Power Club 787 6 - 12 Jan 2025

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Duma

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Joined
Mar 7, 2005
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in the moment
Bit sad that the 2024 summary thread sank without a trace, but hey ho, onwards...

M - hooray, actually got a reasonable night's sleep! Aft, TCA, 120 min. Found a section downstairs that I'd not tried the blues and blacks in. 3 blacks (all fairly quick, but all took some effort. One I basically did twice as slipped matching). 1 blue (fairly quick). Also attempts on another blue and black, all the moves on both.
T - think I'm finally better. Hallefuckinglujah. Aft TCA, 120 min. 3 whites (1 flash, 1 quick, 1 quick but had had lots of goes before). 3 blacks (all fairly quick, but all had spent time on before). 1 blue (fairly quick). Also work on 2 whites, 2 blues. Really good session
W - 12 hr shift
T - 12 hr shift
F -
S - aft, TCA, 120 min. 6 whites (2 flash, 3 2nd go, 1 took a lot of effort and I'd tried it on Tues). 3 blacks (1 flash, 1 2nd go, 1 quite a few tries). 1 blue (fairly quick). Also attempts on 2 blues and 2 blacks. Another good session, ruined after though.
S - aft, run, 6k, hilly, trail, muddy, 36 min. Low sun was nice. First run since Oct, away climbing in Nov, bruised heel jumping down at the end of that trip, then ill. Pleased not to feel too bad although took it pretty easy.

69 kg
 
Next week STG: Recondition body with regular indoor climbing and gym - yes.
The usual STG: Stay focused and don't make silly mistakes - n/a. Do something challenging and inspiring on a rope (fuck above a pad) - of course not. Keep in regular contact with suitable friends and partners - put some proper effort into regaining contact and meeting some people....as close as it gets to green (which it never will be until the balance of communication / inclusion reaches the mythical ratio of 1/3rd from others vs 2/3rds from me, or higher). Falling practise if I do routes indoors or out - n/a. Look after injuries - just about, a very difficult balance and a few indoor problems have gone too far, but the benefits of a gardening session on Sat pushed this into teal, gym x 1 - x 3, elbow rehab x 2 - x 3 - light versions, shoulder rehab x 2 - x 3, stretching x 3 - x 2 and should be more.

M - Gym. Misc WeakWeights(tm). Light elbow rehab (new protocol that if I've had a couple of days on and/or it's sore, I do the wrist curls with even lighter weight trying to stay below the discomfort threshhold). Elbow sore on waking but no worse at gym. Shoulder rehab. No stretching.

T - Indoor bouldering @ Awesome Walls. 6 x V1-3, 6 x V2-4, 12 x V3-5 (9 flash, 3 x 3rd go, plus attempted and backed off 4 that were too elbowy). Elbow sore throughout but easing towards the end. Bench and Deadlifts after - felt okay. Had a half of 3.8% beer after (some hipster crap with hints of peach tea - was delicious)

W - Gym. Misc WeakWeights(tm) and some half-arsed cardio. Worked around previous days' gym stuff. Tried a new protocol of going elbow-hostile stuff (lat pulldowns, wide arm flies) but at very light weights so I could only feel a "difference" in my elbows but not discomfort. Stretching session.

T - Rest. 7 mins insertion & ice hacking, 30 seconds full immersion very cold water torture. Very specific time messaging lots of friends and partners because I'm usually the one who has to keep in contact.

F - Indoor bouldering @ RockOver Shartson. 8 x V1-3, 7 x V2-4, 8 x V3-5 (vert or off vert), plus backed off about 5 problems that involved pulling on GE. Elbow sore throughout most of it, eased slightly with ice and vitamin I after. Elbow rehab. Shoulder rehab.

S - Active rest. 3 hours gentle, well-paced sapling clearance at Egerton. Was mindful of elbow and avoided movements that aggravated it. Was mindful of fatigue and mostly only felt it in my legs. Toes got cold in wellies.

