I've never climbed before. How long till I can climb a 6c? (5.11)

[@MikeBoyd]

A bunch of people have suggested I try bouldering. What do you think? What would be an appropriate goal?

[@AdrienRochereau]

V7

[@nbnoethesquid5106]

Hell yeah and please make a bouldering video+NEVER CLIMB WITH RINGS OMG

[@BigDumpliing]

I've been climbing since October and I'm a confident V4 right now. I can maybe climb some V5-V6 routes, but not many. Since you now have some expirence climbing :) I think you could get to V5 or V6 pretty quickly. Thats a pretty standard intermediate grade I think. Perhaps I'm just biased because thats where I am right now!

[@callawaykobes5614]

I think v5 would be a pretty good milestone for you.

[@altondillon9464]

V6

[@calar8]

You should 100% try to get a collab going with Magnus Midtbø, he is always up for that kind of thing.

[@Furansowakun]

Very good idea

[@filmwright7188]

I'm sure Magus could give him a master class

[@JonathanHolt1988]

We need this collab!

[@ZhenJi88]

That's what I was thinking too while watching this.

[@az3ssin263]

fking gooooooo..yes

[@abrahamtomahawk]

I can relate to your quote "Every spare moment I have, I just want to go to the climbing wall." To quote Tim Minchin. "We're all just monkeys in shoes".

[@Randomositydude]

''And IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII''

[@LegendEaterPSR]

@@tahaymvids1631 I think the implication is that the grading scheme will be explained as part of the video

[@abrahamtomahawk]

@@Randomositydude Willlll alwaysssss...

[@Alexshonia]

@@abrahamtomahawk Love youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

[@calebsta123]

Amazing work, I've been climbing for years and love it! One thing to note though, I saw you were climbing wearing a ring, it's so so so important not to climb wearing jewellery. If you slip and it gets caught, it can literally pull your finger off (plus taking it off stops it getting scuffed by the holds). Stay safe!

[@uven101]

YES degloving is a major concern and well not worth the risk

[@zisischartampilas6601]

ive been in like 4 climpling sessions just for fun and i achieved a 6a-6b the exact grade is unkown its around there is that climp is that impressive? i find the fifth grade very easy but at the same time i find the sixth grade very very hard

[@cragbum87]

​@@zisischartampilas6601 Are you asking if that grade is a good grade to achieve after that many sessions? If yes, than probably yes. Why I say probably, is because climbing grades are subjective. People who either set the route or whoever was the first to climb the route outside (and then subsequent ascensionist) come up with the grade for the climb. Difficulty can very widely climb to climb, gym to gym, and crag to crag, and then especially when to compare them across all of those sets. You could be climbing in a soft location or you could be climbing at a sandbagged location. It doesn't matter though really. You should just enjoy climbing in the beginning. You can use grades as a rule of thumb for things you should try, but you can always try things much harder than your current grade. Just don't get discouraged by not sending or being able to even a single move on a climb. Climbing requires a lot of skill, physical strength and flexibility, and mental resilience. You could climb for fun for long time before worrying about if you are at the correct grade for how long you've been climbing.

[@zisischartampilas6601]

@@cragbum87 ok thanks for information

[@amp4105]

@@uven101 just reading the word degloving makes me cringe

[@vince8849]

As someone who also started climbing recently, the biggest piece of advice I can give is try to step on every hold with just your toes. You’re currently trying to step on the pad of your foot, while this works well with bigger holds, as you go up in grade It’ll become impossible. Just comfortable on your toes and you’ll see dramatic improvements!

[@jutub3662]

also, keeping your heel as far from the wall as possible gives you better ballance

[@triplea657aaa]

It also helps to try to actually step with your toes on the wall just above the hold. Really small holds will be almost impossible if you don't do it this way.

[@scottellis5257]

Bumped into Mike a couple of times in the wall and he’s honestly such a lovely and genuine guy! Sat and chatted to me about uni while we’re both resting, or both of us are falling off the same project

[@ifonlyicould]

I always used to go to that climbing wall as a kid ❤️ such good atmosphere there

[@jongmassey]

Which wall is it? The grading looks well easy, I wouldn't mind going to feel a bit better about myself!

