[a dense loner]

Ure too strong for your own good nibs, accept it. Maybe the forced, I won't call it rest cos I know what ure like, easing off for a bit has done you some good strength wise

[Nibile]

Or maybe the given grades are just wrong! 

[Nibile]

One that went away.
http://totolore.blogspot.it/2013/05/dos-and-donts_10.html

[comPiler]

DO'S AND DON'TS
10 May 2013, 2:54 pm



The cliche is that after a long time with no entries, the blogger starts explaining the reasons that forced him or her to deprive the world of his or her absolutely necessary thoughts. I am no exception, so here you go: basically very little climbing, very little training and a lot work did the job, in my case.

After my idiotic last entry about the bus thoughts, I decided that such crap should be avoided, mostly as a sign of respect for the reader. The fact is this: I have, and always had, a very average level; only in very specific areas I could climb a bit harder, and only in two places I can climb a bit more harder. These last two are the Chiesina Roof and my board. So, basically, it's a very stupid thing to go around on here boosting my ego, while on any other crag or gym in the world I am barely able to climb in the low or mid 7's.

Enough.

One thing is sure, climbing aside: I am retaining some kind of power despite not training anymore. I tested some deadlifts and I was less than 10 per cent below my PB (then I could not walk properly for four days); on the board it's OK but as I said it does not count; on the BM some tests showed that my fingers can still hold something; finally I can still do one one armer with 7kg added (they were 9/10 before) and a few ones in a row with bodyweight.

These fantastic feats are equal to zero on the rocks. And on plastic that is not my board.

Anyway, to the main subject.

Living and working around Siena and Florence, two of the most beautiful and touristic cities in the world, I happen to see a lot of tourists, visitors, foreign students, and the likes. I'd like to explain here, for everyone, how a foreigner should behave here, and why.

Let's start from the "Why".

It's very simple. We don't like foreigners, visitors, tourists, groups, students. At best, we don't like them: we can easily hate them. They don't deserve Italy. We like their money. Dollars, Euros, Yens, Pounds, the more the better. And that's all. Some times we like their women, but not always. Our idea of a perfect visitor is this: someone who gets off the bus or train, kneels down and thanks his god for being in Italy, the only place in the world that's worth seeing. Then, he proceeds to spend shitloads of money in shoes, food, bags, jewelry, clothing, cars and hotels; finally he gives us his beautiful wife so that she can have good sex at least once in her life, then they leave, swearing their god for not living here. End of story.

So, in order to avoid being hated and treated like some kind of troglodite, please hear me.

These count especially for women:

- don't go out in the morning with wet hair. I don't know why you do this, but we don't like it. Get the fuck up earlier, and take the time to dry your hair. When you'll see Isabella Rossellini out with wet hair... well you can't either;

- don't dress all the same. We already think that you are a tasteless prey for the modern playboy, so please try not to look like a herd, especially if the style in case is track shorts and tank, flip-flops.

These are for everyone:

- don't walk around with a cardboard cup of God-only-knows what type of disgusting shit remotely containing caffeine. Double mokaccino with soya milk my ass. Get a fucking caffè or a cappuccino and drink it at the bar, as humans do;

- never, ever ask for an "espresso". It took ages to get to this stage of perfection for us, so we know that if we ask for a coffee in a bar, the barman is not going to take out his grandad's moka from under the counter. Just ask for "caffè" in a bar, and you'll get what you want without being seen as an idiot. After all, what would you think about someone asking for some "distilled malt" in a pub?

- don't wear beach-shorts. They are called that way, because they relate to the beach. Don't be silly, would you wear a wetsuit in the dolomites when it's cold?

- don't ask for a well done Fiorentina Steak. If you can't have it "al sangue", you don't deserve to taste it;

- never try to pick up a girl saying "Ciao bella!" because it doens't work and makes a fool of you.

Finally, for anything else, please refer to "Vacanze Romane", with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. They were pretty cool.

