Progress as you get older

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Rocksteady said:
My dad is my example of progress in older age. He climbed E5/6ish in late 70s/early 80s so must have been strong then. But then quit climbing for 25 years until I took it up, so he was in his early 50s. Climbed F7a aged 56, progressed to F8a aged 63.
Retiring and moving to Dorset helped! He also put a board in his garage and did funny training on it, not really that many hard straight up problems, more individual moves and reps of hangs in difficult positions, often adding weight over time. When he was trying to get fit he did circuits, adding weight with a vest. He said what worked for him was really low volume training but trying hard, then mostly redpointing harder routes. Wasn't that interested in bouldering but managed V8 in his 60s.
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Nice to read some more details about Rocksteady's dad who I have heard about before and have as an inspiration.

I been on a 7a+/b plateau since 1984 (Australian 26, US 12b) which I have completely failed to progress from.

stone said:
What's the best place for year round climbing? Is it Rotherham maglime?
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;D

Colorado in Jonathan's case. Dorset in the UK?
 
duncan said:
I been on a 7a+/b plateau since 1984 (Australian 26, US 12b) which I have completely failed to progress from.
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Do you do much bouldering on the type of rock that you are trying routes on? I think doing that was what got me from a 7a+/b (redpoint) plateau to a 8a/8a+ plateau (that has since slipped back a bit I guess). I'm not sure though whether that's a popular (or efficient) approach.
 
Reading this thread with interest; I'm 44, climbed my hardest in my 30s, (8b) and hadn't lost too much after starting a more demanding career until about 2021/22, when I somehow lost my motivation and have been intending to start again after about 2 years off. In early 2020, I managed to redpoint 7c+ first go on a trip, but now the easiest bouldering circuits inside have felt challenging in my limited experience since. I still want to climb, as not doing so hasn't done me any good, but it's really hard to work up the motivation to struggle with effectively being a beginner again. Any advice?
 
The beginner phase is short. Quite a few adaptions to climbing are permanent, especially if you held a decent level for a long time. You will regain your bouldering level very fast. Within 36 - 40 sessions of regular training you should have regained most of your previous base-level.
 
TobyD said:
it's really hard to work up the motivation to struggle with effectively being a beginner again. Any advice?
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Be amazed at how quickly it comes back and don't be put off when you feel like a sack of spuds the first few sessions. Just push through that initial hump and then you'll progress at the pace of a beginner again but will already have the base level and technique dialled from before. You'll see gains every session, which you won't have felt for a very long time (no more plateauing like when you were climbing your hardest).
That part will probably be easy, but if you really want to get back to anything like where you were a few years ago the hardest part will be staying injury free while it happens. Lots of rehab / physio of any old injuries etc. That's the bit I've never managed!
 
When I was injured and couldn't climb at all I actually listened to Goggins YouTube videos and I can tell you I never missed a physio/training session lol I wonder if something similar would be worth it?
 
Forget where you were, enjoy where you are, and don't push too hard. Like ali k says, easy to get injured trying to get to where you were too fast in a vehicle that has aged a bit since last used.

First comeback is the hard one, it becomes part of the game after the third or fourth.
 
stone said:
duncan said:
I been on a 7a+/b plateau since 1984 (Australian 26, US 12b) which I have completely failed to progress from.
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Do you do much bouldering on the type of rock that you are trying routes on? I think doing that was what got me from a 7a+/b (redpoint) plateau to a 8a/8a+ plateau (that has since slipped back a bit I guess). I'm not sure though whether that's a popular (or efficient) approach.
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Virtually none! Thanks for the reminder. I'm sure it is a very efficient way of getting better, possibly the most efficient. I was about to give a long list of reasons why I have not done this but that's besides the point.

duncan said:
I have a mental list of three things to do differently before the next trip.
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One of the three was do more bouldering. I need to sort out the practicalities of this whilst living a long way from real rock and whilst I can't afford to land on a pad/matting from more than about a metre. Neither limitation is going to change in the medium term. In the last few years I've got around this by doing more 'bouldering on a rope' but this isn't giving me the volume to make a big difference given I climb outdoors relatively infrequently. This is why I was interested in Rockstead's dad's idea of 'holding positions'. It's going to look weird at a London bouldering wall but I'm beyond the stage of caring about such things.

TobyD said:
I still want to climb, as not doing so hasn't done me any good, but it's really hard to work up the motivation to struggle with effectively being a beginner again. Any advice?
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Sounds a lot like the experience of the thread starter. He managed to regain his enthusiasm, in part by letting go of the need to perform at a certain level. I have the same questions about motivation which might help you understand where yours came from and hence how you might rekindle it:

What was it that you really liked about climbing when you first started?

What do you like about it now?
 
I’m 49 and over the last 12 months have got back into regular climbing after a 8-9 year break from anything beyond occasional sociable climbing. Currently only really bouldering and feel down on my best, but improving…
I doubt I will get back to previous levels bouldering, but think I could get close-ish. The big difference I feel now is that it takes time to get going and if I’m not feeling it then the old limbs and joints won’t have it. When younger I could probably just push on through and force a reasonable session, but no more.

Bad points:
My flexibility, which was always poor, is now horrible. Making a concerted and ongoing effort to work this… not sure it’s getting better, but don’t think it’s getting worse…
I’ve also lost bounce, spring, fast twitchy power. I climb with the kids and they spring around like monkeys, I feel like I’m plodding along behind…

Good points:
Out and out finger strength seems ok. I mostly climb with the kids, and they can regularly burn me off on problems with their bounce and flex. But I can hang the 6mm edges that they can’t (yet…). I would caveat that by saying I think my technique to do this is good, and I’m not telling them…
Stamina is better than I expected, both in terms of doing a route (as long as it’s short…) and session length.

