Just a tip for new climbers who might come into the sport already athletic. You might find it easy to just not use your hips or feet for a lot of climbs and just rely on strength, but as you get to harder and harder climbs it starts to become a mix of both. I would say in the beginning it's better to work on technique and trying to mimic the better climbers at your gym than to just try and get stronger and stronger. If all you do is get stronger and not more technical, than your going to hit a plateau and not progress. This happens a lot with climbers who easily jump to v4-v6 pretty quick.
The big question is how you can actually train technique and efficient climbing. Even if you and your body know how to do it it can sometimes be hard to apply it. On lead climbs I regularly start way too eagerly and sloppy, wasting a ton of strength even though there would be an easier solution. My recommendation would be to start with stretching early since it takes a loooong time to improve flexibility, it’s crucial for good technique and it’s easy to fit into a training schedule.
I would say for bouldering, being sloppy and just relying on strength benefitted me more then focusing on technique. By constantly cutting feet and relying on arm / shoulder strength I got really strong really quickly. Then after 3 months I focused on technique to push the harder grades. It definitely depends on the climber, but this is what worked best for me.
@@christians6974 Climbing sloppy does build a lot of strength. That's why I was targeting this more towards people who are already strong enough to climb hard, they just need the technique. Great way to build strength though
@@Mike-oz4cv You can train technique and efficient climbing by doing a lot of easy moves while trying not to get pumped. Builds endurance and teaches your body how to not use more energy than needed. If you want more power endurance than you can do a climb 1 or 2 grades below your limit 3 times in a row and that will teach you how to still do hard moves but with as little energy required. But yes, flexibility is crucial
I really like to start my sessions with at least 3 very easy climbs and focus purely on technique and efficiency. Good way to always work on it and get the mindset for the rest of the session set.
Good video and nice progress! I have started climbing about a year ago (24yo) and it became my greatest passion. I have climbed V9 indoors and several V8s, currently working on some V7s and V8s outdoors. My best non-techical advices: 1. Stay consistent (as said in the video) - best way to do this is to ENJOY the climbing and to climb regularly. Don't do climbing in a way you don't like just to reach higher grades - e.g. training beyond your comfort (unless you are use to it) - it could burn you out. Avoiding injuries - listen your body and rest! 2. Don't compete with others and keep your ego away from climbing. 3. Work on your weaknesses - recognise where you struggle the most and train to improve - fingerstrengh (hangboard), flexibility (stretching), strenght & power (pull ups, campus board), core, footwork... 4. Don't respect the grades - you will be surprised how many hard routes are possible for you because they are your style. 5. Try to find people with similar skill level and dedication - climbing alone can get boring and finding the right beta is harder. Just talk to people who climb the same route as you and maybe you will find new friends 🙂 6. Stretch at the end of your session and do dynamic stretching and warm up before it. 7. Watch better climbers and try to learn - in your gym/from youtube videos. Try to imagine the tension and reason behind their moves.
About your 4th point : or surprised how many easier routes feel hard because they *aren't* your style, they're often routes to look for when trying to improve
Newbie climber here with only 2 sessions in. It's nice for me to see a video like this showing a great deal of progress in a relatively short amount of time. Keep up the good work!
@@aki42 im quite new,about 10 sessions in(8 of which were by myself) and ive done a couple v3s and one v3-5(my gym sometimes has them graded in ranges)
Strength is always important, but that develops naturally. My advice to "newbies" (or anyone really) is to concentrate on footwork and how it effects body position. Be precise and always watch your foot on to the hold. Sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many don't do it. Also it's not about numbers... you'll learn far more doing easier climbs well than you will from flailing around on hard ones.
Hey Stephen, Congrats on the progress! This is really well done! As for me I also love bouldering and documenting my progress!! Hope you have a great day! 💪
Nice to see someone else’s journey, i’ve been climbing for around 7 months now 2 times a week. and i’ve send my first v5 as well last week! Gl with your future climbing!
@@StephenTvedt i know that feel 😂 When i did youtube, i puzzled my sentences together all the time so that a single sentence sometimes included parts of like 3 or 4 takes haha. I never got it right and in a good tempo the first time. Talking is more difficult than u might think 😅😅
The climbing algorithm brought me here. This video is sooooo well done! I love the voice over/background music cross fades. Super clean 👌✨ You got yourself a sub! 👍
That's so nice of you and thanks for the sub! More videos are in the works. Any topics or recommendations are welcomed! The UA-cam gods have delivered 📈
thanks for showing your 1-year climbing progression, mustve taken a long time to edit. listening to your thought processes behind each boulder problem was very interesting, especially since i’ve found myself having the exact same thoughts as well. been going to the gym 3 times a week (mon, wed, sat) for a little over a year now, i find most V4-V6s to be challenging but doable. the trick to improving one’s climbing really boils down to polishing your technique and climbing with intention. was cool seeing someone in the same shoes as i am, i hope you continue to enjoy bouldering!
Thanks for sharing as well!! I know similar people may have the same doubts or challenges so wanted folks to know they are expected and normal. Being intentional is so important, I feel strong enough now that the harder grades are coming down more to technique determining the success.
