Instagram story viewer> @roap.c> Posts

ROAP

@roap.c

15.6K

followers

374

following

Robin O'Leary and Alex Puccio have joined forces to offer industry leading climbing coaching

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

This video is all about THE 3 MOST common mistakes we see when people are climbing (beyond footwork etc). It really is that common.
IF you’ve era found yourself falling out from the wall whilst reaching in to catch a hold - you’ve made these mistakes.
IF you’ve caught a hold and swung out...you’ve made these mistakes.
We’ll go out there and say, you will have made these mistakes.
IF you can address these errors and be conscious of them when performing larger and more dynamic rockers, you WILL see a huge improvement.

The mistakes:
1. Climbers lock-off too much - throwing away so much potential energy. Their center of gravity (CoG) is too high and if they even make any sort of dynamic move, it will be short lived as their energy will then go out from the wall. This is the same with a poor set-up. We want linear power - and your CoG should start in the opposite position to the direction you are going in.
To fix this, “allow the sails out”. Allow your bum to drop away and for your arms to go straight. We want bent legs and straight arms for maximal power. Initiate with your hips and drive up through the wall.
2. Climbers tend to initially have a lot of internal rotation with their feet. This pushes the foot to be front on. This will then push the knee into the wall as it will be bent due to the rockover. The bent knee means the bum will be pushed out.
To fix this - make sure you focus on your inside edge being used and your knee will go over your toes along the contour of the wall, not into the wall.
3. The heel drops. Much of this is due to point 2, but often climbers are not placing enough emphasis on the pressure through the big toe. We need to lift our heels in order to help raise and engage our hips! Low heels mean the bum will also be pushed out further.

Practice these steps one by one to focus on the different they can make. Film yourself from the side and you will notice a HUGE improvement.
Good luck!#roapcoaching #climb #bouldering #climbing #trainingforclimbing taken in Climbing Collective by @roap.c

2k

25

10 months ago

As climbers we often “muscle” our way up the wall, over-using strength and climbing not only defensively, but inefficiently.
Try to generate momentum from the lower body, driving with the legs and hips.
Dynamic movement is often more efficient!

Go try and have fun! taken in Movement The Hill by @roap.c

9k

97

3 years ago

Find trust small feet hard?
If you have doubt, the last thing you want to do is tap those feet. Tapping unweights the foot, moves it about and makes it far more likely to slip or pop off.

Instead, watch the part of your foot that you want to go onto the hold actually go onto the hold.
Then apply pressure by weighting it.
Then trust it and move!

Perfect practice makes perfect. Go off and try it, apply it and stick to it!

Thanks for watching :) taken in Movement The Hill by @roap.c

13k

90

3 years ago

ELIMINATION BOULDERS!

We absolutely love elimination boulders, and for so many reasons!

1. 💪 Develop power. By eliminating certain holds, you can force yourself to make bigger, more powerful moves. You’re essentially taking an existing boulder and changing the physical demands of it, without needing a new set!

2. 🧗 Endless possibilities. Whether you’re climbing V2 or V9, there are so many variations to explore. Take away one hold, two holds, or five if you’re feeling ambitious! Eliminate handholds, footholds, or both. One boulder can suddenly become ten completely different challenges. If you are in a small gym or one that doesn’t set often, this can be a game-changer!

3. 🧠 Get thinking! This is one of our favourite benefits. You might know exactly how to climb a boulder with all the holds available, but what happens when you remove one? Does the sequence change? Do you need a different body position, a new technique, or a completely different approach? Now remove another hold. And another!

Better still, try to flash your elimination! Read the moves, visualise the sequence, anticipate the challenges and commit to your plan before pulling on. It’s a fantastic way to develop your route-reading and problem-solving skills.

4. 🙌 And finally, it’s FUN! Especially with a partner. Take turns eliminating holds, challenge each other to flash your creations and see just how difficult you can make an otherwise familiar boulder.

Next time you’re at the gym, give it a go! You might be surprised how much you can get out of a single climb.

Let us know what you think! 👇

#ClimbingTraining #Bouldering #ClimbingTechnique #RockClimbing #ROAPCoaching taken in Movement Baker by @roap.c

3

11

5 days ago

5 tips to help you recover on the wall 👇

Being able to recover while you’re climbing can be the difference between falling completely pumped and actually having enough left to finish the route. And like anything else, recovering well is a skill you can practice.

1. Get your hips close to the wall.
Whether you’re using an outside edge, opening your hips or changing your body position, try to get your hips as close to the wall as possible. The more weight you can transfer through your feet, the less you’re asking from your hands and forearms.

2. Relax your grip.
We love a full crimp and half crimp as much as anyone, but when you’re resting, RELAX. If the hold allows it, move into a 3 or 4 finger drag and try to become as skeletal as possible. Hang rather than squeeze.

3. SHAKE OUT!
Don’t wait until you’re completely pumped before you start shaking. Shake throughout the route. Even tiny micro-shakes between moves can make a difference. If you find a proper rest, use it and alternate arms rather than just hanging there gripping the hold. Some research suggests shaking above and below your heart can be more effective. Our testing using the @moxymonitor suggests swinging your arms to encourage blood flow is best (if the hold allows).

