Projecting in climbing: How to do it and what to expect

Projecting in climbing is a process that involves time, emotion, building strength and losing skin!

For those who want to get a deeper understanding of it, how to do it, and what to expect, keep on reading.

What makes projecting in climbing great

You’ve been climbing for some time now and you feel like you are up for the next challenge? We have the right one for you that will keep you busy for weeks: projecting. Here’s your guide to projecting harder indoors and outdoors.

Projecting in climbing means finding a route or boulder problem that challenges considerately your known achieved level and committing to doing everything in your power – physically and mentally to send it.

From identifying your weaknesses and working on them, to learning how to do specific training, projecting requires complex management of time, resources, and emotions.

You can call it a climber’s journey where patience, learning to adapt, and management skills are part of an equally challenging and rewarding process. What I find magical in this wonderful adventure is that one can get to apply this in daily life too!

I find projecting in climbing very useful because it makes you grow into a more resilient climber. From developing a stronger relationship with your body to becoming a better route reader, projecting teaches you to pay attention to details and how important those are in succeeding in your climb. Ultimately it teaches you to stay open to changes and to take responsibility for the time you are going to spend learning all of this.

How to project a route as a beginner and stay motivated

Becoming more efficient at doing certain moves and identifying nuances of movement requires repetition. But doing the same moves over and over again can become boring especially when you are not used to projecting.

Therefore I will share with you my projecting hacks to keep you psyched and ready to send!

Can I project a climb indoors?

Of course, you can! I feel like there’s a lot of talk about projecting in climbing outdoors and not that much indoors.

The truth is you shouldn’t get too hooked on the idea that projecting is only for outdoor climbing. I believe indoor climbing gives you an even better opportunity to practice your projecting skills in a safe and controlled way – most pro climbers train indoors and learn to project indoors.

This video from Lattice Training is worth a watch on how to project indoors:

First steps in practising your projecting skills

Find your project

First, choose a boulder (or a sports route) above your limit and become familiar with it. By this I mean just climb on it, give it a few tries, take time to observe it, and get your brain working towards finding the best approach to sending.

Commit

Second, commit to trying to send it in a climbing session. Depending on how you feel you can give 3-4 tries. This leads me to my next point.

Learn to rest

There’s no way around it. Rest is basically the time your body needs to recharge and be ready again to give its best.

Resting between tries is part of climbing and not resting enough can get you injured, and frustrated and it will most surely stop you from sending your project. Therefore, depending on how hard your project is, take rests that are long enough between tries.

Have a goal for every project climbing day

Keep in mind the end goal is to send the route you’ve chosen – but also to learn and improve your skills. To do this, choosing several smaller goals can be a way to give your brain the small wins it needs to keep you motivated in the long run.

Small goal 1

For example, whether it’s a bouldering or a sports route, every route has a crux. A first goal can be to “simply” find an efficient beta for you to climb the boulder problem the easiest way possible.

Small goal 2

Mentally split your route into more sections and try sending each section in turn. After you succeed in sending the first section or doing the sit-start on your boulder try to link this part with the rest by doing as many moves as possible.

Sometimes, depending on where the crux is, it can work trying to send the route starting from the crux (including) and then continuing up to the top.

Small goal 3

Controlling your mind! After you find the easiest beta for you, you manage to individually send all sections and you’re starting to get closer by falling higher and higher it’s a matter of time and patience.

Keeping your focus move after move is yet another beautiful thing we have to work on as climbers! I find that the mental pressure of knowing you can do it can be more difficult to bear and deal with than the physical part.

Tip: If your climbing project mostly requires endurance you can build it by doing some indoor circuits. For more tips on that check out how to create your first training program.

Tip for projecting a sport climb outdoors

Instead of doing the endless “try to send and fall 2 bolts before the anchor”, most pro climbers split a route into sections and then make it their goal to send those sections. I tried it and it works!

Focus on making precise moves

Especially on days when you feel a bit off – maybe you didn’t sleep well or you are before your period (for girls) and so on, don’t think you’re doomed. More so, it’s even better not to push yourself. Try to see what can be done instead.

