The Steady Go Go Drill

Welcome to February and my LONG overdue second blog post. When I started SUBSTR8 I envisioned I would have all kinds of free time to write blog posts and create fresh content for everyone to enjoy. However; thanks to you all signing up for training plans my days are largely spent programming and working a lot behind the scenes. The past year has been a crazy one, building SUBSTR8 up and building our new home here in Wyoming. The house is done but there’s lots of room for SUBSTR8 to grow and I’m really excited for all the really great things coming up this year.

The past 12 months I’ve really delved into building out programs and exercises, expanding the scope of how athletes train. Every SUBSTR8 program is different because every athlete is different, sure there’s carryover from climber to climber with certain exercises or drills but inevitably no two people train alike. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my athletes, finding out who they are as people and climbers. It’s helped me stay curious and wanted to grow as a coach and trainer, it’s a very cool experience when athletes unlock and use the tools that work for them and they start to see the results and reap the rewards.

I’ve found that those blueprints for success can vary wildly from athlete to athlete and the more tools we have at our disposal, the more fine tuned and precise each program becomes. Just because barbell deadlifting helps climber A reach their core strength goals that doesn’t mean it will help climber B reach theirs. Having a library of exercises give us options in training so instead of the traditional deadlift, we can explore things like kettlebell swings, barbell good mornings, and elevated hip lifts. Variety truly is the spice of training.

So with that in mind I’m proud to announce the new SUBSTR8 YouTube channel!

I’m going to be rolling out new videos regularly that will cover everything from basic weight training exercises to climbing specific drills. It’s going to take some time to get the full library of training content loaded up, in reality it will never be finished because we can always keep learning and adapting which is a really cool concept… there is no finish line. I’m going to mix up content as much as I can to bring you fresh perspectives on weight training, warm up routines, climbing specific drills and exercises, and even short workouts you can follow along with and do on your own. Access to the videos will be found in these blog posts with each post detailing a new video.

I also welcome your feedback on exercises or content that you feel is missing or that you’d like to see. While I have my own list, as I said there’s always new stuff to learn and I’m happy to add new material to the ever growing knowledge database. Later this spring I’ll also be rolling out some new products, new training options as well as some pretty cool hard-goods so keep checking back in for updates on those.

So without any more longwinded fanfare I give you the first of many new training videos. This is the Steady Go Go Drill. This is a classic drill popularized by the Gimme Kraft training crew back in 2013. This drill has you climb the same boulder problem using two very different types of movement. The first is a very slow and static movement style that emphasizes a lot of whole body tension and lock off power. The second is a much faster more dynamic style of movement that builds coordination and encourages more explosive movement patterns. I like to incorporate this drill as part of a structured climbing warm up on easier problems. It’s a great way to engage not only your musculature but also your neuromuscular system.