UKC

Hey all, so I've just started climbing the last few weeks and I'm curious to know how well I'm doing. So I'm a 17 year old girl, pretty sporty in general but haven't climbed since I was about 10 when I went to a bouldering club for a bit. Decided to go back to it since I always liked it and have been climbing about V3/V4 stuff (and some lower stuff too) after about 4 1-2 hour sessions. Would you say this is alright progress? Should I be aiming for higher stuff by now?
Thanks in advance
Tasha

Also, forgot to add - anyone got good training advice or tips to get stronger/just get to higher grades in general??

In reply to tashambateman:

I wouldn't panic too much about grades at first. Get loads of mileage in, focus on technique (quiet feet) and worry about strength later. Getting strong muscles quickly is quite easy, but tendons don't get strong as quickly and are liable to damage if over stressed early on.

More importantly, have fun!

In reply to tashambateman:

>Decided to go back to it since I always liked it and have been climbing about V3/V4 stuff (and some lower stuff too) after about 4 1-2 hour sessions. Would you say this is alright progress? Should I be aiming for higher stuff by now?

That's pretty impressive, I've been climbing for around 4-5 years now and I struggle on V4

In reply to tashambateman:
Hi. Tasha.
The best advice I can give you is just climb for fun and enjoy it. At 17 you have plenty of time to improve, and
as others have mentioned over training will most likely lead to injury issues.
I'm assuming you are climbing indoors. Outdoors is amazing too. At 70, I'm still climbing indoors and outdoors and trying to improve. Don't rush it.

Have Fun.

In reply to tashambateman:

Impressive. Though don't stress if you don't progress to the next grade for another year, as the climbs will get progressively harder where you will need to develop specific fingers and muscular strength which can only happen over time. I've seen many new climbers progress to that grade very quickly due to inherent strength or ability to learn technique quickly yet struggle to progress any further for a long time afterwards for the aforementioned reasons. That said, I've seen some gifted climbers progress to V7 and beyond in their first year of climbing which is exceptional. Personally I was climbing V3/4's after a good year of climbing, V4/5 after the second, and milling around 6/7 now in my fourth year.

In reply to tashambateman:

It's a mistake to think that "progress" is only measured by climbing harder grades. Other things to consider are improvements in route reading, good use of feet, style, making the most of protection opportunities, understanding grades, gaining experience etc. etc.

Al

In reply to GridNorth:

Good point mate.

In reply to tashambateman:

Don't forget:
Early to peak - early to burn out

Which generally relates to youth sportsmen peaking too early in life, and they burn out early in life, after a shortened career. It does however, also stand at any age, in that if you progress too quickly, something will eventually give, and you'll find your success relatively short lived.
My point is, enjoy it, don't over think grades, and take your time learning how to climb properly but also in conditioning your body to the stresses of hard climbing.

Good luck.