Climbing Legend Chris Sharma Credits His Ageless Power to This Surprisingly Simple Training Rule
Any athlete with a lengthy career knows you can’t rely on the same tools forever. As their body ages, the methods that once kept them performing at their peak need to evolve, too. Chris Sharma, who’s been climbing for over three decades, knows this better than most.
In his early years, Sharma chased climbs on instinct without any real rhyme or reason—letting each new adventure pull him in. But at 44, he has to be more strategic about how he moves. It’s not just his body that’s changed—his life has, too. These days, Sharma is a husband and father of two, and his time is no longer all his own. But with less time comes more intention—and in many ways, the climbs mean even more now than they did before.
Training With Intention
"I have two children, and so my time is split differently, where in the past I had this amazing freedom, where my life revolved around rock climbing," says Sharma, who recently collaborated with prAna to craft the Mandala Boulder Graphic Tee. "Before, I would climb every other day, and my climbing would be much more 'dosified' into smaller windows very frequently. But now, because I'm so limited by these external circumstances, I'm just chomping at the bit to get out there."
Because he climbs less frequently now, Sharma says he tends to push harder when he does. As a result, he’s had to learn how to be more consistent with his training—while also prioritizing recovery to keep his body in the game.
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Consistency Is Key
"In the past, I could take a month or two off and really step back from climbing, just to kind of find myself," he said. "When I was younger I remember coming back, directly dropping into some competition and not missing a beat. Nowadays, I just can't do that, I have to be much more consistent in my climbing, and I climb every week. There are periods of time when it's good to take a break, but it's not something that you want to do very often, because I think if you stay consistent, you can continue to climb at your highest level, and even progress."
As you age—especially as a climber—your body just doesn’t respond the way it used to. Your stamina dips, your grip weakens, and the rock feels a little less forgiving. For Chris Sharma, the secret to a decades-long climbing career is simple: just keep climbing. But he’s also gotten smarter about everything outside the gym. That means cutting back on alcohol and prioritizing overall health to keep performing at a high level.
"My personal experience in climbing now that I am a bit older is that routines have become more meaningful for me. Because I am so motivated to keep achieving my goals on the rock and I know the effects of not being consistent, I'm much more aware of that now. With regard to diet and sleep I've definitely made certain lifestyle changes to overall be healthier."