[tomtom]

Back in the swing of things after my Australia trip... decided to up the training intensity this week...

M: Logport wall for a lunchtime blast - much better than the previous week. Creaked up some of the harder problems

T: Logpotty wall for another lunchtime power hour or more.. main section was being re-set so all on the 45 degree wall. Lots of jug hauling and my core ached in benefit for it..

W: rest

Th: CragX on the way back from Hull to Manc.. wasn't expecting much - really just wanted to re-acquaint myself with Jericho road.. bottom break was wet ish - but to my surprise managed to do the problem - but started from the sidepull and crimp (stood high on the mats) so close but no cigar! Thanks to the encouragement from Toby (hello!) - despite not really doing the problem was a real "get the final hold with the last bit of energy left" attempt and it felt very gratifying... tried again 20 min later from the start but had lost too much energy...

Fr: Went up to Ousels Nest to vaguely meet RMan and Dawid. Problems there are hard! (good!) steadily gently overhanging wall climbing on positive holds, cracks and edges. Was feeling surprisingly trollied from the day before - and didnt really try hard on anything. Did Alisons wall (I think) and lost lots of skin trying the sit

Sa: Rest day (AKA doing something with mrsTT)

Su: Went to Helsby in't woods to potter. Had a really good session - found a new hard traverse to try.. but then turned my attention to the only problem I've not done there - a hard reverse of the 7A+ low traverse. Involves a powerful cross through. Worked the hard move successfully a couple of times - which involved a really interesting (well to me anyway) bit of micro beta. When I was was crossed through, if I jumped my feet up and back down again on the footholds (almost re-setting my body position) I was able to power through the second half. Worked on the beginning moves - and surprised myself by pulling it off... snatched the edge post cross through and just held it - then romped on to the end and top out. Superb. Not sure if I can remember what Andy P graded it as - but it felt a solid 7B to me...

Feel like I'm climbing the best I ever have at the moment. Good feeling

[cha1n]

I've decided to rejoin this after starting and promptly stopping before xmas due to injury.

I'm starting a Randall training program starting from next week with the short term aim of climbing French 8a (but hopefully harder) by my birthday (16th of Aug). I originally wanted to get a Font 8A tick but finger injuries have ruined that one, would have been a different story had it been grit season!

Mon - Rest
Tues - Went to WCJ with Mark20 to try a recently re-bolted route which originally got 7b but in its current state is hard 7c/easy c+ http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=16320 Did all the moves and some okish links but seriously lacking endurance at the moment as I've just ventured back onto routes after a year off from them. Keen to get back and finish it off.
Weds - Rest
Thurs - Assessment at Randall's house, including lattice board endurance tests (with chunks of finger skin missing to prove it). Mainly got told I was a weak punter (including being told that I have shit endurance, even for a boulderer?!) with finger strength figures at the very bottom of the spectrum for someone who boulders 7B, except I've climbed quite a few 7Cs! I can't really complain as I've never done more than a few weeks of fingerboarding over the years and never stuck it. Only vague positive was that I apparently have similar shoulder strength to the 'elite' athletes that he trains.
Fri - Rest
Sat - First ever visit to crag x after living in Sheffield for 10 months! Great to finally get there (thanks Seb), even if it looked crap. Started working Zippy's Traverse and got through the crux section quite quickly but got told that the high good crimp is out (seems pointless to exclude this hold as it's not actually eliminate except for that hold). Oh well, worked out a different sequence and did it after a handful of tries after working out a new sequence. Actually climbs really well for crap limestone bouldering.
Sun - Rest/Shopping/Feeling knackered

Not a particularly good week. Have been working away the previous 2 weeks and I never sleep very well away from home and it seems to have caught up on me. Struggling to keep my eyes open during the day, think it's time for an early night tonight!

A bit nervous about starting my training plan next week. There's a lot of stuff that needs to be done indoors and I'm primarily an outdoor climber if it's not raining, so it's going to be a bit hard mentally as well as physically. Incidentally, if anyone is doing a similar training routine and needs to do a bunch of boring and repetitive endurance training stuff at the wall then let me know. I'm going to try and do it at a bouldering wall initially but I'm guess that it'd be easier and more relevant to do on a rope.

