UKBouldering.com

Limit bouldering session structure (Read 3070 times)

Aussiegav

Offline
  • ****
  • forum abuser
  • Posts: 677
  • Karma: +29/-10
    • Climberbiker.
Limit bouldering session structure
December 11, 2021, 01:44:42 pm
A question for the doyens/doyennes on limit bouldering.
How do you structure these sessions?
Currently I do 45min warm up. Climb easy moderate difficulty problems. Around 12-15 in total with 3min rests.
Then spend 45mins on the one problem. 3 /5 moves long. With 4min rests between climbing. I don’t always complete the sequence and it’s always 100% effort.

Any one got other structures of this type of session they would like to share.

teestub

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2575
  • Karma: +166/-4
  • Cyber Wanker
#1 Re: Limit bouldering session structure
December 11, 2021, 02:48:23 pm
Bechtel session in logical progression is warm up then working 2-3 ‘hard’ problems (2-3 grades above onsight limit for 20 mins followed by around 40-45 mins working 2-3 super hard problems with lots of rest. No timed tests, just when you feel fresh enough to give your best.

On the face of it it sounds like the first bit of your session could tire you out a bit to try really hard.

webbo

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 5028
  • Karma: +141/-13
#2 Re: Limit bouldering session structure
December 11, 2021, 03:27:38 pm
45 mins warm up. Some my sessions don’t last that long.
My warm up on a 40 degree board is 9 problems on jugs using poorer footholds on each set of 3, then 6 problems of increasing difficulty. The last and 15th problem of my warm up can sometimes take 3 goes to do even though I’ve done it dozens of times.
Usually takes about 15 minutes.

Duma

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 5751
  • Karma: +226/-4
#3 Re: Limit bouldering session structure
December 11, 2021, 07:38:06 pm
Seems like a long warm up, if I did 45 mins it'd def affect how long I could try hard. Have you tried doing a bit more pulse raising (not climbing) stuff before climbing? I normally feel ready to try hard sooner if I've cycled to the wall for example, and doing a bit of your warm up with non climbing muscles might save more for the main session?

Only trying one problem seems like it would tire you out sooner too, more variety of moves would hopefully stress the body differently and allow more quality attempts.

Bradders

Online
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2785
  • Karma: +135/-3
#4 Re: Limit bouldering session structure
December 11, 2021, 09:51:40 pm
45 mins on one problem is way too long in my view / experience. You won't be getting enough movement pattern variety doing that.

My limit sessions are currently warm up with scapular work, some bar work (lock offs and pull ups), then a little bit of fingerboarding. Then on the board I'll do slow movements to start, then big moves on jugs (just a couple of problems), a couple of moderate problems that I can do every gp, and gradually progress to a set of 3/4 problems which I should do almost every go but have to really try.

Then the limit session itself I'm currently trying single moves that might take multiple sessions to do in isolation, ideally progressing to doing those moves consistently, then linking with other moves. No more than 10-15 mins per problem. No timed rests.

Often then finish by dropping the difficulty back to those problems I should do every go but have to really try, and add a weight belt.

Can condense that whole session down to an hour and 10/15 mins if needed.

Wellsy

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1405
  • Karma: +102/-8
#5 Re: Limit bouldering session structure
December 11, 2021, 10:07:43 pm
I personally find that when I have a session of limit bouldering it always goes best if I spend a long time warming and rest extensively.

In those kind of sessions I do warmup (jumping on the spot to raise body temp, stretches, some light calisthenic stuff) followed by very easy bouldering for like 20 mins then do say 7-8 moderate difficulty and then crack on with trying hard.

cowboyhat

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1496
  • Karma: +128/-5
#6 Re: Limit bouldering session structure
December 12, 2021, 10:11:10 am
Agree the aerobic aspect is really important this time of year; notice a big difference between having cycled to the wall or arriving by more sedentary means.

45 mins steady bouldering sounds way too long. I usually do that for 15 then do progressive fingerboard type warm up with pull ups and dynamic yoga type stuff before going on the board to gauge how I feel on some dialled problems of progressive difficulty.

Some sessions that whole thing could take 20mins, some after an hour I’ll sack the idea off and do something else.

Doing projects on the board feels as sensitive as climbing outside; conditions, how much you’ve eaten, work that week, mood etc.

DAVETHOMAS90

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Dave Thomas is an annual climber to 1.7m, with strongly fragrant flowers
  • Posts: 1726
  • Karma: +166/-6
  • Don't die with your music still inside you ;)
#7 Re: Limit bouldering session structure
December 12, 2021, 11:54:41 pm
Getting well recruited is key.

A lot of what goes on by way of "warming up" is more like a gentle "wearing down". You might find it more beneficial to get on the campus board for a short session of explosive pulls, mixed in with really gentle traversing and some stretching, rather than doing a load of mid-range stuff.

The key here is being primed for hardest efforts - not just trying your hardest towards the end.
By hardest efforts, we don't mean what feels hardest either. Very often people associate having to try really hard with best performance.

Aussiegav

Offline
  • ****
  • forum abuser
  • Posts: 677
  • Karma: +29/-10
    • Climberbiker.
#8 Re: Limit bouldering session structure
December 14, 2021, 03:47:20 pm
Many thanks to everyone's input.  :icon_beerchug:
Take away points for learning-
- do less problems in the warm up
- introduce some more functional movement in the warm up (aged 48 and training at 6am, I need to get the body moving before pulling on)
- explosive/dynamic pull ups
- some feet on campus dynamic pulls (i:e 1-4-6 with feet on)  - getting recruited
- pick more than 1 sequence of moves / problem for the session to get variation movement
- vary the boards I'm using (different Moonboards, Splat board etc)

cheque

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 3389
  • Karma: +522/-2
    • Cheque Pictures
#9 Re: Limit bouldering session structure
December 14, 2021, 10:27:09 pm
aged 48

It’s funny how the people on here with usernames about how old they are are nowhere near the oldest. It really is all in your head I suppose.

 

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal