Frequently Asked Questions

The biggest difference is how often you meet with your coach.

Select is where we coach most of our athletes. You and your coach build your plan together, you train on your own, and you meet twice a month to review progress, fix issues and adjust the plan.

Premium is for athletes who want maximum coach contact. You meet with your coach every week, your plan is adjusted as often as you need, and your coach takes a more active role in your training. It's the closest you'll get to having a coach standing next to you in the gym.

Pay-As-You-Go is real coaching with no commitment. Schedule a meeting with your coach whenever you need one, as often or as rarely as you like.

Yes. Every Climb Strong athlete works one-on-one with an experienced coach, a real person you meet with face to face over video. Your coach builds your plan with you, reviews your progress, and adjusts your training as your climbing and your life change.

And you're never working with just one coach. Behind every athlete is our entire coaching team, sharing expertise and collaborating to help you reach your goals.

Every athlete signs a simple coaching agreement that lays out what you can expect from your coach and what your coach can expect from you, along with a standard waiver.

Pay-As-You-Go has no minimum commitment. Schedule a meeting with your coach when you need one, whether that's more often before a big trip, from the crag while you're on it, or less while life is busy.

Select can be paid month to month, or you can commit to a full year and get a lower monthly rate. Premium is an annual commitment. Either way, you pay monthly.

We understand that sometimes life happens. If you're facing a serious injury or a major life event, talk with your coach and we'll work through it together.

Select: $315/month month to month, or $215/month with an annual commitment

Premium: $425/month with an annual commitment

Pay-As-You-Go: $155 for a one-hour session, which we recommend for most athletes. There's a 30-minute minimum, and any additional time is billed at $39 per 15 minutes.

New coaching athletes start with a $65 Intake Interview. Not sure which option is right for you? Schedule a free 15-minute chat with a coach.

Great coaching starts with your coach getting to know you. Your $65 Intake Interview covers a full hour of your coach's time, separate from your regular coaching meetings. It starts with a one-on-one call where you'll dig into your climbing history, injuries, schedule and long-term goals. Your coach then uses the information from your discussion to build the foundation of your first training plan.

The rate for this initial call is well below our standard coaching rate, and this session is what lets your plan be built around you from day one.

Yes. If you'd like more time with your coach, you can move up to a higher coaching level at any time, for example from Pay-As-You-Go to Select, or from Select to Premium.

Other changes depend on the terms of your coaching agreement, so check in with your coach about your options.

Climb Strong is a climbing coaching company based in Lander, Wyoming. Steve Bechtel founded Climb Strong in 2007 as a blog documenting strength and conditioning ideas from other sports. Today, our team of 18 coaches works with climbers around the world through one-on-one online coaching, training plans, in-gym clinics and free training resources.

We believe everyone is an athlete, and that the fundamentals are the answer, almost all the time.

Our coaches are experienced climbers and trainers who coach across every discipline, from bouldering and sport to trad, alpine, mountaineering and competition climbing. Many hold certifications from the NSCA, NASM, USA Climbing and Performance Climbing Coach, and our team includes advanced degrees in strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, exercise science and sport and performance psychology.

Our coaches are based across the US, from Lander, Salt Lake City and Denver to Bishop, Chattanooga and the Northeast, and they climb all over the world. Most importantly, they work as a team. Every coach is committed to ongoing education and shares what they learn, so you benefit from the experience of the entire Climb Strong team.

Meet our coaches

We take a principle-based, long-term approach. Rather than chasing quick fixes, we build sustainable training that fits into real life and keeps you climbing well for the next five, ten or even twenty years.

Most of our coaching happens online, so you can work with a Climb Strong coach from anywhere in the world.

If you'd like time with your coach in person, our custom coaching packages can include on-site sessions and coaching camps. We also bring in-gym clinics to climbing facilities. Reach out to coach@climbstrong.com to talk through options.

For most climbers, yes. A good coach sees the blind spots you can't, keeps your training balanced to help you stay healthy, and gives you the accountability to stay consistent.

Most climbers improve quickly when they first start, simply by climbing. Eventually that progress slows, and a plateau is where a coach makes the biggest difference. There's more training information available to climbers than ever, and we pride ourselves on cutting through the noise and sticking to the training principles we know work. Your coach focuses your energy on what matters most for your goals and adjusts your plan as you grow.

The real value comes from continued contact. A single video or conversation might give you a good idea, but lasting progress comes from having the same coach check in with you over time: someone who knows your history, notices patterns and keeps you on track. Even checking in a few times a year, whether quarterly, every six months or annually, is where the real gains happen.

