[carefultorque]

This is my first post here.  So no smart gags about not being outta town.

I seem always to struggle to break through a technical ceiling when I do a period of campusing.  Typically, as now, I can ladder  1-3-5 on the small rungs after my first  week on the board and can do 1-4 single-arm locks.  I never seem to get beyond this, whatever tactics I use.  Weak, true.  But you should see the size of the aspiration behind that weakness.

For comparison, I can hold a 90 degree one-arm lock-off on a skateboard-taped rounded hold for the duration of a deadpoint.  It's definitely there, but just for a deadpoint's duration.

Anyone able to help me think through this?  Please don't say train harder because it's really not about that.  In the past, doing the same thing even for months never got me beyond this point.

Many thanks all.

[SA Chris]

I'm about as far from an expert as you can get, but some info here http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,8873.0.html

[carefultorque]

Thanks for pointin this out, SA Chris.  I had read this, but it kind of just lead to more questions, rather than answering the one I had in mind.  I was particularly interested in one of Athleticspecifik's posts with technical analysis of intermediate and elite campusboarders, but of course it's not easy to apply that sort of analysis to one's own performance without video feedback.

[account_inactive]

Just a quick post as I'm about to leave the house.............

You need to identify where you weaknesses are.  Can you perform 1-4-7 on larger rungs?  If not then the problem is in your arms/shoulder girdle.  If you can then it's an issue with finger strength.

There are several exercises that will lead to the next level, but you need to figure out what the weakness is before I can have a guess at what you need to do

Hope this helps

[carefultorque]

Hi Dylan,

Nope, not even on the large rungs can I do 1-4-7.    I can manage 1-4-6 on the medium rungs, however. 

[account_inactive]

This points to a problem with arm strength rather than finger strength.

Other areas for you to test:

Locking ability @ chin,90 and 120
Pull up maximum
Maximum single move on campus (1-5 etc) Don't aim to grab a rung just go for height. Single handed and double

This should narrow down the weakness

[carefultorque]

Hi again Dylan,

I tried some of these in the last couple of weeks:

Lock (chin) 1 arm - not possible

Lock (90) 1 arm: fleetingly - definitely there for a deadpoint's duration

Lock (120) 1 arm fleeting. collapses quickly

max double campus throws: 1-5,   max single touches: 1-5 - same as doubles -- what's happening here?  Lock doesn't seem that great.

I've never bothered with pull-ups so can't tell you. 

Any idea what next steps please?

[Jim]

Do pull ups, lots of pull ups....

[unclesomebody]

I'm not training expert, but I've tried a few things. Training for climbing isn't rocket science. In fact, I'd say it's so simple that people pollute it with other things like powerball, captains of crush, rings, etc to make it more interesting. If you want to improve you need to face one fact, it won't happen overnight.

Jim's advice, although crude, is spot on. I don't know what he means by "lots" but that is where you need to start. You need to buy a pull up bar and start using it. As I said, training for climbing is simple. Do a shit load of deadhangs, 10sec duration, at full lock (chin 12" above bar), then 90 degrees, then 120 degrees. Do routines that last for 30min-1hr. I know it sounds simple, but it will produce results. Once you can lock off on a bar you will see great improvement campusing on large rungs. Once you can do all that easily with weight belts on, then move on to a small hold instead of a bar. Perhaps start at a 10mm edge. Then go through the whole cycle again.

Improving at climbing is normally a long and boring progress. Good luck.

[carefultorque]

hey Unclesomebody, I'd never thought of the simple pull-up bar as a useful training aid but clearly I've missed a trick. Thanks for that advice.  I wish I'd taken more notice of a Stevie Haston thing I read years ago 'in praise of the humble pull up,' I think he called it, appositely enough.

Just one thing, though.  I have been using fingerboards and am quite pleased with my hangs progress --increasingly smaller edges and quite rank slopers are are feeling easier all the time.

So how do I keep this up while doing big volumes of pull ups?  Should I do a periodisation thing where I get to grips with/prioritise this new pull-up workload first and cut back on fingery stuff, while keeping general bouldering going?

What do you reckon's best?

Cheers

[Paul B]

Uncle, you know you're shit theres absolutely no need for a disclaimer although i'd disagree with your comments in particular re: rings, during injury phases these have been invaluable for me (as well as weights) and I think the strengthening they offer around the shoulder stabilizers is also invaluable to climbers to prevent against future injuries, although it didn't help Dave much. Not everyone is blessed with a Mens Health/Gay Time esque figure you know 

(Nice tick as well)

Again OP: Re-read uncles post re:simplicity

[account_inactive]

Bingo!

