[comPiler]

Don't Call It A Comeback
23 February 2016, 1:04 pm

I'll never forget the moment I fell out of love with climbing; the feeling as my fingers pinged off the hold, the pain as my toe broke as it hit the roof, the realisation that months of training and effort had been for nothing as I sat on the train back to London from Paris - it's almost exactly 5 years to the day since I last touched that rock and the memory is still fresh.

It had been the first day of warm enough weather during a brutally cold period in Font, we'd spent many days reading in the van avoiding the snow. I'd wanted this project badly and knew it suited me, perhaps I'd wanted it too much and was too eager to try it, I should have taken the advice of the guy who was trying his project on the same bloc 'still probably too cold' he muttered as he pinged off  an awful looking sloper. But I didn't. I took the rail and pulled on, it felt good to be back pulling hard again after the cabin fever of van life. The moves felt easy, all I had to do was put the toe hook in, match, pop for the jug and it would be over - a lifetime goal ticked - then in a second, it was over and a love affair which had begun almost a decade before on the southern sandstone of England came to an end.

I haven't touched rock since.

Looking back I can see why it ended so abruptly.  Climbing and training had filled a void in a particularly turbulent and tough period in my life, I had used training as an escape from everything else around me - the result was that it had become everything to me. Living in London trips to rock were scarce, you had to make them count. The pressure mounts in that situation, all of the training leads to great strength and with that comes great expectations. You have to send, you're expecting it, those around you are expecting it - you've staked everything on it.

I'd staked too much on it.

Five years later things are different. I'm writing from a different continent, with a settled life and most importantly rock on my doorstep and world class problems a close drive. Surfing has filled the void for me these past years and most importantly kept me fit and given me new strength in my body. It has also bulked me up and some of that weight will have to go, but that's the easy part. The hardest part will be getting that strength back.

But this isn't a comeback, it's a whole new start. Climbing and training is no longer the escape for me it was before, the pressure is off and with it I am sure the projects will fall.  It felt good to pull the shoes on again and chalk up for the first time. It felt good to fire the blog up again, but it felt right to start it afresh, to document a new journey. I'm typing this with sore skin after my first month of climbing. It has been a month of mileage and conditioning, the diet has begun and next week the real training will start in time for the spring temps to hit New York. To ensure the motivation continues my first trip is booked for the summer - Magic Woods to take care of some unfinished business.

 

Game on.

 

 

Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

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Checking The Vitals
24 February 2016, 4:56 pm

The campus board set up in NYC  

So this is it, this is where it all starts.

After one month of conditioning it's time to get back into training. The spring temps are slowly creeping across the East Coast of the USA and I can't wait to pull back on some rock again. Since I decided to chalk up again I've been taking it slow and steady, basic power pulls and 5 sessions a week of bouldering pyramids - flashing everything up until my current flash limit and then working my way back down again.  This mindset has also helped me start to get the technique back, well what technique I had.  

My body has felt in really good shape over the past month, my climbing conditioning came off the back of a two week trip of pumping surf in Costa Rica and nothing works you more than paddling into heavy waves.  As well as living in NYC over the past four years, I also spent one year in Sydney where I surfed almost everyday.  I don't believe that climbing really helps you become a better surfer, but from what I've seen over the past month surfing that much definitely makes you a better climber. Surfing has changed my body shape, given me stronger shoulders and lats than I have ever had before and coupled with regular yoga, drastically helped my flexibility and balance.   There is no doubt surfing works your body - it just doesn't touch your fingers.

So yesterday I spent half my session running a basic strength test to find out where I'm at.  

The Vitals

Weight

I've previously dieted hard, too hard. As a climber with a bigger frame I've always battled with keeping my weight down. Despite keeping me fairly lean, the years of surfing has bulked me up, so from last week I enlisted the help of a good friend from London, Mark Ireland. Mark is a former professional rugby player turned personal trainer. He laid out a sustainable diet plan for me which in a little over one week has seen me drop from 177.7 lbs to 171.1 lbs.  Previously my dieting was always in a less than scientific, unsustainable and ultimately unhealthy way.  This time around the target is sustainable, healthy fat loss and it's working. Gone are a lot of the carbohydrates and the booze and the pounds are dropping off.  If I can continue this I will be down to my target training weight in no time.

