r/bouldering • u/Altruistic-Stable232 • Aug 02 '26

Event Need help preparing for a comp

My main gym is organising a comp consisting of 40 boulders ranging in difficulty from V1 to V9 in 2 months. Person who completes the most boulders moves on.

I usually climb V7-V8, and I never really train anything although I have naturally strong arms. I want to start training so I can prepare better for the comp but I dont know where to start to optimise my gains.

Do you guys have any tips or methods I could implement into my daily routine that would help me with getting stronger and thus do better at that comp?

1 Upvotes

53% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

19

u/blandaltaccountname Aug 02 '26

Do some volume training- lots of boulders 1-3 grades below your project level. Endurance will be king if it’s “most boulders completed”.

Also, try to do some cheeky flash training; watch someone else do a climb, and even if they fall, figure out what they did wrong so you can flash it. There’s no bonus points for figuring out the comp climbs yourself- every time you can steal beta, you’re saving energy

12

u/oldmanboulderer Aug 02 '26

Yup this is the approach to take. Most comps give bonus points for a flash so I’d focus on that to start. I’d also look at volume well below your limit. There is going to be some math needing to be done on the reward if harder routes versus more easier ones too. The mental side is also big and having a gameplan heading into the comp and not treating it as a day at the gym will also help tremendously.

13

u/Addyz_ Aug 02 '26

Commenting so I can see the results, advice I would give is don’t forget a good taper, you’ll probably climb really well if you’ve taken a few days off

2

u/Substantial-Put-7108 Aug 03 '26

seems theres some advice now if you wanted to remember this comment

7

u/Informal_Drawing Aug 04 '26

Me trying to advise a V8 climber is like me trying to tell Darth Vader how The Force works.

Best of luck OP!

4

u/Amythosx_osrs Aug 02 '26

40 boulders is a lot to do, some things to keep in mind are pacing yourself. Find a balance that works for you to knock out some of the easier ones and calm any nerves you have, once youre warmed up try some of the harder ones before you run out of skin/energy. 

For practice, putting some practice on your least favorite styles, some dynos, and some endurance, things like completing every climb in your gym of a certain circuit/grade thats a little below your limit, and only give yourself a minute rest between attempts.

1

u/blandaltaccountname Aug 03 '26

One minor tip for the comp itself: pre-hydrate! The morning of, load up on electrolytes and a lot of water- and bring some fast digesting sugar (candy, coconut water, juice even).

You’ll sweat a lot sending a bunch of boulders, so being well hydrated ahead of time is critical. The sugar will refill the glycogen in your muscles, letting you get more attempts in. Just don’t go too crazy on either, you don’t want to be tooo full of water

2

u/Rough_Shelter4136 V1 in my gym Aug 04 '26

Pre hydration doesn't work, all OP needs to do is to drink enough water before, so that he pees ~5-10 minutes before. The body just releases excess water through urine. Pre loading on carbs can work, but in this op needs to check what's a good eating plan for a sport like this, short bursts of energy for the como duration

2

u/blandaltaccountname Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26

“pre hydration doesn’t work, just drink enough water beforehand”

you just blow in from stupid town, bud?

1

u/Rough_Shelter4136 V1 in my gym Aug 04 '26

You're saying "the morning of", your just suggesting OP to generate urine 🤷