Power Training Mistakes

Power Misuse in Climbing

Power training is misused and misunderstood by most climbers.

“There’s no such thing as too much power”

Strength vs Power

Strength is slow force production; power is force multiplied by speed.

Power Endurance Misnomer

Power endurance is a misnomer; it should be strength endurance.

5 Power Training Errors

Climbers often train power when tired, focus on endurance instead of power, rest too little, lack intent, or train only one end of the spectrum.

Training Power When Tired

Power training must happen early in the session after warm-up, not when fatigued.

Power vs Power Endurance

Power training uses low numbers of high-quality reps, not endurance sets.

Resting Time for Power

At least three minutes rest between power sets, not ninety seconds.

Intent in Power Training

Full intent on speed is critical for power adaptation, even if movement ends up slow.

Training Both Ends of Scale

Effective power training combines heavy strength work and explosive power work.

Explosive Band-Assisted Pull-Ups

Do four sets of three pull-ups with band assistance, resting three minutes between sets.

Fast Pulls on Fixed Edge

Pull as hard and fast as possible for two to three seconds, doing four to eight reps.

Ground-Based Pull-Ups

Jump into the pull-up motion from ground to middle range using lower body momentum.

Power Training Frequency

Train power two to three times a week for focus, once or twice a week to maintain.