[JackAus]

STG: Fingers, V7, DWS project.
LTG: V11 in a session.

M: Easy 2hrs on stationary bike. Work late. Found a good spot at work I can do pull ups on. Whenever it isn't busy, I'm now doing sets....
T: Light core session. Work late.
W: Lot 34. Warm up on one of my V5s. Work on new line (probably V7 from stand, V8/9 from sit). Found an easier variant (abit off line) that will go soon. Maybe V5. Work late.
T: Getting my bike licence so had compulsory rider training this morning. Raining... Not fun. Work late.
F: Day off. More rider training. Passed everything. Can go get my licence now. Just shopping around for the right bike. Lot 33 in arvo. Working on highballing a 7m micro-route. Its about 7b+. Progress. Hard move down low (3m), hand over the hold but feels tough to try and keep on it. Warmed down ticking one of my V4s.
S: Tried to sleep in... Failed. Up fairly early and did a light core session. Work late.
S: Day off. Awake early but slow start. Lot 33 in the arvo. Warmed up on a V4 (usually just do this from a stand, I hate the sit...) then put up a couple of variations. One V4 and the other V4/5. Alot harder than the others but didn't feel like V5. Not my usual climbing style. Fingers feel very sore afterwards!

After today, fingers definitely feel like they are improving. Still don't want to take them off the STG though.

DWS hasn't moved. The weather this week has been shitty. Raining on and off...

Hopefully I'll get a couple days off in a row soon, so I can get over to Canberra or Bungonia for some climbing...

[kelvin]

A sorta top week.

Mon - First 6b. Onsight too and on limestone. Also first 6a+ onsight and almost onsighted the 6b+. Then headed to the wall and did some hangs with feet on. Tried two fingers properly for the first time.
Tue - Needed a rest day.
Wed - Boulder room. Tried that V4 for the first time in a month or so and got me foot up to the problem hold. Definite progress. Then went and farted about on the campus rails with foot on.
Thu - Boulder room felt wrong, so went and did some hangs etc.
Fri - Decided I need to structure the finger stuff again. 4 sets of 14 x 7/3 foot on on campus rails. Then managed to hang the beastmaker monos with one foot one  Sounds weak I know but I seriously am and this is progress.
Sat - Stanage Popular - Onsighted a VS to warm up, 2nded a top 50 Vdiff (brilliant route), tried Kirkus Corner on Flying Buttress but too weak to get on the top slab. Then tried a jamming VS (I can't jam) and hit the deck. Ouch.

Should have been at curbar today but came home as ankles are gonna be fucked for a few days. Pleased with the week and the 6b onsight however, set a few new goals for the summer including Salbit South Ridge and generally feeling optimistic about the future.

[Muenchener]

STG (Easter): 6c+ redpoint
          Turkish Get-Up w/20kg kettlebell.
MTG (Summer 2014) 7a redpoint.
LTG (<= 5 years): Big alpine rock routes: Totenkirchl west face (Dülfer), Marmolada south face (Vinatzer-Messner)

M:   Alpine approach training. 35 mins step-ups in big boots w/16kg rucksack  Knee physio exercises as warm up
T: Knee physio & mobility to warm up. Kettlebell TGU progression. Managed controlled negatives both sides again, and managed to get partly off the floor upwards for the first time, both sides. Progress.
W: Wall, Thalkirchen. Bouldering, very cautiously with a focus on big slopers and generally avoiding pockets. Did four problems on my newly-reset target circuit, but felt tired and powered out quickly. 20 minutes ARC to warm down / recover.
T:
F: Knee physio & mobility to warm up. Kettlebell TGU progression. 2 x 2 press and hold top position; controlled negatives both sides; stand up from bridge position both sides. Only one move left, from floor to bridge position. This still feels desperate.
S: Training for the New Alpinism Hillwalking. Attempt on the north face of the Hohe Kisten, at a mighty UIAA II. Chose discretion over valour a hundred metres below the summit in the face of snow up to my waist and zero visibility.
Gear lesson of the day: it doesn't matter how waterproof your boots are if you forget your gaiters then spend several hours in deep snow.
S: Lavish smearing of ibuprofen cream on shins in order to be able to walk at all after yesterday's unexpected deep snow adventure.
Travelling to Austria for family snowboarding holiday; intend to stop at an Austrian bouldering wall en route.