I started climbing almost exactly a year ago from today. At first I was hitting V2-3s and today I just sent my first ever V7 (very easy V7, honestly V6 but it says V7 on the tag so I'm taking it sue me.) I agree with you! Starting out for the first month or three is ALL about mileage and just getting as much climbing under your belt as possible. There's also a ton of great content on UA-cam that can teach you all about different techniques for you to try out on the wall. If I were to give advice to myself from a year ago, it would be "Focus more on controlled climbing and good footwork." Good footwork will save your ass especially on overhangs.
Great video, really enjoyed it! I too have just reached my ~1 year point for regular bouldering. Started around the V2-3 sort of area but mostly relying on upper body strength to pull myself up the wall. I've been really addicted to training and trying to improve all areas - technique, footwork, finger strength etc. Also found my deep infatuation for dynos! Currently around the v5/6 area trying to push through the plateau but loving every minute of it :) Keep sending bro!
nice climbing. good to see you are taking a pretty conservative approach and listening to your body. bouldering is definitely a technique heavy sport which takes years and years to build up your skills... i see too many newer climbers get too excited and do far too high volume only to injure themselves and lose a lot of progression. i understand the want to get stronger and climber as much as you can (it is such a fun sport), but only if your body can handle it
Dig the video! I started climbing in July as well, but this year (2022). I’ve had more flappers than I can count, but I’ve finally got some decent skin and stopped having to tape around month 3 - it was kind of brutal until then (climbed 3 days a week for about 3-4 hours a session = lots of blisters, flappers, and blood). So if you’re not game for pain listen to your skin and shorten the sessions. To any new climbers out there; it’s not a race, climb slower and you’ll learn faster. Frantically clawing up a rout won’t help you near as much as taking your time and staying tight, you’ll build more strength, as well as have the time to breath and notice what you’re doing right and wrong. Also, your feet matter! Use them! Heel and toe hooks, as well as flagging, are pretty easy techniques that will massively improve your climbing. Have a blast in the gym, but remember, there’s a whole lot of real rock out there! So get your butt outdoors and climb some rocks!
Thanks for sharing your experience! Totally agree and would really like to get some outdoor climbing in but want to make sure I have all the knowledge to be safe. Being intentional every time I go climbing has made such a difference!
great to watch your progress and your analysis of your own climbing journey! as a new climber started for about 1 year, kinda see myself in your video!
Great video, I really have been contemplating getting into bouldering as a fun way to work out especially with a nice bouldering gym near me. Just don’t know where to start
That's awesome. That is the main reason I picked climbing up. I despise lifting heavy objects for sake of it. There is a fun problem solving component to climbing too! For getting started just head to the local gym and get a pair of rental shoes. All gyms will have beginner friendly boulders and staff/other climbers in my experience are very helpful (if you want it).
Start at day one, rent shoes, climb the lower or lowest grade, meet the nicest people you could wish for, get pumped, rest, and repeat. Been doing that (minus the shoe renting, got myself a nice beginners pair from decathlon) since may this year, and am on a 6X a month schedual, since I'm in my early 40's now and need a bit longer to recover than someone in their 20's. Oh, and one other thing, try to get a friend into it as well, it's always easier to find motivation when you're not alone, or in other words, not as easy to bail out. ;)
Good to hear you throw in some top-roping! I'm 10 months in doing v6-v8's but did a bit of top roping recently and got absolutely destroyed on a 5.10a due to lack of endurance, haha. Definitely need to work on that myself. Highly suggest climbing with people that are better than yourself if you aren't already. Keeps you aiming higher, plus there's plenty to learn! Keep up the good work!
I confirm it all, I have also started in August 2021. My way is very similar to yours. When I watch your video I can see myself 😄 It seems that we are almost on the same level, so I think both of us are on the good direction. I train 2 times a week with a group section conducted by this year's Polish bouldering champion - Andrzej Mecherzynski-Wiktor. So I am in good hands and this is still a lot of fun for me. I keep my fingers crossed for your progres and youtube channel! Keep going! 😁 Greetings from Poland 🇵🇱
Great progress! Nice tall person beta on some of those climbs. I might recommend practising only placing your hands and feet once on each hold on some easier climbs to reduce the endless readjusting though, it can help save so much energy. It's great that you're having fun with this, and here's to another year of progress
Thanks so much and for the advice. I’ve incorporated some of that into my warm ups to try to more conscious of that!! Also trying to be better about getting feet up sooner!
Been climbing for 10 months or so, not as consistently at the start. Now projecting my first 6C grade climb which is I think around V5. Got a couple of 6B+s already done. Definitely agree that consistency and avoiding injury are probably the most important things when you start. My girlfriend has been climbing for 4-5 years, she hung around 6A+ (V3-V4?) for quite a long time but has recently improved into 6B+ range by climbing a lot of sessions with me, I think for her consistency and injury avoidance weren't the key things to break her 6A+ barrier but rather projecting routes and being comfortable in trying routes that are above her limit, which I was pushing her into by also doing this. So I'd definitely add those two things to the list, they may be obvious for some people but for others, they might get demotivated more easily by hitting their current limit.
