[Stubbs]

Better start off by pointing out that i am weak by ukbouldering standards - have just climbed my first V6's in the last couple of weeks.

At the moment my climbing year breaks into two sections:

Winter - go to the wall 3-4 times a week and get out whenever the weather allows.

Summer - climbing outside two evenings a week and two weekend days (dependant on skin condition) with an evening doing body tension exercises and lock off on my pull up bars if my skin is too bad.

At what point (i.e grade) do you start sacrificing time climbing outside in the summer to put in evenings training indoors to improve power and body tension, etc - the things you don't get from training outside?

any thoughts would be appreciated

[dave]

i generally don't sacrifice outdoors time, cos its always more valuable.

my advice is maybe something like getting a fingerboard and work up to doing an hour most evenings that you are not outside. that way you're not loosing skin or time outdoors.

[Bonjoy]

If you can get out to decent climbing during the week I don't see any need to go indoors during the summer (unless you really enjoy sweating on plastic :shock: ). I dare say pure strength gain will come quicker indoors, but certainly at V6 you'd get more rounded benefits from doing the real thing. Save the wall for winter, summer's short enough as it is. This year i've decided to bag off bouldering in summer and try and get some power endurance by doing bouldery sport routes, change is as good as a rest and all that.

[Bubba]

Better start off by pointing out that i am weak by ukbouldering standards - have just climbed my first V6's in the last couple of weeks.

There's quite a lot of people who don't do V6 on this board.

At what point (i.e grade) do you start sacrificing time climbing outside in the summer to put in evenings training indoors to improve power and body tension, etc

I think only you can answer that question - some people value their outdoor time so much that they won't go indoors unless it's a last resort, but I've known people who'd rather train indoors 90% of the time, and only venture out occasionally.  It depends upon your personal priorities. If your number one priority is just to get stronger, then you may be better spending your time training, but if your number one priority is to get out on rock and enjoy your climbing, then that's what you should be doing.

You can still train power and body-tension outside, it just depends on what problems you're trying.

Personally, I find summer grit bouldering horrible, and I don't really like the limestone bouldering much either, so it's either stay indoors or climb routes. Though I've not done routes for many years, me 'n Underground are thinking of taking up some easy sport-climbing to stay fit and to get out of the city.

[Stubbs]

I've never really had a problem bouldering in the summer - except for a couple of weeks ago when i went up to slipstones and was attacked by the biggest most voracious swarms of midges ever!

Normally climb at almscliff and Caley, and even on the hottest days there is stuff thats in the shade. i also find it a lot easier to stay motivated (and keep my friends motivated) when its sunny.

Thanks for the thoughts - finger board idea sounds best, but that will have to wait until i've got my own place - don't think the landlord would be too happy!

[Bubba]

and was attacked by the biggest most voracious swarms of midges ever!

That's the other reason I rarely go to the grit in summer - I'm a midgeophobe...

[dave]

if you've got pull up bars then there should be some way of attaching a fingerboard.

all i ttakes to hold up a fingerboard is an interior brick wall, 4 screws in wall plugs. i bet you could do it then fill the holes with filler when you leave without the landlord noticing.

[cofe]

could always train other shit on your non-climbing days - training doesn't necessarily mean woodie or wall work. i often get home from work, drain the main vein, make a cup of tea, have a couple of plain chocolate digestives, turn the telly on and do some light weights/crunches etc while watching the simpsons/the news/neighbours/euro 2004/dosage...

point is strength training might help you stay uninjured and will work the muscles that climbing doesn't - i bet a lot of the strong rats on here do weights n shit regular - Doyle, that buoux kid, dave ( :wink: ) can't tink of any more yo......

word.

[Bubba]

I always meant to build a finger board that you could mount between two of those door frame screw out pull-up bars. You'd have to do hangs with your legs bent to stay off the floor but it might be a good solution if you've got a demon landlord.
In the past I've put loads of shelves up in rented rooms and just filled and painted over the holes when I left.

[Stubbs]

could always train other shit on your non-climbing days - training doesn't necessarily mean woodie or wall work.

often do this sort of training - like supermans and spidermans for that core strength and bit of the old weights, although i usually got some hip hop bangers on, as i am trying to avoid watching hollyoaks or big bloody brother!

sounds like a good idea with the board - guess it would require some sort of brackets to go through the screw holds of the board and clip onto the bars.

[Tim Heaton]

I put my fingerboard up by just screwing it into the doorframe as all of my walls are partition, thought they might fall down. Take a couple of short bits of ply and screw them into the side of the frame so that the ends sick out beyond the front face. Then just mount the piece of ply that backs the fingerboard to these two bits that stick out, this requires you to be fairly accurate with the drilling but if I managed it, doing a Maths PhD. so not a lot of practical skills , then it can't be too hard. When you take it down then you only have 3 small screw holes on each side of the door which can be fairly easily covered up to get your deposit back. I also screwed a pulley to the back of my board, about £3 froma timber yard so that I could do weight off hangs too which I think is very useful. Only problem I have found is that you have to be a bit careful not to hit your head on it every time you go in and out of the room.

[dave]

i think the moral of the story is, where theres a will theres a way.

[Stubbs]

Sounds good, guess i should have a 'what fingerboard' topic now, but those Holdz ones look rood with the sloper in the middle and all, so probably just cop one of those.

[Bubba]

Are any of them worth buying? They're so easy to make out of wood scrap, or if you buy some of Simon S's holds....

[Stubbs]

cough Plug cough

You're right, of course, i should save myself sixty quid and borrow my mates drill and make one. Now where's that holds thread....

[Buoux 8C]

point is strength training might help you stay uninjured and will work the muscles that climbing doesn't - i bet a lot of the strong rats on here do weights n shit regular - Doyle, that buoux kid, dave ( :wink: ) can't tink of any more yo......

word.

I havent actually ever touched weights, as i dont see the need for them for climbing unless you are a very light thin person lacking pure strength.
Doyle on the over hand dosent put them down, you should see him in his lycra clad and sweatbands around his head covered in baby oil  stood in the mirror pumping Iron, whilst listening to the rocky soundtrack, is hilarious, i think i have a photo of him somewhere. No wonder why he is becoming as beast