Then tried a jamming VS (I can't jam) and hit the deck. Ouch.

Different climbing disciplines are, erm, different. I got my ass throughly kicked by Phoenix at Shining Clough at a time when I was leading steady E1/2 in Wales. My attempt to get off the ground on The Bulger was rather short lived too.

[kelvin]

Then tried a jamming VS (I can't jam) and hit the deck. Ouch.

Different climbing disciplines are, erm, different. I got my ass throughly kicked by Phoenix at Shining Clough at a time when I was leading steady E1/2 in Wales. My attempt to get off the ground on The Bulger was rather short lived too.

I did shout at one point "Thank god, a sloper!" This is REAL progress because I used to hate them 

Can I ask where your 35min of alpine training is conducted? My neighbors would bitch if I used my stairs and I'd feel a right plum in the local shopping centre. It's just I'm off to do the Salbit Sudgrat this summer...

[Muenchener]

Can I ask where your 35min of alpine training is conducted? My neighbors would bitch if I used my stairs and I'd feel a right plum in the local shopping centre.

Actual step-ups, on an actual chair in my living room. Crushingly boring, loud music essential. Also I work in a forty-storey tower block, where I either do the whole thing three or for times, or 10 x 10 floor intervals. Rest interval: however long it takes to go back down in the lift. Feeling a right plum in front of colleagues is an issue, yes, but I count it towards mental toughness training. I do step-ups and stairs for two reasons: I've read in training books (Steve House, Andy Kirkpatrick) that they are more specific alpine training than running. And I have an arthritic knee so can't really run any more anyway.

Also try to get out hillwalking reasonably regularly. I have the good fortune to live an hour's drive from the foothills of the Alps, and I discovered in the autumn that evening headtorch hikes are a viable option for a quick hour or two uphill blast. Or go for a long walk in the rain if a climbing weekend gets weathered off.

It's just I'm off to do the Salbit Sudgrat this summer...

Yes, I saw that. Good goal. On my list too. Not that hard of an approach though from what I gather. I've not been there yet, but from what I've heard the trudge to the hut is long but not steep, with a possibility of sending rucksacks up via lift, and then the hut is close to the starts.

I was much impressed by an Italian guide I saw in the Dolomites who hiked the thousand metres up from the valley to the Madonna hut before breakfast, picked up his client who - like us - had stayed at the hut, did the Scarf Arete, and walked back down again in the evening. That's an approach.

[kelvin]

Cheers Munch - 40 storey stairs round this way tho never evolved but the chair in the living room will work with a rucksack. I'll be doing the Welsh 3000s once April and May come round but usually try and do them as light as I can. Arthritic knee too 

The guy I'm on the ridge with - "okay..then you have to train your legs,  so we can do it light and fast..my personal bestmark for this 16 pitches is 1 hour..and with an english buddy on the rope with we need only a few hours more  "

It's my 50th next year, so all being well and the climbing progresses enough, I'd ideally like to set a goal of the West Ridge as a birthday present to myself. It looks amazing from the pics I've seen, so it'd be nice to get an up close and personal look this summer.

[IS2]

Mon: 10 x 23 m trips up the steep walls @ Sunderland ( mainly 6b-6c+ for aerobic capacity.)

Tues: Shoulders, forearms, core and stretching. Particular focus on hips and lower back stretches to improve high steps.

Wed: Maximum strength 1cm edge single arm hangs pyramids. Bit disappointed that no improvement from last set, lifting 70% of body weight as max. Added in a set of eccentric pulls on each hand. Single arm hangs on each of Beastmaker holds and 30 "foot fishes", from close feet out to full extension / toe hooks, using middle slopers and shallow pockets for core " nip up". Session on the smallest crimps on 10 degree board. Warm down linking circuits on the big holds on both boards.

Thursday: Shoulders, forearms, core and stretching. Particular focus on hips and lower back stretches to improve high steps.

Friday: Warm up. Feet on campus for 5 sets. 7 laps of very steep 30 move circuit, just at my limit, at climbing wall, 10 min rests. Think this is Ancap. Failed on last two, totally powered out on small crimps. Warmed down on lots of easy problems.

Sat: Rest, totally wrecked off yesterday.

Sun: Still totally wrecked, more rest... might never recover... little bit of stretching.

