[lagerstarfish]

joints hurting and R elbow a bit Fonty from doing too much last week

M - R elbow pain meant no lifting, but pushing felt not too bad - 6 and 8kg dumbell complex to warm up carefully - careful dips, starting at one rep and incresing by one per rep until I did a good style 10 reps three times - gentle overhead press - cardio
Tu - 2 hrs indoor snowboarding at Castleford - just what I needed - plenty of tight radius, high frequency turns with no lift queues
W - balloon rockets at Beavers - woosh
Th - more dips and managed to do pullups - again, built one rep at a time - didn't do more than 8 pullups at a time due to elbow - kettlebell lunges in a walking style: oooh these are fun and the second set was a bit of a shock; only had 12kg in each hand, but my little legs and buttocks took some hammering
F - my legs hurt
Sa - lost skin doing guitar riffs with the lad - van camping with the 2 youngest kids - bit of a walk
Su - couple of hours at the works taking it easy - for once managed to stop myself doing anything harder than 5 - saw a few folks from back in the day

edit -  forgot my stats

not been under 15st for a few months - low fat % for me - I'm pretty chuffed with these numbers (obviously, I'd "like" to be 3 st lighter, but am a greedy cunt)

[shark]

11.2-5 average 158.0lbs no change on last week

M. Experimenting with new grip to train -  I'm calling it the Masonic handgrip (straight hands with front3 at 90 degrees and little finger dragging). Really struggled to keep the forefinger at 90degrees and it kept going into a drag and turning into a chisel as well as not finding it hard to keep my hand from bending as if dragging. Aim was to get a feel of max at 12secs on 20mm edge. Managed +7kg but not in good form. Convinced myself I couldn’t do it due to differential finger length but will re-test

T. Intended to go on grit but forecast took a turn for the worse. Met Nick at Tor. Continuous rain, cold (3 degrees) but fortunately no on-crag wind. Rock was dry and on mint condition. Intended to get stuck into Rattle and Hump start but got sucked into trying Bens Roof with a pair from Loughborough. Glad I did as a key piece of micro beta emerged (moving knee rightwards when coming out of kneebar). Managed to do move this way from kneebar and nearly got to finish. At end after one abortive pull on did start into kneebar. Felt sorry for a German pair there who were from the Frankenjura who'd come over for a week to climb on the grit.

W.

T Morning. Tor with Nick. All day fog. 3 degrees but felt much colder. Played around with variations on new micro beta. Definitely the way to release the kneebar but have to still remember to pull hard on both arms and toe hard with right foot as well. Tried from start and got thru to kneebar virtually straight away but kneebar was set wrong coming out of it. Tried a couple more times from the start but failed on the swivel thru to the kneebar.

F. Morning. Foundry. Campus session followed by an hour on Wave working both the green and black spots on steep bit. Intended to do more when got home but felt tired so had a nap instead
Eve Meal and much wine with Seb, JoeP and GraemeA.

S. Morning. Fingerboard. Had messaged Dave for advice on the grip and he was very helpful so  experimented again mainly feet on. Grip feels unnatural for me so takes quite a mental effort not to cheat. Not a full session. Managed to do a 12sec bodyweight hang on a 22mm edge with reasonable form

S. Was keen to see if Hot Toddy was climbable but the clag didn't lift in Sheffield so spent the day at home instead strength training. Tried and tweaked new burly Oak moves on board then completed a Masonic fingerboard session (bodyweight only, 22mm edge). Then a smorgasbord of offset pullups and weighted pull ups, weighted undercutting, preacher curls, flys and a deadlift

Dave Mason fingerboard vid for ref

[nai]

M. Experimenting with new grip to train -  I'm calling it the Masonic handgrip (straight hands with front3 at 90 degrees and little finger dragging).

That's my default half-crimp grip, sure it is lots of folk with a short little finger.

[tomtom]

Thanks Lagers.

Weather frustrating efforts to get out this week.. as for many people I suspect...

