Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to train for climbing full-time. But I have other priorities that prevent full-time training—who can relate?
My routine has undergone a few changes as I try to balance my day job, Send Edition, coaching climbing, and spending time with my wife and dog, plus everything else that comes with life outside of climbing.
Sticking to a weekly plan of climbing on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and sometimes Sunday has turned out to be harder than anticipated.
It’s always a choice, of course. Last week, for example, a friend invited me to climb on Wednesday. Instead of sticking to my training plan, I joined her. But my fingers were toast the next day, so I took Thursday off.
If I want this training to last a full year and be happy at the end of it, I can’t be rigid, right?
Analyzing My Goals and Setting Priorities
Listening to interviews and conversations with people who have been training for years, they consistently say that rigid training plans get results for a reason.
According to them, if a friend invites me to climb on Wednesday and I know it will prevent me from safely training on Thursday, then I should say no to my friend.
To some, this may seem like a no-brainer. But for me, it feels like a war between personal relationships, fun climbing, and going for a training goal.
A book I’ve been reading recently suggests that I need to prioritize my goals over everything else. If climbing training is my top priority, then anything below that is a lower priority, and I should treat it as such.
The book is called “The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure” by Grant Cardone.
Its premise is that extreme success requires massive action. It also explores the concept that if a goal is massive and extreme enough, nothing will stand in your way from taking the extreme actions needed to achieve it.
That makes sense. But where do my friends and fun climbing fall on my priority list? That’s one of the things that’s so hard about this.
Learning from My Past to Make Decisions About the Future
Less than a decade ago, I prioritized my work life over personal relationships. I regularly worked 60+ hours a week and even thought about work while lying in bed trying to fall asleep.
I lost touch with pretty much everyone and had little time for my marriage. Needless to say, I wasn’t in love with my life.
At some point, I recognized the situation I was in and attributed it to being dependent on someone else to make an income. So I started Send Edition, a blog for beginner climbers.
The goal was to make enough money through my own means so I could quit my 60+ hour life-sucking job. But I wouldn’t build it at the expense of any more time away from my marriage, so I started waking up 2 hours earlier every day.
It seemed ridiculous at the time. I was getting less sleep and not making money from Send Edition (it took almost a year to earn $25, which was well below the cost of running it).
But it put me in the headspace I needed to realize something: I could afford a less-than-60-hour-week job. It would be hard financially, but it was possible.
So I quit my job and took a 30% pay cut with a new position elsewhere. We felt tight on a budget, but the new job enabled me to spend time with my wife while also building Send Edition. Though my wallet suffered, my marriage and my physical and emotional well-being improved.
I realized that my priorities put money well below my marriage and well-being. But what does that mean for climbing training?
In My Annual Exam, the Doctor Said My Physical Well-Being Is Good
Though I’m at higher risk for certain diseases due to genetics, my current condition doesn’t put me at any higher risk for those things.
If I continue as I am, I’ll be fine. That’s not very motivating, is it?
However, I’m turning 30 this weekend (woohoo, I’m all grown up now, right? lol).
According to a lot of research on the topic, on average, people lose about 1% of their muscle mass each year between the ages of 30 and 70. So I have to train just to maintain my current muscle mass.
Here’s the problem: I can’t afford to lose muscles. And honestly, I could use more.
Remember how I said my emotional and physical well-being improved when I changed jobs and took that pay cut? Part of the reason it improved was that my physical activity increased due to more time for it.
I like doing activities like hiking, climbing, and paddleboarding. I’d also like to learn new things like scuba diving or something fun like that. I’m only 30, and I still have so much to see and do!
Aligning My Training Goals with My Overall Priorities
My training goal to transform my body and climb in one year is close to my overall priorities, but it doesn’t align perfectly. At least, that’s true if I look at my training as purely physical and emotional well-being.
Sure, it would be awesome if my abs were toned. A stronger and more toned body would make every activity I do less strenuous.
But I’m enjoying the activities already without the added strength or a healthier body. So increasing the priority of my climbing training wouldn’t make that big of a difference.
If I put climbing training higher than it is on my list right now, I would only hurt the things that I deprioritize because of it.
Sometimes a Bigger Picture Motivates Us to Prioritize Differently
Everything up to this point has been all about me—my health, my relationships, me, me, me.
I have been sharing my climbing journey on Send Edition for over 4 years, and in those years, I’ve helped thousands of beginner climbers get better at climbing and feel more confident. I am so grateful that has been the case.
But 98% of the people I’ve helped, already climb.
The physical benefits of climbing are partially why I’m so drawn to the sport. But most people don’t know anything about climbing, except what they see in the Olympics.
I remember seeing climbers for the first time in my life at Zion National Park on some of the biggest cliffs in the U.S. and thinking that only special people could do it.
For the record, climbing those cliffs is probably a “special people” kind of thing, so I’m referring to climbing in general.
Climbing is for everyone—I firmly believe that. And it can help anyone become more healthy and confident.
What if one person who is struggling to go to a regular gym sees me get more fit from climbing?
They could, in turn, visit their local climbing gym and try it out. Imagine what it would be like if climbing helped them reach their physical fitness goals and live a longer and healthier life because of it.
Maybe that person would share their journey with friends and family, and in turn, help another person live longer and healthier.
It could be the butterfly effect—the ripples from one person motivating another to make changes in their life to help hundreds, maybe thousands, of others do the same.
With this project, I see an opportunity to influence people outside the climbing community to try climbing.
Showing people the possibility of getting strong and healthy through climbing in a year could be the butterfly wing.
Is a Small Transformation Enough?
For my well-being, a small transformation is enough. But if I want to make waves with a butterfly wing, it has to be big.
Most people don’t care about small changes—they want to see life-changing transformations. It’s the life-changing transformations that motivate the most action. So I have to make a life-changing transformation.
How I Make Space for My Climbing Goals
I have to change my life to make a life-changing transformation, right? In a way, yes. I must re-prioritize my training goals and thus change my life to see this transformation through.
Luckily, the compound effect is going to help—small changes can lead to significant differences. I’m using this to my advantage, and there’s plenty of science around physical fitness to support me along the way.
When considering the impact of your priorities, it’s essential to align them with your passions and goals. If climbing aligns with your vision for personal growth, well-being, or even making a broader impact, don’t let anything stand in your way.
Embrace the challenge, commit to your path, and allow your dedication to climbing to guide you toward the transformation you seek.
Whether it’s the joy of the climb, the community you build, or the ripple effect you create by inspiring others, pursuing climbing wholeheartedly can lead to profound changes in your life and beyond.
Or at least, that’s the hypothesis I’m using to move forward and prioritize climbing. It’s still not at the top of my list, but it is much higher.
This is part of the Super Secret Project: Transforming my body and climbing by climbing in one year. You can learn more about it here.