[@razzanator06]

@@jongmassey everything looks easier on video tbf. I wouldn’t expect this to be a breeze grade wise because of this.

[@scottellis5257]

@@jongmassey AverticalWorld in Dundee, don't expect the bouldering grades to be soft I'll say that much!

[@max.warnock]

After watching pros like Magnus Midtbo, it's great to see what it's like for a beginner to learn. Good work!

[@Cromagen]

It’d be cool to see Magnus take him bouldering at like his home gym. Seeing Mike’s take on slab of the week

[@foobars3816]

@@Cromagen Exactly what I was thinking. This is the colab we need!

[@ajuslucky5432]

so you've also been forced to induldge in climbing videos?

[@penelope_skye]

As a climbing instructor it is very impressive to see you improving so fast, I would suggest that you get your own harness as it will improve your level of comfort for your legs and family jewels. Also I suggest you wear shorts as you'll be surprised on the restrictions you get from trousers 😂 It took me at least 3 years to go from a 6c to 7a! Now you should try outside climbing 😜

[@mremumerm]

good advice. i would also add learn to be comfortable with longer falls. the tight rope belay was pulling him off at the top.

[@Nightwishmaster]

To add on to this, those walls look very roughly textured in the video. I'd suggest getting some thin pants personally, if it's anything like the walls at my home gym (and it does look similar, not all gyms have textured walls of course) then you'll only make the mistake of wearing shorts a couple times. The last time I wore shorts to the gym hurt my legs so bad that I decided never again. I bought a couple really cheap pair of basically windbreakers that are so comfy and loose/stretchy it doesn't feel like I'm wearing pants at all and my knees are no longer scraped and bloody after a session.

[@the.Aruarian]

Shorts can be a great way to leave bloodstains on the wall if they're textured 😅😅 I'm a big fan of stretchy jeans, like the ones Black Diamond makes (forged denim). But even second hand jeans (if like 3-5% elastane) can be sufficiently flexible.

[@adamatch9624]

0:50 I hope he didn’t mean they let that pass as that stopper not is very wrong

[@Nightwishmaster]

@@adamatch9624 It really doesn't matter as long as the figure 8 is tied correctly, the stopper doesn't actually serve a purpose aside from getting the tail out of the way. Many people don't use them at all and in fact consider a stopper knot to be the result of tying your figure 8 with too much tail.

[@Alex.overseas]

The single most frustrating part of climbing is struggling over and over to get a certain route, spending hours trying to figure out how to conquer it, and then returning to your local gym to see that the routes have been changed and you'll never get that feeling of victory 😅😭

[@antoniorizo335]

That's one reason why you should go outside

[@kft4764]

Being able to handle 4 climbing sessions per week to start with is pretty impressive! Welcome to the climbing family.

[@Flemingmullholland]

I was doing 14 a week my first month…

[@morpht9222]

​@@Flemingmullholland I don't think this is a smart idea for people who don't want to risk injury

[@Flemingmullholland]

@@morpht9222 I was doing 5.13- after my second month so it must’ve done something

[@Derpingmuffin]

@@Flemingmullholland Ok dude

[@Flemingmullholland]

@@Derpingmuffin mad?

[@lachybuchanan2233]

6c is a hell of an achievement! that's tough - keep it up man!!

[@Virgin_Buoy_69_BJ_Oggy]

What's the toughest level ?

[@lachybuchanan2233]

@@Virgin_Buoy_69_BJ_Oggy in the world? Right now it's 9c 🤯

[@Virgin_Buoy_69_BJ_Oggy]

@@lachybuchanan2233 yes .. i don't know much abt rock Climbing ... But I really like it . And absolutely have no idea about the Grading system !!! It interests me so much coz Rock climbers ( p4p ) are the Strongest pullers on earth .

[@flatulentpaul]

@@Virgin_Buoy_69_BJ_Oggy can confirm, have climbed for years and am a massive puller

[@Virgin_Buoy_69_BJ_Oggy]

@@flatulentpaul sure bro ... I understand !

[@hannahmorrisbouldering]

Congrats on the 6C, that's a really impressive achievement in so little time . Bouldering next?!

[@TheDopoqob]

you two should collab!

[@stevenstevens990]

Definitely collab

[@jilljones1865]

We need a collab! And yes @MikeBoyd, you should try out bouldering its a blast!

