I'm a female climber who's just under 5'1" and after 6 months of climbing (3-4 times a week indoors, outdoor bouldering biweekly) I feel I'm plateauing at 5.10 - 5.11 and V3 - V4. Most of the problems I have trouble with are due to reach issues. It seems my wing span or reach is always juust short of getting me to that crux, or my legs never reach that one foot chip that's crucial for making a move.

I've learned how to get over many problems at the 5.10 and under level, but once I get to tougher climbs I get stuck. Even climbers who are 5'2" or 5'3" seem to have a world of advantage over me. I know dyno-ing to some holds might be one solution but it hasn't been a one size fits all solution to a lot of moves that require careful precision and a lot of balance.

My questions: Are there any famous, successful pro female climbers who are my height and I can learn from?

Any of you out there who share the same problem and know how to work around it?

Are there any exercises, books, videos that are good at tackling this problem that I can consult? Has anyone coached a small climber and been able to help them get to 5.12s and above?

Please help!

Thanks!!!

Are there any famous, successful pro female climbers who are my height and I can learn from?

I used to have the same problem with feeling stuck at a certain grade, and in my head I chalked it up to my size. And then I would start avoiding things because I figured they were too reachy. I don't know what happened, but one day I decided to not label anything as 'reachy' anymore, stopped making excuses (not saying that's what you are doing) and would try it.

I would watch and climb with those who were my size, and a few things I've learned is that being able to lock-off when it's needed, learning to high step if possible, and moving dynamically when I could, things didn't seem reachy anymore. You aren't going to master all of those in a couple months, they'll take some time, but they'll help. I have found that bouldering and doing core exercises helped a lot. Also, when outside, I find myself using intermediate crimps that most people might otherwise not see or need.

btw, I am 5'2 with a negative 2 ape index.

Dinosaur arms!

Usually it's not really a reach problem, but not being able to take full advantage of your full reach. Good lock off and a strong core goes a long way in terms of reach.

But honestly, I think that the OP going about this wrong. You're saying you can't so a move because you're short and don't have enough reach. Very self limiting. You need to start thinking in terms that you can't do the move the way that you're trying it, what do you have to do to make the move possible. We all have our limitations, we all have to learn to adjust to something non-ideal sometime or another.

I'm a male climber who's just under 5'10" and after 16 years of climbing I feel I'm plateauing at 5.10 - 5.11 and V3 - V4. Most of the problems I have trouble with are not due to reach issues. My wing span is plus a couple, and my legs usually reach that one foot chip that's crucial for making a move.

I've learned how to get over many problems at the 5.10 and under level, but once I get to tougher climbs I get stuck. Even climbers who are 5'3" (Duncan) or 5'4" (Elly) seem to have a world of advantage over me. I know dyno-ing to some holds might be one solution (that's what Duncan does) but it hasn't been a one size fits all solution to a lot of moves that require careful precision and a lot of balance.

My questions: Are there any famous, successful pro male climbers who are my height and I can learn from?

Any of you out there who share the same problem and know how to work around it?

Are there any exercises, books, videos that are good at tackling this problem that I can consult? Has anyone coached a climber my size and been able to help them get to 5.12s and above?

Please help!

Thanks!!!

There is no special "short person" training or technique that will magicly make you better.

In very general terms, getting that reachy moves requires one (or a combination) of the following:
-dynamic move
-using higher (often not-as-good) feet
-using intermediate ( often not-as-good) handholds
-finding a completely different sequence (instead of doing what the tall person did, with an extra foot or handhold)

Regardless of how well you have mastered all of the above, there will always be climbs that you will find harder-than-the grade-given-in-guidebook, because of your height.

However, the same is likely true for the rest of the climbers, regardless of the height. A guy with big hands is likely to find a small crimpy sequence to be harder-than-the-grade, while you might think it was easier than the grade, or right no target, for example.

So, if your goal is to climb A 5.12a, you will be able to find a 5.12a that fits your climbing style and body type, and you'll climb it.

If your goal is to climb THIS ONE PARTICULAR 5.12a with 6-foot reaches hold-to-hold on otherwise blank wall, then, depending on the specifics, you might find that this particular 5.12a is not doable for you until you are climbing 5.13s...

It's O.K.