Strength

Five years away from climbing is a long time. I figured it was long enough to lose a lot of the specific strengths you build while training.  Sure surfing has kept the body strong but does that help you with basic power? Or locking off? Or finger strength?

It turns out it does.

On my old stomping ground of the campus board 1-5-7 on the large and medium went down first go without much effort. Rather than pushing it too far I moved to the Beastmaker where I managed a one armer on the main rung, a full set of repeaters and encores on the 35s, a 10 second non nestled hang on the 45s and back two six second max hang on the small pockets.  

What was interesting was not only how much finger strength I had retained over all these years, but how easy throwing 1-5 felt.  It felt easier than ever before and I believe it can only be down to the power which years surfing and training in a pool with resistance paddles has developed in my lats.  Full lock encores and power pulls are deeper than I've ever managed before too.

If you've ever tried surfing you'll know that brutal burning feeling deep down in your lats, in muscles you didn't know existed.  Too often in climbing we continue to train to our strengths, using the muscles we have trained for years to do a job that other muscle development could make easier - ultimately seeing slow improvement.  Where training to our weaknesses and using other sports may lead to substantially faster improvement.

Now, when is that next swell due to hit NY...

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[comPiler]

Risky Business
26 February 2016, 3:24 am

It's coming, it's definitely coming slowly. The base strength is there, five years after I last touched rock. But so is a body that is now five years older and with that comes the risk.  

Trying to come back to climbing after five years feels hard, but I'm confident I can be stronger than before. Trying to come back with a body five years older makes me nervous. In my mid thirties I'm no old man by any means, but my body has been through the mill. Years of contact sport in my teens and the injuries that come with it has taken its toll. I can feel the tweaks in my shoulders, my left came on a few weeks ago and was dispatched with ice and prescription anti inflammatory. The right now has decided that it's its time.  

I can't really remember what tweaks I used to feel? What's normal? How far to push it?

It has been so long since my body creaked in that way.  Climbing is a particularly brutal and unique  bodily torture in so many ways.

My fingers on the other hand have been behaving. My first session on the Beastmaker tonight went down well, I went through my old encore and repeater regime on the 35s before moving on. Back two max hangs on the small pockets and then a new crimp regime suggested to me by Dave Mason.  10 seconds on half crimped on the Beastmaker crimps then ten seconds off, rest ten seconds and repeat for a minute. Six sets of these with a three minute break between each. At the moment it feels brutal, but then I am 171 lbs and only one month back...

Now, back to that diet...

 

 

 

Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[comPiler]

Searching The City
27 February 2016, 12:30 pm

Checking out the Yoyo Jiminy bloc in Central Park

I took a little break from the office yesterday and made my way the ten or so blocks up to Central Park to check out some of the bouldering. I knew it was there, but in the years I've lived here, due to my lack of climbing, I've never really checked it out at all. It's not the most expansive of areas and some of the lines are a little contrived in places, but I'm a man who enjoys Stoney in the UK, where eliminates rule, so that doesn't put me off.  Having lived in London I think many locals here don't realize how lucky they are to have bouldering on their doorstep. In the last month I've mentioned it to a few people at the wall and many I spoke to had written it off as poor and hadn't ever really bouldered there.  Winter is cold here and it would be unclimbable in a lot of those conditions, as a result much of the rock had a layer of dirt on it - a bit of a clean would reveal some real gems.

Yoyo Jiminy is one of those gems.

The V11 is nestled in the middle of the park on the side of one of the lakes, right down by the waters edge.  It's a great spot and the rock is of brilliant quality and the line is superb. A powerful couple of moves gets you established on two sidepulls and then you have a dynamic throw for the top.  It would undoubtedly hold its own as a classic at any of the major bouldering areas around, for me the fact it is in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world makes it extra special. It's high on my ticklist for when I am back in shape and the conditions are better.

On the same block just to the right is one of the hardest problems in a the park, a V12 put up by Ty Landman a couple of years ago and I think yet to see a second ascent.

Here are a couple of videos of the second and third ascents of Yoyo Jiminy V11.



Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[comPiler]

Bring On The Battle
29 February 2016, 4:02 pm

It can be hard to say no, when the view from one of your locals is this good. But that's what I've got to do from now on if I want to cut the weight. NYC is a city built on boozing, the culture here very much revolves around it. The local bar on my corner is open until 4am every single day of the year without fail.

That brings temptation, a lot of temptation.

