[quiffhanger]

I’m turning 30 very soon.

Feel free to call it over-the-hill hysteria, but I’m looking for some inspiring stories about people who managed some big bouldering improvements in their (very slightly) later life.

With routes I’ve been on the up for a few years: I’ve made some good gains and I’m confident that with enough effort I’ll be able to continue my progress. Short & hard things are a different story, progress is much more elusive. On the technique side, I get out regularly yet still struggle up things I did years ago. On the strength side it’s even more obvious. Despite committing to reasonably well researched & structured training programs, watching my weight and generally trying quite hard I see depressingly little progress. 10 years ago I did none of this: never trained, rarely got outdoors & had crap technique but somehow managed to crank out similar grades. To quantify I’ve been getting up Font 7a’s and the occasional 7b for years & I simply want to see some solid progress!

I’ve heard loads of stories about old-codgers upping their game and cranking out some big route grades in later life but not so many about people finding their inner monster and getting truly strong.

Anyone care to offer an inspiring rebuttal of my assertion that you need to get strong when you are young?

-ross

[tomtom]

I'm 43 and I'm climbing better than ever.. Pushing my first 7C. 5 years ago I was in the low 6's having had a 7-8 year period of not climbing

[andy_e]

Now if anything's inspiring it's tomtom's 7C battle. Tomtom: LESS POSTING, MORE CRUSHING.

[Plattsy]

I had my best bouldering year last year tick wise and I'm 33 (low 7s). I think plateaus happen for everyone and working through them is different for everyone, time and effort wise. One of the things I really like about climbing is that age isn't necessarily a limiting factor for improvement. Didn't Rab tick 8a for the first time a few years ago?

I imagine Nai and TomTom (and others) will have lots of words of encouragement on this subject.

[erm, sam]

I'm 39 in two weeks and climbing better than ever.

It helps if you were not very good in your youth, then the only way is up. For me it just required a bit of application and training more than once or twice a week.

[shark]

True stength gains are possible and no reason why technique can't be improved as well. The barriers are elsewhere.

Most people who get older lack time and lose that youthful enthusiasm. It also takes additional motivation when gains are incremental which typically require addressing weaknesses that take you out of your comfort zone. Weight gain is another biggie. And injury.

Typically climbers reach a level (which is hard to improve on) then phase in and out of fitness.

[andy popp]

I'm 39 in two weeks and climbing better than ever.

I'm 49 in two weeks and climbing worse than ever.

[Dolly]

Its over the hill hysteria.
You're young and know nothing 

I didn't start trying to climb harder properly until I was 32 or 3.
Did Blueband when I was 39.
I'm now 48 and fully expect to boulder 7B+ this year and I'm old enough to be your Dad.

[Richie Crouch]

I'm in a similar situation to the OP and can only pray for a future of gradual strength gains and minimal injuries. Hoping to reach 1 more level before the future of being in and out of fitness! 

[i.munro]

A few years back I got pressured into doing a (spare time) Phd by work & nearly went nuts.
When I finished I really wanted to do something physical.

Decided to put some effort into bouldering as there was finally a good wall in striking distance & give myself a 7A for my 50th birthday.

Didn't make it :-( I was 18 months late (projecting in Bleau can be frustrating when you live in the uk )
Got the second one last year at 55.

Stopped making progress now, partly injury but mainly I think nowhere to train anymore :-(

[rodma]

I’m turning 30 very soon.

Feel free to call it over-the-hill hysteria, but I’m looking for some inspiring stories about people who managed some big bouldering improvements in their (very slightly) later life.

With routes I’ve been on the up for a few years: I’ve made some good gains and I’m confident that with enough effort I’ll be able to continue my progress. Short & hard things are a different story, progress is much more elusive. On the technique side, I get out regularly yet still struggle up things I did years ago. On the strength side it’s even more obvious. Despite committing to reasonably well researched & structured training programs, watching my weight and generally trying quite hard I see depressingly little progress. 10 years ago I did none of this: never trained, rarely got outdoors & had crap technique but somehow managed to crank out similar grades. To quantify I’ve been getting up Font 7a’s and the occasional 7b for years & I simply want to see some solid progress!

I’ve heard loads of stories about old-codgers upping their game and cranking out some big route grades in later life but not so many about people finding their inner monster and getting truly strong.

Anyone care to offer an inspiring rebuttal of my assertion that you need to get strong when you are young?

-ross

FFS Ross, 30 is very young.

I prob had my strongest year indoor wise 5 years ago (was 32 at the time), trained really hard, did ok at the works comp, was thus put back on the british team and had a couple of reasonable international results.

Last year (2012) was by far my strongest on rock, again by training really hard, only this time taking much better care of my body to try and minimise the risk of rupturing anything through lack of mobility etc. the intervening years were plagued with injury, but that was just me being a numpty.

My advice is find a good project (your style) at a currently unclimbed grade for you and siege the living shit out of it and make sure that it is sufficiently hard (and therefore desirable) that you find yourself pulling down way harder than you ever have had to before. That and deadlifting 

[nai]

20s & 30s - only managed the odd problem harder than 6B

late 30s after becoming a dad gave up biking, running, mtb, put actual climbing on hold & started solely bouldering, scraped up a few 7As (a grade I kidded myself I'd be happy to reach...)