Great to hear and keep it up! Yeah, I think a lot of plateaus are often In our heads and self limiting beliefs of what we’re capable of. Keep it fun and challenging. Grade chasing is not required for a good time!
I started at V2-3 and 3 years later at V8s. I did take 9 months off though due to injuries. I climb 2-3 hours per session plus do abs and lift and pullups.
Nice! Sorry to hear about the injuries. I'm not sure I'd be ready to put that long into sessions still. I could definitely add in more off the wall training on non-climbing days though. Keep it up and stay safe!
Hope everything is ok! I definitely take it easy anytime I feel something is off even a bit. A week off now may prevent a month or two off later. I look at it as long-term I will get more climbing in than not. Everyone is different though and the key thing is to listen to your body and any warning signs it may be sending you.
Nice progress, but remember to give the slabs some love too! It's an easy way to train technique and get more volume since they often don't require much strength :)
I’ve been climbing for about 3 years now (with a pretty big break in my first year due to travelling and covid) and I’m still just about managing v4. I can get a few moves on the odd v5 but I feel as though I’m stuck here!
Hi Oliver, Definitely can relate to plateauing. Do you spend some time projecting any of these climbs at your limit? I might also recommend recording yourself to analyze new potential beta and focus on single moves at a time to later string together.
Nice content! I'm on my 11th month of climbing and agree with most of your tips! So nice to see content creating awareness on good technique. Question to you and fellow climbers: when you say you climb v5, does it mean you flash v5s on sight? Or u can send v5 after projecting on it?
Thank you! Can’t speak to others but I think as with grades it may differ. Some might even use outdoor grades as their metric. I’ve only climbed indoors and would say a V5 knowing it may take me a few sessions to send. 🤷♂️ I try not to focus too much on it.
@@StephenTvedt I see! I agree with you that we shouldn't guide our self worth or satisfaction on climbing by grades we're able to send. But my question was only to understand what you meant by the statement "I'm a V5 climber after 1 year of climbing", because in many technical ways, there's a huge difference between flashing a v5 on sight and redpointing a v5. It takes a much more accurate route reading mind/vision, more fitness to deal with the unexpected, much wider handhold repertoir (capacity and knowledge on how to use different types of holds on different angles), and so on to flash a boulder problem... It was just a curiosity, because on my local gym when we say "I climb this grade", it usually is about the grade we can flash on sight. Of course, it doesn't take any satisfaction and respect of sending a hard problem you've entered almost 50 times, but I believe it's also a good way to understand your growth and even set new goals. Being mindful of this, is a good way to not rush into trying new grades just because you sent a new grade after 4 or 5 very demanding sessions.
Yeah I’d say it’s not my flash grade but since my gums has a range and I’ve been flashing the v4-V6 grade and now able to project the V5-V7 that’s how I think of V5 as possible in maybe 2-3 attempts. I am this month getting to try out some different gyms in Europe so I am curious to see if that changes my perceptions of my gyms grades ha.
Helpful vid! Did you just train on the wall your first year, or did you do any strength building (such as hang board, etc.)? If so, how often (every time you went to the gym? Once a week? Etc)?
Glad it was helpful. Still no hangboarding which out a huge strain on the tendons. With proper footwork and climbing on diverse holds finger strength will develop anyway. I am just now starting to add some tension board training to the mix to try to get a bit more finger strength developed. For other off the wall training I really haven’t done much for the first year. As I’m pushing into the grades that require some much harder moves I’m starting to do some shoulder routines and core work. Main motivating factor for doing so is injury prevention.
I started climbing in march, and after having gone to a good handful of gyms now, I get annoyed with the overly vague grading tags that some gyms have. I know they want to encourage people to not pay attention so much on grades, but it’s equally, if not more discouraging when you’re scratching your head at why you haven’t progressed a tag after 6 months of active and targeted training. A 3-grade span from V3-V5 is just way too ridiculously vague and either means you can either flash and repeat the route 15 times in a row, to being impossible to project before they reset the wall.
Yeah gym grades always to be taken with a grain of salt. Even outdoors some grades get corrected and suit certain body types or styles. Not worth taking things all too seriously and think more about how a climb feels relative to you. I too have V3-V5s that I really struggle with. 🤷♂️
I always find it unbelievable people are climbing V5 after a year (good for you)... been climbing for a bit over 1.5 years and thought I was making pretty quick progress - now climbing most and flashing some V3-4s(6b-6b+) and projecting my first V5s... but these climbs always make this goal feel still far away ^^ well maybe I will get one that is more balance then endurance/strength based in a bit...
Hey Florian, I will say I definitely have some styles of climb that I'm not so great at. A climb that was a V3-V5, slightly overhung, small crimp I wasn't able to send even with a good bit of projecting. Which is usually well in my flash ability. I recommend not reading too much into the grades and expectations you may have since grades are subjective anyway and some styles suit people differently. Best of luck on your climbing progression and keep it fun!
