Also finally got hold of John Kettles Rock Climbing Technique. It’s concise and to the point. Full of actionable drills and self diagnosis. Really quite good. In contrast I always found self-coached climber a bit impenetrable. Doesn’t take long to get through it but really need to take it to a wall and actually do the self assessment tests and then work deliberately on the drills. Easier said than done.
Might start a separate thread about skin but I know it'll just be demolished by Chris and 2T making skin puns.
Rehab Diaries Week Eleven
STG- Leading HVS/ low 6s & carrying normal loads to crags by end Sept 2019.
M- Did some basic strength in the day- 3 sets of 5 pullups and 3 sets of 15 pushups. Surprised how easy the latter felt given I hadn't done any since my accident- I guess all the crutching I did contributed to that.
I then went back to Horseshoe Quarry for some hanging-on-a-rope mental training, determined to go to the top of the wall. Did it four times :dance1: The first was hard and I had to talk to myself the whole way up & down. A helicopter flew overhead when I was near the top and I had full-on flashbacks, feeling faint, gibbering etc. Each time I was coming down I was telling myself that I'd done well and that was enough for one day but when I was back on the floor I took a minute with my harness still on then went for it again. By the last go it felt normal. I can't tell you how happy I am with this session. ;D
T- Rest.
W- Gym. Standard 30 minutes on the bike, increased the levels by 1 as usual to keep it desperate.
T- 3 sets of 6 pullups, 3 sets of 20 pushups. Walk in the evening.
F- Walk in the evening.
S- Walk around Lawrencefield area in the afternoon.
S- Foundry Autobelays AM. Did a 6a+ in the furnace surprisingly easily so just decided to "boulder on a rope" by working 6b+s that I wasn't going to get up. Had a great session and was making surprising progress on them. The combination of the strength- and fitness-recovery stuff I've been doing with the recent height-acclimatisation just seems to have put me back in a position where I can push myself in a meaningful way climbing-wise. For the first time since my accident I was falling off trying.
Went out testing my gimbal in the afternoon. This is the only time my back's properly hurt this week!
Great week altogether. Can't remember the last time I had so much fun at a climbing wall.
Well happy to have ticked off my goal, first 7a I've done in a long, long time. Think it's a case of it just being something that suited my style but that doesn't stop me being psyched.
first 7a I've done in a long, long time.
The mental training sounds like a good idea, Mike and it sounds like you're making it a positive experience rather than repeatedly forcing yourself to endure negative experiences which I don't think would help. I'm sure you're aware of this but the way you describe feeling on seeing and hearing the helicopter suggests PTSD (caveat: I am not a mental health professional). It sounds like you're managing it remarkably well but if it gets worse or perhaps if it doesn't improve then there is help out there. I'm sure Lagers or Webbo could point you in the right direction if you felt the need.
Going to stick with the current routine of repeaters until I am properly done with routes until the spring.
Can anyone recommend a max hang protocol to follow over the winter?
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I'd have a thonk about whether you want to be doing repeaters while you're also trying to redpoint.
Felt nicely warmed up and focussed but redpoint attempt disrupted by James shouting beta just below me up to Paul on the Bat Route crux breaking my concentration and then Guy short-roped me as I was setting up for the throw. Lost my rag as evidenced in the unedifying video below where its pretty obvious who the real cunt is.NSFW :
Felt nicely warmed up and focussed but redpoint attempt disrupted by James shouting beta just below me up to Paul on the Bat Route crux breaking my concentration and then Guy short-roped me as I was setting up for the throw. Lost my rag as evidenced in the unedifying video below where its pretty obvious who the real cunt is.NSFW :
Disappointing. Going back for a final session for the year on Weds.
Gutted about performance on the Oak this season especially as all other projects were subsumed to this as primary goal. Not really sure quite why I did so badly as came to it stronger and with a decent amount of climbing volume behind me. A major re-think required in how I’m going to prep for the Spring.
F - .....hip thrust and sack swing)...
I assume you know James from being a fellow midweek climber, perhaps a polite word before you set off would have lead to you being in a better frame of mind?
I thought you looked good and sharp on that lower wall Simon, and counter to those suggesting trying to be in a 'better frame of mind' - which hasn't done the trick for you to date - I think a more angry, even slightly aggressive and forceful frame of mind might serve you better provided you can channel it into the moves and not at your belayer/fellow climbers.. The Oak's a power route after all, need a bit of forcefulness unless it's within your comfort zone. Maybe go on the days you're most pissed off and unleash it into the moves!
I usually find when I try and get angry with something I climb shit. It’s that sweet spot between aggressive and relaxed that you need. Not easy to find. I find it hard with people chatting especially about inane stuff.
Yes but having a word like that can break my concentration and makes you feel self-conscious though I nearly did and have done on other occasions. I thought he was about to stop. A few grunts usually gives enough of a hint but this time it didn’t.
Weight 64.9kg from 67.5k a few weeks ago.
Weirdly enough, I think I find silence more distracting than inane background chat/beta.
More or less self conscious than shouting ‘shut up’ and then ‘cunt’? Was there a reason you had to climb in the next few minutes? If something isn’t right on something you’ve spent so much time on, it seems daft to waste a redpoint burn when you could just take 10 and get back into the correct frame of mind.
Weirdly enough, I think I find silence more distracting than inane background chat/beta.