I've always enjoyed that aspect of this city, you can do whatever you want whenever you want. That wasn't a problem for all these years that I surfed, as long as you didn't get too wasted you could always drag yourself out of bed and go wash the hangover out with a sunrise session. But climbing, at least for me, isn't like that.  I have to feel on my game, I have to be fresh to train and climb hard.

The last two weekends have included trips to New Orleans and a good friend visiting from LA, and they've included booze as a result. Now those are out of the way the booze is going too, at least until I can get to my target weight and phase it back in. My target weight is 160lbs, I'm 172lbs currently so still a fair way to go, but I'm only two weeks into the diet and am already 6lbs down.  

That date with that IPA is going to have to wait...

 

Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[comPiler]

It's All About The Numbers
1 March 2016, 2:39 pm

Amazing how a number can make something feel so much harder, the addition of a bouldering grade or training one less finger in a pocket on the Beastmaker. The same is true of losing weight and getting into shape. When I first started dieting two weeks ago I was 178 lbs, my target weight is 160 lbs and back then it felt a long long way away. It's been going well, the weight has been coming off - but it still felt a long way off.

That was until today.

Today I broke through the 170 lbs barrier for the first time, weighing in at 169.8 lbs. That number makes so much difference psychologically, my training weight now feels attainable. I'm working on the diet with my good buddy and personal trainer from London Mark Ireland, he's set something which will help me shift the pounds in good time whilst also making the weight loss sustainable and healthy.

Back on the back two on the Beastmaker... It's good to be back.

After a month of conditioning I'm also now at a point where I can start my training cycle. Yesterday I had my first Beastmaker session. This first cycle I'm using two different sessions, one focussing on slopers and pockets using repeaters and encores and the second session focussing solely on crimp power. I'll be alternating between the two different sessions, as crimping is where I need to develop my strength I'm really looking forward to seeing what potential gains I can make.  

Luckily the training set up at the gym that I climb at is superb, even luckier very few people ever seem to use it. This is something I've seen in both London and NYC and I guess a product of a climbing culture that sees most people only really climbing indoors - or not wanting to put themselves through the pain of training.

I'm not going to complain though, just put in the earphones, crank up the tunes and get down to training the back two...  



Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[comPiler]

What Breaks The Man Makes The Beast
3 March 2016, 3:50 am

There is something mashocistic about the act of finger boarding. It's a brutal training exercise by anyone's measure, but we undertake it knowing that if we push on the rewards could be plentiful.

Many an hour I spent under the Beastmaker in London, pushing my fingers to the limit. Here I am, five years on, this time in NYC staring up at that same piece of wood - knowing the pain of the undertaking ahead of me.

Yet relishing it all the same.  

The act of chalking up and pulling on to those holds brings back a wave of nostalgia, the headphones on, a set completed, the chalk brushed off the training diary as I note the successes and the failures.

There is nothing I love more than seeing progress and the beauty of finger boarding is that the progress is measureable. I'm currently working on two different Beastmaker regimes on rotation - the first, the old faithful featuring repeaters and encores on slopers pockets, the second a crimp only session that my good friend and fingerboard beast Dave Mason set me to work on what I think is my weakness. I'll post both of these up in the Training section soon.

It felt good to be pulling down on the Beastmaker crimps tonight, I've definitely got a long way to go but I'm relishing the challenge.  

No need to add weight yet though... I've still got ten pounds to shed.  

Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[comPiler]

Opening questions
4 March 2016, 7:00 am

The view of Downtown from Brooklyn

There are three questions people always ask you when they meet you in NYC:

Where are you from?

Where do you live?

How much rent do you pay?

New Yorkers like to use the answers to these questions as a gauge of how likely you are to get on and in the case of the last question - as an insight into how successful you are. Normally landlords want you to show that you earn forty times your monthly rent over the year to ensure you can afford it - so answering a simple question can let a New Yorker work out how much you earn from an inquiry into your rent.

Unlike any city I have ever known, living in an area can denote a certain type of person, different styles fit different areas. My first six weeks back training has shown me that the climbing walls here are the same, the questions are different but the answers you get will clearly determine your likelihood of having a mutual understanding of the sport.

Sheffield is a climbing city, most people I knew had fingerboards in their halls and boards in their basements - it's rare to find someone there in a climbing wall who hasn't touched rock. Despite being a fair way from rock, London actually felt a bit like a climbing city, many of the people I met at the wall there were originally from climbing cities and regularly made the journey north to the peak.  

