Book excerpt: Climbing has become a mainstream sport with more participants than skiing or snowboarding and, among the different types of climbing, gym climbing is the most popular. Where gyms were once a training ground for rock and alpine climbers, many participants now regularly climb indoors with no plans beyond tackling the ever-changing routes of their neighborhood hangout. When Mountaineers Books published the first edition of this title in 2004 there were approximately 250 climbing gyms in the United States. Today there are more than 650. In this completely revised second edition, author Matt Burbach focuses his instruction on climbers who want to excel on indoor routes and problems. The new edition includes: Step-by-step training for beginners Strategies for progressing to dynamic movements to top out on ever more difficult new-school routes and problems Both bouldering and top-roping instruction Physical conditioning, mental training, and kinesiological assessment and theory The latest belay and safety techniques Explanation of equipment, which is safer, lighter, and more comfortable than ever This edition also includes entirely new photos (now in color), with professional climbers Emily Harrington and Matt Segal demonstrating the moves and gym climbing techniques throughout the book.