Post your training logs!

[timb]

position you're thumb over the a2 area of a finger and press. I have one finger on my right hand which feels tender when i press it. the other fingers are ok but this one is ok to climb on but feels like this when i press it. It's been like this for a few weeks, but no worse. repetative training ache? or sign of a tear. i.e.back off a bit?

Cheers
Tim

 

[Serpico]

Re:Soreness. It depends where the soreness is: Soreness in the fingers (ie: the joints) is a sign that you've probably done too much crimping during the session. Soreness deep in the belly of the forearm muscles (not elbows/tendons) is an indication that you've got your training right.
Tim, have you had that finger looked at? Sounds like you might have torn the pulley.

 

[Bonjoy]

Hi,
well that's my intention this winter anyway to increase the power and strength training. But i have found in the past that the more power based activities you do (rather than endurance) the more likely you are to injure yourself. Certainly appears to be the score in my own experience. Definately gonna keep one session as routes to keep the stamina going (im a sportclimber/boulderer rather than a boulderer/sportclimber so endurance is also important to me )

cheers
Tim

I also sport climb in summer, but don't do any route training whatsoever in winter, nor for that matter any bouldering once the route season starts. I have a yearly cycle that seems to work fine. In winter I boulder (pretty much always twice indoors midweek and twice outdoor at the weekend). Toward the end of the bouldering season I'll work on longer problems to raise endurance a little, then switch to short power routes. Throughout the route season my power will naturally drop off as I do no bouldering, but this coincides with naturally increasing stamina from doing gradually more enduro routes. By the latter half of the season I can usually do stamina stuff at the top end of my grade.
It never seems to take long to regain lost stamina / power levels from previous season so I see no point in doing boring maintenance training of either when my focus has switched over. For me indoor routeing in winter/bouldering in summer would seem like a waste of effort that was slowing my progress. It also means my body gets a rest of sorts from both types of climbing without ever having to take weeks/months off.

 

[(woz)]

position you're thumb over the a2 area of a finger and press. I have one finger on my right hand which feels tender when i press it. the other fingers are ok but this one is ok to climb on but feels like this when i press it. It's been like this for a few weeks, but no worse. repetative training ache? or sign of a tear. i.e.back off a bit?

Cheers
Tim

Tape will help i.e. no pain from pulley whilst crimping- but any doctor/sensible climber would probably tell you to have time off.

 

[timb]

Hi,
no mate i havn't. It's basically in the (A2) fattest belly of the finger i feel it. I routed last night...and if i push with the flat side of my thumb i feel no pain. however if i probe with some pressure and the tip of my thumb it hurts. I normally (not sure if this is correct or not) do this massage on the A2 area of my fingers almost as a second nature thing after an A2 tear i had last year on the opposite hand. I found some scar tissue there and was doing the pressure to try and massage it out.

Not been to see anyone as didn't (still not sure) if it was an actual problem as it hasn't effected climbing at all sofar. I.e. no actual tweaking/pain whilst climbing. I am however acutely aware that it is the main finger taking the load when i undercut the pocket on Raindogs (4th bolt). Especially when my sequence involves baring down with this hand whilst lifting my opposite foot to a higher foot position.

Cheers
Tim
p.s. so what rule of thumb would you use to determine whether or not to see a physio or not, for such (i currently believe) vague areas of injury verses overuse?

 

[Serpico]

I use the shouldavegoneweeksago rule. ie: when it's obvious that it's not going to clear up on it's own, and that it's in fact got worse.
If in doubt, get it checked out.

 

[(woz)]

Would a specialist be able to do anything about it, rather than just reccomend time off?

 

[Serpico]

Would a specialist be able to do anything about it, rather than just reccomend time off?

You'd hopefully get an accurate diagnosis, so you'll at least know what you're dealing with and what the most appropriate treatment is eg; transverse frictions, ibuprofen, stretching, ultra sound, rest. Some of those might make the situation worse depending on what you've actually done.

 

[timb]

Can you recommend any physio's in particular who know about fingers? reckon i could get work's BUPA to cover it? :-\


cheers
Tim

 

[Fiend]

I have a very strict and scientific training schedule:

Climb routes outdoors whenever possible.

Climb routes or bouldering indoors when the weather's crap, depending on what I feel like.

Rest in between.

...it's hardcore...

 

[fatdoc]

i have a 50+ hr job, family and all the trappings of late 30s life - I eat too much, too well, have little self control with alcohol and yet in 12weeks since re-starting climbing i'm back on and making progress on my old bouldering nemesis(s)....

12 weeks from nothing: i wasnt unfit though, my cardio fitness is pretty good at the mo.