New York feels different.

The majority of the people I have met at the walls here haven't ever touched rock; they look confused when I bring up the concept of training, they don't know the origins of the campus board, they've never heard of the schoolroom or Font, and expect them to know what you talk about broccoli and dieting and say 'but what would Malc do'?

Forget about it.

It's a shame that these people only climb for the fitness. New York has amazing climbing around it and rock in the city.  But I guess that leaves the world class climbing for the rest of us and the campus board and Beastmaker always open.

It just pains me to see so many pairs of oversize baggy Solutions and Dragons going to waste...

 

 

Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[Nizza]

If this was a date I might tell you...

Luckily for me it isn't.

[cjsheps]

Great stuff, keep writing.

[comPiler]

Escape From New York
5 March 2016, 1:36 pm

The essentials

There are three types of people on the subway at 7am on a Saturday morning; those coming in from a night out, those going to work, and those trying to escape the city. That latter group for the first time in a while includes me. Like a kid at Christmas I was awake at the crack of dawn, having already packed the night before in preparation, I sipped my green tea and ate my only portion of carbs for the day - oats. I savioured every mouthful as I meditated on what was ahead.

Nearly 5 years to the day after I last touched rock in the beautiful forests of Fontainbleau I am about to do it again, this time in the glorious forests of New England.  Ever since I saw a clip of Paul Robinson climbing some of the gems there in Dosage, I've wanted to hit Great Barrington.  Ty and Jeff Landman have both told me the style of rock would suit me and the rock quality was as superb as I thought. You only need to spend five minutes in the climbing wormholes of YouTube and Vimeo to see the quality of problems at every grade there.

So this is it, I'm sat in the car heading about cross state lines to a place I've always dreamt of visiting. Sure there are problems I want to do, Bambino V8, Kindred Spirits V9, True Bleau V10 and a whole host of others on my ticklist for this season, but that doesn't matter this time around - all that matters is that I lay down my brand new mat and pull on some rock.  

Then the real journey begins... 

Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[Fiend]

On my old stomping ground of the campus board 1-5-7 on the large and medium went down first go without much effort. Rather than pushing it too far I moved to the Beastmaker where I managed a one armer on the main rung, a full set of repeaters and encores on the 35s, a 10 second non nestled hang on the 45s and back two six second max hang on the small pockets. 

I'm beginning to suspect this Nizza "5 years away from climbing" is actually quite strong 

[Nizza]

Ha, surfing pretty much every day for a year and a half has definitely kept my body strong. A lot of tweaks in my fingers which I think will be my battle as those joints haven't been stressed for a while... Currently nursing a bit of a finger tweak after my first session outside.

[Mike Tyson]

I've been following you on Instagram with great interest of late. I'm trying to sort my nutrition out too, but not seeing much weight loss ..... Yet.

Keep up the good work!

[Nizza]

Ah thanks, I'm starting to up my insta game. Also adding quite a lot to the site for a bit of fun so keep an eye on that rather than here. Going to get my friend who set my diet to write a piece on it when I am done, it has been really effective. He has done some great work with people in his gym, this is quite a staggering change after 3 months with one of his clients https://www.facebook.com/MarkIrelandSF/photos/a.1511224509145111.1073741830.1499082733692622/1641210339479860/?type=3&theater

[SA Chris]

I can't really remember what tweaks I used to feel? What's normal? How far to push it?

Things I've learned after several comebacks and getting older;

Listen harder to your body, and react sooner to any niggles.

Pre-empt any problems before they start; antagonistics, stretching (yoga?) and massage.

Go hard, but know where the limit is.

[Nizza]

I can't really remember what tweaks I used to feel? What's normal? How far to push it?

Things I've learned after several comebacks and getting older;

Listen harder to your body, and react sooner to any niggles.

Pre-empt any problems before they start; antagonistics, stretching (yoga?) and massage.

Go hard, but know where the limit is.

Great advice, thanks mate - its so easy to do the opposite as the fingers feel strong etc, but the body and mind isn't quite there... yet

[SA Chris]

Yup.Trust me, injuries take a lot longer to bounce back from as you get older.