[@Aaron-th7xx]

He's had tons of concussion issues, so he may not want to risk whiplash from bouldering falls.

[@ollieriley4603]

Definitely lead

[@MLWAM]

Such a 'feel good' video, I have been climbing one year now, only bouldering, but I love it, and videos like this is giving me even more motivation to go record my progression myself. And I can totally relate to climbing being a part of you now.

[@j-tizzle82]

I've been climbing for over a decade now and I still remember when I first got into it. I got the climbing fever, just like you. I found myself wandering round town and looking at walls, buildings just about anything vertical and my mind was subconsciously trying to figure out ways to climb them all. Well done on the 6C buddy. Keep at it. Get yourself some top rope experience and get outdoors in the summer, there's no feeling like it.

[@jakub6718]

After almost two years of bouldering it is still so hard to watch a video like this and not feel like going to gym.

[@lilyglass379]

no cause i put the video down halfway thru to go to the gym lmfao

[@tgvrgstetrevtr]

Well it's fake, you can see when he drops off there is zero slack.. The dude is pulling him up the wall at the end

[@jakub6718]

Then go to the gym and try pulling a child up with the rope

[@trevorquestad7412]

@@tgvrgstetrevtr I wonder who has never climbed top rope before

[@kalanpettit5717]

@@trevorquestad7412 ong

[@paulveit8997]

I've been a climber for about six years now and your video brought me right back to that amazing feeling I felt when I started years ago. Seeing someone get the spark is one of my favorite things about the sport and you absolutely have that spark. Please don't stop on this journey and keep setting new goals for yourself, it will never stop rewarding you. Do bouldering! Shooting for somewhere in the 6b-7a range (V5/6) would probably be a good goal, depends on how your gym grades a little bit though. Get outside, top rope outside, find boulders, learn sport climbing, so many awesome options for things you could do (and make content with of course).

[@lennmusicman]

Great work Mike :) As a climbing instructor I love your perseverance, that's half the battle! I also wanted to scream through my screen for you to (1) use your hips, (2) stand more on your toes and use them to twist your torso, (3) flag your legs to be more stable and balanced. You came up that wall mostly on strength, who knows with more technique you may already be at 6c+ :)

[@filmwright7188]

I always say you don't need strength to be good at climbing, but you do need technique. That being said it took me a while to build up enough strength I'm my feet to stand on my toes so I doubt he would have been able to

[@COLTstrgj1]

How much does height matter? Also how consistent are ratings? The first time a friend took me to a gym I climbed a couple 5.10's but I didn't realize there were letters associated so no clue about actual difficulty. After talking to them I know that my "ape index" is +2 inches and I'm 6'3"-ish so that seems like a huge help but with the distances I see in this video I almost feel like it's a leverage detriment. I have maybe 6 inches of reach over this but he was unable to reach the next hold by a couple feet. I have pretty good forearm and leg strength but the rest of my body is not good so I understand why I may be able to persevere for longer time but I don't understand why the routes were seemingly easier.

[@davidharris2517]

@@COLTstrgj1 difficulty of grades varies significantly from gym to gym and climb to climb because grading is very subjective and hard to standardise. Also you will probably climbing 1 or 2 grades better on routes that suit the style pf climbing you're best at. Height can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the route and there is big debate about whether it's an advantage or not, there's nothing you can do to change it, so just do your best with the body you've got.

[@robw7914]

I'm so glad you discovered climbing! It's a sport that has brought me a bunch of happiness and I am so glad that 1. You enjoyed it so much and 2. Brought more awareness to the sport I love. Thank you, and welcome to the climbing family!

[@EmilAbrahamsson]

Sick mate! Well done, loved seeing the joy in your eyes after the send.

