While climbing we use different types of muscles depending on the requirements placed on our body. Different types of muscle recruitment require different fuel sources (ie substrates) and the type utilized determines which energy system we’re “in”.

Energy Systems Overview

• Anaerobic Alactic: roughly 0-15 sec
  • High Force Output / Low Resistance to Fatigue
  • Ex. A few moves at our limit, usually associated with bouldering
• Anaerobic Lactic: roughly 15-90 sec
  • Medium Force Output / Medium Resistance to Fatigue
  • Ex. long, sub-maximal, boulder or extended period of challenging climbing on route (w/ no rest)
• Aerobic: roughly 90 sec and above
  • Low Force Output / High Resistance to Fatigue
  • Ex. long, moderate route with no cruxes but plentiful rests and good holds

• Important Notes
  • All systems are active at any one time, but one is dominant based on requirements of stimuli.
  • Fuel sources of Anaerobic Systems are replenished via an aerobic process. Training Aerobic system will have benefits for all systems in terms of substrate delivery.

Capacity vs. Power in Training

When we train endurance it is important to understand the relationship between capacity (size of the gas tank) and power (quality of the fuel) and use these concepts to meet the needs of our training. Below are the “quadrants” under which training capacity or power within our different energy systems exists.

• Aerobic Capacity: lots of movements at a conversational level of intensity (should be able to talk to someone during the entirety of a set).
  • Benefits: improvement on long, continuous routes / increase efficiency of oxygen uptake into muscles / more high quality efforts per day
  • Detriments: it’s boring, make sure you have a podcast on hand
  • Example: ARC Training / Long, Easy Traverses / High Volume @ Low-Moderate Intensity
  • Important Note: If you feel yourself falling into a deep, acidy pump during this training you’re no longer training aerobic capacity!

• Aerobic Power: lots of movement at a moderate level of intensity, resulting in high levels of fatigue and “pump”
  • Benefits: increased ability to fight, mentally and physically, the massive pump resulting from consistent, moderate, movement for a long time
  • Detriments: This type of training is extremely taxing and takes a long time to recover from, making it challenging to effectively add into a training plan unless you have a really solid base of Aerobic Capacity
  • Example: Bouldering 4x4s, Bouldering Circuits of 20-40 Moves
  • Important Note: This training relates most closely to raising our tolerance for fatigue but has less efficacy for increasing delivery of substrates to muscles.

• Anaerobic Capacity: If Aerobic Power is training to get tired, Anaerobic Capacity is training to not get tired; teaching system to recover quickly in response to stimuli.
  • Benefits: improved delivery of substrates / more high intensity efforts with limited rest
  • Detriments: requires focused approach to maintain correct level of intensity
  • Example: OTM Bouldering / Short sets w/ relatively long rests
  • Important Note: Anaerobic Capacity teaches our body to recover effectively from demands of climbing and holds fewer recovery needs than Aerobic Power

• Anaerobic Power: Training high intensity movements, plain and simple, just adding increased/specialized demands to traditional power bouldering session
  • Benefits: Who doesn’t want more power? Can be easily adopted into bouldering-focused training.
  • Detriments: Because it’s so easy to add into bouldering can be easy to forget this has limited value to all but the Anaerobic Alactic system, which most boulderers have trained up pretty well.
  • Example: Broken Circuits, traversing into boulder problem
  • Important Note: This will increase recovery speed for Anaerobic Alactic but should be paired with some capacity training to see most improvement.

Additional Reading:
Power Endurance: Fatigue Management for Rock Climbers – Steve Bechtel
Training for Climbing – Eric Horst
A Rock Climber’s Training Manual – Michael and Mark Anderson