[Muenchener]

a really interesting (well to me anyway) bit of micro beta. When I was was crossed through, if I jumped my feet up and back down again on the footholds (almost re-setting my body position) I was able to power through the second half.

That sort of thing is cool. I was working a 7b+ at the wall the other day that involved a big sideways reach off a gaston to a pocket. I found if I crimped the gaston instead of pinching it, I could get my hips in a bit closer, which meant I was more in control when I hit the pocket at full stretch ... etc.

I suppose the big question for improving at climbing generally is whether one can generalise from a little move-specific trick like that to recognising and being more efficient in similar situations when they come up in other places.

[nai]

Quite fancy an assessment on the lattice board, not sure I want to hear the results though (inserts head in sand icon), or get one of the programs.

STG strength phase, long list of routes to address
MTG - Autumn crushage

M - rest

T - routes partner bailed so 2 hours bouldering at Tor; tried to do AnCap back home but that lasted 4 moves; 6 sets of Repeaters instead. Battered

w rest

Th - First look at Body Machine proper (had a quick play on the start last year), did some good links. Max hangs, 2 x 6 grips. PB on the 35s.

Fr - Board - hour of limit bouldering; AnCap - 3x4x 50s, 1:40 rest, last set was a struggle, completely powered out afterwards; 3x10 lock-off laps. Good hard session.

S - unexpected last-minute outing in the afternoon, originally headed toward some mediocre limestone but diverted to Lawrencefield. Led Boulevard, just (then fell off Red Wall). First trad since 5th June last year.

S - Board - hour of open-hand, small feet bouldering. AnCap as Friday, only failed final rep, final set but hard to say whether it was down to improved fitness or simply an easier session previously. Another good, pleasing session though.

Fun week. Unfortunately weight has crept up a bit, need to nip that in the bud straight after tonight's chinese

[Muenchener]

STG: be able to walk normally
     (1-3-5 medium rungs)
MTG (2015): 7b redpoint
            Beastmaker 5A routine: 93.0%
            Muscle Up
            Sautanz
LTG (<= 5 years): Big alpine rock routes: Totenkirchl West Face (Dülfer),  Marmolada south face (Vinatzer Messner)

M: Wall, Freimann. Routes 5b 5c 6b 6a+ 6b 6b 7b+ 7b+ (attempts) 6b+ (pumped dnf) 5c. Managed the first ten metres bolt to bolt in two goes on the 7b+, but the finish looked desperate. And one of the 6b's was big roof onsight: successfully working my mental weaknesses. All in all a rather good session.
T: Bike to work 30km
W: rest
T: Sport climbing, Zellerwand. I have a 7a/+ project here that felt ok last time I tried it, and I thought it should go today.  No. Not on south east facing limestone with the temperature around 30. Had a couple of "burns" on it - literally - and gave up. Tried a nearby 6c "friction" slab with similar results  Then abandoned the comedy tactics and did a few easier routes.
F: Left calf spontaneously self-destructed in the night.  Barely able to walk.
S: Spent most of the day sleeping, having spent most of the night awake at A&E undergoing tests for Deep Vein Thrombosis (negative yyfy). Leg significantly less painful, possibly because I'm stuffed full of high dose ibuprofen.
S: Wall, Thalkirchen. Half an hour one-footed bouldering to warm up, then campusing

[nik at work]

STG - Gotham Extension (if it's dry now...) watch loonies on motorbikes
MTG - Trad projects, 8A, Mini Sukarra and get a motorbike
LTG - 9a
BHAG - Bruderliebe

M - nothing
T - nothing
W - Kilnsey, bit of climbing but highlight was meeting up with Rob for good day of talking shite and eating cake.
T - Stoney Bank, the place above Goredale, did Jocasta which was excellent, had a nice day in the sun and ate ice cream.
F - The Tor, Make It Funky is hard and wet. Then went to Stoney West which I enjoyed as a bit of mid/low grade sporting. Again the highlight was not the climbing but meeting up with Andy and having a day of talking shite and eating cake.
S - Birchens, a few solos and a bit of belaying kids. A great day spent with friends in the sun (and wind).
S - travelling home.

