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The Dark Life
26 April 2010, 11:43 am

I've been away. Away for too long from climbing, training and subsequently the blog.  The only punishing regime I've put myself through over the last month has been a work one.  My work at the moment is absolutely manic and I've hadly done anything outside of it.  Three weeks of the last month have been crammed full of overnight shifts.  I've trained before when on overnights, but I've never had a run this bad; five night shifts a week for three weeks, with the odd day shift thrown in for good measure.  The shifts are long, twelve hours straight without a break, so that's a sixty hour week at night, suffice to say I've been knackered.  

Rather than spend my days off with futile attempts at climbing, I've mostly been sauntering round the flat in a dazed attempt at staying awake long enough to see my girlfriend in the evening.  You'd think getting to sleep would be easy when you are that tired, but you'd be very wrong.  Getting back to sleep at a normal time is almost impossible, I say almost because it can be done - with the aid of a fair amount of alcohol.

When I finally came off nights a week ago my body finally gave in on me as I projectile vomitted at Kings Cross underground station in the morning rush hour.  A day later I was back in work on days, my contract means that a sick day isn't an option.  No rest for the wicked as they say (or those on a contract which is weighted 99% in the favour of their employer).

Hopefully next week I'll be back climbing, it'll be nice to do some excercise again.  Even if I'm not I'll be getting the blog back up to speed with some new content, keep your eyes peeled for a little bit of inspiration.....

Source: increasing the calibre

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A Different World
15 May 2010, 11:34 am

Climbing and training feel a long way away at the moment.  It almost feels like something a version of me did in a parallel universe.  Despite my statement in my previous post that I would return with psyche high, I haven't.  All my life has consisted of since I returned from France has been work.  It's amazing to be working so much, today is my first day off after a run of 13 days straight, but it is a horrible feeling knowing that the fat is slowly piling on and my muscles are going slack.

I've currently got another day off on Monday and really hope that I can get back down the wall and shake a few of the cobwebs out.  I've never mentioned exactly what I do on here, but felt like I had to give some explanation as to why I've neglected the blog over the last two months.  So here is a little pic I took the other day as a clue, I think it says it all really, hopefully now the dust may settle a bit and I might be able to get back to cranking.



Source: increasing the calibre

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I'm Back
2 June 2010, 5:53 am

After what has been an incredibly manic couple of months, things are starting to calm down at work.  I've just finished a week of night shifts and decided that enough was enough, I had to get back into climbing.  I've missed it a lot.

I hit the wall yesterday for only my 3rd session in two months.  My body felt slack and heavy, but it felt good to get up a few problems.  My fingers still felt strong, but it was my arm power and body tension which seemed to have gone awol.  It'll be back, but it is going to take a bit of time.  When I went to font, I had never felt so strong, but things had conspired against me.  If I'm honest I've seriously considered sacking in climbing over the last couple of months, but a day off and an afternoon browsing some climbing videos inspired me to get back in the game.  After all I have unfinished business, a lot of unfinished business.

Here are a couple of the vids that gave me the kick I needed.

from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

from Jimmy Webb on Vimeo.

Keep an eye on the blog later today as I'm finally going to start adding some new content to the friends section, which will include interviews pics and vidoes with friends of www.increasingthecalibre.com

Source: increasing the calibre

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The Jon Partridge Interview
5 June 2010, 10:35 pm

Jon Partridge is a British Team member, good friend of increasing the calibre, all round top bloke and definitely a name to keep an eye on.

You've just recently got back from a trip to Hueco, how did things go for you out there?

For me Hueco is a truly incredible place. It tops the charts in almost every category you could think of; landscape, rock type, rock quality, amount of problems, types of problems, quality of lines, movement........the list goes on.  However for me the most important thing is that unlike our native rock types it really suits my style of climbing.  The trip itself was quite short for a long haul destination (2 full weeks) but I definitely felt that it was worth it. I had some serious skin issues towards the end of the first week which halted the grand plan for the trip, but I still felt like it was extremely productive.

What were the highlight problems for you?

So my highlights tick list for the trip was as follows:

Scream (Proper Start), V11

Purple Flowers, V11 (2nd Go, dropped finishing Jug on flash)

Rumble in the Jungle, V12

Acme Roof, V10 Flash

Better Eat Your Wheeties, V8 Flash

Black Forest, V10

Theatre of the Absurd, V10

Barefoot on Sacred Ground, V12

Fern Roof, V10

The Power of Silence, V10

Dark Age, V11

Ultra Mega V8 Flash

Is Julio there? V9, Flash

Mojo, V10 Flash

Sunshine, V11

Focus, V10 Flash

Power of Llanjager, V11

In my opinion all of these problems are totally world class. But if i was pushed for favourites and had only a day I would recommend trying: Sunshine, The Power of Silence, and Theatre of the Absurd for a taste of the different styles and quality.