What I do on my low days is I decide to not give a real go on my project. I try to climb smaller sections instead, imagine I am tired from climbing and see how efficient I can be without having that much power left.

Find your best rest spots

I used to rush to continue climbing but after I got into projecting more I discovered a good rest is crucial to your recovery both mentally and physically. What I usually do is look for my best rest positions.

What do I do while resting? I try focusing on my breathing, shaking my hands, moving my legs, rest on my heels if possible. This helps to take some pressure off and it gives me the mental space I need to keep climbing.

Check out this great video from Movement for Climbers on how to find rest spots:

Climb the crux when feeling rested

One day a friend suggested I should try sending the last section (where I kept falling) while being fresh. Therefore I decided to cheat as much as possible just so I get as rested as possible at this mental crux and I was amazed by how I cruised it.

This approach was a big game changer for me because I tend to lose confidence in myself whenever I feel a bit tired. Therefore sending this section once gave me the confidence I lacked to send my route.

Even though I practiced the section well rested, proving to myself that I was able to cruise that section helped me tremendously in my projecting process and it was actually what made the difference the day I sent: I told myself “You are just a bit tired now but you saw it’s easy and you know can do it!”

Know there is no right way

Everyone has their own pace of doing things and projecting is not a contest. Despite what some people might think about top-roping or bailing a top-out at the gym, there is no fixed way to project a route.

When bouldering, if you’ve cruised the crux but topping out gives you nightmares, it’s ok to bail out. Even more so if you’re not sure about who’s spotting you!

When sports climbing, if you are afraid of making certain moves because you feel they’re too exposed therefore you freeze between bolts, don’t think twice about top-roping. Or use a clip stick or some other way to clip the next quickdraw and then learn your move while feeling 100% safe.

Building your own approach will help you build self-confidence and stay safe. No worries, if you keep trying one day you’ll be able to give your 100% when climbing.

Find your way but also stay open to change

Climbing is amazing because it is not a fixed science but rather a very complex freestyle sport. But if you’ve tried one move or beta many times and it still doesn’t work maybe you can try asking someone more experienced about what they think.

It happened that I sent my first 8a when I decided to change a foothold because a more experienced friend suggested so. You never know!

Stay curious about what you can learn from projecting in climbing

Whether it is how you breathe, your footwork technique, positioning your body, or being brave and skipping a quickdraw (without risking being injured) there is always something to learn from our “failure”. Keep the learning pleasure alive – that’s why we’re all in it!

Also, I find that brushing holds on the route helps you notice details you otherwise wouldn’t notice. Plus if it’s the plastic holds they become more grippy!

Practice visualisation

Whenever you get the chance. At home in bed, before climbing, (on the toilet?😂)…draw your own mental map in your mind. This will help you feel more relaxed and familiarised with the sequence of moves that you’ll have to do when climbing. It’s just like having the car GPS on while driving just so you can see how long and tight will be the next curves.

If you want to read more about this topic and improve this skill check out our article on visualisation and route reading.

Learn from more experienced climbers

Something I really enjoy doing while projecting a route is researching what stronger climbers do and deciding if it can work for me too. Other people’s experiences can be very valuable.

We have a lot to learn from others: what motivates them, what their process of learning is, and so on. I find some climbing stories to be very inspiring.

That’s why I recommend listening to climbing podcasts such as Strong Mind by Hazel Findlay, Lattice Training, Trainingbeta, and The Nugget Climbing. They all cover mental aspects, projecting strategies, training tips, stories of resilience, and thoughts on success and failure!

Projecting in climbing tactics

If you are used to chilling and following the vibes of a climbing day this might come as a challenge to you. However, if your eyes are on a project I promise that stepping up your strategy game will make you feel like a pro with pro results.

Here are my 3 main tips to increase your chances of sending.

Warm up efficiently to save time, skin and energy

Climbing gyms are the best place to warm up. A mindful warmup will save you energy, help you feel comfortable while doing sketchy moves, and keep you safe from injuries. So don’t think twice when it comes to using resistance bands for warming up and do some easy climbs afterward. You can try to work on your shoulders, core, and legs just like Shauna Coxsey does in her video below:

If your project is outdoors, think this: Time is limited, and so are your energy and skin. Warming up at the gym by doing specific moves similar to your project will save you time, skin, and energy.