So my week in the UK actually didn't end up being a very hardcore event. Firstly the downpour early in the week meant Kilnsey was actually largely wet on Weds, Thurs was just a steady day, Friday MIF was wet (and very hard) and Saturday was family time. The overarching feel of the week was social, meeting up with some good friends and having a laugh, and it was brilliant. Also I was (and still am) in the grips of some prolonged IBS flare up that is deeply unmotivating (oh woe is me, etc etc...). I had a great week aside from that, so no complaints.

The wife has a lot of DIY lined up this week but hopefully a few evenings out will materialise, and some BM sessions. But not tonight, tonight I rest.

[webbo]

Mon. Bike 62.33 miles 3hrs 34 mins. Managed to cut a chunk out of my thumb preparing dinner.
Tue. Board bit of a shit session partly as a result the hole in my thumb. Got a workout though.
Wed. Bike 61.79 miles 3 hrs 52 mins.
Thu. Bike 1 hour intervals.
Fri. Board managed one of projects and repeated an old problem, then did some laps on things.
Sat. Board worked a project, still can't do one of the moves. Repeated a couple of old problems.
Sun. Bike 80.45 miles 5 hrs 4 mins. A mega battle in the wind.
2 weeks holiday has got my cycling fitness to roughly where I wanted, but eating and drinking shed loads has sort of created another issue.
I'm now a fatter man on a bike.

[tomtom]

a really interesting (well to me anyway) bit of micro beta. When I was was crossed through, if I jumped my feet up and back down again on the footholds (almost re-setting my body position) I was able to power through the second half.

That sort of thing is cool. I was working a 7b+ at the wall the other day that involved a big sideways reach off a gaston to a pocket. I found if I crimped the gaston instead of pinching it, I could get my hips in a bit closer, which meant I was more in control when I hit the pocket at full stretch ... etc.

I suppose the big question for improving at climbing generally is whether one can generalise from a little move-specific trick like that to recognising and being more efficient in similar situations when they come up in other places.

I think so - it's experience - so you may try something similar on a different problem in the future etc.. I love stuff like this - a tiny change can make something work when before it was desperate..

[andy popp]

surprised myself by pulling it off... snatched the edge post cross through and just held it - then romped on to the end and top out. Superb. Not sure if I can remember what Andy P graded it as - but it felt a solid 7B to me...

Feel like I'm climbing the best I ever have at the moment. Good feeling

A great feeling!

If I graded it at all I think I gave it 7A+, but that would have been guess work mostly. It's called Bodger's Delight.

[JackAus]

STG: More V7s. Sub 75kg.
MTG: V8. Fear Factory List. 6!/10 done.
LTG: V11.

M: Rest.
T: St Leonards. New stuff. Flashed nearly everything besides the 3 hardest probs (and one easier prob that I intentionally tried to do with the stupid convoluted sequence that the setter intended... Did it 2nd go.). Got bored and had a good solid fingerboard session
W: Sissy. Usual session. Warm ups up to V4, fell off the last move of a V6 (happens every time. Cruise up to it then very low percentage dyno.) Started working Travis V7. Gonna be a long process I think.
T: Rest. Donated blood.
F: Rest.
S: Wing Cave. Only been here once before and I kinda got spanked (middle of summer). Warmed up campussing a V3, ticking a V2 and a great V5. Then got onto Weak Ape Test Zone V7. I'd done nearly all the moves last time (like 2 years ago) but was there by myself then and with only one pad. Not ideal. Got on it and pretty quickly realised it all came down to the one rh bump from a big pinch to a jug. Came off this move so many times. Got dark and I managed to stick the move by head torch. Ended up doing the prob next go. Felt cruisy too dammit.
S: Fear Factory. Solo mission with rope and no pad. Cleaned up 2 more lines on the List. Back To Funk V3 and 2000 Light Years From Home V5. Did a couple moves on both then got rid of the rope and did Back To Funk first go. Great problem with a broken legs landing. 2000 Light Years scares me though. It's only had 2 ascents in the 15 years its been established. Tiny landing with a death roll down the hill if you come off and its 8m high, insecure arete climbing. Reckon I could do it pretty quick if I kept my head together. Think I have a sequence. Pads and decent spotter would do it.

