Alexander Megos is a German rock climber. He was the first climber to on-sight a route graded 9a (5.14d) and has completed six routes and boulder problems with a 9b+ (5.15c) rating, including two 9b+ (5.15c) routes (Perfecto Mundo and Bibliographie). He has also set a record for the fastest attempt of Action Directe (9a+/5.15a) and is the only person to complete one-day tours of Biography and Realization (9a+/5.15a). In 2009, he won every single competition in the EYC series. In 2017, he was the runner-up in bouldering at the European Championship and won his first World Cup in the lead climbing discipline in Brianรงon, France, on 21 July 2018. In 2019, he qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
It depends very much on the training cycle, whether I'm on a climbing trip outdoors or at home. When I'm outside, I do stretching almost every day and handstands and occasionally some ring training. When I'm at home, I do additional antagonist, training, hang boarding, yoga, stretching, and running on rest days. Generally, I do 2-3 hang board sessions and 12-20 power endurance fingerboard sessions per week. Transcript: "How many times a week do? I do a hang board stretching. Handstands ring training. That depends very much on the training cyclamen and also whether I'm on a trip outdoor climbing or training at the gym at home when I am training or when I'm glowing climbing outside when I'm on a trip outside, then I still do stretching almost every day and handstands and I tried to occasion. You also do some ring training depending on the facility since depending on how how long I want to climbing trip for. But most of the time, I'm climbing Outdoors, the only other training. I do besides just climbing as yoga and then stretching and running on rest days when I'm home. But obviously changes. So the handstand and stretching routine doesn't change. But I do incorporate a lot more. Bring training antagonist, training and also hang boarding when I would say no. Winter. For example, I tried to hang board two to three times a week after I try. I am 42 Max hang board sessions, and then 12, sometimes even to a power endurance fingerboard sessions, so that adds up to a like 2 3, 4 Aimbot session, so we can depends"
I got my sick lats through my ring routines and ring training on the gymnastic rings for the past 15 years. Should climbers lift weights? It depends on their weaknesses, but for me personally, I don't lift very many weights and do a lot of bodyweight exercises. Transcript: "[CHUCKLES] Why-- or should climbers lift weights and how did I get those sick lats? That's a good question. I think it's partially genetics, but to the biggest part I think I've got those sick lats through my ring routines and ring training on the gymnastic rings. So I've been doing that since I was like 15 years old, so for the past 15 years. And I think that's helped my lats quite a bit. I can also do-- no, but I can't hold it very long and it's not very clean, but I can do an Iron Cross. So I think that's probably the reason why those lats are so sick. Should climbers lift weights? I mean, that depends. I think for some climbers it can be beneficial to lift weights, depending on how they look and how their weaknesses are and what their weaknesses are. For me personally, I don't lift very many weights. I do a lot of bodyweight exercises. And that's always helped me in the last few years."
When I was a teenager, I usually climbed once or twice a week, but when I turned 15-16, I started climbing more often and by the age of 18-19, I was climbing 5-6 times per week. Transcript: "How many times per week was I climbing when I was a teenager? I started climbing when I was about 6 or 7 years old and up to maybe 12 years old I kind of only climbed once a week. When I was 12, 13, 14 I climbed twice a week I think, not very much. And actually only when I turned 15, 16 that's when I started climbing more often. By the age of 18, 19 I was climbing maybe 5 or 6 times a week but a lot of the times I was also climbing outside. But yeah, that was also just rather my later teenage years and from the age of 13 to 15 it was mostly twice a week, so not that much."
Turn on the filter board at least once or twice a week. A typical indoor gym session consists of fingerboarding, power endurance, bouldering, max folder and exercises. It usually lasts for three to five hours and includes proper warm-up. Transcript: "How often do I train on the kilter board and what does my typical indoor gym session consist of? When I'm home I would say I train on the kilter board at least once or twice a week. I think it's a great training tool because it has lots of boulders to offer. I like training on steep walls and you can train bouldering and also endurance. So I use the kilter board for both and also as a route climbing app which I often use. I think if you don't want to constantly make up your own boulders it's a good thing to just gain power. Especially for maybe shorter climbers who want to be able to use their full reach. And also for rather weaker climbers to just get stronger. My typical gym session consists of many elements. I wouldn't say this is the typical day. I usually include fingerboarding two to three times a week. That can be max fingerboarding. And also power endurance fingerboarding. I do include the kilter board. I also train on spray walls and I also do quite a few exercises. So depending on which phase I'm in and depending on what I'm training for, gym session can look very different. But in general it's about three to five hours. Proper warm up, then fingerboarding, then power endurance boulders or max boulders and afterwards some exercises."
Flexibility is a huge part of climbing performance and I have always worked on my flexibility in the last 10-15 years. Becoming more flexible has opened up more options and solutions for me in climbing that I wouldn't have had before. Transcript: "How much does your flexibility help you in climbing and way, always flexible. Is that something you started training? I was always relatively flexible as a kid should nonetheless in the last 10-15 years. I've always worked on my flexibility usually in the evenings, just sitting down in the carpet while answering emails, and while working on the laptop was just stretching on the carpet and I did in the last still. In the last five years, I did become even more. Herbal, how much does it help for climbing? I think it makes up a huge part of performance and the thing is until you have until you're flexible won't even realize how much more options you have by being flexible. So, everybody is not flexible says I won't help that much, but then, when you become more flexible, you realize that you've got especially for feed so many more options, you have like more. He looks you can reach more photos to the left and Right? And you just in general find many more solutions. So therefore, I think flexibility is a huge part of performance and climbing"
I never planned to become a professional climber; it just kind of happened organically, after I kept climbing for a few years. Transcript: "When I first began climbing full-time, how to support myself and make a living? Well, for me, that was kind of the other way around. So I only started climbing, full-time and became a full-time climb. A professional climber when I could make a living out of climbing so was nothing. I had planned before it just happened after school, I was just going climbing for a year before I thought I would start studying and then out of one year to became two years and then three years. But I never actually had after-school intentional plan of becoming professional climber, so it just all grow organically."