Gardiner, NY
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Climbing › Training
The program is an 8-month structured campaign targeting Gunks 5.12, built on two pillars: finger strength (max hangs) and power-endurance (pyramid repeaters). I started in October 2025 and ran three 4-week build blocks with scheduled deloads. As of late March I'm in send season — one maintenance session a week, the rest is climbing.
The logic is specific to this rock. Gunks 5.12 is sustained crimping through horizontal roofs. You need the strength to hang individual moves and the endurance to link them under fatigue. The gym work is boring on purpose. It's infrastructure.
Build blocks: establish baseline → push big crimp pyramid to 9-rep peak → transition to small crimps (harder, closer to Gunks terrain) → deload → climb. Max hangs ran in parallel, tracking both a large and a small Metolius rung with added weight.
Pyramid repeaters, 7s on / 3s off. Once the big crimp pyramid consolidated at a 9-rep peak, training shifted to small crimps — which are closer to actual Gunks texture.
Deload week (Feb 20) capped intentionally at 6 reps — not a regression. First 8-rep peak on small crimps hit Apr 13. Apr 20 capped at 7 intentionally to stay fresh for outdoor send season.
Half-crimp, ~10s hangs. Pounds added above bodyweight. Big and small Metolius rungs tracked separately.
Mar 6 big rung drop: came in fatigued, had to bail from +65 to +45. Not a true regression — small rung bumped from +20 to +25 the same session.
Gym climbing sessions per month (Oct 2025–present). The drop in March marks the shift to outdoor season.