[tk421a]

Shark, if you do go on the peak lime bouldering conquest. Let me know if you need a partner, I'd be keen. Have fair amount of free time over the summer, and looking to boulder/sport mid 7s.

[shark]

Right then, if you'll indulge me further, from a quick scan of your powerclub entries over the last 6 months it looks like when you are doing bouldering the problems you're finding significant to mention (I'll assume these are the hardest or up there towards the hardest) are mainly in the 6c+ to 7a+ range, with some sieging of eatswood reverse. Granted I've not read them all, but if this is a fair reflection then raise your hand now. If I've missed any problems of 7b, 7b+ or 7c in the last 6 months speak up

Hand is down although have attempted harder stuff ie Brad Pit, Blind Date, Jericho Road, Ben's Roof

OK that's interesting, it's not surprising then that the Oak is causing some problems.  What is the max bouldering level of other successful Oak ascensionists, at a guess?

I reckon you'd want to be knocking off 7a+s easily enough that when you hit the 7a+ bit at the top of the Oak you're so far within your comfort zone that it's not a problem. Bearing in mind you'll be doing that 7a+ after having done a longish 7b/+ to get there, and that 7b/+ is a level that you're not really climbing at on boulder problems either.

Are you planning on doing much limestone bouldering over the summer while malham is like climbing on a parabolic mirror? Surely the Oak is looking good for autumn if you crack on this summer to the level where you're doing LOTS of limestone 7a+s, being able to flash some straightforward 7a+s and then have a few harder/longer 7b/+/c s that you've done once or twice (or almost). Basically raise your bouldering level by a good margin. Loads of stuff on peak lime to get you there.

Its not a surprise to me either that the Oak is causing problems - it is a project after all.

Yes most doing the Oak will have bouldered much harder. Getting on the Oak has been good for me because it doesn’t suit me because it is so boulder and forced me to address this general weakness and the component parts that made me weak at bouldering ie weak fingers, lower back issues , poor core strength as well as avoiding bouldering because I was crap at it.

Not sure I want to boulder to the exclusion of all else - Im doing the bouldering  to support the route climbing not replace it.    Since going on the Oak I have upped my max grade from a few 7A/7A+’s to 7B+ (eatswood Traverse and West Side Story) and now knocking off 7A+’s in a session, Its been glacially slow progress and the gains have been hard to get. Obviously if I had boulderered and fingerboarded in that time to exclusion of all else then I should have improved more/quicker. 

Also re doing the Oak bear in mind I got to the last move in the Autumn and this spring conditions haven’t been on my side. I also didn’t quite get down to the all-time weight lows of last Autumn either.

In the run up to the Autumn I expect to do the bouldering type stuff you suggest (ie in the 7A-7B range) but in addition to other stuff ie Power Endurance (Aero Power was highlighted as a bigger weakness than Strength/Power by Randall) thru systems board work and Eatswooding as well as general strength work on rings and fingerboard not to mention going sport climbing and trad climbing cos I like it.

[36chambers]

S: tired today from the wee guy having broken sleep. head to bowden. manage to dispatch lippy whilst wee guy is asleep. first hard problem since turning 40 YYFY.

Pinnacle of achievement there.

Good effort rodma 

Out of interest, does Born Lippy have a definitive crux, or is it just a case of getting it done before you run out of steam? 

[shark]

Shark, if you do go on the peak lime bouldering conquest. Let me know if you need a partner, I'd be keen. Have fair amount of free time over the summer, and looking to boulder/sport mid 7s.

Cool. Where you based? Also this new FB group worth joining https://www.facebook.com/groups/1117429708317626/

[shark]

40-something

  obviously looking good for my age

(was there something else you said?)

[petejh]

Hehe. Yeah I was saying how it's taken you 8 years to realise you're not strong enough for your chosen proj.  Most people would realise this after 8 sessions     

[dave]

(Aero Power was highlighted as a bigger weakness than Strength/Power by Randall)

I know sod all about these energy systems but surely they are a way of thinking about things in addition to, not instead of, general common sense. I.e. I wouldn't be expecting to do font 7b/+ into a font 7a+ on a rope 2 hrs away from home if I wasn't regularly doing 7b/+ at ground level on home turf. That looks like a more pressing weakness, but I will be overjoyed to be proved wrong come autumn.   

[I am willing to take payment for this advice if it helps increase its perceived validity.]

[petejh]

Don't be silly Dave, why employ a tried and tested system like getting solid at bouldering limestone 7b(B)+ and then adding on a quick bit of power endurance, when there's a perfectly good energy system fad that works well for 8c wads and only costs a hundred quid to be a part of the gang?