4. Control your breathing.
Actually think about this one. Slow your breathing down, take deliberate and big breaths and give your body a chance to settle. You’re trying to bring everything down rather than continuing to climb in that frantic, high-output state.

5. Relax your gaze.
This one gets overlooked. At a rest, you don’t necessarily need to spend the entire time staring at the crux, the next clip or everything that’s still to come. Once you know where you’re going, soften your gaze. Look at the wall in front of you or out into the distance. Relax, breathe, shake and then go again.

Recovery isn’t just something you do when you’re pumped. Get good at doing these things before you’re pumped.

What are your best tips for recovering on the wall? 👇

#climb #bouldering #roapcoaching #training taken in Movement Climbing and Fitness by @roap.c

1k

40

24 days ago

I’ve been thinking about RPE in climbing and I’m interested to know how everyone else interprets it.
Obviously RPE is subjective. A V12 for me might be a 10/10 effort, whereas the exact same climb for Alex could be a 6 or 7/10.

But I think the interesting question is whether we can make the interpretation of RPE a little more consistent like it is with weight lifting - using RPE and RiR (reps in reserve).
For example, what’s the highest RPE you’d give a flash?

You did it first go, so can it really be a 10/10? We don’t think so, but feel many may give that climb a 10/10. Maybe a really hard flash, where you barely hold the last move and feel like you couldn’t have given much more, is an 8 or even a 9?

Then take the opposite situation. You’re a V10 climber trying a V11 and there’s a move you simply cannot do. You’re pulling as hard as you possibly can, recruiting everything you have, and you still can’t do the move.
To me, that’s a 10/10 effort. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t actually do it.

Then what about something that takes you most of a session? Multiple attempts, you’re getting close, and eventually you do it. Is that a 9?

Our rough thinking would be something like this:
10/10 = genuinely maximal effort. You might not even succeed.
9/10 = very close to your limit. Something that takes multiple serious attempts or potentially most of a session - maybe even multiple sessions?
8/10 = extremely hard, but there’s still a little bit left. Maybe this is where a really hard flash sits?
7/10 = hard, but you know you had more.

I don’t think there’s necessarily a right answer here, which is why I’m interested in what everyone thinks.

What’s the highest RPE you’d give a flash? And what does a 10/10 actually mean to you?
Is the hardest you’d give a limit flash an 8/10 or would it be higher? taken in Coal Creek Canyon by @roap.c

3

63

a month ago

Hip Hop Reloaded 8A/V11 ✅
5th go (bit soft in my opinion, maybe more like 7C+)

Came close to doing it on my first go after checking out the moves but I was in a little bit of a shock from getting to the end straight away so I fell off, Josh fumbles strikes again ⚡️😂

Last week managed to get out for a couple of evenings and do some good boulders:

• Hip Hop Reloaded 8A/V11
• Beastie boy 7C/V9
• Chicken head 7B/+/V8
• Snowy Spring 7B+/V8 (Moravian Karat 🇨🇿)
• Hara 7a/V6
• Chief Hara 7a+/V7 (First Ascent? Go from the start of Chief into the start of Hara then finish up Hara)

Supported by:
@roap.c
@lasportivauk

#climb #climbing #bouldering #boulder #climbers by @roap.c

700

26

a month ago

The mistake we see so many climbers make when it comes to dropknees, is that they pull into a drop knee position.
They lock off and they pre-place the drop knee, already dropped, already on a back and foot outside edge.

So they’re pulling their body weight, they’re pulling their center of gravity into the wall, and they’re pre-placing it. They’re wasting all their energy. They’re using so much strength, and they’re missing the point of the dropknee.

The beauty of a drop knee is that you momentarily, (pending that the holds are good enough) allow your center of gravity to come away from the wall. You want your arms straight. You want your body to come away. Your feet should be front on. Then, when you’re ready, you start to suck your hips in. You rotate the dropping knee so that it the foot goes from a front-on toe to an outside edge. This also helps suck your hips into the wall.
You will have opposing forces: one foot’s pushing one direction and the other foot is pushing the other direction. The legs push in those directions obviously and send your energy upwards. So it means that the lower hand, the lower arm, doesn’t have to try that much. It just becomes a lever or a pivot point, and then everything else gets sent up to the higher handhold.

The foot rotates. The knee drops. The hips suck in. The feet and legs push in opposite directions.
Energy gets sent upward. Your arms don’t do much. And the hip should be as close to the wall as possible.
Voila

#climb #bouldering #roapcoaching #climbing #training taken in Movement Climbing and Fitness by @roap.c

3

8

a month ago

3 drills to help you from being so front on!
1. Stationary pivoting. Place your feet well (big toes) and swing your hips creating a pendulum. As your hips go from side to side, pivot your toes so they go from facing left to right (and vice versa)
2. Traverse pivoting. Same principle as the first drill, but this time traversing the wall. Your feet will go from facing right (bringing left hip closer to the wall and moving left hand), to the left (and opposite hip/hand).
3. Two parts:
Pt1. Vertical Inside edge and open hipped drill: feet stay on the same foot holds for drill. They will be facing outwards (inside edges) with knees over toes. They should be going along the wall, NOT into the wall.
Use momentum and rockover your toes - bring hips over toes and swing side to side, moving hands up the wall and back down.
Pt 2: as with pt 1, but traversing the wall. As you rock over, make sure your toes go in line with the wall and knees over toes.

