Consult your physician before starting any workout routine. And remember that this workout was designed by and for the author. It may not work for everyone. Now that we have the legal crap out of the way...

Let me start by saying: If you are a beginning climber with less than 2 years climbing experience (or climbing below 5.10a) than you should NOT be starting a sport specific workout. It is more important for you to obtain tons of technical information out on the rocks. It is important to note that certain exercises are still important for beginners. For instance, you should be working your chest, shoulders, triceps and the backs of your forearms (antagonist muscles). Antagonist muscles are ones that are not being trained by your climbing routines. In order to avoid injury and make better gains, it is imperative to train these also. When training antagonists, always use endurance or high-rep low-weight routines. This will ensure that you will not bulk up unnecessary muscles. Purchase John Long's book, "How To Rock Climb!" In my humble opinion, it is a must for anybody serious about climbing.

I start ALL workouts and climbs with some sort of warm-up, stretching and sports specific muscle massage. Also, I always finish all workouts with additional stretching. For more information on sports massage, see "The Healing Art of Sports Massage" by: Joan Johnson. Sports massage is also briefly mentioned in Eric Hörst's book, "Flash Training" (which is an awesome book). Everyone (beginners to experts) can benefit from proper stretching and sports massage.

My workout is broken into four training cycles. My "normal" cycle is 14 weeks long and I follow that with four weeks of endurance, then three weeks of maximum strength and finally two weeks of anaerobic. The four cycles are followed by one week of absolute rest. Also, there is always three minutes of rest between sets.

BTW - I should mention that the "4-3-2-1" training routine listed below is not my idea and was stolen directly from Eric Hörst's book, "How to Climb 5.12" (another awesome book). I just happen to think that it is the sh*t and I use it.

Fourteen Weeks of Regular Training
During this time period, I workout only on Wednesdays and Climb Saturday and Sunday. My climbing focus is towards technique. I mix-up my workout from one Wednesday to the next. This is my regular "Weekend Warrior" routine:

First Wednesday (weights):
Pull-ups [vary grip position] (3 sets / 8-15 reps)
One-armed lock-offs (5 sets)
Uneven-grip pull-ups (3 sets)
Frenchies (3 sets)
Mr. Pinch-O-Grip lat-raises (3 sets / <6 reps)
Reverse curls (3 sets / > 22 reps)
Push-ups (3 sets / > 30 reps)
Dumbell shoulder raises (3 sets / > 22 reps)
Triceps kickbacks (3 sets / > 22 reps)
Heavy finger rolls (6 sets / < 6 reps)
Reverse wrist curls (3 sets / 24 reps)
Wrist curls (3 sets / 24 reps)
Hammer pronators (3 sets / 24 reps)
Reverse grip (rubber bands) (3 sets)
Abdominal exercise (5 sets)

Second Wednesday (H.I.T.):
Abdominal exercises, push-ups, shoulder raises, reverse wrist curls, pronators and H.I.T. strip workout.

Third Wednesday (weights):
Pull-ups [vary grip position] (3 sets / 8-15 reps)
One-armed lock-offs (5 sets)
Uneven-grip pull-ups (3 sets)
Typewriters (3 sets)
Bent-over lat-raises (5 sets / <6 reps)
Reverse curls (3 sets / > 22 reps)
Push-ups (3 sets / > 30 reps)
Dumbell shoulder raises (3 sets / > 22 reps)
Triceps kickbacks (3 sets / > 22 reps)
Heavy finger rolls (6 sets / < 6 reps)
Reverse wrist curls (3 sets / 24 reps)
Wrist curls (3 sets / 24 reps)
Hammer pronators (3 sets / 24 reps)
Reverse grip (rubber bands) (3 sets)
Abdominal exercise (5 sets)

Fourth Wednesday (grip):
Pull-ups (5 sets / 8-15 reps)
One-armed lock-offs (3 sets)
Uneven-grip pull-ups (3 sets)
Frenchies (3 sets)
Pinch block or plates (3 sets per hand)
Telegraph key (fingers up) (3 sets per hand)
Telegraph key (thumbs up) (3 sets per hand)
Telegraph key (pinch) (3 sets per hand)
Grip squeeze (5 sets)
Mr. Pinch-O-Grip lat-raises (3 sets / <6 reps)
Hammer finger lifts (3 sets)
Wrist-twist (3 sets)
Reverse wrist curls (3 sets / 24 reps)
Wrist curls (3 sets / 24 reps)
Hammer pronators (3 sets / 24 reps)
Reverse grip (rubber bands) (3 sets per hand)
Push-ups (3 sets / > 30 reps)
Dumbell shoulder raises (3 sets / > 30 reps)
Abdominal exercise (5 sets)

After week four, I start back with the first week's workout. I continue this until 14 weeks pass. The 14th week ends on a H.I.T. workout.

Four Weeks of Endurance Training
During this time period, the only workout is climbing (plus push-ups, shoulder raises, abs, reverse wrist and pronators). I climb four days a week focusing on endurance. Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday are all climbing days. In-between days are used for rest. This training cycle ends on the fourth week's Thursday.

Three Weeks Maximum Strength Training
During this time period, I use the H.I.T. Strip workout mixed with push-ups, shoulder raises, reverse wrist curls, pronators and abdominal routines. I follow every training day with at least two days of rest. My Workout days are: Monday and Thursday. The remaining days in-between are all used for "extreme" rest.

Two Weeks Anaerobic Training
During this time period, the only workout is climbing (plus push-ups, shoulder raises, abs, reverse wrist and pronators). The goal here is to focus on muscular failure with each climb. My Workout days are: Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Friday and Monday. The two days in-between workouts are all used for resting.

One Week of Rest
During this period, I do not workout or climb. Period.

After the week of rest, I return to the fourteen weeks above and start my cycle over.

Notes:
Perhaps you noticed that I do not list any sort of leg workout above. There is a critical reason for this... I NEVER work my legs because they are filled with the largest muscles in the body. Strengthening them would only increase their size (and weight). Climbing alone will keep my legs at a level necessary for climbing.

Anytime I cannot climb outdoors, (due to rain, cold, etc.) I replace my crag time with indoor wall time. I never substitute climbing time for anything else (since it is used primarily to improve technique). Click here to check out my home woody.

The telegraph key, pinch block and grip-master I use are available here. I have found these tools to be indispensable for increasing my finger strength.

My H.I.T. strips were designed by Eric Hörst and are available here. There is also more information available about them here.

Finally, the Mr. Pinch-O-grip is home made. Click here to view a picture of it.