Quote from: rodma on November 24, 2010, 08:41:45 amI've never quite managed to get it right to be honest. I think that I've always climbed at my best by thoroughly beasting myself for several days on and then taking a couple of rest days before each rock-day or comp. Then straight back to the beasting again.Rodders, This isn't a dig or a put down, but, well, how do I put this... You've admitted in the past that your comp/trip performance is often a big let down and you're nearly semi-permanently injured.http://roddybouldering.blogspot.com/2009/10/getting-it-right.htmlMaybe some periodisation would help break this chain?Just a thought
I've never quite managed to get it right to be honest. I think that I've always climbed at my best by thoroughly beasting myself for several days on and then taking a couple of rest days before each rock-day or comp. Then straight back to the beasting again.
I never got it right after I started periodisation and all of the associated cross training that we were asked to do when on the team. I'm not saying that it doesn't work. I think that it ought to work for a competition, where there is a set date and the event is not weather dependant. I think that the cross training that I did whilst on the team seriously affected my climbing (in a negative way). By swapping from "my way" to "their way" I managed to go from having done my first font 8as in font, got 21st place in a world cup, to being unable to get up any font 7a in font and getting a 20th place in the bbcsMy best results both in trips and in comps have been by the method that i described. I've just recently started going back to the weights, but not as part of some pyramid or periodisation and am currently seeing a return to form that I haven't seen since 2007, despite having a knackered hand.
Rodders - I'd be interested to hear more about your weights regime and how it differs from the cross-training you were doing as part of the team that you thought detrimental to performance.I'm in the process of starting to do incorporate barbell work for overall conditioning and injury proofing and would like to hear what's worked for others.
You don't actually need to bulk up much to be able to do bodyweight overhead squats:
It seems like the current thinking is, if you keep the protein/calorie intake low, reps and sets low, and weights high you'll gain a lot of power and strength without gaining much bulk. Boxers/weightlifters in restricted weight categories have been doing it for years.
Willackers has got the most pathetic legs I've ever seen and crushes all manners of Dynos with ease. If you're 62kg, you can't be all that tall - (or you'd be some kind of freakish pole-like thing) - that's obviously going to limit your dynoing ability a bit? Do you really want to be better at dynos?
Quote from: Fultonius on November 24, 2010, 11:14:56 pmYou don't actually need to bulk up much to be able to do bodyweight overhead squats:the point is IMO (which may be unfounded), the benefit of doing so is literally outweighed by ANY related increase in body mass, I've best I've ever climbed was when I was my most injury prone, and lightest. The recent popularity of dieting proves this, climbing is ridiculously dependant on your weight, its the quickest, easiest way to get gains.
There's a number of points here.Regarding strength to weight, specifically fingers, I think you adapt to whatever weight you are (within reason). That's why people who have plateaued climb better when they lose some weight, my experience is that they fail to keep that relative strength increase as their fingers adapt to climbing at the new weight.
For me if I increase muscle mass I tend to offset a lot of the weight gain by having lower body fat levels - the two always seem to go hand in hand for me, from what I've read this seems to be others experience as well. Also when I increase muscle mass it's only in the region of 1Kg, I'm never going to be big even if I train and eat for hypertrophy.
I'm struggling to accept this looking at the new breed of ever younger climbers who have literally nothing in the way of muscles yet it doesn't seem to stop them.
I've recently started using a weight belt and the difference a measly 2kg makes (to me) is marked.
I too have seen (and purposefully sought) to reduce my bodyfat whilst lifting which offset the mass gains but only temporarily. The lower bodyfat % doesn't seem maintainable to me at least (without being entirely climbing focussed which I'm not these days). Do you manage to maintain this lower bodyfat %?
I think one of the most interesting things about climbing is that there's not a specific body type or muscle %age that's best like there is in most other sports.
Quote from: Paul B on November 25, 2010, 06:48:27 pmI'm struggling to accept this looking at the new breed of ever younger climbers who have literally nothing in the way of muscles yet it doesn't seem to stop them. Hmmmm for every Paul Robinson there's a Daniel Woods or a Nalle Hukkataival. I think one of the most interesting things about climbing is that there's not a specific body type or muscle %age that's best like there is in most other sports.