I'd stopped trying to predict or understand good versus bad sessions as I'd get continually surprised. I simply sometimes just have the grit to try harder but I it's a tricky thing to quantify.Or just start with eating some more food before training?
Thanks guys. Any advice on my training plan?Cheers
Can I just quickly ask what a "max hang" is?Is it sticking the hold-until failure ("maixmum hang time") or something different?
Ciao Luke, just seen this. I think the empty/full stomach thing could work like this: you feel heavy at the start because a lot of blood is needed by the stomach during the digestion process. What did you have for dinner? Then maybe the increased heart rate due to the exercises speeded up the digestion and you found yourself with some good fuel to burn. Does it make sense to those who know better than me? As far as the FB plan goes, it seems a lot of volume to me. It will produce gains for sure, but probably more endurance oriented. If you want strength I'd sack the repeaters and go for a few sets of max hangs on different holds, with or without added weight, or one armed. Anyway, go for it!!!
Nibs is bang on about max hangs if you are after improving strength and definitely get some Back 3 Dead hang action in there If you don't train them specifically they will be weakest and from which you should be able to get some fairly quick gains, also consider fitting in some Back 2 work and they are the weakest of the lot in the vast majority of climbersIf you are already using the shallowest 3 finger pockets for Repeaters then once consolidated get some extra weight on to increase resistanceDo some reading on periodisation and get a structured plan sorted including scheduled rest periods to allow recovery
Definitely going to try out a max hangs session. Any advice on sets/times/structure? Is it best to train half crimped or open handed or both?
Will try out back 3 next session, I'm currently using the deep pockets on either end of the Beastmaker 2k for the 3 fingers.
With the repeater session being more endurance based would it work to maybe cycle max hangs for 6 weeks, then take a week off the FB then do a cycle or repeaters for 6 weeks or something similar?
I could be a bit off on this description, so I might get chastised by some of the real training guru's, but here it goes:Muscle strength can be gained in two general ways. Increasing the muscle size, or increasing the tensile strength. In general for your forearms in climbing, doing both is good, you're not going to develop so much forearm mass that you will decrease your strength to weight ratio. Repeaters are going to generate more hypertrophy(muscle growth), whereas max hangs are going to generate more tensile strength. Keep in mind there is overlap in this and this is very general.The concept of periodization is that you train one aspect for a period of time, then shift and train the another. Your body is remarkably good at adapting, but will also naturally come to a more steady equilibrium. By changing routine, you can increase the adaptation.Quote from: Luke Owens on January 15, 2013, 03:10:16 pmDefinitely going to try out a max hangs session. Any advice on sets/times/structure? Is it best to train half crimped or open handed or both?Don't just "try it out". Plan it out, then execute the training. There will most likely be a period of adaptation as you shift to the max hangs where you won't really see progress for about 1-2 weeks(3-4 sessions), then all of a sudden you will start seeing improvements. So doing a one off max hangs workout isn't a good idea unless you are doing it as a benchmark to measure progress. See the Eva Lopez thread and read through for more than you'd care to know about max hangs.Quote from: Luke Owens on January 15, 2013, 03:10:16 pmWill try out back 3 next session, I'm currently using the deep pockets on either end of the Beastmaker 2k for the 3 fingers.See above about planning. If you want to do back 3 training(which I agree is a good idea), then build it into your workout and make it a consistant thing.Quote from: Luke Owens on January 15, 2013, 03:10:16 pmWith the repeater session being more endurance based would it work to maybe cycle max hangs for 6 weeks, then take a week off the FB then do a cycle or repeaters for 6 weeks or something similar?Exactly After you've been doing it a bit longer, you'll start to see how and when you improve and you can refine your training to maximize the improvements.
Hi,I tend to alternate max hangs and repeaters as you suggested although spend much more time on max hangs. I tend to do sets of 3 at each grip. I aim to be able to hang for 3-8 seconds. If the hold gets to easy I progress to smaler hold or add weight. Also aim for quality over quantity. I find how the sessions feel fluctuates all the time and writing things down seems to be the best way to notice trends. Out of interest, how are you training a pinch on the BM - ie what holds are you using?Cheers
Which grip types do you train with max hangs?
My dilemma at the moment is as a result of reading that Eva Lopez thread as the Max Hangs are just half crimped on a good edge with weight for 3 sets.I'm wanting to try that plan out but I i'm unsure how i'm supposed to work my weaknesses at the same time such as slopers, pinches and back 2/3 when that workout is just the one grip type. . . ? Is the idea that it's supposed to transfer over to these other grips? Anyone?
Quote from: Luke Owens on January 16, 2013, 01:58:32 pmMy dilemma at the moment is as a result of reading that Eva Lopez thread as the Max Hangs are just half crimped on a good edge with weight for 3 sets.I'm wanting to try that plan out but I I'm unsure how I'm supposed to work my weaknesses at the same time such as slopers, pinches and back 2/3 when that workout is just the one grip type. . . ? Is the idea that it's supposed to transfer over to these other grips? Anyone?It will transfer (especially back 2/3 strength which isn't a grip as such) but not as directly as training those grips specifically. The half crimp is chosen as I understand it because it is the default grip for sport climbing. It is not as harsh on the joints as a full crimp or as reliant on conditions, hold type and finger morphology as a drag. It certainly feels like a strength dependent (rather than knacky) grip. I am expecting it to provide a good foundation for training finger endurance (not sure about other grips) which I'll start training once the gains start diminishing or I need it for a route. For the time being I am happy to stick to half crimping and let the other grips get randomly worked whilst bouldering though there's no reason why you shouldn't make a point of doing problems on slopes and pinches if you feel you are missing out.
My dilemma at the moment is as a result of reading that Eva Lopez thread as the Max Hangs are just half crimped on a good edge with weight for 3 sets.I'm wanting to try that plan out but I I'm unsure how I'm supposed to work my weaknesses at the same time such as slopers, pinches and back 2/3 when that workout is just the one grip type. . . ? Is the idea that it's supposed to transfer over to these other grips? Anyone?
I pretty much train the standard grip types on a BM 2000 and a small campus rung for max hangs but vary it a bit depending on injuries etc (eg. not training back 3 at the moment as it seems to aggravate a middle finger collateral lig injury).Typical session at the moment involves warm up, 3 max hangs (slightly bent elbow/ 90 degree elbow/ slow pull up) working 4 finger open, 2 sets 3 finger open, 2 sets 35 degree sloper, front 2, middle 2, back 2 and 4/5 sets of half crimp (is my weakest grip). Now made a pinch trainer to add to routine
I've had a read through the Lopez thread - Interesting stuff! I'm keen to try it out. I've devised this workout hopefully I've got the right end of the stick as there is a lot of info on that thread:Hang 10sec with - 5kgrest 3 minutesHang 10sec with - 7.5kgrest 3 minutesHang 10sec with - 9kgrest 3 minutesMain SetHang 10sec with 10kg - 3 setsrest 3 minutes