There are no easy ways to improve your climbing performance. It will always require sweat and determination. To believe 1 is folly. But by losing the ancient dogmas and applying sport science 2 your efforts, the rewards will come faster and with 3 effort. Whether you prefer to focus 4 one aspect of the climbing spectrum or tackle them all, you can only succeed with a solid foundation of fitness. 5 the luck of the genetic draw can carry you only so far: a less gifted climber who trains smarter will blow you 6 Don’t underestimate the value 7 training either. A University of Mexico study of twenty-four male and twenty female climbers evaluated a wide range of variables that can affect performance on sport routes. Nobody consciously 8 out to train “dumb”. Ask most climbers and they will vehemently deny their training efforts have been a waste of time – and in the next breath admit they could be doing more.