S - Gym. Misc WeakWeights(tm). Gentle elbow rehab. Shoulder rehab. Gentle mileage on pulldowns and rows. Shoulders and upper back a little tired from Sat so a bit weak on them. After yesterday's gardening, elbow felt okay on waking and the best it has at the gym all week - hence the extra elbow rehab, going with the level of tolerance. Stretching session.


Pretty much stuck to the plan. Elbow has mostly been shit until Sat. Very slight improvement on Sat/Sun which gives some hope but NO leeway for carelessness. Need to do (a lot) more stretching at home (sometimes cold walls aren't suitable) and I think mixing in some fingerboarding could compensate for the Ban On Trying Hard.


Next week STG: Recondition body with regular indoor climbing and gym. Keep very careful with elbow. Learn to do stretching at home. Mix in a bit of gentle fingerboarding.
The usual STG: Stay focused and don't make silly mistakes. Do something challenging and inspiring on a rope (fuck above a pad). Keep in regular contact with suitable friends and partners. Falling practise if I do routes indoors or out. Look after injuries, gym x 1, elbow rehab x 2, shoulder rehab x 2, stretching x 3.
 
Good week Matt. Only an optics thing (but sometimes optics are important), but I would say that n/a should be black, and 2 out of 3 stretching sessions should be real not purple.
 
Evening chaps, Well done on the run Duma. Matt, you are crushing it from where I'm sitting.

Week 2 of this time I mean it.

M - 3x10 press ups, 3x3 pull ups, 5 minute dish holds (5x30s with rest, in basic bent leg arms forward pose), 10 mins QL and 90/90 stretches, 15 mins general stretches.

T- same

W- same

T- same but with 16kg kettlebell squats

F- as Turs but with 100 16kg kb swings

S - purple circuit at works (4-5) tried reduced exercise at home but couldn't complete 3x10 press ups and only did 3 pull ups. Pull ups on a climbing day probably not needed. No kb.

S - as Fri but with a lot more stretching.

Basically, my hamstrings and other aductors (?) are really tight normally (I'm not close to touching my toes never have been) so increasing lower mobility is super important. Ideally I should be able to sit on the corner of Zippy's Traverse with a left heel on, but this won't happen without working the hamstrings.

Weight 72-73kg, wants to be below 65kg but that's not the priority.

Basically, 6 months since my last surgery this is the first full week I've done for a long time. Might make a 2025 goal list next week.
 
Hmmmm.

N/a is purple because it not being applicable is generally a minorly negative thing i.e. not being in a situation where mistakes are possible, or not training indoor routes. 2/3 stretching is minorly negative because it's something that I really can, should, and want to do as one of the few "progressive" things I can try, and I have plenty of opportunities where I'm too lazy....3 should be the bare minimum!!

It was a decent week for getting my body moving again for sure.

Anyway just helped the gf and some friends roll up a giant bit of flooring cover and re-aggravated my elbow a bit, I gave her quite a grump about that.
 
Monday -

Moonboard session 2019 set at 25degrees

Did 5+ to 6a benchmarks.

Tried 14, flashed 12. Failed on two.


Tuesday

Fingerboard

18mm edges. 4x10s hangs total weight 95.3kg

12mm edges. 5x 7s hangs. Total weight 75.4kg

1 hour peloton ride

Wednesday
Rest


Thursday

18mm edge finger board

5x10s hangs. Total weight = 95.7kg

12mm edges. 5x 7s hangs. Total weight 75.7kg

3x8 pull ups. 3min rest 85.7kg. Lattice jug rung

Friday
1 hour peloton ride.

Saturday
At Awesome Walls
3x10s hangs. BW + 10kg = 95.8kg

Moonboard session. 90mins
Tried 4 benchmarks. Did 1.
Frustratingly close on 2, but that’s boards for you.

Sunday
1 hour peloton ride.
 