[comPiler]

Across State Lines
7 March 2016, 3:08 pm

The air was crisp and cold as we crossed the border into Massachusetts, luckily the wind was almost non existent and the skies blue, keeping the temperature just on the right side of freezing.  We were heading to Great Barrington, a spot I've wanted to visit since some of its classics appeared in one of the early Dosage movies.  Since then it has been further developed, but access is an issue and as such you have to tread carefully. You'll find no topo online and like many spots around the world, that's really for the good of the area.  I was heading there with two friends, luckily one of them Sam Gardner is a Great Barrington regular and gave us the tour.  

The rock is incredible quality, some of the best granite boulders I've seen, it reminded me of the highest quality Swiss gneiss.  The lines don't disappoint either, often running through perfect slot holds and beautiful slopers.



True Bleau V10 Bryce Viola about to cruise True Bleau



The Bump V8 Sam Gardner running a lap on the Great Barrington classic The Bump V8



The Bump V8 Sam Gardner running a lap on the Great Barrington classic The Bump V8



The Bump V8 Sam Gardner on the crux of the Great Barrington classic The Bump V8



True Bleau V10 Will Fraker setting up for the top out of True Bleau V10



Speed Boulder Home to classics such as Something from Nothing V11 and Roses and Blue Jays V13



Bambino V8 Andy setting up for his send of Bambino



True Bleau Sam Gardner on the classic True Bleau V10



Fotowa Sit V11 Sam Gardner catching the crux move.



Cubic Zarconia V12 Bryce Viola taking down the third ascent



Cubic Zarconia V12 Bryce Viola on the dyno which from stand is V10

If you're going to pull back on rock for the first time in five years there is no better place to do it than Great Barrington.  It felt incredible to chalk up and pull on, feeling the friction of perfect granite holds. I didn't care what I managed to send, for me it was the real start of the journey back to fitness - all that mattered was being back outside with good friends on fun problems. I guess it was lucky I had that mentality as not long after warming up on the classic Spack V4 and then giving The Bump a quick go, my ring finger on my right hand locked up and only the slightest pressure from any angle left me in immense pain.

My climbing day was done.

I can't deny I was gutted, but really I was more worried that I may have done lasting damage which could delay my route back to fitness. I'd felt strong on the rock and had moved well up to the crux move of The Bump on my first go. But maybe that was the problem - I'd been too eager to pull on rock.   The last six weeks at the wall I'd focussed on slow and steady warm ups to avoid injury, but outside it's a different ball game. It's hard to warm up when the temperature is hovering around 32 degrees.  

To keep my psyche I focussed on getting the tour and knowledge of the area from Sam, WIll Fraker and Bryce Viola.  They proceeded to take some of the classics down, Sam took home Fotowa Sit V11, and flashed the classic In Plain Sight V8, while Andy quickly scored Bambino V8, Bryce and Will both sent the beautiful True Bleau V10.  Bryce also managed the third ascent of Cubic Zarconia V12 and nabbed Fantasia V11.

As the sun set and the temperature dropped below freezing we checked out the incredible Speed Boulder.  If you're a strong board climber then this is you're dream block, with an amazing collection of hard problems on one face - Something From Nothing V11, Double Down V12 and Roses and Blue Jays V13.

I really can't get over the fact there is this quality of bouldering within striking distance of NYC, so much to go back for, but first I need to rehab this finger.

Then get fit again...

Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[tomtom]

Ach- cruel injury on the first foray back out keep the faith.

[a dense loner]

Great Barrington looks like it was probably just called Barrington before they found the boulders

[dave]

[comPiler]

Three From Great Barrington
8 March 2016, 8:05 am

Bouldering is a collection of experiences, both good and bad - a send here, an injury there - we often rank places we have visited based on how that bouldering experience goes, an experience which may be down to luck - good or bad.

We've all done it.

It would be easy for me to rank Great Barrington in the bad experience category, but it would also be unjust. Sure I'm sat here nursing a finger back to full form, with no sends under my belt - but really my expectations were low and the finger is not as bad as I thought. A dose of hot and cold treatment has reduced the swelling and with it the pain. It seems that in pinging off the crux move of The Bump while warming up I smashed my knuckle into the rock, bruising the joint. Sure, it ended my days climbing but hopefully it hasn't really delayed my return to fitness.

Two of those with me had much better days, they walked away with problems in the bag - here's a couple of them.



Source: Journal - Increasing The Calibre

[Duma]

You have an interesting definition of "sit" in the states...

[a dense loner]

I've always said they're cheating fuckers!