[@TheDopoqob]

Please collab with eachother

[@imperialstew6032]

For anyone interested in getting into climbing now, I wouldn't necessarily recommend trying to force a grade before building the appropriate strength (like mike did at the beginning). Getting stronger with climbing takes time, trying to force yourself to get better faster will probably just get you a pulley injury and take you off the wall for weeks to months. Also for beginners maybe start with bouldering as it's less endurance intensive and allows you to work on a climb with a bunch of other people. As someone who started with bouldering I'd say V3-4 target after a month or two of climbing but ultimately you do you

[@Buffalo93]

This is especially true, once you realize how much deviation there is in route grading. Pushing a grade is different, if you're really not sure if this would be graded the same in other gym. I wouldn't even say that less popular and newer, outdoor routes are any better, but I suspect the higher the difficulty the more reliable grading. What's important is getting better, even if this is just improved technique for a route you've already sent. Finding one specific route, just to brag about the grade you sent isn't that important.

[@abdullahbinabbas8965]

More than anything, love how your wife encourages you at every step

[@moc3452]

That song at the end combined with a montage of his failures, hearing him say 'I don't think I can do this', but then watching him constantly trying and trying again to achieve his goal it honestly made me emotional. No matter what it is, try and try again and you will succeed. This video was very inspiring to me!

[@Basuliic]

That's the essence of climbing - it provides you sensible goals and you work on it and really can achieve it!

[@CadesComics]

I’ve never in my life tried rock climbing but this video really made me want to give it a go. Great job Mike

[@Thejfkdkvlls]

This is a great sport with very friendly community and in my opinion beginners should try bouldering before top rope or lead

[@xRioHD]

it's alot of fun and easy to get into. You can borrow every piece of equipment needed to start out and the dopamine rush keeps going as climbs change and you continue going up the grades

[@trinidadcollier9437]

Dude! Hell yeah! Get after it! It’s the best sport out there, and as was mentioned before, the community is awesome! That said, I’d have to disagree with bouldering being the best place to start. I think it depends entirely on what interests you. Bouldering is fun, but it’s hard, and if you ever want to get into the more adventurous rope stuff, I think it’s good to get a head for heights on you early on, as it can feel pretty defeating to go from bouldering to rope climbing once you’ve been doing it for a while.

[@RonaiHenrik]

Try it, it's great! :) But take it slow nd steady. The way Mike did it, risk of injury is pretty high.

[@xRioHD]

I second the going slower part. I was super afraid of injuries in this video. Pulling hard on tiny holds without properly trained tendons is a great way to get a forced break

[@Bobbzorzen]

As a fellow climber i am thoroughly impressed with the speed you progressed! Incredibly done!

[@dynamo5326]

51 days from beginner to 5.11b. Now imagine how Alex Megos feels after falling off of the SAME route for 59 days before finally sending. It’s safe to say that climbing is one of the most rewarding sports of all time.

[@TheGumbyGuy]

DNA took even longer. Exactly how long I can't recall but it was a long time.

[@tutecalmesoui]

​@@TheGumbyGuyyeah Seb Bouin is insane haha

[@felathar1985]

A friend of mine told me climbing gives you the same rush as cocaine haha.

[@patrickbryant_]

Always a joy to watch someone fall in love with climbing :) Nice work getting to 6C! I’ve been climbing for years and still often find them challenging. I’d love to see you apply your new skills on some outdoor climbs! It’s a dramatically different experience being on real rock and learning to read the features, plus it takes you to some of the most beautiful places you might not have known were near your home.

[@zixilius561]

Congrats on that 6C! great to see the improvement on your footwork as well as the physical improvement i'd love to see you try bouldering too, i've been doing it for about half a year now and i absolutely love it

[@thegamingotter5650]

Welcome to the climbing community! I’m glad you have enjoyed the battle! I definitely love the mental and physical challenges that climbing brings. I would totally recommend bouldering as it has its own frustrations. Like it’s harder to work certain parts of a climb as you can’t hang on a rope. I would also love to see maybe a collab with maybe Magnus Midbto!

[@dynosaurs]

Awesome video! Welcome to the climbing community!

[@MarkJaquith]

This was SO good. Really makes me want to get back into climbing. The best grade I ever climbed was 5.11+ - getting to 5.11 in two months is shockingly good. Good on ya.

[@tiedye001]

I feel like the "trying things way above my capability" is a great way to get good at anything if you can stick to it. Love it!

[@Balijah]

love that you put out a climbing video very excited to watch this

[@JoshuaBurniece]

So glad you discovered a new passion for climbing. I can totally relate. I had never climbed before September 2021. Since then it has become one of the things that defines me as a person. I had the pleasure of taking my Dad climbing for the first time awhile back and he fell in love with it instantly as well. It is one of the most therapeutic forms of exercise I have ever come across.

