[St Hubbins]

As a follow on to this thread: http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,8593.msg133842.html#msg133842
I'm keen to hear back from anyone thats using/used a weight vest for training. Any finger injuries yet?

I'm using one now and again, for the room traverse i do at my local indoor wall. Its only a 5kg belt so i'm tempted to start using it to repeat problems too.

[Monolith]

I use a 10lb weight belt for climbing on the board and for supplementing sandbags for deadhangs/power pulls. Works a treat, is well comfy to wear and can be adjusted by the ounce if it's too much for you on a certain exercise. Made by Reebok. Should be out there on the net somewhere.

[Paul B]

I think Serpico posted some interesting articles that show (using SCIENCE) that additional weight wasn't beneficial for sports specific motion.
I'm sure for deadhanging if you're beastly enough to manage it, it would be very beneficial.

[GCW]

36 quid!!!

[St Hubbins]

Just been for session. Thinks its the way forward if used carefully.

Your belt sounds a touch lighter than mine. I was a miser and have gone for these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Golds-Gym-Nylon-Ankle-Weights/dp/B000SAFLMY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1223823996&sr=8-3

I strap them together to make a belt

[Paul B]

Some anecdotal evidence against the use of weight belts for use on boards:

Well known Wad A, tries a specific (board) problem and cannot do the crux move, then spends the next few months with a rucksack permanently attached to his back containing about a stone. Wad A returns some months later confident to try said move and finds out that he still can't do it despite being much stronger on paper. Obviously during this period he managed to increase his dead hanging ability but it seemed to not have had any positive effect on his power.

 

Climbing with weight belts always feels like it should be beneficial as its so much harder. Just the above, and a few comments by Serpico who is definitely more clued up than I am on this kind of thing got me thinking. I tried to discuss this with Strong Ed but he looked genuinely hurt that I'd even suggest it to be anything other than the FUTURE!

[Monolith]

I managed to obtain the belt for 10 pounds in a sale. 36 sounds way too pricey.

The good thing about it is that you can separate it in two and strap them to your ankles for doing raises/levers. I did 10 sets of 8 raises and my abs were sore for about 5 days. 2 rest days later, my tension felt out of this world. SCIENCE or NO SCIENCE, this has translated well for me.

[Serpico]

Climbing with weight belts always feels like it should be beneficial as its so much harder. Just the above, and a few comments by Serpico who is definitely more clued up than I am on this kind of thing got me thinking. !

I don't think it's black and white, there's likely to be positive effects and negative effects (as per the studies). I think the safest thing to do (from a training adaptation perspective) is to make your climbing harder the way it happens in the real world: smaller, poorer holds etc. If you want to make an established circuit harder by using a weight belt then make sure it has a low technique element and no dynamic moves. I think the worst thing you could do with a weight belt is campus or practice dynos, this is the type of movement (ie: power and technique) that's been shown by research in other sports to have negative transfer from added weight training.

[St Hubbins]

Well I took it for granted that using the belt on the campus board would be asking for trouble. My room traverse is approximatly 80m long and i try and do it with a single brief rest, using a variety of holds.

There is some guy who comes to the wall thats meant to be the 'army climbing champion', and he goes on the campus board with this massive weighted vest. He has some sort of tens machine strapped to his forearm 

I haven't seen him do anything above v3 either

[a dense loner]

i spent a few months campussing with a weightbelt, and deadhanging with weight. i have climbed above V3

[St Hubbins]

Are you John Gill in disguise?

[saltbeef]

i spent a few months campussing with a weightbelt, and deadhanging with weight. i have climbed above V3

we want witnesses!

[Monolith]

I've had noticeable results from using the weightbelt whilst doing touches at varying lock angles. I can envisage how spending your entire training time with weight strapped to you would foster 'lazy' muscle though.

[Jaspersharpe]

There is some guy who comes to the wall thats meant to be the 'army climbing champion', and he goes on the campus board with this massive weighted vest. He has some sort of tens machine strapped to his forearm 

Genius.

[a dense loner]

i spent a few months campussing with a weightbelt, and deadhanging with weight. i have climbed above V3

we want witnesses!

all you would need to do is come along when i'm doing it, tho haven't done it for a long time and have no plans to do so at the moment. may start again tho since mini pic is keen for the campus bit. since you were as motivated as a piece of pie when you lived in shef i doubt very much you'll be psyched to come over from manc to witness such feats

[Bonjoy]

I think he meant witnesses to the V3, not the weightbelt routine 

[a dense loner]

thought that as soon as i posted. beefs funny

you up for some climbing your way this wknd saltus?

[lagerstarfish]

There is some guy who comes to the wall thats meant to be the 'army climbing champion', and he goes on the campus board with this massive weighted vest. He has some sort of tens machine strapped to his forearm 

I haven't seen him do anything above v3 either

Is that ten machines strapped to each arm, or ten machines strapped on altogether?

I met a soldier on leave from Iraq last year. He had the most enormous calf muscles from walking around the streets of Iraq with all the body armour they have to wear  (and probably have to buy themselves). Maybe your "army champion" got the idea from that?

How hard does he climb without the vest?

[saltbeef]

you up for some climbing your way this wknd saltus?

ja bitte.
give me a shout, probably keen for sunday (maybe the cave)

[The Sausage]

I'm a BIG fan of the weight belt, although I'm fundamentally mediocre, so don't take too much notice. I often find if I can't do a move on a link, if I do the move individually with a weight belt, I can then do it on the link. I also use mine on a campus board (4kg) - again, I think it really helps with recruitment. I have used also used it doing routes indoors, and think it's great for that.

I've never been injured using it, and I think if you're careful and systematic (which you should be whenever ou're training), it can be a great tool for getting stronger.

But don't forget you also have to go climbing...

[Johnny Brown]

If weightbelts didn't work then dieting wouldn't either.

[Jim]

so my natural weightbelt won't work and getting rid of it won't do anything either?
Oh well, bollocks to the diet

[St Hubbins]

I'm a BIG fan of the weight belt, although I'm fundamentally mediocre, so don't take too much notice. I often find if I can't do a move on a link, if I do the move individually with a weight belt, I can then do it on the link. I also use mine on a campus board (4kg) - again, I think it really helps with recruitment.

I like that idea of using it on a stumbling crux a lot!

What you doing exercise wise on the campus board with the belt? ie sets, routine, duration...?

[The Sausage]

What you doing exercise wise on the campus board with the belt? ie sets, routine, duration...?

I generally don't do anything too ballistic (i.e. nothing 2 handed). Working on 1-4-7 for example, I'll do 1-3-6 with 4 kg attached. I don't tend to have a specific campus routine, but rather have goals that I set for each session. I find that after warming up, doing a few things with the weight belt like touches (both hands on 1, pull up and touch 4 with one hand and back down to 1, swap hands and repeat), or just plain old 1-3-5-7. Good for recruitment I think. Doing 1-4-7 on bigger rungs (with weight belt) seems a good way to get the shoulders and arms going - I try to be dynamic on the big rungs, rather than just trying to lock it.

Just experiment and gradually increase what you do.

[St Hubbins]

Think I'll try some touches tomorrow. I did promise myself i'd stay off the campus board with the belt. Then again i did promise myself i wouldn't whack a whole slab of green and blacks for breakfast today