For me the SYKE and motivation has come back through the kids enthusiasm for climbing, partly the ultimately hopeless aim of staying a step ahead of them… but mostly being able to watch on with wonder as they path things as kids that I floundered on as a 20-something.

For the future I’d like to cling onto their coat-tails for another year (with luck), would like to think high7/low 8 sport, high 7 boulder and some mid-E trad into the next decade and beyond was achievable… but I guess as we get older there are more and more confounding health/body factors that can come into play. Main thing is I’m lovin’ it again now, and when I’m not I’ll do something else.
 
60 soon :eek:
Interesting looking back to see when I hit my first of the grade. I’ve pretty much climbed non-stop since 1983 when it was all trad (projected some of those ground up too!) but took up sport when it took hold and latterly have spent more time on boulder projects which have yielded some grade gains. Relatively free of injury but not as a driven. The only new level I’ve achieved lately is being consistent at 12 stone :'(

First 7b+ at 23
First 7c and 7c+ at 28
First 8a at 30
First 8a+ at 37
Second 8a+ at 41 (GBH) so first 7B for the start!
Last 8a+ at 46
First 7B+ at 49
First 7C at 55

Rate Bens with kneebars at 55 as my hardest piece of climbing and at 16 moves arguably worth treating as a route grade (hard 8a+?)
 
TobyD said:
Reading this thread with interest; I'm 44, climbed my hardest in my 30s, (8b) and hadn't lost too much after starting a more demanding career until about 2021/22, when I somehow lost my motivation and have been intending to start again after about 2 years off. In early 2020, I managed to redpoint 7c+ first go on a trip, but now the easiest bouldering circuits inside have felt challenging in my limited experience since. I still want to climb, as not doing so hasn't done me any good, but it's really hard to work up the motivation to struggle with effectively being a beginner again. Any advice?
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The 6am walls(or before work) are useful, very quiet, no social. Like a few have said, a couple of weeks consistently showing up, not pushing it(i often do 30min sessions) and the movement comes back and forearms follow. For me these, slightly dull sessions, are most useful for getting back into it.
 
Thanks all for the advice, duly noted and hope I'll be out there again this year.
 
duncan said:
......do more bouldering. I need to sort out the practicalities of this whilst living a long way from real rock and whilst I can't afford to land on a pad/matting from more than about a metre. Neither limitation is going to change in the medium term. In the last few years I've got around this by doing more 'bouldering on a rope' but this isn't giving me the volume to make a big difference given I climb outdoors relatively infrequently. This is why I was interested in Rockstead's dad's idea of 'holding positions'. It's going to look weird at a London bouldering wall but I'm beyond the stage of caring about such things.
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I'm sure volume bouldering is really helpful for many things too but I was thinking of limit bouldering. I mean where you really have to change the way in which you climb in order to do the individual moves. I do think for me doing that on outside rock helped/helps. I suspect you aren't really doing that when you think you are "bouldering on a rope". It means when completely fresh, trying to pull on and point towards the next hold, then working towards touching the next hold, then holding it etc. Really pushing the envelope on your guile and full body engagement. I'm sure other people on here are vastly more qualified to comment about this though.

I think you'd be surprised how much of that sort of stuff you could usefully do without getting your feet more than 1m of the pads. It can also be done at funny times of year and when you aren't co-ordinated with other people. I wasn't being entirely facetious when I mentioned Rotherham maglime as offering year-round climbing. You see Londoners there who have popped up on midwinter days despite eg the Peak being all wet.
 
duncan said:
What was it that you really liked about climbing when you first started?

What do you like about it now?
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To the first question; adventure, and, weirdly, bouldering.

I'm not sure, to the second, my mindset changed significantly since a serious accident and I can no longer access the mindset I used to have with bolder climbing where I only worried about if until I'd committed, at which point I usually didn't as long as I'd thought it all through properly beforehand. Shouldn't matter for sport and bouldering, but somehow it seems to.
 
SA Chris said:
Like ali k says, easy to get injured trying to get to where you were too fast in a vehicle that has aged a bit since last used.

First comeback is the hard one, it becomes part of the game after the third or fourth.
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Ali, is as usual very correct in this. Injuries get harder and longer to heal as we age. I'm 52 and after one or two minor, not at all well known breaks from climbing, now feel as though with a fair wind I can still get somewhere near my peak of 8a+/8b sport, although bouldering near my hardest of 7C seems a long way off.

I started in 1988, got to E6 in two years, went to university in London and pottered for a few years before really getting into sport in the mid-late 90's. Got to 8a fairly quickly then had a break for a while. Got back into it in the early 2000's and eventually got to 8a+/8b in 2011, then went bouldering and got to 7C. Another break and back about 10 years ago. Did 8a the year before last.

So, I've maintained my level, with some breaks along the way. The drop off is more noticeable in my 50's, but raging against the dying of the light.

There's life in the old dog yet, just not to good at learning new tricks.
 
I’m 60 this year as well. Did my first ( yes I think there will be more) 7b of the year last Wednesday
Had most of February off looking after my 93 year old mum. I still fucking love it. Which I think is more of a motivation than anything else. ( Lots of relatively new research showing that motivation is linked to emotion)
I’m still strong and with know how as opposed to technique I still think/know I can climb harder. Obvs I feel the ageing process but I don’t need to rage rage yet. It’s still a “ labour” of love for me
 

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