A training plan gives you a great structure. A coach builds that structure around you, then changes it as you go. When you get sick, plateau, start traveling for work or tweak a finger, your coach adjusts your plan so you keep moving forward.

If you're self-motivated and want structure on a budget, our training plans are a great place to start. And you can add Pay-As-You-Go coaching anytime you want a coach's eyes on your training.

Yes, online coaching can help your technique. For many climbers, strength work is a new part of their training, and feedback on form, technique and how to structure a session, including sets, reps and rest, makes a big difference.

Your coach can use a video review tool to analyze your technique both on the wall, indoors or outside, and in the weight room. Send in footage of your climbing and your lifts, and you'll get specific feedback on both.

Want a coach's eyes on your movement without signing up for ongoing coaching? Our Video Analysis service lets you send in footage for an expert review, whether it's your climbing technique or your body position during strength training.

Yes. We believe everyone is an athlete, no matter their background or history with training, and that we can find room for growth in your training, whether you've just done your first bodyweight squats or have been hanging on small edges for years.

If you're brand new to climbing, you'll likely improve quickly just by climbing more. Our training plans or a Pay-As-You-Go session can help you start training with good habits from day one. Once your progress starts to slow, ongoing coaching is where you'll see the biggest benefit.

We coach climbers in every discipline, indoors and out: bouldering, sport, trad, alpine, mountaineering and competition climbing. Whether you're working toward the next grade, preparing for a big trip, peaking for a competition or getting ready for a long day in the mountains, your coach will build your training around your goals.

Yes. We coach individual youth athletes, and we also work with youth team coaches to design programs for their teams. Training for younger climbers is built around their age, development and recovery needs, with a focus on healthy, long-term progress.

For youth athletes, parents are part of the process. A parent or guardian is involved in conversations with the coach and signs off on all agreements and paperwork.

Yes. Every coaching plan is built around you, including your age, your recovery needs and your lifestyle. We understand that work, kids and everything else that keeps you busy all affect how you train and recover. Your coach adjusts intensity and rest so you keep progressing in a healthy, sustainable way, whatever stage of your climbing life you're in.

Yes. If you're not sure whether coaching is right for you, schedule a free 15-minute chat with a Climb Strong coach. It's a real conversation with a real person about your goals, your training and how our coaching works, with no pressure and no commitment.

Click here to schedule your free chat.

Our coaching manager matches every athlete with a coach based on their goals, background and schedule. If there's a coach you'd especially like to work with, let us know on the New Athlete Questionnaire and we'll do our best to make it happen. Coach availability varies, and some coaches' rosters are full at times, but we'll always match you with a coach who's a great fit for your goals.

Start by filling out our New Athlete Questionnaire. It helps us understand your background and goals so we can match you with the right coach. At the end, you'll submit your payment information for your Intake Interview to confirm your purchase.

Within 24 hours, our coaching manager will match you with a coach and email you instructions for scheduling your first session. If you've chosen Select or Premium, your coach will then build your plan and walk you through it so you can start training right away.

Fill out the New Athlete Questionnaire

Training takes time, energy and consistency, so it's worth asking whether now is the right time to make it a priority. Are you feeling healthy and mostly injury-free? Do you have the energy to commit to a few sessions a week? If the answer is yes, let's get started.

Don't let equipment hold you back. We can build your training around whatever you have, from a full gym to a hangboard, a home wall or just your bodyweight.

If you're not sure, schedule a free 15-minute chat with a coach and we'll help you figure it out.

Structured training isn't magic. It works because it's built on proven principles like consistency, gradual overload and progression, and because it gives every session a purpose.

If you've never followed a well-organized plan, structure is likely the biggest boost available to you, whether that's one of our training plans or ongoing coaching. The fundamentals are the answer, almost all the time.

They help a lot. "Getting better at climbing" is a great start, but it's a bit like saying you're going to college to "be smarter." Training works best with a clear target.

Think about what you want to achieve in the next few months, this year and even the next five years. Don't worry if you don't have it all figured out. Your coach will help you sharpen your goals in your Intake Interview.

Right away. We welcome new athletes year-round, and our coaching manager will match you with a coach within 24 hours of completing the New Athlete Questionnaire. From there, you'll schedule your Intake Interview and start training.

Your coaching meetings happen over video, usually Google Meet, so you get face-to-face feedback and real-time adjustments. Select athletes meet with their coach twice a month, and Premium athletes meet weekly.