You got a fair few hard problems done out there in a short time, great effort!  What kind of training were you doing in the run up to the trip?

Cheers mate. My training has changed considerably over the last few years. Previously my training would be quite generalised with the grand plan to try and stay fit all year round so I could go on lots of trips away. Now my emphasis is on getting into the best condition for the international competition circuit over the summer months.

I split my training into phases throughout the year and at the time of the Hueco trip I was right in the middle of a power phase which was quite handy. I was training explosive moves, contact strength and did a fair bit of weight work in the gym.  I'm also a firm believer that the best training you can do for climbing is climbing. With this in mind I make sure that I give myself plenty of climbing time and go to lots of different centres to test myself on different problem and wall styles.

So when you are planning your training how do you prioritise and structure it throughout the year?

I try to break my year down into 6 stages: General conditioning,

strength, power, power endurance, Taper (maintain for season) and Rest. I spend around 6-8 weeks per per phase per training phase, apart from rest which if I get a week is lucky, I'm normally too psyched.

With that in mind, what are you psyched for? What are your goals for the rest of 2010?

So I'm planning on competing in a fair few international bouldering comps this year. Outside I have plans to go back to Chironico, Magic Wood, Font and Hueco. The list of problems is too long to put down here......

You are clearly committed to competing how do you find balancing training for that with your desire to get outdoors?

Yeah there is no doubt that I have to compromise. In an ideal world I would want to be out on rock crushing projects all the time but its just not possible. I can't just nip out for a couple of hours when the weather is prime. Living in London it's a 2.5 hour drive each way and due to work commitments only possible on weekends. Add to that the British weather and the odds are stacked against me.

Bottom line; I love climbing more than anything and I'm psyched for training. Comps give me the year round focus and motivation for this training whilst also getting me strong and fit enough for any outdoor trips when they come along.

London is definitely a difficult place to live and climb.  Training obviously becomes the main focus, you got any advice for people looking to improve?

In terms of training the top 5 things that i feel have significantly helped me in the last few years are:

1. Keeping a training diary of everything I do. This has given me evidence of any successes and failures in my training and has been essential in keeping me motivated.

2. Planning the whole year in advance and breaking up the training cycles. This has given me real focus and direction in training.

3. Setting short, medium and long term training goals. This keeps the psyche; I need to feel like I'm achieving something, even if it is an extra second hanging the back three on the beastmaker.

4. Upping the intensity. Every session I focus on absolutely battering myself. If I feel good in the morning I know I've not worked hard enough.

5. Nutrition & Hydration. I use supplements to make sure i'm getting exactly what I need before, during and after training. I never used to entertain the idea of it but I find I can train longer, harder and for more days on with it.

Goals are definitely a good way of keeping motivated and having direction. So finally what are the three problems you would like to do in you climbing career?

Some of the problems i am very psyched to try soon are:

* Karma, Font

* Slashface, Hueco

* Vecchia Leone, Brione

* Freak Brothers, Chironico

* One Summer in Paradise, Magic Wood

The list for all time problems is too long for what i'd like to do in my entire career. However i would like to Font 8c before retiring......

Check out vid of Jon's latest trip to Hueco, considering how much climbing he got in he did well to catch a fair amount of it on camera, he's done a fun little edit.  Enjoy.

from Increasing The Calibre on Vimeo.

Source: increasing the calibre

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Dangerous Habits
9 June 2010, 11:36 am

Three times in a week I've hit the wall, this is becoming a habit.  It's been hard and I've been burnt off by every punter and his dog, but it feels like I've started something.  The days of training six days a week and cranking out consecutive one armers seem a long time ago, but they will return.  I have no doubt then when I get back on it, back in the flow, I will be able to take my climbing to another level.  Sometimes your body needs a rest and after all I put it through last year there is no doubt mine did.

After a quick weigh in yesterday flagged up the fact that I've put on a stone in weight since returning from Font in March.  It could be worse, with all the beers and food I could have easily have put on more.  

Its time to get back to business, time to get those guns back.....

from Team G on Vimeo.

