[Turboman]

One of my goals this winter is to increase my arm / lock off strength.  Currently I get to the wall/outside 3-4 times a week (evenings and weekends), more if I can fit it in.

To isolate the arm/lock off strength I guess I need to turn to weights/OAPs etc and I'm fortunate enough to have a superb gym at my work place with lats machine, pull up bar, free weights most other bits of kit and a good hour each lunch time (more if i'm sneaky) to use it.

My problem is how do I incorporate the gym work into my training week?  If I train at lunch time I'm tired in evening and consequently climb like a bag of shit.

Any ideas how to incorporate weights into a weekly routine?  Do I need to sacrifice evenings bouldering at the wall of am I do I need to stop wingeing, train twice a day and accepting the inevitable drop in bouldering performance?

Does Buoux 8c still read this stuff?  I notice on Moonclimbing he states that he trained 2x 2.5 hrs sessions per day. What were the sessions made up of?

Cheers.

[Paul B]

weights can fit in brilliantly with fingerboard/deadhanging sessions, i.e. do both in one day and right a wall session off once week (Thats if you have a fingerboard at home).

(on an aside: I found campus touches to be better at improving lock off strength than any other excercises)

[Turboman]

Cheers Paul that makes a lot of sense.  Basically you're isolating fingers and arms in different sessions.  Why didn't I think of that?

I tried my 'weights in day/bouldering in evening' structure yesterday and sure enough the bouldering session was shocking.  I failed on most(all) of my standard problems.  I kept putting it down to the body adapting to a new level of intensity but in reality I was simply training when over-tired.

I've been doing some touches on the campus board (1-4-3-4), will keep on with them.

Cheers

[saltbeef]

weights can fit in brilliantly with fingerboard/deadhanging sessions, i.e. do both in one day and right a wall session off once week (Thats if you have a fingerboard at home).

(on an aside: I found campus touches to be better at improving lock off strength than any other excercises)

think this is what uncle constitutes as training!
 i realised after a particularly appalling session on the fingerboard on monday that this might be an area to make true gains so long as the boredom threshold holds out. (gonna avoid doing too many weights though as i already look like i'm attempting to "bulk up!")

[unclesomebody]

Turboman. A particularly useful bit of training advice is to always remember to train the lowest common denominator. Strength is useful, infact, it is most excellent, but is it truly your weakest facet? Weighted deadhangs are a pretty intense thing to start getting into. It would be worth assessing if this route is really necessary for your short, medium, and long term goals. I'm not trying to dissaude you, but trying to make you see your goals first and then analyse your lowest common denominator, and then be psyched to train that.

Saltbeef. Don't be such a lazy bastard. How can you possibly get bored doing fingerboard routines. Just think how great you'll look when you emerge in 6 months doing one armers on small crimps as all around you stand gawping and perhaps even clapping.

[Turboman]

Cheers Unc for the timely reminder.  It's way too easy to loose sight of your goals when you have your  head stuck in training mode.

Basically all of my goals this year involve boning hard between limestone crimps.  Finger strength has never been a real problem in this respect although you can never have enough.  My  big problem always  lies in the hard locks or power slaps between the holds,  hence the short term goal to improve lock off strength and consolidate 1-4-7.

 Used to train at the Office (RIP) which was ace for this type of training.  Since that was removed I was relegated to the 45deg board in the foundry (RIP) and occasionally the edge woody (RIP).  Was massively disappointed when the Works didn't come up with a steep wood covered board.

Any spaces at the school room ?? ;-)

[dobbin]

Not at the moment.

[Turboman]

So what is the route to School Room membership?

Invite Only?
Put your name on a list and wait for someone to die (in which case put mine on it).
Large cash donation to the Ben Moon Benevolent Fund?

Or is it even more sordid than that?

[Bonjoy]

 I'm not sure if anyone is ahead of you in the queue, or indeed if there is a queue, but I will be relinquishing my membership sometime before I go away on my six monthly voyage in June.

[Johnny Brown]

Isn't it being sold for development soon anyway?

[dobbin]

Hopefully not. The building is on a list of council owned buildings which are under 'review'. From what I understand, it and 9 others around the city are earmarked to be sold. In a meeting with the council we were told that it wouldnt be until at least May 2008 and even then it would likely slip. To be honest, we've heard all this before and buried our heads in the sand and it did all blow over for a while. The artists are keen to fight it and although I suspect its a lost cause we can but try.

As for gaining access, there are others waiting in the wings to join, your best bet is to get up there with a member and go in as a guest.

[Turboman]

Bonjoy, you truly are a leafy gent.

Can I have first dibs on your membership card or does it have to go before a committee? 

[Bonjoy]

It's not really up to me. Nik Sellars is the person to ask.

[saltbeef]

join the queue.
anyway, uncle, i've done two fingerboring sessions in 2 weeks, i aim to continue, you'll be proud. its difficult to fit everything in, but am attempting to fit it in with climbing2-3times a week (probably indoors cos the monsoon has started) and with a campus/core session.
short term goals, learn to crimp
mid term goals, learn to use afforementioned crimp to aid upward progress.
long term goals, climb outside if it  ever stops fucking raining.
ps keithinator feel free to send us some ideas that i may have missed! I'm psyched!

[Paul B]

get your ass on the 15 deg board and crimp everything.

[Bonjoy]

join the queue.
anyway, uncle, i've done two fingerboring sessions in 2 weeks, i aim to continue, you'll be proud. its difficult to fit everything in, but am attempting to fit it in with climbing2-3times a week (probably indoors cos the monsoon has started) and with a campus/core session.
short term goals, learn to crimp
mid term goals, learn to use afforementioned crimp to aid upward progress.
long term goals, climb outside if it  ever stops fucking raining.
ps keithinator feel free to send us some ideas that i may have missed! I'm psyched!

Surely learn to slap beefcheeks, that's what you need! You've got the pull, you just need to throw it about a bit more