Between meetings, you can message your coach in the Trainerize app. Select coaches respond within 36 hours and Premium coaches within 24 hours (weekends may vary).

All coached athletes, including Pay-As-You-Go, use the Trainerize app, where you'll find your daily training sessions with exercise videos and descriptions, track your progress and message your coach.

Training plan subscribers use the Sequence app, which also tracks climbing-specific data like routes, grades and progress over time.

Absolutely. Videos of your climbing and training sessions help your coach give detailed feedback on your movement and form, and understand your style. Sharing videos is one of the best ways to get the most out of remote coaching.

Your coach builds a long-term plan around your goals for the year, then breaks it into training blocks anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks long, with each block mapped out in detail.

Our yearly plans are built over 13 months. The first 12 cover your goals for the year, and the 13th is reserved for recovery, giving us room to adapt when life gets in the way. Regular meetings with your coach keep the plan on track as you go.

Testing is tailored to each athlete. If testing your mobility, strength, power or endurance makes sense for your goals, your coach may include it during onboarding and retest along the way to track your progress. When and how often you test is up to you and your coach.

Your plan changes as you do. Most adjustments come from conversations with your coach, whether it's a small tweak after a tough week or a bigger shift when your goals change. Your coach will keep your training on track as life and climbing evolve.

Now is a great time. When you're new, you'll improve quickly as you learn how to move, build basic finger strength and develop an understanding of how climbing works. A little structure helps you make the most of that early progress and build good habits from the start. As you gain experience and progress naturally slows, more specific programming becomes key to continued improvement.

General strength training is valuable for climbers at any level. It builds a strong foundation, supports healthy joints and tissues, and sets you up for harder training down the road.

This is a perfect question to bring to your coach, since the right answer depends on your experience, your goals and your current situation.

In general, fingers and tendons adapt more slowly than muscles, so building finger strength takes patience. Most climbers benefit from some climbing experience before adding focused finger training, and when you do start, start conservatively and progress gradually. Our Finger Strength for Bouldering plan is another great way to get started.

Less than you might think. Consistency matters far more than equipment. Access to a climbing gym and basic strength equipment is great, but it isn't required. Your coach will build your plan around whatever you have, from a full gym to a hangboard, a home wall or just your bodyweight.

Yes. Many of our athletes are balancing work, kids and everything else life throws at them. Good training isn't about logging hours; it's about using the time you have well. Your coach will build your plan around your real schedule, and many of our training plans are built for limited time and equipment.

Injuries happen, and they don't have to stop your progress. Your coach will adjust your plan so you can keep training around the injury where possible, helping you stay healthy and come back stronger.

Coaching isn't a substitute for medical care, so we'll always encourage you to see a qualified professional for diagnosis and rehab.

Not climbing right now? Don't stop training. Unless you're seriously injured or ill, there's always something productive you can do, and staying fit makes coming back to climbing so much easier.

Your coach can build a downtime plan to keep you moving forward, or you can switch to one of our training plans built for limited time and equipment, like our "Time Off" Training Plan. Stay in touch with your coach, stay motivated, and you'll be ready to climb when life allows.

Our training plans are built by Climb Strong coaches and delivered through the Sequence app, with a monthly subscription you can cancel anytime. Choose from a library of plans for strength, bouldering, sport climbing, endurance, alpine fitness, finger strength and more, with new plans added regularly. You can also build your own custom workouts around your schedule and goals.

Explore training plans

Yes, and we recommend it. Having a coach put eyes on your training is a great way to supplement the plan you're using. Pair any training plan with Pay-As-You-Go coaching to schedule time with a coach whenever you want feedback, a progress check or help choosing your next plan.

First, make sure you're using the right app. Climb Strong uses two different apps, and each has its own login:

Training plan subscribers use the Sequence app. Download it for iPhone or Android and sign in with your Sequence account.

Coached athletes use the Trainerize app and sign in with their Trainerize account.

The most common login problem is using a Sequence login in the Trainerize app, or the other way around.

Still stuck? For help with the Sequence app, email hello@sequence-app.com. For anything else, email admin@climbstrong.com.

Yes. Our coaches bring in-gym clinics to climbing facilities, focused on educating your members about smart, evidence-based training, and we offer staff workshops for your coaching team.

Learn more on our Clinics page, or email admin@climbstrong.com with your preferred dates and location.

Absolutely. We work with youth team coaches to build programs that fit the needs of the whole team, from training structure and athlete development to healthy, long-term progress. We also offer coach education to help your coaching staff grow their own knowledge and skills. Email admin@climbstrong.com to start the conversation.