Started training properly (rather than just "going to the wall") at about 40 including fingerboarding

Now 45, did my hardest problem yet last year (7C) and still hitting PBs on the fingerboard and campus board (don't do a lot of the latter).

A lot of my gains no doubt due to massive under achievement previously and being very lucky to avoid injury.

You may have an unidentified weak point that is holding you back, ask for some coaching/assessment as a special 30th present?

[Monolith]

I felt similarly aged 23 after taking 5 years out but I've learnt that the body can apply itself to anything if demanded. I also turn 30 this year and so much stop starting over the last few years in uni had me worried. I really think some self-relection and honesty can tell you what to work on as well as a useful critique from a peer. It's slightly less polite in Merseyside and you'll soon know what you're shit at without asking to know.

Religious adherence to goal setting can only be a good thing as well. If you pick up a tweak, there's still a million other areas of your body to train whilst you recover. Keep the faith mate, life is long!

[Doylo]

One of the beauties of climbing is that it's not game over when you hit 30.  If you can stay injury free and psyched there's no reason why you can't improve.  Our best climber is 42, Gaz Parry did his first 8c+ last year aged 37 and look at Stevie Haston.  I don't see why bouldering is any different.  Like Shark said i think life circumstances becomes the biggest barrier.

[Muenchener]

I'm 39 in two weeks and climbing better than ever.

I'm 49 in two weeks and climbing worse than ever.

I'm 52 this year and, 2-3  years back after a >10 years absence, climbing at about the level of my 20s & 30s. See no reason in principle why I shouldn't be able to do a quite a bit better, although I'm feeling a little plateau'd just at the moment.

A lot of my gains no doubt due to massive under achievement previously

This certainly applies in my case.

[T_B]

With improving your bouldering, getting older and 'life circumstances' can be an opportunity.

I used to do lots of route climbing, but since having a kid (2nd one due any day), I've mostly bouldered. I actually think my base level has gone up and my technical ability has improved in the last couple of years across a broader range of problems. I'm not as strong as I was when I did my hardest boulder problems (10 years ago), but I'm better at more types of problems.

So, I don't think you can expect a big gain without sacrificing other aspects of climbing (and life maybe), but you could still break the next grade if you spent more time bouldering, year round.  And it's satisfying simply to do problems that you might have tried over the years (not necessarily graded as hard as the hardest problems that suit your style the most), or even to do things quickly that in the past you may have dismissed as not your bag.

As to pure strength, I can think of a mate who is 47 soon. He did the Oak 2 years ago and although not bouldering at such, it definitely required an increase in power on his part. I think it was a case of focussing on that objective and training specifically for it (no surprises there). It wasn't like he was weak before, he just did lots of different things.

[andyd]

I've said it before. Strength and climbing ability has a direct correlation with upper body hair.  At this rate i should be climbing 8a when all major areas have joined over my skinny man frame.
30 isn't old. Martin Boyson and Rab were sending 7th grade sport routes at twice that age. Trust me, they burnt me off. And laughed. And called me an amateur.

[iain]

I hadn't climbed anything harder than 6a routes at 30, grade wise at 40 I'm in a similar situation to you, there are problems I'd love to do this year that are 7C. I'm always improving on the fingerboard, I just need to translate it to the rock.

yet still struggle up things I did years ago

Figure this out, there might be a good lesson and improvement there.

On the strength side it’s even more obvious. Despite committing to reasonably well researched & structured training programs, watching my weight and generally trying quite hard I see depressingly little progress.

Try something different maybe? Shark seems to be getting the results using the Lopez approach and quality over quantity.

[Wood FT]

I'm 39 in two weeks and climbing better than ever.

I'm 49 in two weeks and climbing worse than ever.

bloody good innings so far though

[gme]

thirty FFS. When did that become old??

If i was you i would just give up now and go get the slippers. If your not improving when your that young your in the wrong sport.

[slackline]

thirty FFS. When did that become old??

 

[Sasquatch]

Wow!  This thread is making me feel like a young buck at 35.   

Strongest I've ever been is now, and getting stronger still.  Two years age was at 7C+ max (had been plateaued there for a decade), and this past year was at 8A+.  A little bit of distilled training and you can still make god improvements.

[iain]

Two years age was at 7C+ max (had been plateaued there for a decade)

That's a new world record right there, 7C+ at -8 years old but I guess you didn't weigh much then and every hold was a ledge so it doesn't count

[moose]

Like Shark said i think life circumstances becomes the biggest barrier.

I agree, I climbed at my best when I was largely unemployed for a two year spell in my early 30s.  Bouldering 3-4 times a week at my leisure - very rarely having to go indoors as I could always wait for a dry day, or just have lots of snatched half-days.  Keeping away from the plastic meant all my injuries (mainly elbow related) cleared up and my grade went from around font7a/+ to f7b+/c. 

Things have slipped since then though.  Not through age I reckon, but through getting a job.  Less time on rock and being a weekend only climber means that if it's raining, I have to go indoors - too much of which knacks my elbows (and rules-out making up for lost time with mid-week wall visits or finger boarding).

[quiffhanger]

thirty FFS. When did that become old??

Haha, sure. I don't really believe it's all over @ 30. Reckon I've got till 35 before I don my hexes and starting working my way through classic rock

Fact is, all the good boulders I personally know got good in there 20s. Just looking for some re-assurance that significant progress is still possible - which I've had: thanks all.