Fatdoc's steps to climbing rehabilitation: DONT DIET

- build a very small very easy board, that your 5 year old son can just climb.... travel around the board using strict time intervals.
- every 2 weeks buy some more holds and make the board harder and vaguely interesting.
- extend the board out into the roof of the garage -old school cellar stylee.
- buy a moon fingerboard, despite the fact you cant hang off any of the crimps.

Get a schedule together:
mon: playstation night in
tues: boards session, specific set of pyrimidal problems, repeat set twice. then fingerboard session... whole thing no more than 90 mins... you have to motor! OR get forced to the Edge by mates...
wed: cardio (XC mtb)
thurs: now...... its climbingworks, before it was titing about on the board trying to find some harder moves
fri: get pissed
sat / sun: get pissed or climb on grit (bouldering only) as family and work allow.

the sole intention of the above was to get fit enough to then train properly (fingerboard, locks, campus) and I'm now able to do just that.

So, even after 4 years off you can get back really quite fast... i thought it was gonna take 6 months! and dont get me wrong here, font 7a / + only at the mo..nothing startling. but it does seem to show that if yr cardio fit the relearning / recruitment and finger strength can come back.

 

[saltbeef]

, just a little every day. Long warm ups/downs. Good rest between problems.

so you warm up, and then warm down?

and as for the fingerboard thing, i find i can half crimp the small holds on the moon fingerboard, but can't full crimp them, how does that work?

 

[Adam Lincoln]

Can you recommend any physio's in particular who know about fingers? reckon i could get work's BUPA to cover it? :-\

Have you mentioned it to Steve. He is pretty good at diagnosing that kind of stuff. Once diagnosed, you can then decide on best action to getting it fixed. As serpico said.

 

[fatdoc]

, just a little every day. Long warm ups/downs. Good rest between problems.

so you warm up, and then warm down?

and as for the fingerboard thing, i find i can half crimp the small holds on the moon fingerboard, but can't full crimp them, how does that work?

i'm now half crimping the holds, and i can use all the holds ;D

just!

 

[saltbeef]

are you typing with your toes?

 

[timb]

Can you recommend any physio's in particular who know about fingers? reckon i could get work's BUPA to cover it? :-\

Have you mentioned it to Steve. He is pretty good at diagnosing that kind of stuff. Once diagnosed, you can then decide on best action to getting it fixed. As serpico said.

To be honest mate i was more interested in the hypothetical how do you know when hard training is hurting good 8)rather than hurting bad :thumbsdown:. (With regards to fingers that is).

(Ste was up at the weekend incidentally with a tweaked finger of his own.) I think some intense ibuprofen/ice treatment/message is possibly best and a couple of weeks swapping to indoor routes based training rather than indoor bouldering or power based training.

Cheers
tim

 

[Nibile]

now im having some kind of rest.
tue hard session on plastic, thur real bouldering, trying to stay fit and nurse a finger.
friday big comp, due to shitty weather coming (surfs up).
then its work time again til the end of 2006.
three sessions per week, one fingerboard, one plastic, one campus (yes yeah i know my rungs are short, thats why i stripped them down to half the width)

last session was campusing, just a little power recall:
3-1-7 (start both hands on 3 at 90°, drop one down on 1, and then lunge with same hand as high as you can) 4 sets each arm, 5' rest.
1-4-7 with 4kg on, 4 sets each arm, 5' rest.
ice.

the guru e-mailed next weeks' schedule, and im scared.

 

[Monolith]

Mon-Board
Tues-Bored
Wed-Board
Thur-Board
Fri-Board then Beer
Sat-Dream about climbing outside.
Sun-Board then dreaming up this coming years country to run off to.

 

[Paul B]

i've had my fair share of A2 injuries and niggles and one thing ive learned is rest is best (oooh thats cheesy). You have to be ridiculously disciplined in order to not aggrivate A2 injuries.

The question is how do you know if its hurting good or hurting bad? Why is it hurting at all? Stop strong, it seriously works, maybe you should ache a bit the next day but to be honest I only ever get really intense muscle soreness doing bench press after a while off.

 

[timb]

The question is how do you know if its hurting good or hurting bad? Why is it hurting at all? Stop strong, it seriously works, maybe you should ache a bit the next day but to be honest I only ever get really intense muscle soreness doing bench press after a while off.

Aye but my query was strictly in relation to tendon/connective tissue soreness rather than muscle soreness. Muscle soreness is always good. and I spent enough time weight training before i started climbing to know my bodies response to such stimulus and how much it can handle .

So how much do would you rest after establishing you have a A2 niggle. i.e. not stopping you from climbing and no obvious pain whilst climbing. But sore afterwards when applying pressure to said finger's a2 region.

Cheers
Tim