Whine judiciously if you have to (I should follow my own advice. I am a big "shorty" whiner -- ask my partners!), keep climbing. You will never grow taller-- but you will eventually get to climb the things that right now feel impossible.

I'm a female climber who's just under 5'1" and after 6 months of climbing (3-4 times a week indoors, outdoor bouldering biweekly) I feel I'm plateauing at 5.10 - 5.11 and V3 - V4.

or she's bouldering only in a gym where the course setters design routes with a minimum number of holds spaced for them and their bros.

climbing outside will help, if that's an option.

I climb a full number grade harder outside than I do inside. I just have to forget about grades and lower my expectations when climbing inside of I'll make myself crazy.

I remember reading somewhere that Chris Sharma, Tommy Caldwell, and Lynn Hill were all bouldering together. There was a move that took Sharma ONE move, TC three, and Lynn EIGHT MOVES!

I think Katie Brown would be a good person for you to watch climb. She is about 5 feet tall. Have you seen Pilgrimage?

Next time you're in Innsbruck, go to Tivoli. It helps that Angela Eiter is the resident hard woman, but generally, a lot of the European gyms I've visited seem to do a vastly better job of setting routes for a wider array of body types and physical styles.

Amazing generalization alert! [please note, in this case amazing doesn't mean "good" or "excellent" it means "large" or "preposterous"]. Honestly, how many european gyms have you been too? From my sample (5, admittedly small, or "un-amazing") they have the same problems with setting as the US. Recommending someone travel to Angela Eiter's gym to cope with their obsession with poor route setting is simply awesome [please insert a definition for awesome here that means anything but awesome, thanks!].

Virtually all the comments so far are good. Take advantage of your (lack of) height. I've watched rock climbers for well over 50 years and have no doubt that short climbers have, in general, an advantage. Lynn Hill has already been mentioned, but during the early 1950s the top rock tigers in England were very small: Don Whillans was about 5'2"(?) and Joe Brown only a couple of inches taller. Small people are built to climb. Now, there are some boulder problems designed by very tall climbers (e.g., Jim Holloway at about 6'5") expressly for the long reaches which eliminate most others, but on longer climbs you will learn to appreciate your compact size. Just give yourself time.

I'm not sure I buy the idea that someone with 6 months of climbing experience is experiencing a plateau in the traditional sense. You have not been climbing long enough to develop enough skills/fitness for your skills / fitness to undergo that kind of transformation. If anything you may just be improving slower and there are a lot of potential reasons for that including. You give the impression that you may be focused on numbers, so as a new climber you may be making some elementary mistakes about how you spend your time climbing in order to achieve higher numbers.

I consume bone broth for this.

Cicada Jenerik was 4' 8 when she was 11 and climbed V11.. climb more.. pull harder. get better.

I´m 193 cms and 85 kgs. You small freaks are SO LIGHT!!! There´s your edge so use it

True, nine times out of ten being tall is an advantage, but even pro climbers can't do every route.

i know 10 year old climber who is AMAZING (climbing high 11s and low 12s) and he happens to be like 4'9'' i dont know his secret but whatever he does it works

I would imagine the "secret" is weighing 70 lbs or whatever.

Just repeating what many others have said in a slightly different way: being tall is an advantage for reaching holds. Being short is an advantage for being light. So being tall is an advantage when reach is an issue; otherwise being short is an advantage b/c of better strength/weight ratio.

I was completely burned off a reachy route by a 5'2" climber once. I'm 6'1". Reachy moves are completely about the ability to lock off low so you can get your feet up to make use of that long reach.

Just because I can reach the hold doesn't mean I can use it, especially if I can't do a one-armed pull-up to get my feet up. To paraphrase Lynn Hill, there aren't many reach intensive moves, but an awful lot of power-intensive moves. You can reach further when you can lock off at your waist.

I'm a female climber who's just under 5'1" and after 6 months of climbing (3-4 times a week indoors, outdoor bouldering biweekly) I feel I'm plateauing at 5.10 - 5.11 and V3 - V4.

Cicada Jenerik was 4' 8 when she was 11 and climbed V11.. climb more.. pull harder. get better.

And train for “like 4 hours a day”. Did she get injured? I haven’t heard much about her since she was 11? What happened did she get taller?

Cicada Jenerik was 4' 8 when she was 11 and climbed V11.. climb more.. pull harder. get better.