[Coops_13]

First week in US, NYC Mon - Thurs, Den Thurs -

M: Cliffs at LIC. Nice wall with good setting (not too big bouldering wise) and good other facilities - weights etc. Though it did cost $32 for a single entry!!!! Had fun climbing a load of problems, grading felt soft. Flashed a hardish ungraded (new set) problem which I was psyched about. Went upstairs and flailed around on the campus board before doing weighted muscle-ups up to +30lb and light romanian deadlifts. Finished with some front-lever pulls. Skin peeling off left, right and centre. Looking forward to getting settled and into a routine of training again

T:
W:
T: Fly to DEN
F:
S: Six apartment viewings, lots of walking...

S: Denver Bouldering Club. Good wall, big and empty. Good setting and large strength and conditioning area with squat racks etc. Spent most of the session climbing problems up to M+ difficulty (wall grading goes from E- to H+). Romanian deadlifts up to 135lb, squats up to 115lb

Gonna hopefully check out another wall on Tuesday which will also be close to where I'll live. Loving it here so far, so good being able to see the snow-covered rockies from my desk at work!

[Murph]

Coops - that sounds great! (being able to deadlift at the wall - careful though that rabbit hole can go very deep apparently)

Murph, that is quite limited. However, I would ask yourself what you seek to achieve by increasing mobility. It is unlikely to make you less injury-prone, will it enhance your performance?

Good challenge duncan. I guess it's because I think it will help, definitely don't think it will hurt, and it doesn't come at a very high opportunity cost. Physio recommended foam rolling and stretching hamstrings, glutes, lower back as I've had specific problems there. Upper back tennis ball routine is pretty much essential to deal with all the knots. And once you're doing all that sort of stuff you may as well cover the complete package rather than just do random things. That list seemed as good a place as any. But it is a bit overwhelming.

I can't swear that it will definitely make a difference though, but as Nai attested, it's something he's worked on and he just climbed Ovine! The time of day I stretch I wouldn't really want to use for anything else without compromising sleep. But....if it really won't make a difference to my climbing and there's something else that will I would happily do that instead.

Also I had this video in mind - just look at how flexible this lady is. It must be of some benefit, no?
https://youtu.be/K8Xx2eS0lJk?t=315

Cheers, certainly tough, around a grade harder than Bovine.

Yep agreed - Haydn said a while back that Bovine was done differently originally but what we call Bovine these days is 7A+ and I agree. I'd also say that Griffs/Bovine Traverse is 7A+ as well.

Always grateful for your advice Nai (you taught me max hangs after all) but I didn't quite follow some of the rest

Have a poke around your Sub Scap, which lies beneath the Pec.

I looked up sub scap but it doesn't look like it's beneath the pec. Where am I going wrong?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscapularis_muscle

the classic pec strecth with fingers linked behind your back but pull your shoulder back and down, bend your elbows slightly and pull them together.

Think I follow all of them except this one - is this just hold hands behind your back and pull your shoulders back?

Cheers chaps!

[nai]

Yep agreed - Haydn said a while back that Bovine was done differently originally but what we call Bovine these days is 7A+ and I agree. I'd also say that Griffs/Bovine Traverse is 7A+ as well.

Tried the original today, waaaaaaay harder, nowhere near but I wasn't having the best of days.  What we call Bovine now is better though, the orignal is sharp and mean.

I looked up sub scap but it doesn't look like it's beneath the pec. Where am I going wrong?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscapularis_muscle

THe part I massage is kind of under the side of the Pec just beneath the armpit, feels all fibrous

Think I follow all of them except this one - is this just hold hands behind your back and pull your shoulders back?

And keep squeezing your slighhtly bent elbows togther


And Nice one getting Mark's Roof, heartbreaker of a finish on that

[Murph]

Thanks again Nai - for the avoidance of doubt though it was Marks Roof Original 7A rather than Marks Roof 7B. Still on the scrounge for a 7B this year...

[SA Chris]

Six apartment viewings, lots of walking...

Gonna hopefully check out another wall on Tuesday which will also be close to where I'll live. Loving it here so far, so good being able to see the snow-covered rockies from my desk at work!

It's pretty cool. You'll need to (re) watch Front Range Freaks DVD for some psyche.

I've got a good friend born and bred in Denver, she might be useful for insider info on places to live, she runs a gardening company so knows the city well. She doesn't climb anymore though.

[tomtom]

Coops - Scott Blunk lives in Fort Collins (of Horsetooth reservior fame) and used to post here from time to time. When I was there 3-4 years ago he very kindly met up with me and showed me around. Great guy - now an acupuncturist in Fort Collins I believe...

Scott climbed with John Gill and a load of the other bouldering greats in Colorado back in the 70's (and much more I'm sure!)

[SA Chris]

He gets a mention in John Gill's book as one of the best spotters ever.

https://www.fortcollinsacupuncture.com/

[AMorris]

Top effort on putting some classics to bed yetix, Tempest has to be one of the best 7A's anywhere imo, I do it every time I am there.

STG: Finish off Diesel Power. 5s half crimp lower middle rung BM2 + 10kg.
MTG: Flick of the Wrist. 5s small edges BM2 half crimp.
LTG: Full elbow rehabilitation.


Cool week for me, in that I didn't go to the wall once, in favor of beastmaker sessions and developing the local choss in the beautiful sunshine.

M - Open hand and half crimp one arm hang session. First time in a while I had done this, so it was not a great session but I managed to get through it, only falling off before the timer on the 8s half crimp low rung. Left hand is feeling good, but I am heavily employing what I call the 'Dave MacLeod cheat finger', which is essentially a dragging index. Something to address.

T - Forced rest day despite feeling psyched for some hangs. Elbow rehab.

W - Another hang sesh, same as before. A better session than before, unsurprisingly. Managed to get through the session perfectly.

T - Absolutely glorious day, so I decided to sack off writing in the afternoon and grab my pad and head off to an area that I had previously scouted for potential chossy rock, a couple of Km south of Aber. Managed a whole bunch of problems between 6B - 7B, including a few genuine gems. Opened up a crag page for it under 'Below Allt-Wen".

F - Hang day. It dawned on me during the session that this was what my body was waiting for to get back into proper strength. Very encouraging progression so far, most likely due to simple recruitment/compensation/conditioning/nervous something-or-other, take your pick on which school of though to attribute this to.

S - Decided to head off to Aberystwyth North Beach, where a friend of mine had put up some problems on the horrifically loose rock up there, primarily eliminates. Quickly repeated the best non eliminate line there, the aptly named 'the roof' - 7A. I was surprised that this was a very nice line with cool moves, if on some suspect and non-permanent rock in places. There was a right hand entrance to this problem that I knew was a potentially hard project, so I worked out the moves and linked it at soft 7B ish, and found another higher, hard variation with some superb moves. Local delicacies they might be, but it was I lovely way to spend an afternoon.

S - Final hang session of the week. Managed to achieve a personal goal of 10s front lever, even though it was on jugs and I almost passed out when I dropped off. Felt great and strolled through the hangs, even adding weight and a few extra hangs during the 2min rests. To get a little more I finished the set with:
+10kg weight vest, small edges and 35 degree slopers
30s slopers
10s rest
15s edges
10s rest
15s slopers
10s rest, repeat until 2 consecutive failures.
Got to set 7, miraculously.

Great week for psyche, getting back to strength, and elbow rehab.
I am off up to the pass again next week, so hopefully I can finish off Diesel Power and the barrel traverse.