Mon: Depot (first go on new purple set - some great problems there)

Weds: Depot (chalked off a couple more purples)

Friday: Risked the lancs quarries and ended up very unmotivated at Wilton 2 (projects are in 3 but people were shooting there). All that was dry - pleasant and workable was the 7B sit to the arete Purple Feel. I've been no-where on this before - not even pulling off the deck (robin can atest to this) but managed to do the first couple of moves to the sitter and pretty much figured out what I needed to do - then the starting smear started not to work for me, meaning conditions got worse or (mor likely) I was tired and not pulling properly (core etc..). Did the stand a couple of times for good measure



Sa: Took the toddler and his cousin to Rock Tots at the Depot. Then managed to get an hour/90 min afterwards. Did another one or two of the purples. Only impossible feeling ones left..

Su: Rest.

So, I've had lots of twinges on my L elbow over the last 4-5 years - thought it was golfers/tennis (Forget which) but saw a clip about antagonistics..



And it seems this is exactly what/where was hurting. So started doing near daily wrist curls (wrist bent back) and after session at the depot holding ball ends of kettle bends open handed (as suggested in the vid above) and it (a) certainly pushes the button when I try it and (b) feels miles better the next day!

I've also been working most days on stretching my hamstrings - they are crazy tight from years of cycling as a yoof - and I think is key to me not being able to use my legs well in many situations.. doing some active stretches, its weird, my right leg can swing a good 15-20 cm higher than my left... and now I have an aching glute/hamstring bit :D ANyway, project 'touch my toes' is a bit of a game to see if I can actually gain some flexibility in my latter middle age

[lagerstarfish]

I've also been working most days on stretching my hamstrings - they are crazy tight from years of cycling as a yoof - and I think is key to me not being able to use my legs well in many situations.. doing some active stretches, its weird, my right leg can swing a good 15-20 cm higher than my left... and now I have an aching glute/hamstring bit :D ANyway, project 'touch my toes' is a bit of a game to see if I can actually gain some flexibility in my latter middle age

might I suggest kettlebell lunges and light deadlifts with plenty of crouch? I've had some right problems over the years with stiff hamstrings and associated lower back problems and moving weight through a good range has always helped

[moose]

Friday: Risked the lancs quarries and ended up very unmotivated at Wilton 2 (projects are in 3 but people were shooting there). All that was dry - pleasant and workable was the 7B sit to the arete Purple Feel.

Perhaps no help to you now, but if you are free early this week, CyL is almost entirely dry; I was there both Sat and Sun.  The top of Big Marine and the start and pocket of Fertile Delta SDS were entirely dry.  Unfortunately, this morning I found probably the only wet hold at the crag when I greased off a warm-up traverse and landed on my cocyx.  For the rest of the day, the residents of the holiday homes were treated to a strangled scream everytime I had to bend-over or engage my core!

[teestub]

M. Experimenting with new grip to train -  I'm calling it the Masonic handgrip (straight hands with front3 at 90 degrees and little finger dragging).

That's my default half-crimp grip, sure it is lots of folk with a short little finger.

 

[moose]

M. Experimenting with new grip to train -  I'm calling it the Masonic handgrip (straight hands with front3 at 90 degrees and little finger dragging).

That's my default half-crimp grip, sure it is lots of folk with a short little finger.

 

It resembles my "natural" open grip on largish holds, say, when I am dead-hanging an 18mm edge.  To me, a half-crimp is what I use on smaller holds, say, 10mm edges - fingers more flexed (but not engaging the thumb).

[user deactivated]

(obviously, I'd "like" to be 3 st lighter, but am a greedy cunt)

Haha, quote of the week. Solid use of the c word. Shark will be proud

[tomtom]

Friday: Risked the lancs quarries and ended up very unmotivated at Wilton 2 (projects are in 3 but people were shooting there). All that was dry - pleasant and workable was the 7B sit to the arete Purple Feel.

Perhaps no help to you now, but if you are free early this week, CyL is almost entirely dry; I was there both Sat and Sun.  The top of Big Marine and the start and pocket of Fertile Delta SDS were entirely dry.  Unfortunately, this morning I found probably the only wet hold at the crag when I greased off a warm-up traverse and landed on my cocyx.  For the rest of the day, the residents of the holiday homes were treated to a strangled scream everytime I had to bend-over or engage my core!

Cheers Luke. I posted up on the CYL Facebook page before heading out on Friday but no takers - would have been a good option then I guess...

[moose]

Aye, it was cool, sunny, and breezy - the air was perhaps a little too damp for the "Bon-Con 1" siren to sound, but far better than I expected.  I was surprised to have the crag to myself both days.