Simple answers to a simple problem. More man strength is needed

Added to these I would include Bachar ladder and campusing problems at the wall

[carefultorque]

Ta-da!

Thanks all.

[unclesomebody]

Uncle, you know you're shit theres absolutely no need for a disclaimer although i'd disagree with your comments in particular re: rings, during injury phases these have been invaluable for me (as well as weights) and I think the strengthening they offer around the shoulder stabilizers is also invaluable to climbers to prevent against future injuries, although it didn't help Dave much. Not everyone is blessed with a Mens Health/Gay Time esque figure you know 

(Nice tick as well)

Again OP: Re-read uncles post re:simplicity

What are you trying to say?!?!?! The power of Grammar ladies and gentleman, far greater than the power of 1-5-9!

The bottom line is simplicity, as Paul so rightly points out. The other bottom line is don't listen to Stevie Haston, that guy is so full of shit he should be renamed Septic Stevie.

[Paul B]

engineering you see it just drives out all of my basic knowledge and spelling every time I sit and churn out numbers 

[carefultorque]

The other bottom line is don't listen to Stevie Haston, that guy is so full of shit he should be renamed Septic Stevie.

But Unclesomebody, now I'm confused: Unclesomebody he say many pull up good.  Steve Haston he say many pull up good.  Uncle he agree with Stevie.  Stevie he agree with Uncle.

?? ?? ducks for cover

[GCW]

Uncle Stevie?  An interesting blend.
It may be worth your while concentrating on core strength and basic exercises before blasting a campus board, which may be a good way to injure yourself.  In my opinion, a reasonable base level of strength will mean your gains are then more useful when you campus.
Having said that, you will still get gains from a campus board from a starting point of weakness, but you need to be focused on what you train and how you do it.

[unclesomebody]

The other bottom line is don't listen to Stevie Haston, that guy is so full of shit he should be renamed Septic Stevie.

But Unclesomebody, now I'm confused: Unclesomebody he say many pull up good.  Steve Haston he say many pull up good.  Uncle he agree with Stevie.  Stevie he agree with Uncle.

?? ?? ducks for cover

unclesomebody not say many pull ups good. He say utilisation of pull up bar good idea. Steve haston say much bullshit.

[carefultorque]

unclesomebody not say many pull ups good. He say utilisation of pull up bar good idea. Steve haston say much bullshit.

But Stevie he so str-oong.  He so macho.  One time he spend night lock-off 1 metre above bar with one arm.  He spend all night then drink a beer after.  He fighted a man one time.

Many admirer of physical feat like this. 

[Paul B]

careful soon he'll ask for both of your addresses ( ) to add to houdini's

[Houdini]

Uncle, Uncle, Uncle . . .

I don't play w/ Powerballs to get good at climbing, but to get good at powerballs, silly Billy!   



Stevie is/was somewhat like Gill. Too heavy and overly strong for bouldering.  To his detriment.  There are better ways.

Oh and Careful, you've been lied to.

[Houdini]

It also sounds like you'd be better off going climbing more.

[unclesomebody]

what are you on about Houdini? I'm thoroughly confused, so fill me in. Also, if you want to be better at climbing then you need to spend your time putting energy into climbing. Your time is finite, thus time spent powerballing is reducing the possible total amount of time you can invest in climbing, therefore you will not improve at climbing as much.

Powerballing for the sake of powerballing is actually equal in my eyes with any other pursuit (climbing, rowing, kabadi). I make no distinction between disciplines. Achieving great things in any past time is still great.

[Houdini]

cf.  Reference to fibs.  This is more to do w/ climbing legend/folklore/cult of Haston than anything you've said.  I agree w/ you.

Though I would say that unless you are particularly gifted genetically training by constant climbing will only lead to injury, we weren't all hatched from the same egg now were we?  Also, *ahem* some of us are older and more fragile . . . 

Also your equation is kinda unbalanced.  If you're failing to reach a hold because you are too heavy to lift your ass to it, running or another weightloss regime will help you reach that hold.  Growing bigger may also have the same effect, hence, there are many ways to skin a cat, grasshopper. 

[Houdini]

I forgot to say, I find powerballing very very silly.

But I like silly things