Enjoy!

#climb #bouldering #roapcoaching #climbing #training taken in Movement Climbing and Fitness by @roap.c

852

12

2 months ago

Tips for staying strong when you go away!
Research paper:
Check out the research from Spierling et al J. strength Cond Res 2021
Caveats: we are talking *maintaining, so there’s the assumption that you have trained strength and got to a certain level.
Next, you have to eat, drink and sleep well.
Remember, we are talking strength, so a short and intense session is ideal, but here are some ideas for you.

Suggested tools:
@tindequipment some carabiners, slings, portable board (@tensionclimbing block used here) - harness optional for isometric squats etc
Exercises: (warm-up progressively first)
1. Jug pulls. These can be performed on a straight arm and pull so that your hand wants to uncurl (yielding isometric) or actively pulling into the block (overcoming). You’re more likely to actually perform a row doing this.
2. Open-handed yielding isometrics. Pull away from the edge for 3-5 seconds (can perform 6-8 reps with equal rest between and each one can be progressively harder than the last). Build to a solid 8 or 9/10 RPE
3. 1/2 crimp yielding isometrics. Again, these can be performed as above with 6-8 progressive reps of 3-5 second pulls.
4. Finger curls. These can be performed at varying intensities: as a lighter warm-up to get the blood flowing, and all the way up to fairly high intensity. Actively pulling into the edge. We’d suggest slowing the reps down and pull into the edge over 3 seconds, then releasing slowly. Rest for 5 seconds and repeat for 6 reps. Ideally looking at a contraction at 7-9/10 RPE.
5. High DIP joint angled pulls. Helps stiffen the soft tissue. 3 seconds with equal rest. 6 reps. 6-8/10 RPE
If we are talking maintaining strength, the focus should be on intensity and not a long session. Can be performed over a week.#climb #bouldering #roapcoaching #climbing #training taken in Scottsdale, Arizona by @roap.c

3

8

2 months ago

Do your DIP joints hyperextend on small holds?

When the DIP joint collapses into hyperextension, the fingertip becomes a less effective structure for applying force to the hold. You lose applied strength, forcing the supporting tissues to absorb more load while increasing the mechanical demand on the finger.

The good news? This is often trainable.

In this video we cover:
• Why DIP hypermobility can reduce performance.
• Why it may increase injury risk.
• How to progressively build control by supporting the DIP on larger edges before gradually reducing that support.
• DIP clawing to improve active control and maintain a stronger finger position.
• No-hang protocols to progressively strengthen the supporting tissues with precise load management.

The goal is to stiffen soft tissue as well as to improve your ability to actively control the joint and maximise applied strength when it matters most.

This Reel is taken from our latest YouTube video, where we dive into the biomechanics, the evidence, and the complete training progressions. Check it out for more protocols.

Have you noticed your DIP joints collapsing on small holds? We’d love to hear your experience below. 👇

🎥 Watch the full video via the link in our bio.
🖥️ edit by @hayden.nichole
#climb #bouldering #roapcoaching #climbing #training taken in Movement Centennial by @roap.c

6k

61

3 months ago

Stop training only 90° lock-offs.

Climbing doesn’t happen at one elbow angle.

Every move demands something different. Sometimes you’re pulling from a straight arm. Sometimes you’re barely bent. Sometimes you’re almost fully locked. If you only train one position, don’t expect to be strong in all of them.

Your muscles, tendons, connective tissue and shoulders adapt to the positions you expose them to.

Train the positions you actually climb.

💥 Beginner
• 2 arms
• 1 set
• 7–12 seconds at each angle
• RPE 6/10
• Use assistance if needed

💥 Intermediate
• 2 arms
• 2 sets at each angle

Set 1
• 10+ seconds
• RPE 5–6/10
• Bodyweight

Set 2
• 10 seconds
• RPE 7–8/10
• Add resistance as needed

💥 Advanced
• Unilateral or bilateral
• 2 sets at each angle

Set 1
• 10 seconds
• Bodyweight

Set 2
• 7 seconds
• RPE 8/10
• Add or remove weight to hit the target effort

💥 Elite
• Unilateral only
• 1 set at each angle
• 5–7 seconds
• RPE 8/10

Coaching cues
✔ Active shoulder in the straight-arm position
✔ Train narrow, medium and wide grip widths
✔ Keep your shoulders down and engaged
✔ Control every position
✔ Quality before intensity

The goal isn’t to get strong at hanging from a board.

The goal is to become stronger on the wall.

Train the angles. Build the strength.

#climbing #bouldering #roapcoaching #techniquesforclimbing #climb by @roap.c

3

7

4 months ago