That makes it 6 down, 4 to go. Getting into the serious territory now... Harder lines and the sketchier landings...
Doing good though. Feeling better on rock. Could still do with more weight loss but I'm not going to the gym atm (not really rest day activity....) and weight is still coming off.

[T_B]

87Kg

M - Back still bad, but did 4 x 10 mins on, 2 mins off at lunch time.
T - Back felt better. Went to the Tor with Cavey. Never seen it so busy, literally queues to get on Mecca. Didn't warm up properly then bouldered up the start of Rattle and Hump, then reminded myself why I haven't done this - I just can't do the moves from the jug. I think it's a body size thing. Then faffed a bit not being able to do the starting move of Out of my tree (always found this desperate), nor get the split crimp on PUTP. Then we got on Ring of Fire. Worked everything apart from the final couple of moves on the top slab. Thoroughly enjoyed it, but felt the crappest I've been on rock for a very long time.
W - Pulled lower back again getting out of bed, but luckily it sorted itself quickly enough to be able to cycle into work.
T - More rest.. still tired
F - Light Schoolroom session at lunch time, just warmed up really.
S - cragx. Felt decent warming up on the F/board. Got stuck into The Pinch and quickly did the first move, which I've never been able to do. Then did it about 30 times, but failed to get feet in the right place to be able to hold the next move. Felt like it would go next time. Then slapped the sloper a few times on The Thing (albeit not slowly enough to have a chance of holding it). Amazing breezy conditions on cool, dry rock - psyched.
S -

Been really tired all week and feeling like a creaky old man, so rested accordingly. Partly lower back, partly just knackered from last week's Cave action I think. Tuesday was my first really sh*t climbing session in absolutely ages, but strangely still enjoyable (just being on a rope was fun, but standing on your feet pulling on small holds felt desperate). I'm ridiculously heavy and not sure why, perhaps 7 months of bouldering? Never bouldered for so long and not done routes.

[iain]

STG: Dominatrix, Body Machine from break
S/MTG: Secret Gudgeon Society when shoulder's up to it, The Prow (maybe full), Stone the Loach and E4/5 lime trad.
MTG: Dolomites in September

M: Works with Ms, felt tired after previous day's session but did a few 4x4 in amongst a shortish circuit.
T: Doorframe aerocap.
W: Supposed to climb at Cheedale but roadsworks and laziness saw us at the Tor. Got back on Body Machine after thread on here and pleased with sequence and how things feel on the route. Next time I get on I'll try a redpoint from the break.
T: Cheedale two tier. Very still, humid and midgy. With friends alternating on Celebration and the start of Minos there was a chance to play on Aberration. Did all the moves despite the conditions and whilst the moves were fun I'm not sure I'm that psyched for the line.
F: Had mean to do a circuit and aerocap but cold sets in, 5th of the year I think!
S: Ill
S: Ill but better.

Frustrating week with yet another cold interrupting things but the 2 days out on rock were good. Aim for more of that this week and fit in 2 aerocap and 1 ancap when I can.

[jwi]

STG:
Redpoint Sueños de piedra in Sant Llorenç del Munt. I tried this briefly last summer and got to the big rest above the main difficulties when the infamous evening fog came in, rendering climbing all but impossible. Going to a friends 40th birthday party in Barcelona this weekend, so that'll give me a chance to have a rematch.