If you are curious to read more about resistance bands, here’s an entire article for you on how to use resistance bands and best exercises for climbers.

Knowledge is power

Climbing indoors makes it easy to see which holds you get to use. Observing your route and deciding which feet work best, which is the right sequence for you, or even noticing where you can rest for a bit before trying the big move might win you points!

If climbing outdoors, know your crag and stay in touch with the weather forecast. Knowing when is the best time to arrive at the crag, and how the air temperature changes throughout the day gives you leverage on when to work the sections on your project and when to give it a go.

This can be a game-changer!

Climber’s note: if you feel unsure about a certain hold and you know someone who sent that route you can ask them what you should be expecting.

Nutrition and rest

Make sure you eat well after a climbing session so you can fuel up. A dish that contains a quarter of proteins, one-quarter of carbohydrates, and one-half of vegetables should do.

Plan your rest days and learn to take significant rests between your tries.

Moreover, to sustain movement and performance, a body needs to be healthy. Therefore learn to eat well during your projecting day. Aim for something light and easy to digest such as carb bars, bananas, nuts, apples, carrots, chocolate, etc.

I like eating my snack right after I come down from a climb because I know it will keep my energy levels high the whole day without making me feel full when my turn comes again.

Learn when to call it quits

Ideally, you should finish your projecting session before you start feeling tired. If you got a bit too excited stop as soon as you notice you’re experiencing a decline in the quality of your tries.

Tomorrow will always be a new day for you to rest and try hard again!

Dealing with expectations while projecting

Whether it is about not believing enough that you can do it, or freaking out and exiting the climbing flow after you pass the crux, the most common struggle I see in others (and myself) when projecting is mind-related.

Learn how to use failure as a learning tool. Sports are maybe the best way to understand the importance of hard work and resiliency.

When you are in a learning process, surprisingly, winning can sometimes imply not winning. Each “no send” is a true opportunity to learn about your project and also yourself.

Trust the process – eventually, you are going to cruise that problem!

Remember what you love about climbing

A while back I understood that climbing is my happy place – more than just a hobby – it is a lifestyle. Thanks to it I met so many different and beautiful people, I got to know and appreciate nature better, I got healthier, I became a better person, etc.

I recently read a post of one of the most successful trail/sky runners in the world where she explained how happy she felt when running. And to protect that happiness she decided to do less, adapt, or even do nothing whenever she felt like she no longer enjoyed practicing her passion. I strongly relate to what she said. She put into words exactly what I am feeling about climbing.

This makes me think about Janja Garnbret to give as an example: I enjoy so much the energy she shares! I noticed that every time she’s asked about what her secret to winning is, she gives her love for climbing as an example.

And it’s so obvious this girl absolutely loves what she does – she wears a smile on her face at every competition! Check out Janja winning Olympic gold in the Paris 2024 sport climbing below:

What to do if you lose movitation to climb

Instead of feeling like you should always perform at your 100%, how about taking a step back whenever you feel that you don’t have that much to give to it? Maybe reflect on what is making you feel that sense of obligation with something you normally choose to do willingly.

Are you experiencing a day when you can’t seem to climb at your level? Climb easier routes and focus on improving your technique! Adjusting expectations will make it so you still enjoy time spent in nature.

You don’t feel that motivated to go climbing? Do something else instead and make sure you don’t turn climbing into a habit!

Taking a break from something we love can bring perspective and make us miss that thing and even appreciate it more when we come back to it. We are climbers because we fell in love with climbing.

What type of project climber are you?

I know climbers who work routes and enjoy projecting in climbing a lot so they go from project to project.

I know others who have onsighting routes as their main project. Therefore, to them, getting good at different climbing styles is more important than trying to climb hard and climb grades.

And then there’s a third type where I also fit in. I usually choose two projects per year because I find value in both projecting and trying to on-sight or flash routes. And sometimes, I feel like having climbing projects gives direction and purpose in my climbing.

Have you tried projecting in climbing yet? If so, I hope you find this article useful! Do let us know how the process is going and if you’d be more interested in projecting tips!

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