For most of my first year I warmed up on the wall. V0s, lots of jugs, focused on quiet feet and always down climbing. As the intensity of moves has increased. I've more recently added in hopping on an assault bike and doing a few squats and lunges as well. Helped with some high strain heel hooking. Flexibility and stretching I would recommend outside of climbing or post-climb.
I started climbing about 5 months ago I started with 2 hour climb sessions. I only have time to climb once a week or twice if I'm lucky. I started doing v5 on only my fourth session. I'm 38 and my goal is to reach v7 capability. I watch every video I can for tips I now climb for 2 to 3 hours a session and train pull-ups chin ups and hang training in-between sessions. Im hooked on bouldering and climb hard every time 👍
If you can already do V5 after 4 go's ,the V7 will not be a problem. I mean if you already reached this level at the beginning you are natural gifted,really natural gifted.
That is awesome! With that progress I’d say just try harder problems. Some of the higher grades will require some really powerful moves so be mindful of potential weaknesses. For me it’s shouldery big moves I’m careful about and do some off the wall strength to prevent injury!! Thanks for sharing your journey and keep it up!!
@@StephenTvedt thank you i have strong upper body strength from calisthenics experience I can do muscle ups but still training to do the one arm pull up. I struggle mostly with route reading and just generally not understanding when to apply certain skills but that's normal for my lack of experience. I've met loads of really helpful climbers at my gym and learning more every session. The climbing community is awesome and I only wish I discovered it sooner.
anyone got tips with footwork? i feel like it’s hard for me to trust my feet because sometimes they slip off. i try to use my toes when climbing and not the rest of my foot. could it possibly be my shoes?
@rockentry has a video I like about footwork: ua-cam.com/video/7jsUxDVlTOg/v-deo.html My guess is the shoes are alright. Not weighting the feet leads to more slipping off. The trust just comes with some time and intentional practice in my experience.
@@StephenTvedt agree. I climb with my friend. He is tall and strong. I am shorter, weaker but more technical. We are about the same in terms of grade, I am maybe a bit better but he crushed some boulders which I just can't do by using tall beta.
This is my home gym and I can tell you from climbing at a bunch of different gyms for extended periods of time over the past two years a lot of these are graded pretty harshly. That yellow v4-6 in a cave definitely felt like a v6 (maybe even harder), and doing that blue 5-7 without catching the right hand (in the second move) is nuts! Nice video and maybe I'll see you at Beta sometime.
@@StephenTvedt CT gyms? This is honestly a pretty soft looking gym compared to what I've seen. I don't think I've come across a 4-6 with more than a single jug hold. Almost always slopes and crimps. The climbing progression is definitely impressive, but these don't really seem properly graded.
All good. It’s well known gym vs outdoor grades can be pretty different. I took a lead class because there are some out routes I would love to climb. Boulders would be interesting too though. Feel like I would want more than one crash pad though🫣
Just a tip for new climbers who might come into the sport already athletic. You might find it easy to just not use your hips or feet for a lot of climbs and just rely on strength, but as you get to harder and harder climbs it starts to become a mix of both. I would say in the beginning it's better to work on technique and trying to mimic the better climbers at your gym than to just try and get stronger and stronger. If all you do is get stronger and not more technical, than your going to hit a plateau and not progress. This happens a lot with climbers who easily jump to v4-v6 pretty quick.
The big question is how you can actually train technique and efficient climbing. Even if you and your body know how to do it it can sometimes be hard to apply it. On lead climbs I regularly start way too eagerly and sloppy, wasting a ton of strength even though there would be an easier solution.
My recommendation would be to start with stretching early since it takes a loooong time to improve flexibility, it’s crucial for good technique and it’s easy to fit into a training schedule.
I would say for bouldering, being sloppy and just relying on strength benefitted me more then focusing on technique. By constantly cutting feet and relying on arm / shoulder strength I got really strong really quickly. Then after 3 months I focused on technique to push the harder grades. It definitely depends on the climber, but this is what worked best for me.
@@christians6974 Climbing sloppy does build a lot of strength. That's why I was targeting this more towards people who are already strong enough to climb hard, they just need the technique. Great way to build strength though
@@Mike-oz4cv You can train technique and efficient climbing by doing a lot of easy moves while trying not to get pumped. Builds endurance and teaches your body how to not use more energy than needed. If you want more power endurance than you can do a climb 1 or 2 grades below your limit 3 times in a row and that will teach you how to still do hard moves but with as little energy required. But yes, flexibility is crucial
I really like to start my sessions with at least 3 very easy climbs and focus purely on technique and efficiency. Good way to always work on it and get the mindset for the rest of the session set.
Good video and nice progress!
I have started climbing about a year ago (24yo) and it became my greatest passion. I have climbed V9 indoors and several V8s, currently working on some V7s and V8s outdoors.
My best non-techical advices:
1. Stay consistent (as said in the video) - best way to do this is to ENJOY the climbing and to climb regularly. Don't do climbing in a way you don't like just to reach higher grades - e.g. training beyond your comfort (unless you are use to it) - it could burn you out. Avoiding injuries - listen your body and rest!
