UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => chuffing => Topic started by: Fiend on October 03, 2012, 02:42:19 pm
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See topic title. Talking about crags where the desirable routes are likely to be pumpy but the easier routes are not great warm-ups. Let's also assume there is the crag base is bollox, there's little room for traversing or bouldering, AND the starts of the harder routes suck for going up and downclimbing AND for that matter the weather to be coldish to add to the fun.
What are the best tactics??
Things I try so far:
Stomping around to get warm.
Lots of arm-waving (sometimes accompanied by a Ken Wilson-volume rant about localised guidebook grades, top-ropers, slow drivers on the way to the crag etc).
Foot on pull-ups, lock-offs and deadhangs to get recruitment going.
Increase intensity of such behaviour until muscles are pulling harder.
Rest a bit.
More arm shaking before setting off.
The only thing I can think to add is longer periods of easier foot-on deadhanging to simulate the hanging around placing gear as well as boring myself catatonic.
Hence wondering if the massive have any ideas??
Ta :-*
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Counting/timing the various pulls and hangs and progressing gently between rests rather than relying on how my arms feel worked for me - it also gave me confidence in how warmed up I was
and pressups, obviously
and wanking, obviously
(am I the first one to suggest onanism today?)
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Counting/timing the various pulls and hangs and progressing gently between rests rather than relying on how my arms feel worked for me - it also gave me confidence in how warmed up I was
and pressups, obviously
and wanking, obviously
(am I the first one to suggest onanism today?)
Via the interweb - yes.
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I always keep a rubber ball in the car, and I squeeze it while driving the last half an hour or so.
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It's always a struggle.
Dave Redpath always takes a fingerboard up to Dumbuck for a progressive warm up - but I doubt you want to be lugging one of them around...
1) Bicep curls of your rucksack to get the guns going.
2) Top rope a harder route that either:
a) you've done before
b) looks shit and you don't mind not onsighting it.
3) wear a heavy rucksack to make the easier routes feel harder?
Flash pump on your first hard trad route of the day is always a killer....
I'm hoping for good ideas too, as this is something I also struggle with!
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'The only thing I can think to add is longer periods of easier foot-on deadhanging to simulate the hanging around placing gear as well as boring myself catatonic.'
I hang feet on off one arm - shake out the other. Swap and repeat for a while - till I'm really bored.
i usually mix this with some arms out perpendicular to my body doing little circles and a Dave Birkett shoulder shrug.
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Isn't there a solution linked on the left of the forums?
<<<< the one at the bottom ;)
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and wanking, obviously
(am I the first one to suggest onanism today?)
I squeeze it while driving the last half an hour or so.
I'm impressed you can last that long........
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Birkett shoulder rolls.
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and wanking, obviously
(am I the first one to suggest onanism today?)
I squeeze it while driving the last half an hour or so.
I'm impressed you can last that long........
practice makes perfect, you know!
;)
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Counting/timing the various pulls and hangs and progressing gently between rests rather than relying on how my arms feel worked for me - it also gave me confidence in how warmed up I was
and pressups, obviously
I always keep a rubber ball in the car, and I squeeze it while driving the last half an hour or so.
1) Bicep curls of your rucksack to get the guns going.
2) Top rope a harder route that either:
a) you've done before
b) looks shit and you don't mind not onsighting it.
3) wear a heavy rucksack to make the easier routes feel harder?
I hang feet on off one arm - shake out the other. Swap and repeat for a while - till I'm really bored.
i usually mix this with some arms out perpendicular to my body doing little circles and a Dave Birkett shoulder shrug.
Thanks, all sound useful to varying degrees. Some of those ideas are more structured versions of what I already try, which makes sense.
I do have a grip strengthener that is pretty good for warming up and I could get a semi-pump out of that.
I also have started doing press-ups as a general warm-up.
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and wanking, obviously
fine, but what about the other arm? If you use the other arm it feels like someone else is warming up.
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I usually keep a resistance band in my rucksack. Works well for warming up arms/shoulders when there are no suitable routes around.
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I doubt that will simulate the pump of being on a route for an hour spending 5 mins on every other hold fiddling in gear though???
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I doubt that will simulate the pump of being on a route for an hour spending 5 mins on every other hold fiddling in gear though???
If thats the situation why not approach it from a different angle and improve route reading/gear selection and placement thus avoiding pump? :shrug:
Not suggesting you're not practiced at this but its a different angle of dealing with pump, and I'm sure you can work out better rests to help facilitate it.
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Yes Fiend, why not just avoid getting pumped? (Genius slackers, you should coach ;) )
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I too get this problem. And I have solved it by just going bouldering ;)
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Yes Fiend, why not just avoid getting pumped? (Genius slackers, you should coach ;) )
I know, its a piece of piss!
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climbing up and down the first section of chosen route would be my normal tactic, if a decent warm up isn't handy. If, as you say, this really isn't possible - if the walk in isn't too long could you warm up elsewhere and then go to crag of choice? (e.g. If you were trying a route on the sanctuary wall, warm up traversing the empire wall, then walk down; or warm up at the foundry, drive to the tor, that sort of thing).
If none of this seems useful, I would train specifically to be able to sustain a 30-60 minute (assuming this matches your route criteria) very low level, gradual pump from cold, by simulating this on a wall.
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Correct me if I'm wrong Fiend - but I'm assuming this applies to typical Aberdeen sea cliff routes in the E3/E4 category at crags where the warms are 10m and VS/HVS or technical E1 type ground that really don't get you pumped/worked enough to properly warm up.
Then, when you jump on your route it has a committing, difficult and very awkward to reverse start. Suddenly you find yourself 5m up the crag, pumping out on tiny crimps with bad gear and seagulls chasing you??
This probably sounds like a rare occurrance - but, you'd be surprised how many crags are like that in Scotland!b Happens to me all the time...
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Especially the seagulls. fuckers.
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It applies to various scenarios, that included.
Toby, I appreciate that idea, but won't the 1-2 hours packing up, leaving the crag, driving elsewhere, approaching the next crag, restarting etc, reduce the effectiveness of the pre-warm-up??
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I find a hold I can do repeater type sets on. Once I've done enough gentle hangs/press-ups/pull-ups/waving arms around to get things moving I do 3-5 minutes of easy foot on repeaters, 5 reps per minute giving a rep to chalk/recover, finishing with a very light pump. Wait 10 minutes and do it again but a bit harder, and therefore more pump but manageable. Finish with a few hard hangs to properly wake the fingers up.
It seems to do a decent job of simulating 2 warm-up routes and I'm then fine for long trad. Takes me about 30-40 mins start to finish which is about the same time for a couple of sport warm-ups, although a lot less interesting.
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Toby, I appreciate that idea, but won't the 1-2 hours packing up, leaving the crag, driving elsewhere, approaching the next crag, restarting etc, reduce the effectiveness of the pre-warm-up??
expecting to go through all that, yes it would. You really need somewhere you can go and boulder for 30 minutes to warm up, and then <60 minute transfer to route of choice. I am not talking go tradding one place, then off to other crag to have it - something convenient, even if tedious is what you want - do you or one of your partners have a board you could warm up on before the crag?
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I think the idea of warming up at one crag and then heading to your main destination is all good if you're somewhere like the Peak, but less practical if you're on some sea cliff in the middle of nowhere.
Surely the real answer is to twist your partner's arm into leading the first pitch of the day? ;)