Develop Your “Try Hard” Mindset With This Workout

We all know a climber that is impossibly good at giving it their all when it matters most. Desperate, no-quit onsight or flash attempts, and redpoint sends where they leave nothing in the tank. You may know a climber that fits into this category who is physically weaker and less technically skilled than you, but when decide to really turn it on, their ability to send is something to behold. These climbers are experts at entering the “try hard” or “a muerte” mindset in climbing. While this state of mind might come natural to some, luckily for the rest of us it can be trained. Here’s a fun workout that will help hone the skill.

In this fun bouldering session, you climb a series of boulder problems in the gym, but you only get three tries on each to send. This forces you to use your brain and body at their absolute max. To succeed on boulders slightly above your flash level in under three goes, you have to think analytically about movement and beta, direct your mindset repeatedly into that “try hard” zone, and give the problem all the strength and power you have to get to the top.

This workout can vary in length depending on your current fitness and climbing experience. A typical workout will last around an hour, but a little shorter or longer is fine too. The goal of the workout is to be powered out by the end. Because you’ll be giving max effort, you should be failing on the majority of problems. If you successfully send more than half of the problems, increase the grades you choose in your next session. You can perform the session on a bouldering wall, Kilter Board, or other training wall. Try to mix up the style of climbs throughout the workout. For finger health and safety, focus on crimp or pocket problems early in the session when you’re fresh.

Before starting the session, ensure that you’re fully warmed-up and ready to climb at your max effort. Here are the steps of the workout, starting with the first problem of the session:

1. Spend a couple minutes analyzing and memorizing the problem.
2. Give a proper flash attempt. Try your hardest to send. You want 100% max effort. If you make mistakes, don’t drop off – keep climbing and try your hardest to get to the top.
3. If you fail to send, take a rest and analyze what went well and what went wrong on your attempt. Go ahead and touch the holds and feel positions but do not work sections of the boulder. Rest approximately one minute per hard move performed before your next attempt.
4. After you’re rested, try your hardest to send again. If you don’t send on this second attempt, repeat step #3 and then give one final send attempt.
5. After three attempts (or after sending the problem on your first or second attempt), move on to the next boulder.
6. Repeat steps #1 to #5 for the length of your workout. Remember to rest around one minute per hard hand move climbed. Use your rest periods to analyze the problem.

It’s a great idea to write down the details of your workout in a training logbook. Record the problem grade, angle, number of moves, and style (e.g. crimpy, powerful, etc.). Write down the time and number of attempts it took you send. If you failed to complete the problem, record which hold you reached and why you think you were unable to complete the move or sequence.

Perform this workout once per week on a strength and/or power training day. It’s a great workout for boulderers and sport climbers alike. After time, you’ll not only feel stronger and more powerful, you’ll also be better at reading problems and entering that coveted “try hard” state.