I hope this helps, without being (too) offensive. But let's be honest, we all know I'm right.

Inviato da iPad

Inviato da iPad

Source: TOTOLORE

[crimp]

well. Lots to think about there.

[a dense loner]

Thank god nibs, thank god

[comPiler]

THINGS CHANGE...
15 June 2013, 3:30 pm

I have started trying some old problems on my board, problems I set and climbed one or two years ago. I also bought a new pair of shoes for the board as well. The connection between these two facts can be explained by the following pictures.

Before:  

Now:  



Source: TOTOLORE

[comPiler]

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE!
1 July 2013, 9:19 am

What do you get if you take an ageing ex-wannabe and a young ex-bodybuilder sport climbing? I don't know what you get, I can tell you they'll get a lot of fun! Big numbers baby. More to come!

Source: TOTOLORE

[Muenchener]

DO'S AND DON'TS
Then, he proceeds to spend shitloads of money in shoes
Source: TOTOLORE

I never set foot in Arco without going to the La Sportiva shop.

(Don't recall seeing one in Siena tho)

[Nibile]

DO'S AND DON'TS
Then, he proceeds to spend shitloads of money in shoes
Source: TOTOLORE

I never set foot in Arco without going to the La Sportiva shop.

(Don't recall seeing one in Siena tho)

Well, let's say that if you need a pair of climbing shoes in Siena, you can definitely have a look at the pairs I still have in the box!

[comPiler]

AMIATA SPORT CLIMBING
2 July 2013, 9:17 am

As promised, a few pics from my sport climbing experience, to give proof that I actually used my harness... Courtesy of Pietro Mittica.

The "easy" first moves: the first bolt is easily at 3 meters, with a nice rock at the bottom of the route. Why that? Had to leave the first bolts preclipped and it was a pain to climb the first part of the route that way, but there was no way I was going to risk a dangerous fall.

Aiming at the target for the dyno. It's a long pull.

Undercling and long reach to good holds!

 

Strenuous clip due to being terrified about doing the move and then easily clipping from a jug. Great pic.

At this point I was needing oxygen, having climbed at least 15 moves for a total of at least 8 meters. Bloody multipitch. What a great day!  

Source: TOTOLORE

[Luke Owens]

The look of fear in the second photo is brilliant! Good effort Nibs, what route was it?

[Nibile]

It's called "Ben Cotto" and it's here in Tuscany, at Mount Amiata. It's one of the few routes that I've been wanting to climb in the last years, an overhaning prow with good holds. Brilliant! Very bouldery.

[SA Chris]

Pics 2 and 3 look like scenes from Walking Climbing Dead.

[Nibile]

Pics 2 and 3 look like scenes from Walking Climbing Dead.

I don't get it. Sorry! 

[Grubes]

Pics 2 and 3 look like scenes from Walking Climbing Dead.

I don't get it. Sorry! 

Zombie

italian lawyers

[Nibile]

I'll take it as a compliment, somehow!
 

[comPiler]

LET'S FUCKING GO!
18 July 2013, 7:16 am



The above image reflects my recent thoughts. It could seem a stupid idea to buy 50 new holds for a wall that I barely use, but it's not. At least not for me. Given the recent changes in my life, my two jobs and the lack of time to dedicate to training, everything needs to be closer to perfection than before. Before, I could decide easily what to do, how to train, for how long, at which intensity, because I had all the time in the world. Now, not anymore. I have bits of spare time here and there, half hours every x days, and therefore I need to extract the most out of that little time I have. That's why I made my board even better. Because it will help me: the fact that I have little time to train doesn't mean that I'm prepared to become shit. Or shitter, anyway. It's not fucking over.



Source: TOTOLORE

[Luke Owens]

the fact that I have little time to train doesn't mean that I'm prepared to become shit.

I love how psyched you are Nibs! It's damn inspiring!

