The crux is the most difficult part of your project, the single hardest move, the one that requires the most finesse and power. On any project you will get to know this section well, because you will fall here … a lot.

The thing about the crux, the thing that is so obvious it feels absurd to even mention it, is this: you can either do the move or you can’t. You’re either strong enough or you’re not. It doesn’t matter if you can do the rest of the moves, if you can’t do the crux, you won’t send your project.

That said, don’t let that stop you from trying hard routes above your limit. It can take me weeks to figure out all the moves on a route. Hell, I’ve spent a month on a single move. Just be sure to monitor the feedback so that you at least feel like you’re making progress. (Whether you’re delusional or not doesn’t matter, what matters is perceived progress. This produces psyche and psyche produces momentum.)

In some cases, I can’t figure out the crux of a project. So, reluctantly, I admit to myself that I will need to come back to the route another season. Don’t get too upset with yourself or call yourself weak; view it as an opportunity to fill in the holes in your training program. This feedback is how we start designing our training program for the off season.

Ask yourself, what is it specifically that makes you unable to do the crux? What skill or strength do you need to work on in your training? Lock off strength? Finger strength? Core, flexibility, technique, aerobic threshold? All of the above? You learn more about what you need to work on with moves you can’t do than moves you can. Cruxes can shine a light on what you need to work on. Just be sure to pay attention to what it’s trying to tell you.