[tomtom]

2014 totals:
Outside 10
Indoor 5
Training 10

Cheers for starting the thread JackAus

It has been my heaviest work load week of the year this last week, so I'm glad its over...

M: Work
T: Work
W: A half decent forecast, and I managed to escape work at 2:30 and Schlepped over from Hull to Burbage to join Shark on another WestSideStory-athon. This time with ladders and lights! I racked up and Shark was already there - along with Dobbin over for a cheeky post work session... Dobbin duly demonstrated the top out for us - and cruised Ron Side Fawcett (I missed half of it as I was faffing about on the top out)... I came with the intention of manning up and getting to grips with the top out. I failed. But did work out some beta (thanks Dobbin and Shark) of getting sloper with LH, RH out to the crimpy edge level with the sloper, then running feet up and plonking the LF firmly in the porthole. This felt good - and stable enough to venture a hand up to the side pull. But I didnt as I was scared Shark made good progress, and got the crimp below the porthole staticish - but then was marooned stretched out and despite us bellowing to jump for the porthole he did some sort of body squirm masquerading as a jump and missed it. He got to that postition one more time later on... darkness fell.. connies improved, lights came out. First time I've been 'lamping' and it was quite odd how I had to adjust to see the best part of the holds - all felt a bit hit and miss. I came close to the porthole once (caught the lip and grazed off) - but really felt low on form.. Tired, unmotivated? I don't know what. Anyway, the LH crimp started to wear a hole in my left tip - so I decided to stop before splitting it...

T: Rest
Fr: ALMSCLIFF... first visit of the year. Ahh.. I love the place.. Decided to have a determined attempt at Pattas arete - that has evaded me for some years. Came close, but man that problem is sharp! I had to stop after 30-40 min as I felt i was going to go through some tips again... Wandered up to Si's arete - came close (great conditions) then pottered around DWR to gee up my confidence... Great to go back there..
Sa: Football. Watched Pardew nut one of our players just below us... silly man..
Su: Rain. Drizzle. Blerugh.. Went over to Andy Popps and had a good couple of hour session on his board..

Its been a funny year so far.. my back has held me back - and time (work) - so I'm not climbing badly, but really low on staying power.. I seem to run out of juice very very fast. Still, managing to keep my oar in (just).

[mindfull]

Easy recovery of the flu.

FR (63.3 kg)
5bVE-5cVE-6aOH-6bOH-6bVE-6bOH-5cVE-6aVE

SU (64.5 kg)
5bOH-6aOH-6bOH-5cVE-6bOH
Outdoors Buildering 18 meter wall, crimps, no pads, no rubber on my leftfoot toe ... I think about 5b English technical grade.

Not much, but a very different feeling now towards my goals. The recovery after the flu gives me so much rest I will divide my next weeks of training towards 2x week boulder and 2x Power Endurance with some aerocap from time to time for recovery. I think I have my very long term objective of climbing "God Save The Queen" in Freyr as a possibility depending on the conditions. I'm not even comfortable in the 7th grade and this is 8a and hard for the grade. But why not try? Just need some extra power and tension.

[kelvin]

I'm not even comfortable in the 7th grade and this is 8a and hard for the grade. But why not try?

Yup. Just try hard.

[tomtom]

Forgot to upload this: Sharklight on WSS

[shark]

11.4-6

M. Noon. eatswood. Nice day mostly out of the wind but still chilly. Sussed out a better foothold for the snatch to the crimp. Leisurely warmup and reworking of eatswood Reverse. Then about 5 redpoints, 4th seeing me fall off last hard move with cold fingers and getting my foot sequence wrong, vid below.
T.
W.PM. Short sess on Burbage South with Tom in morning. Soloed Saul but backed off David. Back into town for a meeting then out by 3ish to Burb West with a bigger ladder. Bit too warm really. Dobbin turned up in a suit, tie, brogues and no mats. Soon after joined by Tomtom. Dobbin proceeded to do WSS and Ron Way. Using Adam's beta I got edge below the jug then in a quandary as to which hand to go with I eventually went with left but was too stretched out. Got to the same point again and put right foot higher and tried to cross thru with right hand but lost it and took a skin shredding fall. Practiced the move off the ladder and found that with the high right foot that going again with left hand worked perfectly. Carried on in dark but didnt get back to crimp but got to try out new lantern at least. No luck for Tom either.
T. PM. Foundry with Poppy. Repeated some level2s Gave up on green black spots. Tried yellow/black on right side of steep section - managed it in sections.
F. Noon. AnCap on systems board. Not quite as good as last week but was 3rd day on and last time was after a rest day. 15x4 3 sets Didn't do any 20/10s this time.
S. Lovely weather but spent all day with Poppy at Alter Rock in derby for the Regional YCS and judging Girls D. Some really talented youngsters in this group. Tom came second in his Group   
S. Noon. Wind from south so took a chance on eatswood. OKish when I got there but got grimmer and grimmer. Few OK redpoints but not as strong as on monday so didnt seal the deal. Again.