[teestub]

It resembles my "natural" open grip on largish holds, say, when I am dead-hanging an 18mm edge.  To me, a half-crimp is what I use on smaller holds, say, 10mm edges - fingers more flexed (but not engaging the thumb).

It’s interesting how much variation there is in fingerboarding, there’s very little change in my grip from small campus rung to 6mm micro.

[measles23]

Cheers Lagers

66.2kg

M- nul
T- nul
W- nul
T- Bailed on going out, just couldn’t face dark cold drizzle..
Strength Asylum: DL 7 sets up to a slow but solid 210; changed foot rotation microbeta that may just have solved the overbalancing that’s plagued me for a year or so..
Stoke AW 3 hrs including 3 sets per side 4 to 1 campus dropdowns and some muscle-ups (secretly quite chuffed to have discovered how to do these as have pathetically failed to figure them out before but they’re fine with correct handgrip..)
F-nul
S-nul
S- Stoke AW: 1hr probs, 1hr moonboard, more muscle-ups, did some 1 arm shrugs not sure they do much?

Thassit

[shark]

Good spot but it’s not what I’d call a half crimp.

The word crimp means folding/compressing ie bearing down on the fingers and at 90degrees you are not flexed/bearing down.

Her ‘open crimp’ I’d call a ‘chisel’ and her ‘extension’ a ‘drag’.

My half crimp would be bearing down slightly and also with a bend at the large knuckle (MCP joint) allowing my thumb to press against the side of my forefinger.

I don’t recall ever having read anything by Eva saying that the MCP joint needed to be straight but Dave is strict about that.

Anyway it is different to what I have previously been doing which can only be good re variety and the fact I find it so difficult. Also if done strictly it eliminates friction and mechanical cheats from training the fingers so is much harder (for me) and I can stress the flexors at lower weights. Possibly it stresses the flexors more because it is the most directly strength related grip position - pinky excepted.

Given my preferred grips for training and climbing I wouldn’t be surprised if I have a disproportionately weak forefinger. I’ll measure them separately to check then review the relative gains next year

[Coops_13]

M:

T: Arch. Short session as I had lots of work to do after. After the usual warm-up, I tried max hangs (two-handed) for the first time. BM2K low outside edges, half crimp. Didn't know how much weight to add so did 4kg to start then went up to +16kg in 4kg increments, did two sets at 16, another at 12 then moved on - didn't want to overdo it. Did weighted pull-ups after which was good up to a max of +52kg

W: Arch. Another short session as had to get back to work. Moonboard after warm-up. Worked on new BMs, 1 6A+, 4 6B, 1 6C, 3 6C+

T:
F-S: In Manchester for the weekend with the gf

A couple of months of drinking and eating lots have meant I've gained a bit of weight, intending to lean up a bit over the next month, by eating better and drinking less rather than tracking and restricting. Hopefully that combined with a phase of max-hangs will see some pre-Christmas gains!

[nai]

It resembles my "natural" open grip on largish holds, say, when I am dead-hanging an 18mm edge.  To me, a half-crimp is what I use on smaller holds, say, 10mm edges - fingers more flexed (but not engaging the thumb).

It’s interesting how much variation there is in fingerboarding, there’s very little change in my grip from small campus rung to 6mm micro.

Depends on the hold profile for me, on anything with a well rounded front there's no difference, I make the same shape as Dave's video. But I have an upside down campus rung which has more of an edge and if I try to be greedy with the little finger it twists my wrist and MCP into something like the shape that Simon is thinking of as a half crimp.

Good spot but it’s not what I’d call a half crimp.

Some of Eva's terms might be losing something in translation buit surely that first one is what a majority of folk call a half crimp?

[cheque]

Jesus, not even 10:30AM on Monday and Power Club has already reached the “debating fingerboard grip protocols” stage. 

Rehab Diaries Week Fourteen

STG- Leading HVS/ low 6s and carrying normal loads t’t crag by end Sept 2019.

M- Rest.

T- Gym. Made the bold move of using the stair-treadmill instead of the exercise bike after a little try of it last Sunday. Plan was to do 30 minutes of level 12 (90 stairs per minute) but ended up doing it in 10 minute sets due to it being hard- not so much on my leg, but in terms of cardio fitness . This is good as I want to get this back as well (I want everything back!) but I realised that as the levels on the stair-treadmill affect the speed rather than the resistance, it’s more of a combination of body weight excercise and cardio fitness builder than the bike and it’s also harder to translate the intervals that my physio prescribed to it. I think I’ll start alternating bike and stairs by week rather than swapping over.

