This Stage is intended to start increasing your overall strength while simultaneously forcing work on endurance by increasing the amount of time on the wall or under a load.  To accomplish this, we will employ a super-set of which is made up of back-to-back exercises, the first exercise will work your strength and the second will be a stability exercise similar to the previous stage with no rest period between the two.

Good Luck!

Endurance:

The Climbing super-set looks like this; the first exercise will be a simple climb up the problem or route in the 70-80% range as discussed in last month’s examples.  Once you drop or lower then climb a problem or route in the 60-70% range only this one will be different.  The second part will use a 3-second pause for each of the moves.  Essentially, set up and pull through to the next hold but do not grab it.  Instead let your hand hover just above it for three (3) seconds before grabbing.  Shake outs are not included in any of the 3-second pause.  Once you reach the top, drop off or lower.

For bouldering, just like in the Technique Stage, climb a super-set on each feature in your bouldering cave, if possible.  If the quantity or problem density does not allow, then repeat problems as necessary to fill in the gaps.  As you get ready for your set, it is polite to let anyone else eyeing up the same section that you are training and intend to complete two problems.  This helps to eliminate the chance of someone starting once you drop off or climbing over your intended second problem.  Typically, I try to work a pattern across the cave, but on really busy days this pattern might break and you will have to climb in the free space.  Again, just be polite and be safe.

Week	Grade	Problems	Cadence	Rest
1	Strength – 70% Endurance – 60%	5-8	Strength – Control Endurance – 3-sec.	60-90 sec.
2	Strength – 75% Endurance – 65%	5-8	Strength – Control Endurance – 3-sec.	60-90 sec.
3	Strength – 80% Endurance – 65%	5-8	Strength – Control Endurance – 3-sec.	60-90 sec.
4	Strength – 80% Endurance – 70%	5-8	Strength – Control Endurance – 3-sec.	60-90 sec.

For routes, continue training on one route for each of the following terrains: slab, arete (or fin), dihedral (or corner), vertical, overhung, and/or cracks (where applicable).  The rest period on routes starts to get a little fuzzy with the expectation that you are not the only person in the gym and may have to wait for a line to open up, and/or your partner may take longer doing their set than the time allotted.  That is OK!  As with the grade suggestion, this is merely a guideline and can not always be met through no fault of your own.  Do your best to snag routes when they open and tie-in quickly (but safely) and hopefully your strength and endurance routes are on the same line.  If you are lead climbing, you can make your best judgement whether you want to pull your rope after the first route and lead again or to clean it as a top-rope for your second route of the set.  Sometimes, I also make exceptions here on busy days allowing for the endurance route to be within the range of 60-70% to complete the intended super-set without waiting for lines to open up or hold up my partner’s training as well.  The route set(s) will look like this:

Week	Grade	Routes	Cadence	Rest
1	Strength – 70% Endurance – 60%	5	Strength – Control Endurance – 3-sec.	180-270 sec.
2	Strength – 75% Endurance – 65%	5	Strength – Control Endurance – 3-sec.	180-270 sec.
3	Strength – 80% Endurance – 65%	5	Strength – Control Endurance – 3-sec.	180-270 sec.
4	Strength – 80% Endurance – 70%	5	Strength – Control Endurance – 3-sec.	180-270 sec.

A similar super-set system will be used for the Campus Characteristic; a strength exercise on the campus board or pull-up bar followed immediately by one of the hangs listed below.  Many gyms have several different types of campus boards with a variety of rungs.  If this is your first time through the Cycle, select the easiest available rungs to start and you can increase through the difficulty with each cycle.  If you only have one type of rung, then the hang can be changed to increase the difficulty as you progress through subsequent Cycles.  The following exercise selections should be used based on your previous analysis of your ability:

0-4 Pull-ups:
If you are in this category, then continue with the hangs from the previous Stage, but move up to next most difficult.  To help you remember, the list is provided below:

Dead Hang
Flex Hang
90 degree Hang
L-Hang
90 degree L-Hang
Jump to Lowers
Assisted Pull-ups

Week	Sets	Hangs	Cadence	Rest
1	5	4/5	Controlled	40/50 sec.
2	5	6/7	Controlled	60/70 sec.
3	5	8/9	Controlled	80/90 sec.
4	5	10/10	Controlled	100 sec.