[rodma]

S: tired today from the wee guy having broken sleep. head to bowden. manage to dispatch lippy whilst wee guy is asleep. first hard problem since turning 40 YYFY.

Pinnacle of achievement there.

Good effort rodma 

Out of interest, does Born Lippy have a definitive crux, or is it just a case of getting it done before you run out of steam?

Cheers

Crossing through to the sloper, before turning the corner is probably the hardest move, but for me it was mainly pump management. I think taller people may find the topout tougher than I did.

[csl]

STG - the next 6 weeks

Go to Ceuse fit and strong, climb Privilege du Serpent
Lose a bit of weight - done, only lost a kilo though...
7c outside - done

MTG - next 3 months

Get some routes i've tried ticked off - Tennessee, VoTB, New Dawn, Dominatrix
or
Try some new ones and do them... - Gunfighter, Directoonima

LTG - end of year

8a

Thursday

Boulders up to V6 at Arch.

Saturday

Travel to Ceuse

Sunday

Cascade/Thorgal - late start as a bit rainy. Did a 5+ at Thorgal. Repeated Medicine Douce and then had a bolt to bolt on Privilege, certainly felt a lot easier than it did 3 years ago. Had one RP and fell at the same high point from my last trip, 4 moves below the jug at the end of the difficulties. Fairly happy with that after only getting 4 hours sleep.

[petejh]

STG: first 8b+ (Mecca), by mid June
MTG: undecided
LTG: 8c, by June 2018

Power phase into PE phase

M. LPT. Easy stuff on rh end with girlfriend and daughter. Rock pool exploration and urchin count (>100, 2 crabs)
T. Boardroom. Campus sesh 8. Final campus sesh of my power phase, hoped to complete 147. Failed, 14touch 7. Double dynos 1-3 on medium and smalls. Warm and greasy.
W.
T.
F. Sports massage. Missed first PE workout due to working late. Fly to NI.
S. Fairhead with GF/daughter. Scorcio! Good times, hehe.
S. Fairhead with GF/daugther. Scorcio+! Brilliant.


End of power phase. Feel under-powered compared to last year - putting it down to not really focussing as hard on training this year due to new relationship/lack of sleep/taking two newbies including a ten-year old climbing and travelling to NI most weekends, a trade-off I'm ok with.

PE phase starting and looking for partners for the tor from this week onwards if anyone's keen.

[Wood FT]

PE phase starting and looking for partners for the tor from this week onwards if anyone's keen.

worth joining the peak sport group on facebook if you're on it.

[dave]

S. Fairhead with GF/daughter.

Are you Woody Allen?

[petejh]

Ha! I did have his hat on..

[tomtom]

Shark, if you do go on the peak lime bouldering conquest. Let me know if you need a partner, I'd be keen. Have fair amount of free time over the summer, and looking to boulder/sport mid 7s.

Cool. Where you based?

He was all keen to go climbing with me last summer.. but the moment he got a better offer* I was dumped mercilessly. By tweet.

*OK, it was Mina...

[mr chaz]

LTG 8b 8A

M. Rest
T. Rest
W. One arm hangs
T. 45 degree board, feeling worked. Still recovering from weekend it seems.
F. Rest/ Mega party with coops
S. Recover
S. Cave. Tried to get Lou Ferrino done, fell at the same point 4 or 5 times. Struggling to keep the heel on just before pulling into the first pocket on the link, the rest I'm doing easily. Didn't help that it was 1 billion degrees. Llanberis Pass in the evening, few easy problems. Nice day in spite of failure.

[dave]

Imagine if after trying a gymnastic routine and failing the coach advocated continuing with exactly the same general type of training and preparation that had failed to seal the deal for the preceding 8 years.

It's like having a plan A, then when plan A doesn't work the plan B is simply the same as plan A only decorated with some energy system jargon.

[Oldmanmatt]

Imagine if after trying a gymnastic routine and failing the coach advocated continuing with exactly the same general type of training and preparation that had failed to seal the deal for the preceding 8 years.

It's like having a plan A, then when plan A doesn't work the plan B is simply the same as plan A only decorated with some energy system jargon.

[emoji122][emoji123]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Teaboy]

Imagine if a gymnast consulted their coach, complaining that they could never complete their five minute rings routine, even though they could do every movement in isolation. They are surely going to be recommended to work on their stamina,

You mean dead lifting? The answer's dead lifting isn't it or have I misread UKB for the last few years?

