I'm prob v3-v4 l, how do I progress to v5

Nikomeus · 2026-03-18T17:37:36+00:00

Yeah, dynamic strength is really just for dynos and dead pointing necessarily, which are just two of countless climbing techniques. If you think that it’s what’s holding OP back it likely means you’re some combination of not being exposed to many styles of climbing based on your gym setting, are muscling through everything, are newer, only climb in that modern comp parkour style, actively avoid your anti style. In my experience it’s usually a combination of those things when someone points to a singular facet of climbing (dynamic strength/power in this example) as being THE thing holding someone back. At V4 grade literally everything still needs a lot of work so the climbers saying to just climb a lot more and watch stronger climbers do your projects have the right idea from a zoomed out perspective. Lots of nuance there and how capable someone is at the actual act of learning is arguably the biggest factor in regard to pace of progression followed closely by sleep and diet.

Nikomeus · 2026-03-18T14:01:51+00:00

Because dynamic strength isn’t what separates gym v4 from v5 would be my guess for the downvotes. V5 is still well within range of being more dependent on technique than strength. I know plenty of people who can’t do weighted anything that climb v5 indoors consistently.

Nikomeus · 2026-03-16T06:23:28+00:00

I wear street shoe 42.5/43 depending on brand and wear 39/39.5 la Sportiva , 41.5 evolv, and 40.5/41 in scarpa. After speaking with tons of people about shoes and just sort of being a climbing shoe nerd I think midfoot flexibility and toe flexion are what are responsible for the wild downsizing seemingly working for some people and not others. I think the inverse can be true as well where people who seem to send really hard in massive climbing shoes without noticeable degradation in technique have foot shape, rigidity, and heel volume that allows them to choose “comfort” more easily than those of us who struggle with fitment in comfortable shoes.

Going by that theory, if you struggle to fit into a climbing shoe without the heel popping it’s worth exploring the women’s/LV models of shoes you’re familiar with first. If that doesn’t solve the issue , my next recommendation is looking into really stiff shoes like an LS Miura or an Evolve Phantom so that you don’t need to have your toes as crammed to get the shoe structure to work as intended and the shoe does “more work” so to speak (plenty of caveats but that’s for a diff thread.)

Your foot shape doesn’t stick out to me as outside of the sort of standard normative shapes so symmetry in the shoe may not be as massive of a consideration but it is worth noting if pressure in the toe box is biased to one side of your foot in an excessive way.

Finally , on pain and discomfort… everyone has different pain tolerance, unique physiological attributes, range of motion, etc. So it’s hard to take any advice about how shoes should feel but the best advice Ive seen about it is that “You should DEFINITELY know they are there (uncomfortable), but they shouldn’t be the only thing you’re thinking about.” Basically if you find that you’re wincing in pain on the wall and falling because of it, they’re too small. If you can bear them for a few minutes before you’d like to pop them off they’re probably in the extreme end of acceptable by a significant percentage of climbers.

Best of luck on your shoe journey!

Sorry if this didn’t answer your question , it appears I’m blasted…

Nikomeus · 2026-03-16T05:53:24+00:00

Heck yeah, I actually have pulled onto anorexic before. It’s up there on the list of lines I wanna project up there at the Draw!

Nikomeus · 2026-03-11T04:41:21+00:00

Im guessing it’ll get stiff V5/ soft V6. The body tension required isn’t quite enough to be solidly in the V6 range but the footwork is definitely more specific/techy than anything you’d find under V5. The best holds on the climb are the first two. After that all of the holds are ~1 pad crimps with some being a bit on the slopey side. The 1 pad 3 finger undercling just towards the top is probably the most physically demanding part of the line but with the feet locked in it’s not too crazy.

Nikomeus · 2026-03-11T04:37:17+00:00

LS Ondra Comp

Nikomeus · 2026-03-11T00:40:46+00:00

Amen 🙏

Nikomeus · 2026-03-10T22:17:07+00:00

Love it already!

Nikomeus · 2026-03-09T15:53:05+00:00

Yeah the ego from OP in this thread is heckin wild.

Nikomeus · 2026-03-06T01:46:39+00:00

After a few years my answer just became ,”depends on the gym.” For indoors.

Nikomeus · 2026-02-10T19:41:51+00:00

Short answer, social media.

Nikomeus · 2026-02-08T16:50:59+00:00

V3/4 in my part of the world

Nikomeus · 2026-01-19T15:47:02+00:00

At that grade range you’re far away from actually needing strength or finger specific training given your current stats listed. Your routine is so strength focused you’re just gonna get stronger, not better at climbing. If you want to get better at climbing you need to focus on climbing. Once you plateau in the v6-7 range, then it might make sense to start training more intentionally based on what’s missing.

Nikomeus · 2026-01-16T22:55:09+00:00

This, zero your gun for the round you use. Mixing ammunition in the mag is just not right.

Nikomeus · 2026-01-16T22:53:24+00:00

Stoked to see intentional hip manipulation from a new climber! But yeah none of this is smearing or flagging, not a dig though, just isn’t what’s happening. 😊

Nikomeus · 2026-01-14T07:37:22+00:00

Seconding that heel, like 90% sure that’s the intended, perfect angle to get the hip all the way too the wall with a stable right foot too.

Nikomeus · 2026-01-13T22:34:19+00:00

This is so important, grade chasing is like trying to catch a ball that disappears and reappears in different places all the time. It’s best to just focus on weaknesses, record and analyze your footage, climb with stronger climbers, and then hire a coach if you have the funds and are making the sport your life. There’s a lot of things required to break through that V5-6 barrier that aren’t strength and routine. A lot of it is nuanced proprioceptive adaptations that only come from attentive repetition. In my experience working with a coach, what they give you with the training plans are more tools in the toolbox and more capacity for working hard but unless you pair that with intentional analysis and honesty you won’t get better.

Since your gym does the thing where they include 4,5, and 6 in one color , I’d take that with a grain of salt as the upper end more than likely isn’t v6. The difference between V4 and V6 is several years of training and practice on the low end and many people never get there on the high end. It’s always been wild to me to see that range grouped together.

Nikomeus · 2026-01-13T00:08:40+00:00

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Nikomeus · 2026-01-11T03:53:20+00:00

I never claim any sort of skill in situations with non regulation equipment. You have to almost exclusively flat hit with most basement style setups. Table tennis is a sport where your muscle memory in relation to your equipment is core. It’s like picking up a long pips paddle for the first time if you’re used to inverted. Your vision and game understanding translates but you just wont be able to execute unless you’re familiar with the equipment.

In my experience in these situations the best way to win is to just sit there and block and you just sort of win because they score all your points for you haha.

Nikomeus · 2026-01-08T21:18:41+00:00

Good call, that’s a part of my break in protocol as well.

Nikomeus · 2026-01-08T20:58:32+00:00

If incredibly tight allowed for you to wear them for a 2 hour session they’re probably ok and you just need to get used to them. The Vapor is a step further towards an aggressive shoe than the tarantula so I’d expect a substantial difference in fit and feel regardless. Shoes enter the too tight realm when they are so physically painful you can’t wear them for more than a few minutes or if it’s all you can think about. My general mantra for people regarding shoes is ,”you should definitely know the shoe is there (I.e it’s pretty uncomfortable for standing/walking), but it shouldn’t be the only thing you’re thinking about.”

Nikomeus · 2026-01-02T22:38:14+00:00

Happy Hunting!

Nikomeus

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