Source: increasing the calibre

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Committed To The Cause
21 June 2010, 10:12 am

My efforts to get back training and back into climbing have been half arsed at best.  I've tried, but things have conspired against me and a run of 'late shifts' (1000-2300) hasn't helped.  This weekend I got well and truly on the bottle at my good friend and climbing partner Adam Ps wedding.  As I relaxed on Sunday nursing sore muscles from the shapes thrown on the dancefloor and a sore head from the drinks thrown down my throat, I realised that things had to change.  Yes I love the booze, I'm happy to admit it, but I miss training and miss the feeling that bouldering gives me.  There really is nothing better than being out crushing with your mates.  So today is an important milestone, it is the day that I get off my arse, start to shake off the fat and get back to what I love doing.

I'm off the booze, back on the diet and ready to get strong again.  I've said 'I'm back'  numerous times over the last couple of months, but this time it's for real.  I've even bought my protein...

Source: increasing the calibre

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It's On
24 June 2010, 6:42 pm

I've started, I'm back training again and it feels good.  Hit the wall for my first session yesterday and was joined the mighty Huffy.  We were both in pretty shoddy shape, although rather than boozing he's kept trim over the last couple of months by mixed martial arts fighting.  The psyche was high and problems (all be it easy ones) went down.  Being training addicts we spent a fair amount of time between puntering discussion previous achievements on the campus board, wishing we were back in shape.  It'll come, there's no doubt about it, but it will be a hard slog for a few months but judging by his psyche I'll have a wing man in Huffy.

As I'm back training I'm going to have to get some new beats, can't go wrong with the Dawg......



Source: increasing the calibre

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Pre Season
16 July 2010, 10:13 am

My training has really started to  get going, I've managed to consistently head down the wall over the last couple of weeks.  This is a massive improvement to the slothful existence I've led since March. Things are moving slowly, but the muscles seem to be waking up and the wieght is starting to fall off, I've lost 4lbs in the last week but am still over a stone overweight.

I'm currently trying get my fitness levels up before I fully start hitting my training regime.  I've given myself a months worth of conditioning before the first training cycle gets underway. I did manage to hit the campus board, although a long way off the levels I hit in January and Febuary, I still managed to crank out 1-5-8.  It may not be much, but it made me realise all is not lost.

To keep my motivation levels up I've planned 3 major trips over the next 8 months, two to Switzerland and 1 to Albarracin.  I'm very very psyched to get back out and put right some unfinished business. In the meantime I'm off to Wales in a couple of weeks for a rehab trip with the Mason and the Ambassador.  I'm not expecting to get anything major done, just looking forward to getting outside.

Bring it on.

Source: increasing the calibre

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The Happening
23 July 2010, 2:26 pm

Things are happening, a bit slowly perhaps, but I'm feeling better and stronger with every session.  The weight has started to come off and I haven't even hit the running yet so things are on track.  I'm hitting Wales next weekend with the likes of The Baron, The Mason and The Ambassador, I can't wait.  In the meantime I've got to get through a run of overnights.

I do miss Wales.

Genius.

Source: increasing the calibre

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Through The Barrier
27 July 2010, 8:12 am

I've been back bouldering now for three and a bit weeks.  It hasn't been easy, I've nearly sacked it off a few times, but I feel like I've now made a break through.  Up until yesterday things have constantly felt hard, my body has been slack and I've been struggling on anything longer than 4 moves.  Yesterday I hit the wall after a weekend of overnights. Exhausted, I expected there to be nothing in the tank, but things started to happen.  

Shock, horror, the flow felt like it was coming back.

With relative ease I set about cruising eliminates on the latest set of problems.  A smile spread across my face, it's coming back.  I knew this was the feeling I had been missing over the months I had taken off, the feeling of floating through moves.  I'm still way over weight and there is no doubt about it.  But the weight will fall off in time, what matters is that I'm back on a roll.

I'm back on it.

Source: increasing the calibre

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A New Dawn
27 September 2010, 10:42 am

Yet again my attempts to get back into training and climbing over the last couple of months have failed miserably.  Since I wrote this post,  I've been too busy to contemplate training. Work has continued at an incredible pace which has kept the bags under my eyes and the bank balance in good shape. However since Europe's largest street festival hit my doorstep in late August it's been non stop weddings/stag do/parties and I've spent a fair amount of the time with an alcoholic drink in my hand and no time to hit the wall.

After returning from a holiday to Croatia with my other half a week or so ago, I felt rested and ready to hit work, but more improtantly my training, with new zeal.  After a year or so feeling at the mercy of my work, I now feel that I have things well in control.

It's time to start getting back in to shape. I've missed the feeling of floating through problems, pulling down on plastic and rock, but most importantly hanging with all the great people I know in the climbing scene. Having said that after one session last week I've managed to catch a fucking cold.

Watch this space.