2. Don't compete with others and keep your ego away from climbing.
3. Work on your weaknesses - recognise where you struggle the most and train to improve - fingerstrengh (hangboard), flexibility (stretching), strenght & power (pull ups, campus board), core, footwork...
4. Don't respect the grades - you will be surprised how many hard routes are possible for you because they are your style.
5. Try to find people with similar skill level and dedication - climbing alone can get boring and finding the right beta is harder. Just talk to people who climb the same route as you and maybe you will find new friends 🙂
6. Stretch at the end of your session and do dynamic stretching and warm up before it.
7. Watch better climbers and try to learn - in your gym/from youtube videos. Try to imagine the tension and reason behind their moves.
Thanks for all the advice!!
About your 4th point : or surprised how many easier routes feel hard because they *aren't* your style, they're often routes to look for when trying to improve
Newbie climber here with only 2 sessions in. It's nice for me to see a video like this showing a great deal of progress in a relatively short amount of time. Keep up the good work!
Newby climber here with 7 weeks of experience. You will improve so fast. Source: trust me bro
What grade can you currently climb? I'm just curious.:-)
@@aki42 im quite new,about 10 sessions in(8 of which were by myself) and ive done a couple v3s and one v3-5(my gym sometimes has them graded in ranges)
Strength is always important, but that develops naturally. My advice to "newbies" (or anyone really) is to concentrate on footwork and how it effects body position. Be precise and always watch your foot on to the hold. Sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many don't do it. Also it's not about numbers... you'll learn far more doing easier climbs well than you will from flailing around on hard ones.
Excellent video. Doesn't SOUND like your first time doing a voice over! 🤙
Thanks Miguel! Really stoked to hear that.
Was definitely a bit self conscious about it before posting! So means a lot 🤙
Hey Stephen,
Congrats on the progress! This is really well done!
As for me I also love bouldering and documenting my progress!!
Hope you have a great day! 💪
Nice to see someone else’s journey, i’ve been climbing for around 7 months now 2 times a week. and i’ve send my first v5 as well last week! Gl with your future climbing!
That's awesome! Congrats on the V5. Also keep it fun, it's not all about grade chasing :)
so much effort put into this video, good job dude!
Thanks a ton! More takes than I care to admit on the commentary were needed :D
@@StephenTvedt i know that feel 😂 When i did youtube, i puzzled my sentences together all the time so that a single sentence sometimes included parts of like 3 or 4 takes haha. I never got it right and in a good tempo the first time. Talking is more difficult than u might think 😅😅
Ah, a fellow BETA climber! Was surprised to see my gym in a random recommended video! Keep up the great work!
Awesome and thanks! Have had a few other Beta climbers comment as well! Don't be a stranger if you see me in the gym.
The climbing algorithm brought me here. This video is sooooo well done! I love the voice over/background music cross fades. Super clean 👌✨
You got yourself a sub! 👍
That's so nice of you and thanks for the sub! More videos are in the works.
Any topics or recommendations are welcomed!
The UA-cam gods have delivered 📈
Same here!
The purple in March 22 is when you can really see the technique developing. Nice progress!
I'm glad to have stumbled across this video. Been wanting to really start climbing and this was certainly inspiring! thank you for sharing!
Get out there and go for it!
I’m so happy I found climbing. It’s been such a great positive influence in my life.
🙌🏻 🧗
thanks for showing your 1-year climbing progression, mustve taken a long time to edit. listening to your thought processes behind each boulder problem was very interesting, especially since i’ve found myself having the exact same thoughts as well. been going to the gym 3 times a week (mon, wed, sat) for a little over a year now, i find most V4-V6s to be challenging but doable.
the trick to improving one’s climbing really boils down to polishing your technique and climbing with intention. was cool seeing someone in the same shoes as i am, i hope you continue to enjoy bouldering!
Thanks for sharing as well!! I know similar people may have the same doubts or challenges so wanted folks to know they are expected and normal.
Being intentional is so important, I feel strong enough now that the harder grades are coming down more to technique determining the success.
Great video man, hoping you get some recognition soon!
Thanks so much! Really appreciate that 🙌🏻🙌🏻 First time doing any voice over so this is so wonderful to hear!
@@StephenTvedt Sick it seems like your getting some views!
The algorithm is delivering 🙌🏻 👌🏻
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I just started to climb recently and hope to make steady progress like you.
Awesome! I'm excited for you!
Keep in mind progress occurs in many ways, not just grades!
Hey man, we go to the same gym. Awesome job, loved seeing the progression
Hey, thanks! If you ever see me climbing, say hello!
I started climbing almost exactly a year ago from today. At first I was hitting V2-3s and today I just sent my first ever V7 (very easy V7, honestly V6 but it says V7 on the tag so I'm taking it sue me.)
I agree with you! Starting out for the first month or three is ALL about mileage and just getting as much climbing under your belt as possible. There's also a ton of great content on UA-cam that can teach you all about different techniques for you to try out on the wall.
If I were to give advice to myself from a year ago, it would be "Focus more on controlled climbing and good footwork." Good footwork will save your ass especially on overhangs.