This week I will list out all the accessories I am doing at the moment because I feel like they are really working. I feel much stronger at the moment on the wall AND at all my lifts, the 8 week bench program and 12 week squat program I got from the guys at Sika Strength have a lot of tough accessories but they seem to very much work and get people crazy strong so I am sticking with them and honestly loving it, the suffering is really kind of doing it for me :D

Monday - did some Yoga for Sharkathon go me

Tuesday - Big day. Edge Lifts up to 70kgs for each hand. Tried some Murples at the Works, did one, and did a lot of moves on others. Felt good! Following that benched up to 62.5 for 8 for 6 sets, then did 5x5 pullups, then supersetted 4 sets of 12 pressups and 4 sets of 30 second superman plank holds

Wednesday - Board. Felt good,relaly good. Made progress on a big proj, all the warm-ups were cruised. Mint session very enjoyable. Then squatted, 4 sets of 8 at 77.5kgs, followed by 4 supersets of 45 second side planks and 25 second single leg glute bridges per side. Then 6 supersets of 16 dumbbell reverse lunges with 25kgs and 12 hanging knee raises. Big session. Core is feeling like steel.

Thursday - Did all the new Purples no problem, then some other chill volume, then benched. 4 sets of 6 at 67.5kgs, then superset of chest flys and seal rows, and then hammer curls and skull crushers. The most ghetto seal row set up in the works gym lol

Friday - few hours walk, ease the nice aches

Saturday - Edge Lifts up to 70kgs. Chill climbing as feeling a bit beasted from the week, Benched, 4 sets of 4 at 75kgs, then 6 sets of 3 weighted chin ups, then 4 supersets of 12 overhead dumbbell presses and 4 sets of Arnold presses. Pretty beastly.

Sunday - Snatched. Return to humiliating weights, practised Snatching up to like 40+ kgs, but think that I could maybe get to 70 for a 1RM soon ish? Then squatted 80 kgs for 3 sets of 8 and then did 5x 30 second planks and 6 supersets of 32.5lgs barbell rows and 30 sec superman holds.

Keen to maybe get outside soon as fingers and body feel strong. Hopefully this weekend?
 
Glad you’re feeling better Duma, and have been meaning to post on the power club best if 24 thread you started, will get to it

Sounds like a good week Matt

First full week Murph, nice one!

Old fella did you climb at AW on Sat or just do the hangs?

M - stretch
T - stretch and the Works (Murples and circuit board)
W - stretch
T - stretch and the Works (Murples)
F - stretch
S - Rivelin Quarries. Nik’s Wall, colder than Sunday but pleasant in the sun.
S - Eastwood traverse, too cold in the cloud.

Sam and I both made progress on Nik’s Wall, he can reliably do the first move and is super close on the second move. I can do the first move and make a token effort on the second move… like Murph I have poor (increasingly so…) hip flexibility. 25 years ago it was probably just about good enough but now there’s no way I can stay close in enough to the wall to use the holds. Hence the week of stretching… to no great avail
Sunday felt brutally cold in the cloud. Hoping Rubicon dries up and we can get back there, that’s the focus for Sam right now. Have climbed more this week, not so much a taxi and May carrying service, which is nice.
CCC0AEE6-DA1B-42E6-BAFE-093B4D9BD1DE.jpeg
 