Close misses seem to be the order of the week. And despondency. Weight in right range. Didnt do any fingerboarding  - hope all this climbing isn't making me too weak. Pencilled in to go to Malham a week on tuesday with Steve Mac. Ben has badgered me in to taking him grit bouldering next saturday with his mate Joe. Lets hope he doesnt get pissed off this time

[cheque]

STG- normal middle fingers
2014 goals- 20 19 E-point, 10 boulder 7s, 10 sport 7s.

M- Back on the compound strength- pulups/ 18kg bicep curls/ pushups. 8 minute rest between sets this time.

T- Rest.

W- Notts Wall. Unstructured routes session with low motivation. Stayed off small holds at least. Found there's an endurance circuit set in the boulder bit now so tried that at the end.

T- Swimming. 50 minutes continuous breaststroke.

F- Rest.

S- Soloed 22 routes up to HS on the Upper and Lower tiers of the Roaches- all of the easy classics, all onsight apart from a few that I'd done bits of as part of other routes before. A day to remember. 

S- Rest.

Great day on Saturday. Hopefully find a trad partner for next weekend.

[csl]

Goals for Feb

Climb 3x a week 3/3 - 5/3
1x session a week on a rope. 1/1
1x outside 2/1
7b/E4/7A+ None ticked.

Stay under 75kg. Eat a bit healthier food.

Goals for Winter

V8/7B indoors/ Get stronger on Boulders - Try and get a V8 by end of Feb.
Book a sport trip. Done.

Mon - strength and AnCap. Onsighted a couple of white v5-7 circuit. 9 sets of 12 moves with 3:1 rest to work time. 4 sets 18 moves on campus board no feet. 3x rest time. Too much!
Tue - Arc. Battered from Yesterday, clearly need to do a lot less. Did 4, 2, 2 laps on circuit board 6b.
Wed - rest
Thu - Strength. Did lots of yellow v2-4 circuit to warm up then tried a couple of V7's for a while. Done most moves on one.
Fri - roaches at night. Couple of goes on stretch and mantel. Tried the gutter. Got from holds after the undercuts to the last move.
Sat - roaches. Got close on Nadins traverse. Then went to Hen Cloud, did hen cloud eliminate after failing miserably on it a year ago. Seconded Corinthian, the E3 to the left easily but then failed to get anywhere on my lead of the other E3, Comedian. Dogged on second. Dogged on second the E5, frayed nerve also.
Sun - Rain at Roaches. Shame but headed back to leeds and managed the Tekno Board classic 'V1', Bucket Feast. Failed on a few other things on the board.

[cheque]

Sat - roaches. Got close on Nadins traverse.

I'd have come and said hello if I'd have known you were there csl. I assume you were with the Leeds Uni group?

[Wood FT]

Rain at Roaches. Shame but headed back to leeds and managed the Tekno Board classic 'V1', Bucket Feast. Failed on a few other things on the board.

Effort, that's ard

[mindfull]

Outdoors Buildering 18 meter wall, crimps, no pads, no rubber on my leftfoot toe ... I think about 5b English technical grade.

Typo, should be 8 meter off course 

[Ti_pin_man]

I'm green with envy coming here, you guys are getting way more climbing than me at the moment.  A new role moved my job location and has destroyed my evening bouldering, its upped the cycle mileage to 30 a day 3 days a week but almost eliminated the bouldering I can do.  The good news is I've dropped 4 kilos down to 78 kilos over the last 6 weeks and continue to get my core sessions and the odd Finger session and the odd climb, down to one a week.  I'm hoping it will soon balance oout and I'll soon be able to return to working from home a couple of times a week and get to the wall.  Sigh.