*Hold the position for 5 seconds, rest for 5 seconds.  Full Rest between each set, or hand position is an additional 10 seconds for every hang in one set.

4-10 Pull-ups:
We are now moving into working on the actual campus board.  If you are in this strength category then all of the work will be done by moving up the board one hand at a time.  In other words, if you start by leading with your right hand, then the left hand will match on the same rung, and then lead with the right hand again to next rung.  This time there are ten (10) total sets, five (5) leading with the right hand and five (5) leading with the left hand, alternating between each.  There are several stages for the sets based on your campus ability (and reach):

Singles only
Single, Double, Single, Double, Single
Single, Double, Triple, Double, Single

Once you do the required number of pulls, drop down and perform one of the following hangs for ten seconds on the same type of rung:

Dead Hang
Full Flex Hang
90 degree Hang
L-Hang
90 degree L-Hang

Week	Sets	Rungs	Cadence	Rest
1	10	4	Controlled	60/90 sec.
2	10	6	Controlled	60/120 sec.
3	10	8	Controlled	60/150 sec.
4	10	10	Controlled	60/180 sec.

*Full Rest between each set is now a standardized time for campus training practices, 60 second between each leading hand and a full rest between each true set (right and left leading).

If you still can not campus or do not have access to a campus board, then continue with the exercises from the previous Stage by moving to the next most difficult type of pull-up.  The list is provided below:

Jump to Lowers
Assisted Pull-ups
Pull-ups
L-hang Pull-ups
4/2/1 Pull-ups

10+ Pull-ups:
This is similar to the previous ability level, except instead of matching after each move, you will pull through hand-over-hand up the rungs, or even some combination of the two.  Again, there is a total of ten (10) sets with five (5) each leading with the right hand and five (5) each leading with the left hand.  The increasing difficulties are listed below:

Singles only
Single, Double w/match, Single, Double w/match, Single
Single, Double, Single, Double, Single
Single, Double, Triple w/ match, Double, Single
Single, Double, Triple, Double, Single
Add Weight (any of the above)

Once you do the required number of pulls, drop down and perform one of the following hangs for ten seconds on the same type of rung:

Dead Hang
Flex Hang
90 degree Hang
L-Hang
90 degree L-Hang

*Full Rest between each set is now a standardized time for campus training practices, 60 second between each leading hand and a full rest between each true set (right and left leading).

If you still can not campus or do not have access to a campus board, then continue with the exercises from the previous Stage by moving to the next most difficult type of pull-up.  The list is provided below:

Pull-ups
L-hang Pull-ups
4/2/1 Pull-ups
Off-set Pull-ups
Frenchies
Weighted Pull-ups (and all others)

As I said before, if your gym does not have a campus board but you have access to a pull up bar then you can select the next most difficult exercise for strength and one of the hangs for stability.  Rest will be ten seconds for each move made.

In the Technique Stage, we used a lot of exercises that had static holds to promote greater core activation.  The following Stages will focus on more active exercises that will increase strength through movement.

Swiss Ball Crunch
Hanging Crunch
Back Extension
Cable Rotation

Single-leg Squat*
Single-leg Romanian Deadlift*
Lunge to Balance, Sagittal Pane
Step-up to Balance, Sagittal Pane

*Increase difficulty by using the following; a board, a foam pad, DynaDisc, or half foam roll.

Repeat Squat Jump
Repeat Squat Jump, Sagittal Plane (Forward/Backward)
Repeat Squat Jump, Frontal Plane (Left/Right)
Repeat Squat Jump, Transverse Plane (90 degree rotation)

Below is an example of four week of the Core workout for the Endurance Stage.  The 4/2/1 “Cadence” is the same from the Technique Stage, but the 2/2 is different where the first 2 = the eccentric phase (lower) and the second 2 = the concentric phase (lift) with no pause at the isometric phase to make a smooth, controlled movement.   Perform one set of exercises for Climbing days and another set for Conditioning days.

Core Workout – Conditioning	Resistance	Sets	Reps	Cadence	Rest
Core Activation: Swiss Ball Crunch	Body Weight	2 2 3 4	12 12 10 8	2/2	0 sec.
Balance: Lunge to Balance, Sagittal Pane	Body Weight	2 2 3 4	12 12 10 8	4/2/1	0 sec,
Plyometrics: Repeat Squat Jump, Sagittal Plane	Body Weight	2 3 3 4	8 8 10 12	Repeating	60 sec.