Great video, really enjoyed it! I too have just reached my ~1 year point for regular bouldering. Started around the V2-3 sort of area but mostly relying on upper body strength to pull myself up the wall. I've been really addicted to training and trying to improve all areas - technique, footwork, finger strength etc. Also found my deep infatuation for dynos! Currently around the v5/6 area trying to push through the plateau but loving every minute of it :) Keep sending bro!
Awesome to hear! Keep up the training and you’ll push through!
Great job!
awesome video
nice climbing. good to see you are taking a pretty conservative approach and listening to your body. bouldering is definitely a technique heavy sport which takes years and years to build up your skills... i see too many newer climbers get too excited and do far too high volume only to injure themselves and lose a lot of progression. i understand the want to get stronger and climber as much as you can (it is such a fun sport), but only if your body can handle it
All good advice! Never thought about it but climbing walls are kinda artistically beautiful. Easier to notice on an empty wall.
So true! Or a particular lines and movements which just look and/or feel good.
Dig the video! I started climbing in July as well, but this year (2022). I’ve had more flappers than I can count, but I’ve finally got some decent skin and stopped having to tape around month 3 - it was kind of brutal until then (climbed 3 days a week for about 3-4 hours a session = lots of blisters, flappers, and blood). So if you’re not game for pain listen to your skin and shorten the sessions.
To any new climbers out there; it’s not a race, climb slower and you’ll learn faster. Frantically clawing up a rout won’t help you near as much as taking your time and staying tight, you’ll build more strength, as well as have the time to breath and notice what you’re doing right and wrong. Also, your feet matter! Use them! Heel and toe hooks, as well as flagging, are pretty easy techniques that will massively improve your climbing.
Have a blast in the gym, but remember, there’s a whole lot of real rock out there! So get your butt outdoors and climb some rocks!
Thanks for sharing your experience! Totally agree and would really like to get some outdoor climbing in but want to make sure I have all the knowledge to be safe.
Being intentional every time I go climbing has made such a difference!
Nice and calm told story of your progress! Have a good time. Greetings, Dave
Thanks Dave!
Congrats! I just recently sent my first V5/6C at my gym as well! Keep crushing!
Thanks! You too!
Nice Work! Great study of your movement and learning from your attempts.
Thank you!!
I have to say after just 1 year your climbing looks super good
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it!
great to watch your progress and your analysis of your own climbing journey! as a new climber started for about 1 year, kinda see myself in your video!
Great video, I really have been contemplating getting into bouldering as a fun way to work out especially with a nice bouldering gym near me. Just don’t know where to start
That's awesome. That is the main reason I picked climbing up. I despise lifting heavy objects for sake of it. There is a fun problem solving component to climbing too!
For getting started just head to the local gym and get a pair of rental shoes. All gyms will have beginner friendly boulders and staff/other climbers in my experience are very helpful (if you want it).
Start at day one, rent shoes, climb the lower or lowest grade, meet the nicest people you could wish for, get pumped, rest, and repeat. Been doing that (minus the shoe renting, got myself a nice beginners pair from decathlon) since may this year, and am on a 6X a month schedual, since I'm in my early 40's now and need a bit longer to recover than someone in their 20's. Oh, and one other thing, try to get a friend into it as well, it's always easier to find motivation when you're not alone, or in other words, not as easy to bail out. ;)
It's so cool seeing how you progressed over the course of a year, great stuff!
Thanks a ton!
Good to hear you throw in some top-roping! I'm 10 months in doing v6-v8's but did a bit of top roping recently and got absolutely destroyed on a 5.10a due to lack of endurance, haha. Definitely need to work on that myself. Highly suggest climbing with people that are better than yourself if you aren't already. Keeps you aiming higher, plus there's plenty to learn! Keep up the good work!
Awesome progress!! The diversity keeps it fun and interesting too!
great work stephen
Awesome vid
I confirm it all, I have also started in August 2021. My way is very similar to yours. When I watch your video I can see myself 😄 It seems that we are almost on the same level, so I think both of us are on the good direction. I train 2 times a week with a group section conducted by this year's Polish bouldering champion - Andrzej Mecherzynski-Wiktor. So I am in good hands and this is still a lot of fun for me. I keep my fingers crossed for your progres and youtube channel! Keep going! 😁 Greetings from Poland 🇵🇱
That’s great. I’m looking forward to starting to climb in an adult league and work with a coach through that. Keep it up 👍🏻
good job dawg
got yourself a new subscriber
Appreciate it!! Thanks for the sub!
congratulations men🧗🏻
Thank you! 😃
Great progress! Nice tall person beta on some of those climbs. I might recommend practising only placing your hands and feet once on each hold on some easier climbs to reduce the endless readjusting though, it can help save so much energy. It's great that you're having fun with this, and here's to another year of progress
Thanks so much and for the advice. I’ve incorporated some of that into my warm ups to try to more conscious of that!! Also trying to be better about getting feet up sooner!
Great improvement in March 2022
Thank you!
Well done! good video
Thank you! Cheers!