M Setting boulders. This tends to be a really physical day. Everything from lifting crates of holds, to holding awkward positions on ladders to get holds on. Morning is getting on your quota of problems ( I set 1ea of V1 to 5, 2V6 and a V7). Afternoon was repeating them again and again, adjusting them until they are actually that grade, actually possible, actually possible for most heights and actually safe. Then you try the other setters problems to give grade and quality opinions before a final polish. Didn't climb above V7.
T Sledging with the kids. Fingers niggly
W Modified Shauna Coxey core HIT workout, then an evening shift at the wall. Fingers settled apart from L ring still niggly.
T Core nicely sore, unfortunately so is L ring. Did 2x 30sec single finger pulls at 30% of MVC separated by 5mins. Still sore. Annoying. Taped it to my middle finger to sleep.
F Finger totally settled by the morning, untaped and chilled for the day. Mainly paperwork.
S Another work day, repeated Thursdays finger pulls and got a much more even graph, no pain.
S Repeated the pulls again, some soreness (maybe every other day then?). Got drafted in for route stripping. This is not too arduous, just sitting in a harness mainly holding position ( a bit core-y) and holding a drill up or away from your body. Sometimes the holds are heavy so a bit of wrestling. 3 hours all in with some hold sorting and crating. Fingers felt used.

Trying to rehab and maintain, it can be tricky fitting that around setting so I should probably up some of the conditioning.
 
M - Rest day. Hip stretches and shoulder conditioning.

T - Reguchillo. Warmed-up on La Rampa (6b) but felt extremely tired and generally under the weather. I had a lie-down and apparently went out like a light for a few minutes so I took the rest of the day off. Iain onsighted Whiplash and had a go at PXT. This looked a bit chossy from below but had had someone on it more or less constantly over the last couple of weeks. Appearances were not deceptive so I guess it’s the right grade (7b+) in a sector of high 7s and low 8s.

W - Poorly. Rest day. A couple of hours exploring Baeza, more lovely renaissance architecture.

T - Reguchillo. Repeated Vida Ameba (6b) and Ebola (6b+) but still felt lousy so binned it. Belayed Iain on El celador, which he onsighted of course.

F - Reguchillo. A bit more energy. Warmed-up on El Demente (6a+) then tried Papel secante (7a+) properly. Vertical crozzly crimps so my kind of thing and I could do all the moves although I wasn't sure I could replicate the start and the redpoint crux on demand. Didn't have the energy to work it properly or have a RP go.

S - Reguchillo. Grey and mizzle-y, first day with not ideal conditions! Warmed-up on Tiempo de Resina (6a) which I hung on. It was greasy but, mainly, I was knackered. After a break and improvement in the conditions the slabby El Tyto Alba (6b) went rather better. Got back on Papel secante. This all felt fine except for a couple of moves at 2/3 height which I could not work out despite having done them first go the previous day. Rock was a bit greasy and I had run out of oomph. Bagged it and finished the day on Chupacabras (6b+) which was very good. And that was that. After one beer with friends at the parking spot I could hardly walk.

S - Travel home. 7km of brisk walking with a rucksac of gear counts as a sharkathon entry.

Crashed a bit this week: felt like I had a virus or perhaps just had not recovered completely from the one I took on holiday with me. Also my elbow soreness returned somewhat and I had intermittently numb index and middle fingers in my left hand (new, highly likely carpal tunnel). I had the opportunity, and was very tempted, to stay longer but I think I need a week off from climbing.

Still an excellent trip: explored a new area and would be keen to return, Iain was great company, my tweaks improved, I tried two 7bs and two 7a+s, although - typically - my hardest route was a 7a flash. In future I need to pace myself a bit better - I’m not fifty any more - and take into account my current capacity: I'd been injured and done next to no climbing in the previous 6 weeks.

Plan: eat, sleep.
 
Not a lot to report this week. Snow stopped playing outside climbing
M Yoga
T Shed power
W
T Shed
F A really nice long crunchy snow walk
S
S Shed. I felt weth to start with but managed to do a medium term project in the end so I ended up "fulfilled"
 
Love the picture Nik.

Had been thinking about stretches for heel hooks...semi serious target is The Terrace this year...but thinking of your point it's ability to get high feet while close to the wall/full stretch that's important for climbing too. I guess this is obvious to most but I hadn't thought of it. Will have to look into stretches to target that.
 
Aha, thanks! Though it may cheer you to know that while Googling I found out that far worse is possible (my favourite is the one with the plastic buckets):

 

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