This Characteristic is very different from the others.  We have started what is called interval training which is far better for promoting weight loss and increasing cardiovascular ability in a short amount of time.  Through this style of training, the sessions always stay the same length but the intensity continuously increases, thus increasing our ability.  you will also notice that the arm-up and cool-down are different compared to Stage 1.  Walking is great way to just get the blood flowing when we start because just literally hitting the ground running (as the saying goes) is tough on the joints and connective tissue.  The cool-down is the inverse of the warm-up because again, walking allows things to settle but the movement continues the process of lactic acid reduction making for a much easier recovery after the workout.

Week	Resistance	Interval Training
1 (32 mins)	65-85%	1-min walk, 2-min (65%) 3 x [(3.5-min (75%), 0.5-min (85%)] 2-min (65%) 3 x [2.5-min (75%), 0.5-min (85%)] 1-min (65%), 2-min walk
2 (32 mins)	65-85%	1-min walk, 2-min (65%) 3 x [3-min (75%), 1-min (85%)] 1-min (65%) 3 x [3-min (75%), 1-min (85%)] 1-min (65%), 2-min walk
3 (32 mins)	65-85%	1-min walk, 2-min (65%) 3 x [2.5-min (75%), 1.5-min (85%)] 1-min (65%) 3 x [2.5-min (75%), 1.5-min (85%)] 1-min (65%), 2-min walk
4 (32 mins)	65-85%	1-min walk, 2-min (65%) 3 x [2-min (75%), 2-min (85%)] 1-min (65%) 3 x [2-min (75%), 2-min (85%)] 1-min (65%), 2-min walk

Remember, this is how you find your Target Heart Rate:

220 – (your age) = Maximum [Effective] Heart Rate (Max. HR)

Then,

Max. HR x 0.65 = 65% HR

Max. HR x 0.75 = 75% HR
Max. HR x 0.85 = 85% HR

Just like with the Climbing and Campus Characteristics, we will be using a super-set for the muscle groups.  The strength exercise you choose is important because we want to use it for this and the next three stages so I hope you like it.  The stability exercises can be the same as they were in the previous Stage, or they can be different or variations, your choice.   The exercises in the super-set are similar in that they work the same muscle groups but they should be slightly different to avoid singular work and keep the variety.

Notes for the body position for six exercises are detailed below.

Barbell Bench Press (strength)
-Spine, pelvis, and head fully supported by bench
-Knees bent at 90 degrees or slightly less
-Feet in full contact with the floor, engage through the heels
-Hands on bar with thumbs at shoulder width apart
-Lower bar to end between collar bone and nipples on the chest
-Upper arm tracks roughly 45 degrees from the shoulder and ends just below the spine

Swiss Ball Push-up (endurance)
-Hands on ball shoulder width apart
-Fingers are rotated 45 degrees out from forward to grip the ball
-Hands hit the chest between nipples and bottom of the rib cage
-Elbow tracks roughly 45 degrees from shoulder
-Spine stays flat and in line
-Add resistance through a weight vest or by elevating the feet

Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press (strength)
-Spine, pelvis, and neck fully supported by bench
-Knees bent at 90 degrees or slightly less
-Feet in full contact with the floor, engage through the heels
-Elbows pass below shoulders so scapula (shoulder blade) is flattened against the rib cage
-Bring hands together when overhead

Single-leg Scaption
-Maintain a straight and vertical spine
-Arms start at your side with thumbs pointing forward
-Raise arms up just passed parallel to the ground with thumbs pointed up
-Arm track from parallel to spine while down and to 45 degrees from the spine while up
-Stand out of the hip with a straight but unlocked knee

Legs
Barbell Back Squat (strength)
-Bar sits on top of the trapezius at the base of the neck
-Heels are shoulder width with toes turned slightly out
-Lead the motion with your pelvis as if you are sitting in a chair
-Knees track over the second toe
-Keep the head up and spine straight
-Imagine a vertical line from your ankle through the thigh to the bar.  Maintain that line
-Push through the heels and push the hips forward