Been climbing for 10 months or so, not as consistently at the start. Now projecting my first 6C grade climb which is I think around V5. Got a couple of 6B+s already done. Definitely agree that consistency and avoiding injury are probably the most important things when you start. My girlfriend has been climbing for 4-5 years, she hung around 6A+ (V3-V4?) for quite a long time but has recently improved into 6B+ range by climbing a lot of sessions with me, I think for her consistency and injury avoidance weren't the key things to break her 6A+ barrier but rather projecting routes and being comfortable in trying routes that are above her limit, which I was pushing her into by also doing this. So I'd definitely add those two things to the list, they may be obvious for some people but for others, they might get demotivated more easily by hitting their current limit.
Great to hear and keep it up! Yeah, I think a lot of plateaus are often In our heads and self limiting beliefs of what we’re capable of.
Keep it fun and challenging. Grade chasing is not required for a good time!
I started at V2-3 and 3 years later at V8s. I did take 9 months off though due to injuries. I climb 2-3 hours per session plus do abs and lift and pullups.
Nice! Sorry to hear about the injuries. I'm not sure I'd be ready to put that long into sessions still. I could definitely add in more off the wall training on non-climbing days though. Keep it up and stay safe!
1 week off. Im struggling to keep 1 or 2 days off 😅 I am however feeling it in a tendon in my right arm, which is not a good sign...
Hope everything is ok! I definitely take it easy anytime I feel something is off even a bit. A week off now may prevent a month or two off later. I look at it as long-term I will get more climbing in than not.
Everyone is different though and the key thing is to listen to your body and any warning signs it may be sending you.
this man climbs overhangs better than some game characters :D
Nice progress, but remember to give the slabs some love too! It's an easy way to train technique and get more volume since they often don't require much strength :)
That is some great advice. Thank you!
I’ve been climbing for about 3 years now (with a pretty big break in my first year due to travelling and covid) and I’m still just about managing v4. I can get a few moves on the odd v5 but I feel as though I’m stuck here!
Hi Oliver, Definitely can relate to plateauing. Do you spend some time projecting any of these climbs at your limit? I might also recommend recording yourself to analyze new potential beta and focus on single moves at a time to later string together.
Nice content! I'm on my 11th month of climbing and agree with most of your tips! So nice to see content creating awareness on good technique.
Question to you and fellow climbers: when you say you climb v5, does it mean you flash v5s on sight? Or u can send v5 after projecting on it?
Thank you! Can’t speak to others but I think as with grades it may differ. Some might even use outdoor grades as their metric. I’ve only climbed indoors and would say a V5 knowing it may take me a few sessions to send. 🤷♂️ I try not to focus too much on it.
@@StephenTvedt I see! I agree with you that we shouldn't guide our self worth or satisfaction on climbing by grades we're able to send.
But my question was only to understand what you meant by the statement "I'm a V5 climber after 1 year of climbing", because in many technical ways, there's a huge difference between flashing a v5 on sight and redpointing a v5. It takes a much more accurate route reading mind/vision, more fitness to deal with the unexpected, much wider handhold repertoir (capacity and knowledge on how to use different types of holds on different angles), and so on to flash a boulder problem... It was just a curiosity, because on my local gym when we say "I climb this grade", it usually is about the grade we can flash on sight. Of course, it doesn't take any satisfaction and respect of sending a hard problem you've entered almost 50 times, but I believe it's also a good way to understand your growth and even set new goals.
Being mindful of this, is a good way to not rush into trying new grades just because you sent a new grade after 4 or 5 very demanding sessions.
Yeah I’d say it’s not my flash grade but since my gums has a range and I’ve been flashing the v4-V6 grade and now able to project the V5-V7 that’s how I think of V5 as possible in maybe 2-3 attempts. I am this month getting to try out some different gyms in Europe so I am curious to see if that changes my perceptions of my gyms grades ha.
Very good video keep it up
Thanks so much!
Plenty more videos on their way!
Helpful vid! Did you just train on the wall your first year, or did you do any strength building (such as hang board, etc.)? If so, how often (every time you went to the gym? Once a week? Etc)?
Glad it was helpful. Still no hangboarding which out a huge strain on the tendons. With proper footwork and climbing on diverse holds finger strength will develop anyway. I am just now starting to add some tension board training to the mix to try to get a bit more finger strength developed.
For other off the wall training I really haven’t done much for the first year. As I’m pushing into the grades that require some much harder moves I’m starting to do some shoulder routines and core work. Main motivating factor for doing so is injury prevention.
I started climbing in march, and after having gone to a good handful of gyms now, I get annoyed with the overly vague grading tags that some gyms have. I know they want to encourage people to not pay attention so much on grades, but it’s equally, if not more discouraging when you’re scratching your head at why you haven’t progressed a tag after 6 months of active and targeted training. A 3-grade span from V3-V5 is just way too ridiculously vague and either means you can either flash and repeat the route 15 times in a row, to being impossible to project before they reset the wall.
Yeah gym grades always to be taken with a grain of salt. Even outdoors some grades get corrected and suit certain body types or styles. Not worth taking things all too seriously and think more about how a climb feels relative to you. I too have V3-V5s that I really struggle with. 🤷♂️
I’ve had this video idea for a while now, I haven’t been climbing for a year yet but I want to make a V0 to V11 in a year vid
That would be very interesting for you and others!