MTG:
Flashing a few non-vertical white boulderprobs in the gym.
Onsight one 8a or five 7c+'s this year. Preferably both.
Do something fairly challenging in Taghia in September.
LTG: TBD

Mon: rest. Heat wave hits southern France
Tue :  Tried an 8b I'd one hang before. Couldn't put in the clips.
Wed: Rest
Thu: Climbing in 30°C no wind. Hard.
Frid: As above. Soul-crushingly hard to climb.
Sat: First day of a strength training/maintenance program that I designed for me and Mrs Jwi

2-4 sets of 8-12 reps
1. Pullups w/ added weight
2. Pushups w/ weight and feet on chair
3. Swiss ball one leg curl with plate strapped to waist
4. Supermans with plate in hands
5. Hanging rows w/ weight
6. Situps, swiss ball between feet, plate behind head
7. Oblique crunch on swiss ball for me, and side bridge on swiss ball for Mrs

That's all. Can be done fairly quickly, and will not make climbing the day after too hard.

Sun: 35°C in the shade. Went to the gym for bouldering (no air conditioning, no fans). Expected to do very bad. Did very well. Did a steep boulder on the white circuit in a handful of tries after having flashed it from halfway in. Almost did another white that I had previously tried, but never did all the moves on when it was 18°C. Flashed a couple of problems from the second to hardest circuit.





Progression:
Weight: 70-71 kg
8a's onsighted this year: 0/1
7c+'s onsighted this year: 2/5

[andy popp]

Goals: Harmers project, whatever else I can get on.

M - Have to drive to Aberystwyth. Had hoped to get away early and stop somewhere nice but a sick child means I don't get away till nearly two, by which time the weather has turned. Stop at Pantymwyn for a look as I've never been. Don't take anything down with me as its raining properly but get psyched when I get there. Run back to fetch pad etc.. It's bitterly cold - I get proper hot aches - and most of my pad is getting soaked but manage to scratch my way up Robert Duvall, 7A, in about half an hour. Drive through unbelievably bad weather to Aber, takes forever.
T - examine PhD, drive home - knackered
W - board, warm up and then 3x3 on easy problems. A very light session but it actually feels like a light session this time, which I take as a good sign.
T - back to Pantymwyn to try Firestarter. Is this really only 7A? I get the moves worked pretty quickly but get pretty spanked trying to put it together. Maybe still a bit tired, and its my anti-style, but ... excuses, excuses. Good problem. It is however, a really shit problem to try with only one pad, as two bone crunching falls on to my back from near the start prove.
F - Nothing
S - Nothing
S - am at Harmers by 7.30am to try the project for the first time in a two or three weeks. Make a nice refinement on a move on the top half, taking the move from doable but touch and go to much more reliable. Make a good link. Then I eventually manage the second of two undone moves on the lower half, which feels like a break through. Even better I then I find a way to do the move before that as well. So that's all the moves (except one foot move, which is obvious, I was just tired by then) - it's a goer!! Psyched - but I feel a link is someway off.

A good week with lots of climbing that also felt like it's had a good training effect. Obviously its great to realise the project is possible, but I'm also enjoying getting to some new places now and again.

[gme]

Mon- yoga
Tues- school. Warm up, boulder 30 mins. 6 x 15 move ancap. rings 45 mins.
Wed- aerocap 45 problems up and down in works no rest.
Thurs- ancap circuits in works. 6 x 15 moves before pain in hands is too much to bare.
Fri- rest
Sat- yoga 45 mins
Sun Steady day bouldering at the Stell. New crag to me 20+ problems 6B-6C.

A better week this week but climbing constantly stopped with skin issues. Doing circuits is just misery. Nice to go climbing somewhere new on sunday and just climb. Not the best crag but fun.
Still eating and drinking too much but not to fussed at the minute. My finger is also still fucked but i seem to be finding stuff i can do to get round it.

