coach Ever

Finally, I did a two-week block of power endurance to fine tune the anaerobic lactic energy system. These sessions were brutal. It’s surprising how much hard work you can get done while screaming on the hangboard as you finish your last set of swings + hangs.

It should not be understated that maintenance is a critical implementation of the block programming methodology. These sessions would focus on the facets of fitness that I was not targeting within that specific block. For example, if I was in my first block working on strength, my maintenance sessions would focus on endurance/power.

Strength Methodology & Workouts

Due to the short time frame leading up to the trip, I wanted to include specificity as much as possible. If I was training for this trip for an entire year then I could have incorporated general strength base exercises (deadlift, squats, bench, etc) however, I was a man with 12 weeks, two kettlebells, and a hangboard. Specificity would be my friend and I targeted to make strength gains within finger strength and pulling power. These two characteristics would aid me while working out the steep terrain of the gorge.

The strength phase, otherwise known as the anaerobic alactic system, focused on short duration efforts, high intensity, and long recovery periods between efforts. Typical workouts for this phase can include your standard max hangs, weighted pull ups, etc

I honed in on the ‘kettlebells for climbers’ workouts (Power Company) and implemented these immediately. The staple movements within these workouts would be:

• Turkish Get Ups (TGU)
• Kettlebell Swings
• Goblet Squats
• Shoulder Press

Kettlebells really emphasized the concept of maintaining tension throughout the entire movement. You’ll find out pretty quick if you’re lacking tension when trying to perform a TGU with a heavy bell over your head. This would be a lesson that was a gamechanger for my climbing. I realized that I was climbing with too little tension during crux sections of routes. Pour your soul into the bells and they will reveal the truth!

These workouts were my staple for general strength, supplemented by a workout called “Max Hangs + Pulls” – adopted from Climb Strong. This specific strength workout focuses on high intensity efforts in max hangs (~ 5 sec @ 85%+ Max) and weighted pull ups/kettlebell row (3 reps @ 85% Max). This workout assumes you have conducted a home-grown self-assessment, I’ll be touching on this in the future!

Repeaters & KB Capacity – Endurance

Building capacity – arguably one of the most important aspects of climbing. Who doesn’t want to give one more good burn on their dream route at the end of the day? Everyone has heard of repeaters…. and for good reason! It’s a highly effective movement for increasing localized endurance. I utilized the standard 7 on/3 off repeater protocol for a total of 10 sets within each block. These blocks would last a total of 20 minutes, mimicking an enduro test piece within the Red. Multiple blocks of this protocol with adequate rest in between is an extremely efficient way to develop endurance.

In order to build general aerobic capacity, a bulletproof movement is Kettlebell Swings. A good rep scheme would look at completing sets of swings Every Minute On The Minute (EMOM). My rep scheme was as follows:

• 30 sec of swings, 30 sec of rest – 1:1 Work/Rest Ratio
• EMOM for 15 minutes
• 2 – 3 sets

Fine Tuning – Power Endurance

With a little input from Steve Bechtel, I devised a hellacious workout that would put a fine point to my power endurance. I targeted a 1:1 work/rest ratio utilizing bodyweight hangs and kettlebell swings. I broke the workout into 30 sec of movement: 30 sec of rest using a rolling 1 min clock. The ~30 seconds of work included a 10 sec BW hang, 5 kettlebell swings, and finished with another 10 sec BW hang. A set would be 15 rounds of this torture – once again, targeting the approximate time I thought it would take to climb my goal routes. I would try and rest 15 – 30 minutes in between sets and complete 3 sets for a total of 45 minutes of work.

This workout was the definition of efficient and effective! As a full-time engineer I can’t tell you how much joy this brings me – killer gains + time effective. I’ll definitely be saving this training in my back pocket for future trips.

2020 Illumination – Lessons Learned

I will look back on November of 2020 with a goofy grin on my face because I proved to myself that results can be had even in dire circumstances. I had thought this year would be a wash, something to write off. I told myself to just focus on maintaining my current state, set expectations to not progress. While these thoughts can be healthy, I also realized the power of reframing your situation. I approached this year as a time to look at my weaknesses and put dedicated time/effort to close the gap. Yes, I had limited tools but if one can learn the principles of training, the options for improvement are limitless. My program that I completed is by no means perfect however, the proof is in the puddin’. I had sent my first 5.12 this Fall. I am beyond psyched to continue to develop not only as a rock climber but as a human being.

I hope this finds you well and as always – Much Love & What a time to be ALIVE

-Kyle