[petejh]

But Simon has long since demonstrated that he can do the moves. I am sceptical of this current orthodoxy that to succeed on a hard'ish sport route you have to prattle about doing wholly different moves on boulder problems. Imagine if a gymnast consulted their coach, complaining that they could never complete their five minute rings routine, even though they could do every movement in isolation. They are surely going to be recommended to work on their stamina, not told to go play on the parallel bars.

Imagine if said gymnast could 'only just' do all the moves 'some of the time' and, despite doing rings routines for the preceding 8-10 years, was still only just scraping the bottom of the barrel levels of performance required to be considered a viable contender in the rings routine competition- i.e. a gymnast called Shark. The coach would surely, after checking to see if a blood transfusion/bribery of officials was a viable option without getting caught and banned by WADA, recommend improving all aspects of the gymnast's abilities with an emphasis on the weakest ones as they relate to the goal. As well as improving or maintaining their stronger components.

'Stamina' (fitness) can be improved both by getting stronger so each move depletes a smaller overall percentage of total energy resource; and by working energy systems.

(Edit) and gritstone bouldering is to limestone power endurance routes what going to play on the parallel bars is to the rings routine in your analogy.

[tomtom]

Be careful dave, at this rate you'll displace Dense as the forums voice of reason...

[nai]

It's like having a plan A, then when plan A doesn't work the plan B is simply the same as plan A only decorated with some energy system jargon.

Come now, plan A involved going Right to Left at eatswood, plan B covers the same ground but Left to Right. Different innit

Biggest difference to my climbing this year has been all the Cap & Pow (or Stamina, PE & Long boulder if you want to cut out the jargon) work over winter. I'm not as strong as I have been but the added fitness is making the difference.

[tk421a]

Shark, if you do go on the peak lime bouldering conquest. Let me know if you need a partner, I'd be keen. Have fair amount of free time over the summer, and looking to boulder/sport mid 7s.

Cool. Where you based? Also this new FB group worth joining https://www.facebook.com/groups/1117429708317626/

Cheers, have joined. Based in London, but I'm leaving my job end of June to go climbing around UK for the summer for a couple of months before going to Oz (likely Arapiles) for a couple of months.

[moose]

Biggest difference to my climbing this year has been all the Cap & Pow (or Stamina, PE & Long boulder if you want to cut out the jargon) work over winter. I'm not as strong as I have been but the added fitness is making the difference.

Interesting, the biggest difference maker to my sport route climbing in the last year (end of last season, into this Spring) was the opposite approach: I finally tried finger-boarding. 

For most of last year, I was shut down trying to RP some projects.  Towards the end of the summer, in total desperation (which eventually became a masochistic sort of enjoyment), I cooked-up a program of small numbers of highly weighted dead-hangs (Eva Lopez style).

When I returned to my main project in autumn after a long absence, despite only half-remembering my sequence, I did it pretty quickly.  The RP was a strange sensation; I felt like a clumsy cyborg, powering through what should have been terminal mistakes by virtue of sheer bionic crimp strength.  I remember encountering a draw, mid-crux that had twisted oddly in the hanger.  On several previous occasions the previous year, when I felt "fitter" and more familiar with the route, I was faced with that obstacle and gave-up and grabbed the draw.  This time, I just calmly righted and clipped it, and carried on - I even recall grinning (probably slightly manically) as I did so...

I kept up the hang-boarding over winter and this year has started pretty well.  I have already had to add more routes to what I thought was an overly ambitious tick list for the year.  Given that I did no routes at all over the winter (not even indoors, just indoor bouldering from November, and 1 or 2 fingerboard sessions midweek), I suspect the dead-hanging did the business; as last year, I did the same bouldering but without the finger-boarding, and did not manage a personally "significant" route until the end of August, when I had built up some route-fitness.

I just hope the effect of that training is retained for a while.  I have had to abandon finger-boarding for the last couple of months, as a glut of holiday to use up means I have been able to get outside climbing routes midweek (I have some elbow niggles too and do not want to risk injury / tiredness on crag days).  I intend to get back to the dead-hanging though when my holiday days run out (elbows permitting) - hopefully it might top up the finger-strength for the autumn campaign at Malham.

[nai]

I kept up the hang-boarding

Long way to go to train


Horses for courses then I guess. I've been fingerboarding for a few blocks per year for a while now and am mostly strong enough for the moves at my grade but would often power out.  Four months of structured training and I can finally complete sequences longer than boulder length. NOt going to stop me trying to get stronger again this winter but I will be maintaining the endurance work too