[petejh]

STG: The Oak (by June 13th) or The Brute (in August)
MTG: Onsight attempts on The Hurting, Cathedral, Banana Wall, Anubis (next winter)
LTG: 8c (within three years)
Ultimate goal: undecided

M. Mill. Power Endurance top-up sesh. 4 sets of 2min15secs on / 3 mins off, on a hastily constructed replica of The Oak using the 4 different campus rung sizes with feet on a workbench, barrel and upturned swivel chair. Worked surprisingly well and it felt like I was on the route if I closed my eyes. Finished with 1 set of continuous foot-on laddering on small rungs until forearm failure - 5mins 30 secs.
T.
W. Massage. Well-good.
T. Malham. Oak sesh 8. Two burns - undercut damp so stuffed tissue into back and it worked well enough to get through move. New high point, going for but not holding the 3rd gaston on traverse.
F. Lovely sunny morning on the tops after sleeping in van. Lazing around drinking coffee, reading and listening to music - van life at it's finest. Malham. Oak sesh 9. Two burns - new high point on first burn: held 3rd gaston then in the heat of the moment forgot foot sequence and tried to freestyle through, almost did. Second burn - sent. Totally inspired by the legend next to me beasting Rainshadow.
S.
S. Back up to Malham as I'd pre-arranged with partner before sending. Nice lazy day feeling content. Did some shuffling around, Appetite's good.


A deeply satisfying experience. I attached a lot of meaning to getting back into the game following back surgery 18 months ago. Feels good to go from despair at physical conditon to first 8b. Keenly aware how it could all fall apart tomorrow. Also realised that I'm only 3 weeks into a 6 week period of good form so I'm going to use it for some hardish trad projs on home turf and try to consolodate with some low 8s.

[nai]

Awesome effort, Pete. Really pleased for you.

[kelvin]

Nice one Pete!

[T_B]

Good effort Pete!

[jwi]

 

[SA Chris]

STG - lose weight get strong
LTG - do some cool stuff.

M - Some antagonistics and strengthening using weights and theraband. Could have climbed, but took sensible option after fairly hard climbing session day before so being sensible.
T - Surf. Surprisingly clean waves for windswell, shifty peaks meant a lot of paddling, but got half a dozen or so great rides in about an hour, and one two punishers for taking chances. First time in water since March.
W - ended up working too late, so only got down wall by just after 8 and had a farily hard session until it closed at 10.
T - rested.
F - some theraband and a light fingerboard session to see how elbow reacted. Feels fine! Mowed half the lawn.
S - Swim with kids, mowed other half of lawn.
S - up fairly early to make most of best of the weather and tides, had pretty good session down on coast. Did 7 new problems (well 6 as one was a SS to the Stand?) 3 of which are very good, and one I've been wanting a rematch with for a while. Also earmarked 6 more to do with a bit of platforming  / more pads and spotters.
Great session. Spent afternoon running around after kids in the rain and eating burnt meat. AKA a summer barbeque.

Elbow state 7/10.

[cjsheps]

Great work Pete!

[cheque]

Good effort Pete.

STG- Finish film without becoming irretrievably crap at climbing.

MTG- 100 routes at 24HHH and The Show Me State in September, Wall of Horrors in October.

LTG- Flash Jade.

M- Rest.

Tu- Pullups and chinups. These are hard now. I can do max 8 of each in a set. God knows what Tom Randall's assessment would make of me.

W- Really sore.

Th- Pleasley Vale. Usual 4-attempt "Power Hour" (it actually takes 80 minutes with about a 50/50 split of climbing and resting) on the long traverse. Did it first and third goes, dabbed once due to sequence mistake (I'm really poor at remembering sequences- it really shows on limestone) on the second go. No chance on the fourth. Getting much better on this- hopefully do 3 or possibly 4 successful laps this Thursday.

F- Rest.

Sa- Black Rocks, getting the very last bits of footage I need. First time in a month! Started the day with half an hour of scrubbing scratched/ charcoal graffiti off the Angels' Share block only to find that there's now huge black spraypaint graffiti on prominent bits of the crag top. Felt like crying  . A fair bit of easy soloing.

Su- Editfest.

Making progress in the little training I'm finding time for. Less than two weeks to go on the film now and while I reached the milestone of "picture lock" in the early hours of this morning  I still have lots to do and the added pressure of promoting the premiere. Hopefully still be able to get my Plez on this Thursday.

[iain]

Good work Pete !

[Nibile]

STG: The Oak (by June 13th)  Second burn - sent.