Jonathan Siegrist’s Article Suggesting Beginners Just Climb

[Hunter Miles]

I am curious what people’s thoughts are about this article from Jonathan Siegrist. www.climbing.com/skills/jonathan-siegrist-climb-to-train-how-to-improve-by-simply-climbing/

He suggests that for your first few years to just climb and not follow any structured training plan. I have been climbing for a couple of years now and am wondering what direction to take.

[tedwelser]

Hey Hunter,

I would say that the title of his article is misleading, in the sense that the advice that he offers in the article itself is super valuable and certainly consistent with taking a reflective rational approach to climbing. That approach is at the heart of the RCTM, and it is the key to actually improving. Indeed, he admonishes the reader to avoid trying to improve fast through some type of workout or training regime. I would say a more accurate title would be: Make careful, consistent, and intentional use of all of your climbing time to learn and grow.

In that sense, the process of using your climbing wisely and intentionally will make the best basis for safe and consistent progress. I would say this is generally true, however, this is not what most people mean when they say "Just climb". I would also say that the RCTM has provided the reader with an analytic dissection of dimensions of climbing fitness and capacity, and made the strategies for cultivating those dimensions more repeatable and measurable.

Finally, I reached my highest ability doing my version of what JS is suggesting when I was in my early to mid 20's. The level of performance and success I enjoyed then are much higher than what I can do now. However, in my late 40's and into my early 50's, it is only with the RCTM framework that I was able to safely regain much of that performance; and if I had been able to apply the RCTM insights I am certain I would have peaked a couple of letter grades higher at the time because my strengths would have been more balanced, and I would have been much better at improving my weaknesses.

The final thing I would say is that if you focus on your climbing in the way that JS suggests you will likely maximize your happiness. The more slowly and consistently you improve the happier you will be in the long run because it is the process that holds the reward, not the destination. The worst thing is to deny yourself the process by being in a hurry to improve and then injuring yourself or otherwise forcing yourself away from really paying attention to the process.

[huntermiles]

Thanks for the response Ted! Sorry it’s taken me a month to get back. You offered some great insight. I’m a fairly new climber, just a couple years, and I’m finding that the rctm training plan doesn’t seem to have enough climbing. There is a lot in the arc and bouldering power periods however there seems to be a gap in just climbing intermediate routes. I arc using all the colors in my gym mostly and sometimes try specific routes. But I don’t get the experience of trying intermediate routes. And then it switches to bouldering which is likely to be enjoyable but I still don’t feel is the experience I need.

I have only just started climbing outside so I don’t know what grades I can climb. But in the gym I can comfortably climb most 5.11’s. I feel like it would be most beneficial if I spent time climbing several 5.11s and worked on some harder projects. The RCTM program just seems to focus on easy arc base building and then working on limit bouldering and your hardest redpoints leaving a gap in climbing routes just at and above your level.

Do you have any thoughts on this? Should the rctm include more climbing of difficulties between your arc and hardest red point? And I’m sure your experience plays a factor. I’d imagine an amateur climber would benefit more from experience of climbing more routes. I’m just trying to figure out my plan and it’s kinda difficult and confusing.

[huntermiles]

I guess I’m also having some confusion with how to plan my performance period with each red point training day. How do you decide what routes to attempt each day of the performance phase? Is this where you plan your long term goals and decide what to do each season to reach that? Part of my question in the last reply has to do with building a route pyramid. It just seemed like there isn’t enough opportunity to build your route pyramid when you only get a short performance phase. I was thinking you just try your hardest routes but is the point to determine what routes will get you to your biggest goals even if it means climbing many easier ones throughout the performance phase, waiting till future cycles to try your hardest. If I don’t have a lot of experience with redpointing would it be a good idea to plan this cycle’s performance phase with hard 5.11 routes that take me 3-4 good tries and determine more difficult project goals from there?

I know this is a lot of detail and questions, sorry.

[leoing]

Check out Steve Bechtels "Logical progression" - non-linear progression, 75% training with climbing shoes plus more performance phases.

[huntermiles]

Thanks for the suggestion leoing! I'll check it out.