I always find it unbelievable people are climbing V5 after a year (good for you)... been climbing for a bit over 1.5 years and thought I was making pretty quick progress - now climbing most and flashing some V3-4s(6b-6b+) and projecting my first V5s... but these climbs always make this goal feel still far away ^^ well maybe I will get one that is more balance then endurance/strength based in a bit...
Hey Florian, I will say I definitely have some styles of climb that I'm not so great at. A climb that was a V3-V5, slightly overhung, small crimp I wasn't able to send even with a good bit of projecting. Which is usually well in my flash ability. I recommend not reading too much into the grades and expectations you may have since grades are subjective anyway and some styles suit people differently. Best of luck on your climbing progression and keep it fun!
Sure now worries - I definitely but fun before grade ^^ didn’t think I would ever be able to do 6a+ when I started out ^^ all the best to you
First time I've seen someone outside of the fam with the same last name 😁
This is the second Tvedt that is commenting on this video too!! Still shocked to see it! Merry Christmas 🎄
Beta!! I remember these routes hahaha
Did you do any sport or training or exercise before you started bouldering? Stretching?
For most of my first year I warmed up on the wall. V0s, lots of jugs, focused on quiet feet and always down climbing.
As the intensity of moves has increased. I've more recently added in hopping on an assault bike and doing a few squats and lunges as well. Helped with some high strain heel hooking. Flexibility and stretching I would recommend outside of climbing or post-climb.
I started climbing about 5 months ago I started with 2 hour climb sessions. I only have time to climb once a week or twice if I'm lucky. I started doing v5 on only my fourth session. I'm 38 and my goal is to reach v7 capability. I watch every video I can for tips I now climb for 2 to 3 hours a session and train pull-ups chin ups and hang training in-between sessions. Im hooked on bouldering and climb hard every time 👍
If you can already do V5 after 4 go's ,the V7 will not be a problem.
I mean if you already reached this level at the beginning you are natural gifted,really natural gifted.
@@klifa3838 thanks for the kind words I'm definitely focused. 👍
That is awesome! With that progress I’d say just try harder problems. Some of the higher grades will require some really powerful moves so be mindful of potential weaknesses. For me it’s shouldery big moves I’m careful about and do some off the wall strength to prevent injury!!
Thanks for sharing your journey and keep it up!!
@@StephenTvedt thank you i have strong upper body strength from calisthenics experience I can do muscle ups but still training to do the one arm pull up. I struggle mostly with route reading and just generally not understanding when to apply certain skills but that's normal for my lack of experience. I've met loads of really helpful climbers at my gym and learning more every session. The climbing community is awesome and I only wish I discovered it sooner.
anyone got tips with footwork? i feel like it’s hard for me to trust my feet because sometimes they slip off. i try to use my toes when climbing and not the rest of my foot. could it possibly be my shoes?
@rockentry has a video I like about footwork: ua-cam.com/video/7jsUxDVlTOg/v-deo.html
My guess is the shoes are alright. Not weighting the feet leads to more slipping off. The trust just comes with some time and intentional practice in my experience.
Small tip for new climbers - just be tall.
Can confirm tall beta is a thing. It can work against you too though and create some very scrunched up awkward positions.
@@StephenTvedt agree. I climb with my friend. He is tall and strong. I am shorter, weaker but more technical. We are about the same in terms of grade, I am maybe a bit better but he crushed some boulders which I just can't do by using tall beta.
O shit a Tvedt
Oh shit indeed! I’m not sure I’ve ever come across another tvedt that’s not a direct relative! 👋🏻 nice to meet you!
😮
This is my home gym and I can tell you from climbing at a bunch of different gyms for extended periods of time over the past two years a lot of these are graded pretty harshly. That yellow v4-6 in a cave definitely felt like a v6 (maybe even harder), and doing that blue 5-7 without catching the right hand (in the second move) is nuts! Nice video and maybe I'll see you at Beta sometime.
Nice. I've really enjoyed Beta, having been to several gyms as well! Definitely keep an eye out for me. Always happen to climb with someone!!
where is this gym located? i had the opposite experience :)
@@2c2c2c2c2c This is Beta Climbing in Stamford, CT. Great gym!
@@StephenTvedt CT gyms? This is honestly a pretty soft looking gym compared to what I've seen. I don't think I've come across a 4-6 with more than a single jug hold. Almost always slopes and crimps. The climbing progression is definitely impressive, but these don't really seem properly graded.
I would try to downclimb more, jumping down will get you in the long run.
Sage advice! I aim to always downclimb, the exceptions being when I'm totally gassed/pumped.
I also see it as a bonus, you get more climbing in!
don't take this the wrong way but I think you should try climbing outside and get absolutely humbled.
All good. It’s well known gym vs outdoor grades can be pretty different. I took a lead class because there are some out routes I would love to climb. Boulders would be interesting too though. Feel like I would want more than one crash pad though🫣