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RCTM PE vs AeroPow/AnCap (Read 2151 times)

Fultonius

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RCTM PE vs AeroPow/AnCap
March 29, 2017, 12:43:50 am
Every time I think I understand energy systems a bit more, I read something else and get more lost...

First I'll set the scene. I've had a very sporadic and unstructured winter, mainly consisting of winter climbing, the odd "recreational" fun on-sighting indoor routes session (plenty rest, going for it on each attempt) and a reasonable amount of pure indoor bouldering - trying hard problems, usually with reasonable rest.

To be honest, I'm where I need to be for all my summer plans with regards to strength and power. I can onsight a lot of the problems at TCA Font 6a/7a range and get the 7a+/7bs with some work. In fact, my ability to flash seems quite close to my max grade.

Route wise I'm onsighting Fr7a/+ which is my long term standard performance.

I'd like to do 4 -6 weeks of PE type stuff to up my onsight ability. I've just bought Rock Climbers Training Manual for some more ideas on all this stuff.

Which may have been a mistake!!!

They talk about doing route "intervals" of one letter grade (so one French + grade) harder than onsight level. A single route is a "set" and you should rest 1-2 times the set length. To me this is somewhere between An-Cap and Aero-Pow, no? Or is it pure Aero-Pow?

I just had what felt like a great session but I'm now wondering what I've actually been training and if it was time best spent....

The session consisted of these routes:

Warm up: 6a,6b+,6c,6c.

Then on the 5 degree overhanging, 11m high lead wall:

Up 6c, down 6a, up 6b.
Rest equal time
Up 7a, down 5+, up 6b+.
Rest double time.

On the 15* 12m high overhanging wall

Up 7a+, lower off, up 6c, lower off, up 6c.
Rest x 2
Up 7a, down 6a, up 6c
Rest x 2
6b+ x 3 lowering off in between.

Total of 218m climbing.

Now, roughly what energy system have I actually been training?  Felt too hard to be AeroCap, but doesn't fit in with the AeroPow criteria too well either. Is it just a waste of time?  Or is it actually quite close to the RCTM PE protocol, seeing as the up-down-ups all included a route that I just onsighted, or didn't onsight, as part of the "lap".  (can you tell my thoughts are progressing as I'm typing this...??)

Would it be better to think of each "up-down-up" or "up-lower-up-lower-ups" as longer routes of a slightly harder overall grade? I.e. a 7a-6a-6b = 7b 30m??  We've always done these up-down-ups at the Glasgow climbing wall as the harder routes are fierce, short affairs and my aims are longer trad & sport onsights.

Haphazardly getting better is so much simpler!

nai

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#1 Re: RCTM PE vs AeroPow/AnCap
March 29, 2017, 10:49:31 am
As nobody else is playing I'll have a go.

Like with AeroCap (LI = lots of work with now no/light pump; HI = low volume finishing with a quite high pump but not to failure), AeroPow seems to cover everything from high volume base-level work at around onsight level, getting you very pumped, to low volume work at around redpoint level as you peak, also getting you very pumped. 
You can periodise this over the course of a plan, the idea being to develop the ability to battle through hard moves when absolutely boxed.

You say that you're trying to improve OS level so I guess the lower level is where you should be working?  If you were training for redpoints you'd probably skip the easier down climbing and just concentrate on more quality work around the OS level, i.e. better to do 2x7a than 7a, 6a, 6c. 

For OSing I guess some downclimb to rests practice would be good though so perhaps build that in somehow, maybe on some of the laps, something like (assuming you can find them on the same line)

climb a 7a, lower off
do 1/2 the 7a, downclimb 1/4 of a 6c
then complete the remaining 3/4 of the 7a
 
Obviously tweaking as you go to get the right intensity.
 

Fultonius

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#2 Re: RCTM PE vs AeroPow/AnCap
March 30, 2017, 01:04:09 pm
Thanks Nai.

Quote
You say that you're trying to improve OS level so I guess the lower level is where you should be working?  If you were training for redpoints you'd probably skip the easier down climbing and just concentrate on more quality work around the OS level, i.e. better to do 2x7a than 7a, 6a, 6c.

Yeah, I wasn't sure about the relative merits of downclimbing a "maintenance level" route (6a) rather than lowering. One of the reasons I do the downclimb is because it's such a short wall compared to what I do outside, that I want to have that continuity.

It's much easier to get it right at Ratho because the routes are 25m. Last time I was there I was doing blocks of 7a lowering to the ground with around 2m rest between reps, 3 reps per block then a longer rest.

One paragraph form RCTM on pg 160 that I can't quite get me head around is:

Quote
Once a route is selected ... The route will be climbed two to four times in succession with a duty cycle of 1:2 reducing to  1:1

Is this saying:

Find route of correct difficulty (a + grade harder than regular onsight, so 7a+/b for me) get it wired.

Do a "lap" (climb to top, lower off)
Rest for twice the length of time the climb took.
Do a 2nd lap
Rest for twice the length of time the climb took.
Do a 3rd lap (optional)
Rest for twice the length of time the climb took.
Do a 4th lap (optional)

As you get fitter reduce the rest time to 1:1.

If so, that sound like higher intensity, lower continuity work than what I was doing. I'll probably transition to higher intensity stuff through April (iun my usual haphazard way...)

Really need to work some AnCap too...

nai

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#3 Re: RCTM PE vs AeroPow/AnCap
March 30, 2017, 08:42:00 pm
Thanks Nai.

Yeah, I wasn't sure about the relative merits of downclimbing a "maintenance level" route (6a) rather than lowering. One of the reasons I do the downclimb is because it's such a short wall compared to what I do outside, that I want to have that continuity.

Reckon the 5s it takes to lower off is time better spent than downclimbing.  You could always hold your breath to slow recovery  :doubt:

One paragraph form RCTM on pg 160 that I can't quite get me head around is:
Quote
Once a route is selected ... The route will be climbed two to four times in succession with a duty cycle of 1:2 reducing to  1:1

Is this saying:

Find route of correct difficulty (a + grade harder than regular onsight, so 7a+/b for me) get it wired.

Do a "lap" (climb to top, lower off)
Rest for twice the length of time the climb took.
Do a 2nd lap
Rest for twice the length of time the climb took.
Do a 3rd lap (optional)
Rest for twice the length of time the climb took.
Do a 4th lap (optional)

As you get fitter reduce the rest time to 1:1.

If so, that sound like higher intensity, lower continuity work than what I was doing. I'll probably transition to higher intensity stuff through April (in my usual haphazard way...)

That sounds a bit like the HI AeroCap exercise Tommy outlines in one of the EpicTV series videos.
 
If it's supposed to be PE/AeroPow it could mean to do the route 2-4 times in a row then rest 1-2 times the set work time.  4 reps of a route above OS level would be hard going though, would definitely need it wired.

 

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