Why Knowing Isn’t Enough to Improve Your Climbing

Dec 18 / Kaisa Soininen, Sport Psychologist & COO of Unblocd
You probably already know what would help your climbing: better warm-ups, more intentional projecting, practicing falls, and coming in with a clear plan instead of “just seeing how it goes.”

You might even have a training plan, a goal for the year, or a specific route or trip in mind. And yet... a few weeks after you start working on these, things look surprisingly familiar. Life tends to get in the way, and suddenly, it becomes much harder to find the same consistency you had in the beginning.

Consequences? Progress feels slower than it should. You set off on your dream climbing trip feeling underprepared. Climbing starts to feel frustrating, random, or heavier than it needs to.

Not because you don’t care or because “you’re lazy” or need a new training plan. But because knowing what to do and doing it consistently are two very different things.
Want to stop starting over and start building habits that actually support your climbing goals? Register for a free workshop

Where Consistency Often Breaks Down

Consistency is hard. For everyone.

Even climbers who are motivated, experienced, and genuinely committed to improving struggle to follow through. Life has a way of interfering: busy weeks, low energy, stress, social distractions at the gym, or simply having too many things you could work on at once.

Climbing environments don’t make this easier. Gyms are stimulating places: new problems, friends, noise, and constant visual input. It’s easy to arrive with a plan and abandon it ten minutes later. Or to tell yourself you’ll work on something uncomfortable “at the end”, only to run out of time.

Sometimes attention plays a role. For climbers who struggle with focus, fluctuating attention, or ADHD, this challenge can feel even sharper. But even without any attention difficulties, relying on willpower alone is rarely enough.

Crafting Sustainable Habits for Climbing

Many climbers assume that if a habit doesn’t stick, the issue lies with their discipline. In reality, habits are most effective when designed thoughtfully, rather than being forced. Their real function is to provide support, especially when attention is limited or energy is low.

One helpful way to think about habits is through the Trigger–Action–Reward loop:

Trigger

What cues you to start the habit

Action

The behavior you want to establish.

Reward

The positive reinforcement that encourages you to repeat it.
When any part of the loop is weak or unsupported, consistency starts to feel fragile. No matter how motivated you are. It’s recognising that each part of the loop can be shaped using concrete, practical tactics. There are many ways to design triggers, simplify actions, and reinforce habits so they fit your unique context, schedule, attention, and goals.
Instead of asking, "Why can’t I just be more disciplined?", a more productive question is: "What kind of support does this habit actually need?”
Free online workshop

Register: The Habit System for Climbers That Works

We’re hosting a free online workshop in January where we explore this question and dive deeper into how climbers can build habits and routines that truly stick.

You’ll learn about:
  • why good intentions often fall short
  • how to design habits that remain effective even on low-energy days
  • and how to create a support system around your climbing routines

When you register, you’ll also get a cheat sheet of our favorite habit-building tactics right away.

This is an opportunity to stop starting over and begin creating a system that works for you.

👉 Register for the free workshop here.
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