[T.H.]

You don't understand the pain I had to go through to get those hooks inserted in my knee caps.

[Stu Littlefair]

You're all wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

Look, I spent ages learning to do one armers, front levers etc, etc. It did me so little good for all the time I spent training it. Now I'm so weak I can't do a true one armer at all any more, and I can only hold a front lever for a minute or so  :wink:

...but my overall body strength for climbing is at an all time high. Why? Postural exercises, getting the antagonistic muscles strong, getting a strong back, getting stronger CALF MUSCLES. The point is that one armers are all very nice, but it's not your biceps which are your weak point for climbing, it's all the other little muscles. It's the muscles you're neglecting, like the ones that hold your shoulders back when undercutting.
Training one armers will give you a minimum improvement, but focussing on other muscles will let you see more improvement in your climbing.

Rant over. I'll admit One armers are pretty cool. I rate Malcs one armer at the tor as the hardest problem in britain....

[Rocketman Rob Smith]

HI Stu

quite intrigued to find out exactly where malc's one armer is. Is it on the pinches wall? Its just some one showed me where it supposedly is and it looks pretty impossible.

[Tim Heaton]

Stu,
Have you been training your antagonists in the gym specifically or just generally through climbing? I had to have two months off recently due to a finger injury and decided to go to the gym instead, my regime consisted of 2 days a week doing the following compound exercises, varying the reps but never any more than 5:

Day 1:
Squat
Military Press
Rows
Dips

Day 2:
Deadlift
Bench Press
Pull Ups

When I started back up again although my body positioning and balance was shot to pieces for a couple of weeks and my fingers were obviously weaker I hadn't actually regressed much at all and within a week was probably better than I ever had been. What exercises have you been doing? Can you recommend any good ones?

I would really recommend Squats and Deadlifts as although they may seem pretty useless in climbing movements they really improved my vertical jump and since they pretty much work every muscle in the body can give you pretty awesome overall strength. I've been told that these exercises in particular help release growth hormone so that your muscles get stronger. I don't know if this has a basis in fact or not but I wasn't going to argue with the bloke who told me, hhhhuuugge!!!

 

[Tim Heaton]

Malc's one armer is indeed on Pinches wall. Imagine you are doing the whole set of problems on the right that start off the slopey sidepull thing and use use various holds up to the jug. For one of the easier problems you go up with your left to a good 3 finger edge then to the jug (this is the same hold you use for the rock over problem which starts on this same sidepull and cross through with your right to this hold and then rock over to the line of broken jugs on the left), now just slightly to the right of this is a much poorer slopey crimp (using this to the top is another very similar but slightly harder problem).
I think Malc's one armer is on this hold but someone who has been more than 3 times may correct me. It is awesome to conceive that someone could hang this  :shock:  :shock:
(Note: double shocked)

[Stu Littlefair]

Tim - that's bang on about Malcs one armer. Ru got as far as locking off the hold at ninety degrees. Maybe the most significant repeat in british bouldering isn't far off  :shock:  :wink:

I've been doing very similar exercises to you, bench presses, press ups, leg raises and dips. Also lots of "theraband" shoulder work. I've added some climbing specific stuff, where I'll climb an undercut problem on big jugs, but pay close attention to my posture, making sure that my shoulders are pulled back. Also, systems-type training doing long locks of big jugs on a very steep wall with poor feet a la malcom.

All seems to paying off, and can be done with my seven month ongoing bout of codfinger.

[webbo]

when i started climbing again after a 6year lay off i could barely manage 5 two arm pull ups on a bar after climbing 3 times aweek 2 in 1 out i could do a front lever and a one armer without specific training so i belive climbing makes you strong for pull ups etc rather than the other way round

[Johnny Brown]

Seem to remember Ru doing the full one-armer last time I was there, much to his own surprise. Would hardly call it the hardest problem in britain, though perhaps the worst. As you know though, Ru's tiny body is full of helium - he says its science.

[dave]

wasn't the malc one-armer on that hold actually a one-arm pop for the jug? i.e. much harder? the true challenge awaits.

[a dense loner]

ru din't do it completely, came off thro shock i think more than owt else.

[chummer]

Tried one of these this week and fuckin managed do one!   

I've always thought one armers were a load of bollocks and people who did them show offs but now Ive done one I think theyre fucking awesome and am now going to try and do more and more, especially when its busy in the wall. 

[a dense loner]

Where's fingers of a martyr when we need him?