[@sambowen7341]

Started same time and just climbed my first 5.12a on lead outside! Absolutely love this sport

[@JoshuaBurniece]

@@sambowen7341 that’s awesome!

[@coachj.landham1254]

You will never be the same… as a human, climbing will change you. Enjoy the journey my friend! LOVED this

[@dutchdykefinger]

i feel the same about playing musical instruments, it's not as ballsy or usually not as physically demanding either (although arguably before you learn advanced tenchnique you tend to waste a lot of energy even there), but being bale to create music well is almost like you're god when you think about how many people are into music lol

[@George_Climbs]

This is the truth. So many lessons from the wall that I can apply in 'real life'.

[@WideBoyz]

Let's get you on some crack climbing next 💪

[@devonjacobpodcast]

One of the coolest things I've seen on KZbin, no joke. Loved the failure/progression montage!!

[@SamuelVella1995]

Dude, I love that you're getting into climbing! Your comment at the start about how everything hurts is exactly how I describe when I first started. It's such a wild feeling, finding muscles you didn't even know were there. Congrats on progressing so quick. Wait until you start outdoor lead climbing! You'll never go back.

[@tomheadington4762]

Wow managing to climb 6c after so little time is seriously impressive (it took me years btw) Best way to improve in my opinion? Try and concentrate on your footwork (a good way to do this is try do quiet feet) as a beginner you don't have much finger strength, so it's vital that you can put most your weight into your legs.

[@char11eg]

As a climber, this is awesome to see! It's such a great sport, and it's awesome to see content like this about it! And congrats on the send! I am, however, a boulderer, and so I've got to chime in with suggestions there! You were asking for target grades, so I think I've got to chime in with that. With your experience here, being able to climb a singular 6c boulder probably wouldn't take you too long, as you'll probably be able to find at least one that suits your strengths. Maybe a certain number of 6c's could be a good goal, or if you manage to hit even that fairly quickly, pushing forwards to 6c+ (if your gym gives grades that specific for bouldering routes, a lot don't), or possibly 7a - although often crossing from 6c to 7a can be a bit of a 'wall', and might take you a bit too much time and effort to be worthwhile as a goal for a video. I really hope you do give some sort of goal a try though! Bouldering is less endurance based than what we see here, and at an equivalent grade level, has harder moves and holds (plus no ropes or belaying to have to deal with haha). It would be great technique practice for your toprope climbing - as well as any other disciplines you decide to try!

[@chilikesgames]

This video came at the perfect time. As I'm sure other people have done recently, I watched 'The Climb' on HBO, and decided to get into climbing again after enjoying it as a kid and not touching a wall for years. I have a new pair of shoes, and I'm getting belay certified at my local gym this Wednesday. Amazing content as always Mike!

[@nealdiamond2778]

Watching this makes me want to go climb. My hands are even sweating. Its such an addictive sport.

[@MrGonzonator]

As a kid I loved climbing, I would climb any tree, any rock. However I grew to be a bigger built lad (95kg) with osteoarthritis in my hands, I can only climb vicariously through people like you who share their experience. Thank you and keep going!

[@steveb0503]

Loved the fact that you were CLEARLY having fun!

[@dailyclimbing]

Nice one Mike, great achievement! 🙌

[@competitionclimbing]

Always cool to see climbing reach a larger audience and get new people hooked! It's addicting for sure.

[@paintballnut0812]

I love it! The whole time I was talking to you the same way I talk to my climbing partner. Although bouldering is a blast, and a completely different challenge, I think lead/ sport climbing would be interesting to see you get to the same 6c level. No matter what you do I hope you continue the love and passion for climbing, and thanks for showing the sport I love to a whole new audience. And congrats!

[@cozybrush0]

For the first time since watching your videos a number of years ago near your beginning this is the first video that i can concretely relate to. I started climbing in october and although i dont do top rope as much as i should I relate completely with how much projecting you did on that 6c route. Genuinely one of my favourite videos you've made right up with the muscle up video, and you learning to create fire.

