Strength
over lightness.

“If I was a little lighter, I’d have gotten that move.” “I’m too heavy right now.” You hear it in every gym.

Climbers are taught that strength-to-weight is the master ratio of the sport. Some resolve to cutting. The numerator drops with the denominator and they wonder why they aren’t climbing harder.

Climbers with higher relative finger strength consistently outperform at max grade regardless of bodyweight. The strength side of the ratio matters more than the weight side.

Buraas, Brobakken, Wang — European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2025

The lever has a name. Progressive overload — a little more than last time, every time. Add a kilo to the hangboard. One more rep on the bar. One more move on the wall than last session. That’s the engine.

The numerator is the lever you can actually pull. Get stronger.

Under-fueling is not discipline. It makes you weaker and slower to recover.

Strength comes from training hard, and training hard costs calories, glycogen, protein, and sleep. Cut the fuel and you cut the adaptation. Your weight does not earn the result. Your work does.

You cannot build muscle in a deficit. You cannot recover from hard sessions in a deficit. You cannot send your project in the evening if all you ate until then was a protein bar and an energy drink.

The IFSC has implemented rules against eating disorders among competition climbers. The sport’s own governing body admits the obsession has gone too far.

Eat like an athlete. The results will follow.

Climbing is full of comparison. Feeds push other climbers’ sends at you. Leaderboards rank strangers above you. Grades become social currency. Overhang has none of it.

No feed. No followers. No leaderboards. No comparisons. Just you, your training, your progress. Nothing else.

Be stronger than you were last session. That is the only benchmark.