[T_B]

84.9Kg

M - Theraband/stretching
T - Ill
W - Ill
T - Ill (though managed 25 mins on f/board. 6 x 7 on front 3, 5 x 7 on back 3, 6 x 7 on 15mm edge). 150 leg raises (3 sets of 50)
F - Works p.m. General bouldering and one set of 8 x first 14 moves of green 8b with 2 min rests.
S -
S - Works a.m. 30 mins warm up in mini works doing Murples, 60 mins on M'board + testing elbows on campus board - did 1-4-7 on left. Then 3 x 10 mins AeroCap with 5 min rests.

Had a virus earlier in the week so lots of rest. Hammered the theraband shoulder stability routine later in the week, plus lots of general stretching. No elbow issues. Felt like I could do springy powerful moves for the first time in weeks on Sunday. Had a tentative 5 mins on the campus board and felt OK 

Next week: don't overdo it!

[Evil]

STG - power up for boulder trip end of March

M - 16 miles cycle commute total. Evening 10 minute fingerboard thing plus elbow exercises.
T - 16 miles cycle commute total. Evening routes - 4+, 5+, 6a+, 6c+ & 7a (these working a few clips at a time), 6a & 6b (new), 6b+. Didn't feel at all enthused by the routes this evening. Then had a go on that boulder problem from the weekend as am slightly obsessed by it now. Didn't quite get it still...
W - 16 miles cycle commute total. 5k lunchtime run (27:50). Did some frenchies and cooked chilli in the evening.
T - 16 miles cycle commute total. Drinks in the evening.
F - morning bodyweight circuit thingy. Boulder at the wall after work. Got the problem done finally. Very satisfying. Did some V2-3s on a new set too. Finished with trying to do circuits on the board, but failing on the downclimb.
S - walked the dog - 7 miles. Afternoon went to a yoga class at the climbing wall (I know, I know). Seems good for working on my one sidedness with a dodgy elbow, so might go again. Made my arms ache the next day quite a lot.
S - walking - 6.5 miles. Couple of hours at the wall evening, mainly trying some V4-6 problems. Didn't finish any, but made progress.

[SA Chris]

STG Lose weight get strong.

M - Woody session at mates' wall. Felt pretty good, did some probs I thought hard and had some fun campusing on some of the wooded boob holds they've got. Good, but trash the skin a bit
T- Cardio - 1 hour
W - weight in 13 st 5 3/4 (down 3/4!) - Wall session - felt good and light and strong. Zipped through all the probs I have done before, then laid seige to nemesis on 30 (35) deg board. Usually not my style - obligatory cut loose, plus loads of long balancy moves between small finger edges. made good progress though, and nailed it on what was likely to be last good attempt. Given V5 but felt harder. With nothing to lose i gave another hard prob a crack and managed it in two overlapping halves before any oomf went. Hopefully get it this week.
T - little apart from jogging on the spot and doing start jumps trying to keep warm while taking photos of aurora.
F - nothing, burst
S - Bike ride, on road, about 1.5 hours, mostly into headwind in spite of it being a circuit. Felt utterly poleaxed afterwards, not sure if I hadn't eaten enough or what.
S - Swimming lessosn morning, got out in afternoon and did 2 more new probs, both good. Tried valiantly to do the sitter on one, but totally shut down on second move, need to get fingers a lot stronger, or give it away. Skiing lessons afternoon - picking up kids for an hour.

[Dolly]

M Gym Core and some aerobic. Walked to the match to see Wednesday not turn up and miss the chance of an all Sheffield Quarter final against the blunts. Grumpy
T Foundry board.
W Core and aerobic @ Gym
T Shed
F
S
S. Rubbish weather. Shark texted me from eatswood to tell me it was too hardcore for me. Shed session later including a problem on my new massive sloper

[Dolly]

How do you edit a post when you've posted by accident as I just did ?
Had a look in the wiki but couldnt see anything

[csl]

Sat - roaches. Got close on Nadins traverse.

I'd have come and said hello if I'd have known you were there csl. I assume you were with the Leeds Uni group?

Yeah, was with the Leeds group, flitting between trying Nadin's and belaying a mate on Paralologism for the morning. Was a nice day to be out!

[csl]

Rain at Roaches. Shame but headed back to leeds and managed the Tekno Board classic 'V1', Bucket Feast. Failed on a few other things on the board.

Effort, that's ard

Cheers!