[Claire]

Im stuck in the middle of a climbing drought at the mo and don't really want to lose any of my strength.
 Climbed for 2 weeks in Hampi and now havn't climbed for over a month and probably won't be climbing until I get to Krabi in July.
So are there any good exersices so im not weak as piss when i get to Krabi??

[superfurrymonkey]

Why a climbing drought? there`s plenty of bouldering to do in blighty or are you saving yourself for more exotic locations!!! ha ha

[superfurrymonkey]

Im just jealous really!

[chappers]

i think she may well still be in india?
i did a bit of running when i was up in the himalaya (guessing you are from previous posts) and a fair bit of bouldering on random granite bloc in river valleys, but unfortunatly lost loads of weight/strength/fitness. get some yoga done!!!
i may well be on Ton Sai round abouts july for a while if not for the climbing but for some amazing ice tea.

[Claire]

Just jetted over to Singapore now:)
Probably going to head indoors here as there are a few walls in the city.
Chappers why will you be in Ton Sai and not climbing? Ill be there from beginning to mid July ish unless I get sidetracked...
 I saw loads of boulders in riverbeds from jeeps but never got chance to stop. was there anything good?

[lorentz]

Pull ups and more pull ups! Sets of 5 or 6 or 7 with breaks in between to catch yer breath. Or climb indoors in Singapore - also good. However - real reason for this post - tell me about Hampi. Was in goa recently but sadly never made it off the southern coast! There were some rocks there, but heard Hampi was really good. Tell me more if you get a mo as hoping to get back in the not 2 distant. Cheers

[chappers]

dont worry i will be climbing. last time i was there i found a place on the beach that does the best damn lemon ice tea ever, and has the occasional fish BBQ which always goes down a treat. (if you come onto ton sai from the little steep jungle path, keep walking down the beach passing large overhang with red ladder on right, keep going and its the last place on the right, has a small shop and loads of bungalows).

as for the himalaya, i was over in a valley called parvatti (spelling?)-near kulu and minali (again spelling?) and there was quite a bit going on random granite blocs nowt hard, spent too long failing to beat this guy from nepal at chess. if you decide to go back, it looks like there may be some good stuff above rishikesh and gongotri (article in friction mag) that i may check out if i make it back up that way.
those jeep rides are fun, eh.
how much of a shock is it to fly into singapore from india?!

[Claire]

Hampi is an awsome place. Its only 10 hours by train from Goa.
There are boulders as far as you can see in all directions. A lot has been done but more hasn't even been looked at. There is loads away from hampi as well. there is a place you pass on the train which apparantly has routes and more bouldering. there is a lot of routing potential at Hampi too.
The rock is immaculate granite. Very abraisive, you can't overdo it cos once you bleed thats it. Fairly crimpy but there are slopers too. Its just amazing. i only stayed 10 days but could esily have stayed longer. The best place to stay is over the river then the rocks are on your doorstep.
We were there in Feb and it was getting a bit hot you had to be up by sunrise to get any climbing in. it got too hot by about 9. I think Dec-Jan is the best time to go.
Have you seen pilgrimige? Its worth a look it shows the area pretty well. there is a topo that you can get when you get there. its not great but it does the job to find the areas. Id go back in a shot:)
Ive got some pics but I can't work out how to post them on this site. They are on yahoo if you are interested.

As for the himalaya i was mainly in Darjeeling and Sikkim. Did a fair bit of trekking and got snowed in at 4000m:)
Singapore is a major culture shock. there are hardly any people that traffic is really calm and there is no litter! Everyone has mp3 players and mobiles and no one stares. Complete world away from India.

[lorentz]

Cheers for Hampi info. Got to get back, but will make sure I go to Hampi first before getting sucked into beach-life. I had heard that Hampi got effing hot - was out there late Jan early Feb myself. Scorchio.

Enjoy Singapore.

[Claire]

Cheers man that site looks pretty cool. Did it work?? Some of those exercises look pretty hardcore!

[Houdini]

I cant remember the exact thread where I read this.  But since I'm in a breather between pull-up reps, it joggy my memory.

I've read someone recommend reps of 10 - 15.  This is truly gash advice.  What Lorenz offered is where you ought to be.  I'm in my prime and already strong, and I'm "waffeur-theen" - but reps of 10 or more bring tendonitis to my door.

"Doing press-ups only makes you good at doing press-ups!" my mate, RP1. 

Bullshit RP1!  Doing press-ups are fantastic for mantleshelving, and in places like Font' where most of the top-outs are mantleshelves, being good at them is the difference between success and failure.  However Claire, they may make your jugs look a bit weird if you do too many of them.

I have extended period off from climbing due to many things I can't be arsed to list.  But when I'm back in the game, I'm injury-free and light and therefore strong and powerful.

A few sit-ups (especially the ones where you twist having exhaled reaching the high-point of the move are best, as they will widen the abs too.  Normal crunches don't), a few pull ups (palms out and palms in) not forgetting to raise the knees a little as you do them or your lower back will swear at you, and a few press-ups (with your body utterly rigid - no curving backs or pokey-up botty!) should be really all you need. 

I'd recommend a gripmaster too, to keep your fingers and forearms in tiptoppermost condition, helping you to avoid scummy finger injuries on day one, problem one.

And I skip.  I skip a lot.  It's great for your heart, tits, and triceps.  But don't over do it.  It really, really works you out.