[@blyg9992]

One of the best newbie climbing videos I've seen! Good luck! I'm not surprised you improved quickly, your "skills accumulation" youtube channel was on a collision course with climbing for a while.

[@lagunareza6966]

i just started cllimbing today with erik & ben, and this is very inspirational to watch. hoping to reach 6c next time. thanks for sharing. nice. erik leaving today very sad but happy he was here, ben already left.

[@jrisner6535]

Your progression is amazing, I would really suggest climbing with friends - you really learn so much from watching others

[@MatthewStauffer]

So happy you've discovered climbing. It's really no surprise that you love it. Congratulations, you've just unlocked the next chapter of your life 🤙

[@jeremyjoe7494]

I can't believe how quickly you got to nearly my level. I've been climbing for 6 years and I've hit a massive wall at 7a which I've never overcome. It's both inspiring as well as demoralizing. Looking forward to seeing you boulder.

[@felixromer4335]

same here :D how can in he that strong that fast?

[@benjaminbouaoune4466]

He's top roping 6c. Thats a key difference. I can power through/sprint on 6c pretty easily, but leading requires more technique, slow pace and proper placement. I can do that only on some routes for exemple

[@matthiaswarlop2316]

I know this argument has become a meme, but that does not look like a 6c route to me. I have climbed up to 7b, now again climbing 6c after being away for a while. And I can tell you the way he struggles on that last hold makes no sense to me. He has awesome camera work and because of that, I can see those holds are the biggest you'll ever see on a 6c, and if you have any strength at all, it should be a breeze to get past. Hell, the last one is a full blown jug.

[@DFGjfgnkfjlngdjngkjb]

This is such a joyful video. As someone who climbs a lot it’s so heartwarming to see non climber get obsessed with it!

[@timurshahauthor]

Your enthusiasm is infectious and the video is fantastic! The second it ended I started looking for a climbing gym near me.

[@SnikenCS]

You totally smashed it! I would definitely love to see you push a 7A, and of course try some bouldering; it's mad fun :D

[@joshb2386]

Congrats! Careful with your approach to climbing though, finger injuries are very common and relentlessly trying to improve instead of just having fun and letting the improvements come naturally can be risky. But enjoy!

[@MikeBoyd]

I agree! Since the video was finished I’ve enjoyed my climbing a lot more and had less pain. Luckily I got through with tendon issues but pushing that hard was probably a mistake.

[@joshb2386]

Ah good to hear! Glad it all worked out!

[@ZachLeon729]

I just wanted to share that the day you posted this video I watched it, and then cleaned my very first 5.12a (7a+) at the gym. This video gave me so much joy and confidence! Thank you!

[@domers8d580]

That muscle your pointing at is your brachioradialis. It is a super vital forearm muscle and it helps your bicep contract when hand is turned vertically. SUPER IMPORTANT FOR CLIMBING! Great work

[@FastFink]

my favorite part about rock climbing is when my friends first hit that obsession phase. Takes me back to when I first hit it and just wanted to push 5.10 through to 5.12 before I realized the jump from 5.8 to 5.10 is VERY different from 5.10 to 5.12 haha (btw, this was probably 5 years ago and I flash 5.11 now and project 5.12s, so I would barely say I made that gap after many hundreds of hours)

[@ISoree]

I was so teased when you already said the next video will be about sport-climbing :D You've definitly and by 100%, made a huge progress in here! So I dont want to be the bad-guy, but maybe let's try this a few times more in toprope and (for sure after practicing 1st) give it a try in lead climbing as this is the most and competitve way of challenging yourself ;) Happy to see some new guy into climbing and maybe a lot more after this video :D

[@imploder2452]

Bouldering next?

[@felixsteelix]

This was so fun to watch!!! I’ve been a climber for a decade now and watching you improve so fast and being so excited about it was really inspiring to me 😊💪

[@felixsteelix]

Also I’d love to see you try and boulder a v6 to challenge yourself

[@joepvanderven4882]

Welcome to the climbing community man! Love having you here.

[@samayahone3497]

absolutely want to see bouldering, and maybe lead climbing too!

[@moses__hart]

I would say definity try bouldering and lead climbing! I think that leading sport routes outside is the most fun you can have climbing. Also when you are belaying or getting belayed, make sure the rope is not pulled completely tight. There should be a little slack on the rope at all times. If it is tight, it will actually pull you off the wall and make it harder to climb.

[@delphic464]

That was inpressive improvement over a short period of time. You are obviously strong and fit from your other endeavors however, climbing requires a combination of muscles that almost never are used in unison. As a former climbing coach and gym manager I would like to offer a few bits of advice. Here are my two key technique theories: The Refrigerator Theory and the Spaghetti Noodle Theory (they both work in concert with each other) -Refrigerator Theory: Those small plastic feet that screw onto the bottom of a fridge are small and insignificant. They cost about a dollar and you could flick them across a table. They only reason they don't skid across your kitchen floor is because they have a 200 pound appliance on top of them. You need to get your weight and power over your big toe. The more weight, both passive weight, and active pressure from engaging your toe, will prevent your feet from slipping. With you ass hanging out behind you, you do not have weight on your feet and they slip. -Spaghetti Noodle Theory: Trying to push a cooked noodle across a table is impossible. Everytime you push the cooked noodle it just wiggles and bends. A dry noodle, on the other hand, can be easily pushed around from one end. Make your body a cooked noodle! Starting from your big toe push on the hold, then engage your whole foot, work up the body to engaging your leg muscles, butt, and your abs. As you push (not pull) your body up with these muscles you will keep your whole body engaged and your ass won't pop out. See 10:53 and 11:40 for when this would have been helpful. Also, you climb like a stong guy. It's super classic. Reach up, grap, pull, struggle. Climbing is a lazy sport. You do better by finding the lowest effort way to move from hold to hold. Look at 11:15. Your straight up approach to this move is a waste of energy. Use the techniques above to drive your body to the hold with your left hand and let your body naturally move to the right with a slight hip turn and let your body weight rest on your straight left arm. Now you are using your feet, core, and body weight to keep you on the hold with significantly less effort. Lastly, get rid of the bad habit of "bumping" your grip. Every time you move your hand, do it with intention and know that what you are grabbing is the perfect spot on the hold and DO NOT MOVE IT. Every little micro bump is totally wasted energy. Practice on a route that is several grades below your limit. Make sure that you are putting your hand in the right spot and keep moving. You can do the same thing for your feet: Don't slide your toe down the wall until it hits the hold. Your footwork will get more precise when you get used to hitting the hold in the perfect spot everytime. This becomes even more important as you move past 6c and dynamic footwork is required. Being able to throw you foot to a tiny hold and hit it is going to become important.

[@haydensi]

The biggest thing he could do to immediately see an improvement in his climbing ability is to break his habit of chicken winging for sure. You can see every time he gets close to the top he starts to have his elbows almost parallel with his wrists, as he loses focus on technique and tries to brute strength it. Keep your weight under your hands/wrists and on your feet. As you chicken wing your center of gravity starts to move away from the wall and now you are using most of your power to keep you from falling backwards instead of climbing up!

[@Chris-rt3vk]

Hi Mike! I have been watching your videos for a long time now with much pleasure. I also want to say that I believe you're a very nice person. Thanks for making these videos.

[@AJpenguin712]

my brother loves bouldering (he's literally at the bouldering place right now) and sometimes I go with him, so it was so cool to see this on your channel! great video :)

[@SkiSummer]

You know how you said, you ignored all the strength training and just went to the wall 3 times a week. Well, that's actually the best thing you could have done.

[@revoneth6207]

magnus mitbo is a great climbing channel! a collab between you guys would be amazing!

[@grantcrown5781]

Thinking the same thing

[@aidansupergamer3724]

You should do a Collab with Magnus midtbo

[@denzy3929]

Yeah, thats the comment i was searching for

[@pastaallergies953]

Been climbing for years, glad to see you try it!!!!

[@returningbuyer8667]

I would love to see another video like this seeing you improve.

[@mattolsen5947]

Try a 6C outside - whole different ball game!

[@juliofernandes5466]

I just got into rock climbing last week, must be a global trend forming

[@nathanyuki]

yea dude i just stated last month haha

[@TheTonVeron]

The growth has been exploding in the last couple of years. being in the olympics has really picked up the pace.