W- Rest. Feeling it from the day before, particularly in my robot hip.

T- Rest. Mentally and physically exhausted after a demanding period at work. Luckily this is the start of 12 days off. 

F- Foundry autobelays. Went in the day- I expected this to be quiet, but while Shark appeared to have The Wave to himself, there were lots of people climbing routes and a huge group which 1/3rd of the Furnace was cordoned off for. I need to start being more organised and sociable and climbing indoor routes with a partner.

Did most of a 6b+ first go, then got slightly higher on two subsequent attempts. Thought I might do it in a session but that section of wall then became unavailable for the rest of the session (probably just as well as I‘d tweaked my finger a little on it) so I got on the green 7a in the middle of the wall. Made progress on this in about 5 goes but was only getting 50% of the way.

S- Gym. Leg machines. Progress on leg press and hip abduction/ adduction machines. After that I messed about using a pull-down machine one-armed. Turns out my left arm is a lot weaker than my right, which I guess must have been the case before my accident too? I could start using this machine to level it up to the strength on my other side in the way I’m doing with my leg on the leg press machine but it appears to be a perfect recipe for golfer’s elbow. 

S- Travelling to Berlin. This involved carrying more than I’ve done since the accident and it felt fine! If loads are balanced evenly (I had one rucksack on my back and one on my front) and the ground isn’t too steep or uneven it seems like I can carry quite a bit now, which is great progress.

In Berlin ‘til Friday now. No plans for anything but walking about, which is good as I’ve felt pretty burnt-out this week.

[nai]

Jesus, not even 10:30AM on Monday and Power Club has already reached the “debating fingerboard grip protocols” stage. 

9:30 GMT It's good to talk

[tommytwotone]

STG: no midweek boozing / train power or fingers once a week
MTG: 2 new Font 7a problems by my birthday (July 2019)
LTG: Font 7b (not that I'm myopically focusing on grades  )


M: Nowt, WFH day so no gym, entertained my 4 year old daughter and 2 of her mates for a couple of hours after school pickup till tea time. About Font 7c.
T: Nowt, in office but running all day workshop so no gym on lunch. Out for beers in evening. Post midnight Uber home.
W: Nowt due to dying of hangover.
T: Nowt, hectic day juggling work and child admin.
F: Nowt. No beers in evening, and an early night!
S: Managed an afternoon session at Big Depot while running errands. Short window so auto belays to warm up, then punter campus routine.
S: Nowt, though I did put my fingerboard up finally.

[Will Hunt]

M -

T - Went to Depot. Felt very clunky and elbows felt sore. Probably from having three sessions last week. Decided to leave the board alone and started on the new purples. Did about a third of them and then stopped when things were starting to get too hurty. Did some push ups. Index finger bleeding slightly at end so much moisturisation was done this week in preparation for the weekend.

W - Some massage of my trapzius with a tennis ball and some golfer's elbow dumbell exercises

T -

F - Drove from work to dunnyg's. Expressed a desire to eat nothing but the filthiest of foods. Went to a takeaway that was clearly a front for a money laundering operation. Surprisingly good burger and chips. Picked up Footwork and drove to Northumberland for a 30th birthday celebration.

S - Kyloe-In. Warmed up and then did Monty Python's Sit. Then Hitchhiker's on the 2nd go (feels like a 6C or a 6C+ when you can reach into the first flake hold with your foot still on the block). Didn't want to join the others on the Yorkshireman so looked at Crounching Tiger. Index finger skin gave out and started to bleed which was very frustrating as it felt like it would go but I'm terrible at climbing taped up. Taped up and carried on with it anyway and surprised myself by doing it which was fab. The end moves on the little crimps and little footholds are easy because of the positivity of the crimps, but as Ben said, you feel like a hero doing it. Felt about 7A+ for a non-midget. Then Jocks and Geordies from a sit. Tried a 7A eliminate but felt totally powered out on it and called it a day.
Felt like a good day performance-wise and an absolute triumph for craic, slagging, and piss-taking - and isn't that what it's all about?