That’s why you need the Real Thing soundtrack on ;)
Can anyone recommend a max hang protocol to follow over the winter? I have a BM 2000 and a lattice rung to mess around on but no micros or similar ratty holds. Presume this would tend towards adding some weight to a given hold, perhaps bottom outside on the 2000? Ideas welcome.
I usually find when I try and get angry with something I climb shit. It’s that sweet spot between aggressive and relaxed that you need. Not easy to find. I find it hard with people chatting especially about inane stuff.
Felt nicely warmed up and focussed but redpoint attempt disrupted by James shouting beta just below me up to Paul on the Bat Route crux breaking my concentration and then Guy short-roped me as I was setting up for the throw. Lost my rag as evidenced in the unedifying video below where its pretty obvious who the real cunt is.NSFW :
Right, I'm just popping out to Malham with a full gut and some bog roll. Brb.
this is the best power club in ages.
I made the best gains of my life doing a really simple protocol as ably described by Monkey Boy in the below video.
More recently I've been mixing it up by doing weighted repeaters in varying hold types and found these beneficial. I think I'd probably agree with you that at this stage, your best bet to squeeze out a tiny little bit extra is to do power endurance as that recruits quicker than strength.
Thanks, that looks like the ticket! Might have to use the lattice rung at home and a campus rung at the wall to ensure some sort of consistency. What depth is the bottom outside on the 1000?
How long did you do it for? Or did you periodically retest yourself and add more weight to suit?
Rehab Diaries Week Eleven
Anyway, like making a shit round of teas at work, I won’t get asked to belay again
Thanks for the video Simon - it does actually look like a really cool route, I can see why it’s captivated you..
Thanks for the video Simon - it does actually look like a really cool route, I can see why it’s captivated you..
The moves are amazing
Yes, that’s the throw for the horn which is the single hardest move for me and shorties.
The redpoint crux is arguably in the middle of the top traverse holding a Gaston and coming into a side pull which I’ve got past once as well.
The moves are amazing
That's the crux, yeah?
I made the best gains of my life doing a really simple protocol as ably described by Monkey Boy in the below video.
More recently I've been mixing it up by doing weighted repeaters in varying hold types and found these beneficial. I think I'd probably agree with you that at this stage, your best bet to squeeze out a tiny little bit extra is to do power endurance as that recruits quicker than strength.
Thanks, that looks like the ticket! Might have to use the lattice rung at home and a campus rung at the wall to ensure some sort of consistency. What depth is the bottom outside on the 1000?
How long did you do it for? Or did you periodically retest yourself and add more weight to suit?
I actually just used the bottom edge on the Beastmaker 2000...
Then in June I did my first 1r max test and managed 12-13s or so at 14kg added. I kept doing repeaters for a few weeks, and then in August started back on the max hangs, doing one or usually two sessions a week, just 5 sets of 10s hangs at 14kg to start with, and by mid-October 2017 had increased up to being steady for 10 seconds at 21kg added.
I'm very aware that those numbers pale into insignificance when compared to others on these threads. Finger strength has always been a real weakness for me though and through November - December I managed things like Tourniquet, Queen Kong Sit, Jason's Roof and Sideliner. Can't say that was definitely a result of the fingerboard as none of those are massively dependent on finger strength, plus I did a really high volume of work (for me) on the TRX and board as well as I say, but I like to think it made a difference.
I actually just used the bottom edge on the Beastmaker 2000 as that was all I had. Also, I had it mounted on a pull up bar which meant it had a definite slight tilt downwards. Not by much but noticeable when hanging.
10 seconds at 21kg added.
....
I managed things like Tourniquet, Queen Kong Sit, Jason's Roof and Sideliner.
Thanks for that, really interesting. I may be a weak route climber but those numbers look pretty good to me. I attempted to do a set of repeaters on that edge with 10kg added last week and got totally spanked, probably managed about one rep total!
Will spend a session working out where to start when I get back from Spain in a few weeks and get stuck in. If it helps me get up an 8A over the winter then all the better, but should give a pretty good base for the routes next spring with luck.
Which edge is that? The 10mms on the outside?
Thanks for posting this Bradders. Amazing things to tick. It’s a reminder that I really need to work on my weaknesses!!!
There Beastmaker fingerboard holds go down to c14mm smallest. Both 1k and 2k, and my measurer says the smalls on the 1k are smaller than on 2k. It’s why I never put my 2k up.
Size of hold interests me for this - as given the tip of my fingers (where bone comes to press on flesh and onto hold) is only about 10mm across (depth) then the difference between hanging a 15 to 10 to 6mm edge is about pain endurance and maybe building up some tougher cartridge around the tip... I guess what I’m saying is that the mechanics of the bones, muscles and tendons means you’re not actually having to pull anything any harder with much smaller holds - it just hurts your tips more.
Imagine your finger tips are sky hooks - putting them on a 2, 5, or 10mm edge doesn’t actually alter how much force is being pulled through the hook (your hands/fingers). That’s probably a really crap analogy :D
Well that’s my musings about it...
Maybe the perfect combination is a 2000 and a campus rung, although as Bradders has demonstrated sticking with the bottom outside on the 2000 should get results!
Really need to get the micros up in the dojo and set aside a development weekend to test strength benchmarks on all the holds.
I do somewhat regret my arrogance in buying the 2000 over the 1000. The latter seems like the far more versatile board.
Really need to get the micros up in the dojo and set aside a development weekend to test strength benchmarks on all the holds.I think a weekend will be barely enough to start tolerating the pain...