Source: increasing the calibre

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Three In
18 October 2010, 9:17 am

Three sessions in one week, I can hardly believe it.  There was a time a year ago now in the run up to my disasterous trip to Font that I was training 6 days a week.  I pushed my body hard and it could handle it.  Constant Beastmaking, Campussing and bouldering, it didn't matter what i threw at it - my body took it and got stronger, substantially stronger.

Now though things are different.

I managed three sessions last week and my body was broken, my forearms felt strained - a feeling I hadn't had since I first began climbing.  There were some positives: I could still crank a one armer, but more importantly my fingers felt strong.  I'd put so much time into my finger strength last year as it was the least strongest aspect of my climbing.  It felt good to see that my fingers were still in good shape.  It also felt good just to be back climbing and hanging out with mates.  Today is the start of the regime proper, one month of fitness and conditioning before getting back into structured training.

I'm also going to be back blogging and am going to have a root through my video archive and see what I can dig up for your viewing pleasure, so keep 'em peeled.

Source: increasing the calibre

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Believe In Better
19 October 2010, 9:42 am

Yesterday after an early morning yoga session I hit the wall.  When I was going well early this year I considered myself light and flexible, times have changed - yesterday I was about as light and flexible as a six foot log.  I spent so much time last year working on my weaknesses, my finger strength and my flexibility.  My felxibility seems to have completely dissapeared.  Coupled with the fact I have lost all my 'flow', the going has been exceptionally hard.

I worked through some problems yesterday, slowly but surely moves got done and things got ticked.  They were by no means hard and I was a long way off where I have been, but I needed to see some progress.  The belief that the strength will return is what I'm surviving on at the moment.

After all, I've learnt in the past that in bouldering half the battle is believing.

Here's a good little vid from my friends over at Louderthan11 which shows why you need to believe, 3 years he took to do this problem, 3 years...

ROSES AND BLUE JAYS: the Final Chapter from Louder Than 11 on Vimeo.

Source: increasing the calibre

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Business Time
23 January 2011, 4:02 am

I've barely touched climbing for the last year, I been incredibly slack and my body has suffered as a result.  Work's been my life for the last twelve months, but now finally the time has come for me to get back in to the sport I love.  I've missed it, I've missed the movement and that feeling of crushing problems. I've also missed blogging.  

Now however things have changed.

I'm back training, training hard.  This last two weeks I've made a solid effort to get back in to shape.  I've dieted hard and managed to hit the wall 5 days a week.  The 'flow' is returning and problems are starting to go down, progress is being made, the weight is coming off and the body tension is coming back.

I've come back to climbing with new vigour, I'm now more focussed than ever to get outside and send problems.  Ultimately there is no point training hard and getting physically strong if you don't go out and do something with it.  So I've already booked up my first three trips of the year and I'm psyched.

The game is well and truly afoot.

Source: increasing the calibre

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Psyche
21 March 2011, 2:16 am

Psyche is a strange thing, for me it comes and goes with relative ease but normally always lingers somewhere in the background.  Often it'll remind me it's there through a quick trawl of climbing videos or a glance at UKBouldering, but sometimes it just seems to disappear completely.  The last year and a bit it has evaded me, I've had no psyche, nothing - I've flatlined.  In a year and a half I managed to drag myself outside to climb once, to Wales for one weekend, I ticked a few font 7a's and then drove home psyched... to... well... get home again.  Granted many a time I've blogged on here, often with some title saying something like 'I'm back', but not once has that blog been written with any psyche behind it.

Until now...

I'm pleased to say the psyche has well and truly returned, I'm back training, back on the campus board and back on the Beastmaker, but most importantly I'm back climbing and loving it.  I've been training properly for two weeks now and my base level seems to have got much higher than it once was.  A solid year of training in 2009 seems to really improved my finger strength.  My first couple of sessions on the Beastmaker saw me crank out full sets of repeaters on the front two and back two on the small pockets and two full sets of encores on the back two on the small pockets.  This is a much greater level of finger strength than I ever had before and can only improve as I hit my new regime hard.  This last week I've managed one campus session and 4 Beastmaker sesssions, that can only be done with a good dose of psyche...

Bring on the training.

Source: increasing the calibre

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That Fresh Feeling
23 March 2011, 12:29 pm

I can't believe it has taken me well over a year to get back to enjoying climbing, ridiculous. I woke up this morning having trained 3 days in a row and the body felt good, as I lay in bed sipping on coffee and staring out an open window I realised that it was warm not cold air coming through.  The tide is turning and limestone season can't be far off?  Is it here already?  I started flicking through my diary checking days off, getting psyched to get out and get crushing.  I've got a list as long as my arm of things I want to get done on Limestone and in North Wales this spring/summer and a new rota I'm moving on to at work gives me four days on four days off, so plenty of time to get out on rock.