S - More sheltering from the rain under the roofs at Back Bowden. Felt a bit beaten up from the day before. Did a 6C (The Vole LH) and flashed a reachy 7A (Under The Spell). Then tried Low and Hard which felt minging and was sacked off after expending too much energy on it. Got stuck into Hard Reign which is what I really wanted to do. Seemed impossible at first but we figured out all the moves and the climbing felt largely quite steady. Alas, didn't have the beans to put it all together and had a couple of goes falling from the final move into the good pocket at the top - just didn't have the static strength left to hold the final divot while moving the left hand. Normally I'd feel quite cross about this but it was a fair cop and down to a good day's climbing the day before as opposed to a stupid skin/conditions thing. The climbing itself and the enjoyable process of figuring out the sequence felt satisfying in its own right.

[teestub]

Will, I love how when you do problems they're easy and probably soft, and when you don't do problems they are also easy! Have you ever climbed anything and thought it was really hard?

[AMorris]

...
Friday: Risked the lancs quarries and ended up very unmotivated at Wilton 2 (projects are in 3 but people were shooting there). All that was dry - pleasant and workable was the 7B sit to the arete Purple Feel. I've been no-where on this before - not even pulling off the deck (robin can atest to this) but managed to do the first couple of moves to the sitter and pretty much figured out what I needed to do - then the starting smear started not to work for me, meaning conditions got worse or (mor likely) I was tired and not pulling properly (core etc..). Did the stand a couple of times for good measure


...

I don't think I have ever seen someone place and readjust their foot 10 times in 1 second 

[andy_e]

...
Friday: Risked the lancs quarries and ended up very unmotivated at Wilton 2 (projects are in 3 but people were shooting there). All that was dry - pleasant and workable was the 7B sit to the arete Purple Feel. I've been no-where on this before - not even pulling off the deck (robin can atest to this) but managed to do the first couple of moves to the sitter and pretty much figured out what I needed to do - then the starting smear started not to work for me, meaning conditions got worse or (mor likely) I was tired and not pulling properly (core etc..). Did the stand a couple of times for good measure


...

I don't think I have ever seen someone place and readjust their foot 10 times in 1 second 

[Ballsofcottonwool]

M: nothing, parenting duties all evening while my better half was at work.
T: flu jab in the morning so no training
W: Avertical World. Warm up on the autobelays up and down white 4+ twice, up and turquoise 5+ ,up and down black 5+ up and down yellow 6a, up pink 6b down 5+.  Followed by bouldering focusing on working problems at my limit on the orange, pink and white circuits (V5-V7), stuck the last move on my Orange (v4-v5) project on the stepped overhang from last week.
T: nothing
F: Transition Extreme, warmed up by climbing 18 minutes continuously up and down the green 5+ on Autobelay, wall was heaving and the bouldering is rubbish anyway so I did 4x4 foot on campus boarding 1-5-1 40sec on 80sec off, 4 minutes between sets. Then dips and press-ups on the rings to work antagonists some floor based core work and finally lower body stretches to cool down. Weighed myself when I got home 12st 9.5lbs, 7lbs heavier than my summer time low, I’m really missing the light summer evenings spent on the mountain bike.
S: nothing, DOMS.
S:  1 hour mucking about in a swimming pool with my youngest, was dreading this due to upperbody DOMS but the splashing about seemed to loosen everything out nicely.

Goal for this  week, find enough weights to do a 2 arm max hang test on the edge I finally put up in my garage

STG (December) do more than one of the pink or white circuit problem (v6-V7) at Avertical world
MTG (January) do one of the purple circuit problems (v8+)
LTG was supposed to be an 8a route before my 40th Birthday (February 2019) not looking likely without a rope! Think I’ll stick to getting strong instead.

[Will Hunt]

Will, I love how when you do problems they're easy and probably soft, and when you don't do problems they are also easy! Have you ever climbed anything and thought it was really hard?

Fake news.

Hard at the grade: Free Range, Pebble Wall, Blockbuster, Handy Andys, Angle Ben's, Colt, Mouse Wall (there are easier 6C+s), Sounds and Silences, The Green Traverse at the Glen, Omo, Gemenid Trail etc etc etc.

It's just your confirmation bias talking. Crouching Tiger felt as hard as English Rose which is very similar in style. The top moves of it are a doddle which effectively makes it a one move problem. One move 7B+s are vastly harder than Crouching Tiger.