[@sabyco92]

me too

[@moves3297]

Yeah just started about 2 months ago as well at my gym the best I can do is a 5-9 or a V3-V4 I would say the highest grade he did was a 5-9 at my gym

[@philbrown7313]

Collab with @wideboyz and do bouldering and crack climbing 👍

[@monkeypolicd]

Props to camera man. Unsung hero again.

[@vidhoard]

So awesome to see this passion arrive for you!!

[@petarkolovrat7973]

This looks like so much fun! I'd really like to try it some day. Thanks Mike!

[@bradleywhitefield]

who's gonna tell him that his gym has fairly soft grades 😭 Great video though

[@turkeyphant]

"fairly soft"? Exaggeration of the century. There's no way that 6c is even above 5a.

[@6996Gunslinger]

@@turkeyphant chill , looks like a solid 6b

[@transitguy]

glad I'm not the only one who thought that.

[@moves3297]

Yeah I would say 5c Plus

[@StanSays]

No "Day 1, Hour 0"?

[@joeytje50]

Before watching: Oh man, good luck getting that 6c. I've been bouldering for about 1.5 years now and I've only done 4 6c rated boulders so far. Admittedly, I only climb for about 1 to 2 times a week.

[@antonvroemans5964]

Same, I'm on 6a /6b after a year. I also only climb once or twice a week though. 6c is pretty impressive

[@MikeBoyd]

I think the bouldering grades don't align with the sport climbing grades. Bouldering is much harder from what I understand!

[@motherlove8366]

A 6c boulder is not the same as a 6c sport climb.

[@TheTonVeron]

@@MikeBoyd The physical moves are significantly harder, but due to the length it's also less about endurance.

[@tijmenvanderlaan2558]

Love it that you climbed toprope instead of bouldering, which is so common. Lead and toprope content is so cool and there should be more of it on social media😊

[@GR-ut7gk]

He kept saying it's not possible!!! I'm like Mike!! You're right there it absolutely is brother!!! Love your stuff man, keep up the great work, and have fun for me.

[@boom5474]

Damn in France these would be 5c-6a at most, jeez

[@turkeyphant]

Not even close. None of these are in any way a 6 grade

[@moves3297]

5c for sure

[@jholotanbest2688]

You best video in ages. I would love to see more climbing. It is just very satisfying to see the progress.

[@calvinchevalier9415]

Always love seeing people get into the sport I started taking a buddy a few months ago and he’s been 2-3 time a week since good luck climbing and stay safe👍

[@kbite8096]

Great video and camera work, and amazingly fast progress Mike, 6c took me 2 years to get to and I hope you continue with this passion

[@j_willy_]

This video reminded me why I fell In love with climbing! I solely boulder and think you’d enjoy it too!

[@cranimation2133]

Bouldering is my fave! Go for it - you won't regret it, it's on a whole nother level of challenge.

[@kobi1711]

wooow love this so much, I really dig your content for a long time and got into climbing myself 1 1/2 years ago. this poping up in my youtube feed brought a big smile to my face :)

[@caramonfire]

That was really, really quick. Good work!

[@rubyseverinwhitworth9066]

I was just listening to this in the background but then I heard that you go to Avertical World. That is so cool, people exist in my corner of the world that aren't my age and at uni. I only see the Bouldering bit at the bottom because I am not trained in ropes and stuff.

[@alistairlow3487]

Mike, fantastic effort and genuine inspiration. I in recent months have taken up bouldering and much prefer it to top roping. I would LOVE to see you give bouldering a go I think you'd enjoy it. Happy climbing!

[@Jessethecraftsmen]

Congratulations man, amazing work on the climbing and video

[@simonlacroix8334]

Super fun to watch as someone who climbs a lot! Great job and keep it up, would love to see a follow up bouldering video.

[@zachroberts2438]

Always wanted to see you try climbing Mike! great video, been climbing as long as I've been watching you and this was awesome!!

[@Im49th]

Good timing, I’ve been thinking about starting bouldering! That’s KZbin for you - I was recommended a Magnus video and now I guess I have a new hobby

[@tomh.6379]

Makes me happy to see someone so stoked❤❤

[@SanialDropB]

When I got into climbing, I was as obsessed as you became. You got a lot further than me in a shorter period of time. Now is the perfect time to focus on technique! You got this.