[Nibile]

Hey thanks Luke!
Things are very strange, to be honest. I recently added 4 kg to all my fingerboarding PB's and I keep adding plates to the bar when I go to the gym. During the weekend I did two problems that I could not do when I was fully trained and with lots of spare time.
If it goes on like this I'll peak at around 71 years old.

[Luke Owens]

Hey thanks Luke!
Things are very strange, to be honest. I recently added 4 kg to all my fingerboarding PB's and I keep adding plates to the bar when I go to the gym. During the weekend I did two problems that I could not do when I was fully trained and with lots of spare time.
If it goes on like this I'll peak at around 71 years old.

That's awesome, maybe getting more than rest than you used to is actually helping?

[Nibile]

Yes that could easily be, even though before I was far more consistent, while now I have big highs and lows. I think it could be easier to keep the pace on the BM than on the board or rock. Movement is important.
Once sorted a few things job wise, I think I could get a better training regime going. Let's see in a few months!

[comPiler]

SUMMER
31 July 2013, 9:28 pm

Nothing can challenge your training motivation like a hot Summer. In winter, the bad weather does nothing but push you under the fingerboard, or to the gym, or to the wall to spend three hours on four moves, as I've done plenty of times. In Summer, training with over 30 degrees is really really hard for me: just a few dead hangs leave me worked, the holds on my board are rough and warm and they grate even the Antihydral sort of elephant skin. I do find some kind of fun with the weights. I don't do much, but I keep doing something: usually some climbing orientated work, like one armers (in various forms, with a pause between reps, or with some added weight, or trying to be as fast as possible, and so on), and then some core with front lever pulls (that made a freak of me in the gym, with a group of shameless guys that gather around to see and comment - I don't care much, it's somehow a sort of gratification, but I don't want to be showing off and it's generally quite embarassing, but I want to train as I want to train, no matter what happens around), and finally some snatch pulls (I love this excercise!). Then often there's not much time left, so I do some shoulders, triceps and biceps in sequence to try and burn some of the belly I've put up, then it's shower time. I am adding weights regularly and this is always good. I still haven't found the courage to properly test my one armers (last year in this period I was at my best level) but sooner or later I will. On the Beastmaker, I added 4 kilos to all my dead hangs, and this made me happy especially for ring monos. I sadly found out that my pinkies are incredibly weak, probably due to their length they don't get much activation unless crimped, and this makes the pinky monos front lever a very tough challenge. Also, they are so small that I can't keep them from sliding out of the holes, they get no friction or edge whatsoever. Hmm... We'll see. I removed the small bit of wood that I had put in the incut rung to make it smaller, because I found that it was too small to train half crimped and I always ended up almost openhanding: so now it's the normal rung but properly half crimped (or even a bit more than half). The major success came last Saturday, in the form of a repeated one armer on the small pocket, front2. I had one armed that hang years ago, for the essential 7c+ tick, but the one armer proved to be elusive. Saturday I just felt the hold bigger than ever and I just pulled. I checked if I had taken the wrong one but no. Being in the year with the least training, each progress is quite strange. I think that I just come from two ten years long cycles of training, and maybe I'll be overcompensating for a few years to come. I stroke my chin though. Rock. Rock. What was that? I finally put my hands on a route I'd been wanting to do for a few years, and I started thinking back to my projects. Rock climbing is very far from dangling from a wooden hold (not that I dangle at all, when I dead hang, I am solid as a motherfucker), so I fear the rock. Speaking about more important things, I am still deep into my two jobs schedule, with mornings in Florence and evenings in Siena. Being full Summer though, I can take it more easily. I have lots to study and two very big exams in Autumn: soon enough the long days will be here again! I have become so politically correct, in this blog, that it's nauseating. Bah.

Source: TOTOLORE

[Nibile]

Just to put things into perspective, 47 degrees now in the sun in Florence.

[SA Chris]

Betty Swollocks in town for a long stay! It's high teens and drizzle here. Lovely.