Adam Ondra still trains at least 5 hours a day

What kind of restrictions do you have in Czechia? Restrictions are relatively strict, even though the situation is less serious than some of the other countries. That means all the shops and services are closed except for groceries and gas stations. In the past weeks, it has been legal to go out for a walk in the vicinity of your home, but going climbing was a grey area. Some people stayed at home, some people kept on climbing outdoors for sure. Now life is slowly getting less restricted and most people feel like rock climbing is OK at the moment. How has this affected your life and how does a normal day look like? I am very lucky to have pretty good training conditions right at home, so the training has not been compromised too much. So the training pretty much keeps on going like normal, still training at least 5 hours a day. Otherwise it feels nice to be at home with my partner Iva, have more free time and less “work duties” than usual. What are you missing the most? Definitely rock climbing, I will go out soon. The fact that the Olympics were postponed actually makes me get to the rock earlier. Unfortunately, it does not seem we will be allowed to travel very soon, so it will be mostly my home crag that fortunately still holds some potential. Is there anything positive that could come out of the crises for you personally and for the whole world? For those who are lucky to stay healthy and at home, I think it gave us time to stop and reflect. Climbing-wise, it might make us appreciate the climbing more no matter if we send or not that day. How has Covid-19 and the postponement of the Olympics to 2021 changed your preparation plans? For sure I will not spend the next 16 months just pulling on plastic holds and training speed. I will train smartly, working on my weaknesses including speed climbing, while setting some goals outdoors as well. The best news of the last few months is that I know how to combine all of it. I have been super motivated recently. What are your training advice to climbers stuck at home? Do the exercise, but do not overtrain yourself. If you are used to climbing a few hours every day, making deadhangs for a few hours every day is the best way to get injured. Stay healthy, exercise moderately and wait for the lockdown to get over. How do you think the crises will change the climbing scene in both the short and the long run? I think it is too early to see the real impact. There are so many factors to consider like traveling and flying around the world. There might be more “local” outdoor climbing, which is good for the environment as well. You do not have to fly across half of the world to enjoy a great climbing day. (c) Pavel Klement