In the meantime I've got to hit the plastic....

As I've been off the scene for a while this vid may have been seen already by most of you, still got me psyched (even if it does seem to involve a bunch of old men salivating at the chance of catching a grope of a pre-pubescent boy as he falls off a boulder problem).

from Prana Living on Vimeo.

To the wall...

Source: increasing the calibre

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Looking Back In The Future
9 April 2011, 1:14 pm

Campusing 1-5-9 (original 1-5-8 1/2), one arm campus on large Metolius rungs,  jumping and hanging a small campus rung with one arm, one arming a small campus rung, back two encores & repeaters on the small Beastmaker pockets, hanging the sloping Beastmaker pockets with back two for 5 seconds, 5 one armers on a 5 cm edge.

You've just read my list of climbing achievements and you've probably noticed they are nothing but feats of strength.

Sure I've ticked a few 7c's quickly, I've done a fair few problems below that, but I've never done anything note worthy, never done anything worth writing home about - I've never lived up to my potential.  There have been reasons for this: I didn't get strong until I came to London, I rarely get to climb outside & my work rules my life.  I've come very close to a fair few classic hard problems, but for one reason or another have always come away empty handed, but I always thought I would get some hard stuff ticked.  A fear has now gripped me that this may never be the case, I may well be destined to look back at my climbing history and see a list of underachievement.

After taking last year off I thought this year would be my year, I was ready to get back training hard, but this is starting to look less and less likely.  My career is why I moved to London and I love what I do, I've given up a lot to drive my career forward and it has taken a lot out of me.  As a result of a lot of hard work my career is now at a place I thought it would be in 4 or 5 years time.  I've got a new role, a role which will hopefully include travelling to far off places, places where you may well need a flak jacket and the least of your worries is having 'poor skin'.

I can't complain as this is what I have always wanted to do and I'm proud to be stepping up to it, although I fear that it will leave little if no time to try and climb, to try and fulfil my climbing potential.  

I may be wrong of course, I may get time to train and I may get some things done, I truly hope so because a list of feats of strength is not much to look back on.  The only plus side is that unlike some people who claim achievements on rock, I have witnesses for mine on wood... not much consolation though.

Source: increasing the calibre

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Green Shoots
10 April 2011, 12:08 pm

After I'd scripted yesterday's rather depressing blog I sat down and had a serious think.  I pondered whether I was talking myself in to retirement, I'd already decided that my climbing career was over as my professional career took off.  I was mentally conditioning myself into thinking it was all over, done and dusted.  As I sipped on a beer I heard a quiet 'ping' on my phone, a comment on my blog post:

'shut up and go climbing'

Exactly what I needed to be told, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.  Thanks to which ever reader posted it, shame they did it under 'anonymous'.

Here's a couple of inspiring little vids, the perfect antidote to depressing blog posts....

from Jon Cardwell on Vimeo.

from emi-moosburger.blogspot.com on Vimeo.

Now where's that training diary....

UPDATE

If you were the one who posted anonymously I wouldn't own up, I went climbing and fucked my back.  Can't even bend down to pick up a chalk bag, bad news.

Source: increasing the calibre

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New Start
1 January 2013, 8:38 pm

I've written the intro to this blog post five times now and deleted each one.  It was difficult to start, I haven't blogged or climbed in a long long time and both feel alien to me. My life has changed a lot since my last blog post, my life in London is long gone.  2012 was an incredibly strange year for me - I started the year as a living in London, with a long term partner.  I ended it very differently, in a new job, but single and living in New York.

How I got to live in this incredible city, on the other side of the pond from my homeland, is a story for another place. This blog was never about my career - it was about climbing and my love of it and the people that make it such an incredible sport.  Suffice to say I am now here, sat at my kitchen table in New York writing the first in what I hope will be a long line of posts to come.  I am trying to get fit again.  I'm not in too bad shape at the moment, sure my forearms are probably going to wail when I get to the wall for the first time in months later this week, but the rest of my body is in reasonable shape considering the toll New York's bar culture can take.   Luckily getting back in to surfing has ensured that my muscles haven't gone slack and I've actually developed some that climbing never gave me.    

It's the first day of a new year, it's the first day of a new regime and hopefully the start of me falling back in love with a sport that was such a part of my life for many years.  I miss feeling light on the board, I miss that feeling of crushing that project, but I also really miss the feeling of being with my mates out on rock.  I need climbing in my life again.

So it starts here - I've just bought some scales, I'm off to weigh in...



Source: increasing the calibre