UKC

UKC Fit Club Week 412

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 Nick Russell 08 Feb 2015
Link to last week's thread:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=608258&

UKC Fit Club is not a substitute for the training diary but to use with (or without) it as a motivational tool for all.

A new thread is posted each week on Sunday for anyone to jot down their previous week's activity, noting goals, successes and failures and to swap ideas.

Anyone interested in starting is very welcome but you should aim to post each week, every week, however little or much you have done. By making such a regular public record of your activities and by restating your goals every week this new habit will hopefully improve your training habits to help achieve your goals whatever the level of your chosen activity

Alex's sport climbing training article is still here:
http://alexbarrowsclimbing.blogspot.com.es/2014/02/training-for-sport-climb...

Sorry, I'm short of ideas on the psyche video at the moment. I'll try to have a good look for next week, or alternatively I can take suggestions.

Lots of people crushing hard at the moment, on rock, ice and plastic. Keep up the good work!

Last week's posters:

AJM - Good work on the open handing. How was the cycling this weekend.
mattrm - I didn't notice the weight gain last week! Is it coming off again now?
Dandan82 - Still seeing progress on the finger?
Humperdink - When's your next race?
The Ex-Engineer - Another great winter week, making me jealous! More of the same?
mbh - Good consistency. Do you think the shoes had a manufacturing fault or just flimsy?
Mutl3y - Still on track with the weight goals? I've heard other people find the Beastmaker grade guidelines a bit stiff.
JimmyKay - Thats's a solid week! Back at Anstons this week?
Nick Russell - Still chipping away at the sport.
flopsicle - Glad to hear FC is helping motivation.
biscuit - Perhaps the only FC member deliberately trying not to lose weight. You'll need some blubber for the Norway swim.
Ian Rock - Did you get to Parkrun this week? If you nail the footwork you should notice quick gains in the climbing.
Lancer - Good work on getting the Beastmaker up - that's the first hurdle!
Tyler - Ouch, sorry to hear about the ligaments. Just stick with the rehab - it often doesn't feel like it's doing anything for ages, but is really important.
Joyce - A busy week. Any progress on the Huntsham projects?
mrchewy - Is the knee rehab going ok? More face-on climbing should help with power at least!
Roadrunner2 - more confusion on the user name... Good week running.
Jeriqo - How's the van coming on?
Creedence - Have a good trip in Alicante!
Exile - Good week there? Did you get out again before the incoming thaw?
Kevster - Did you get the 7b?
Willi Crater - How are you measuring net calorie consumption? Surely it's quite hard to compute accurately so a bit of slack either way is ok.
Curious Yellow - Good to have you back! Well done on the V6/7 projects.
Ally Smith - Sounds like a good trip! Good work on the onsights.
hms - Well done in Chulilla! Let's hear more about it.
Just Tintin - I may know some people who've climbed at Flatirons, I can try to get in touch. When are you going?
 Exile 08 Feb 2015
In reply to Nick Russell:


Thanks for doing fit club Nick. Did you get out before the thaw? Just!

Aims:

Winter start with VI 7 - Start winter, tick, VI 7 - sort of, seconded VII 7 ok

Spring 7b RP - Countash, Mill Side Scar

Summer quick build through E1 / E2 to get on some more E3s and consolidate at the grade

Summer -get on some slate

Long term aim, (18 months or so?) HP Exeguy (E6 6b) at Trowbarrow

M: Rest
T: 1hr road run (winter endurance) & 1hr30 min power endurance at wall & core
W: 45min continual dry tooling (ARC & winter technique)
T: Rest
F: Rest
S: 1hr road run (winter endurance)
S: 2.5hrs winter climbing. Work schedule demanded a quick hit so did Raven Gully with Right Hand Finish on Red Screes, (III 4) this morning.

Good week, just aware that I'm not doing much wall time at the moment due to winter climbing / winter climbing prep'. Can't have it all though!
In reply to Nick Russell: An amazing day today! I hadn't set any goals for the trip but if I had, I would have now achieved them

Things have come together although I've still been struggling slightly for partners (anyone free tomorrow?)

M - Stob Coire nan Lochain; SC Gully, Twisting Gully, Dorsal Arête (solo).
T - visit family in Oban.
W - soloed the Allt a' Chaorainn burn above Drumochter Pass at around grade II.
T - Creag Coire an Dothaidh; Fahrenheit 451.
F - Coire an t'Sneachda; Honeypot.
S - rest day.
S - Ben Nevis; The Shroud, Mega Route X

Got another 3 days left in Scotland so one more grade V would be good.
 mbh 08 Feb 2015
In reply to Nick Russell:
Cheers, Nick!

Don't know about the shoes for sure, but I suspect just flimsy. £80 for a dozen or so runs is really expensive!

I think I promised last week to do some intervals. Well I haven't kept that promise! Sorry...

One car between the two of us has led to me doing less on the coast path after work, and instead doing 9-ish miles to meet my wife on the way home. Saves her some driving and forces me to do the run, and not dally while doing it. When I started doing this, the off-road part was all done in darkness. I am now starting to see the mining wasteland I am running through. It is spooky and very interesting.

63.5 miles, 7200 ft ascent (102 km, 2200m) , feeling good for 20 miles off-road event in 3 weeks. Nothing special pace-wise, but no aches and pains , even after 20 hilly miles yesterday, the fourth 18+ miler of the last three weeks..

M -
T - 10.6 miles to lift home, half off-road and partly lost in the muddy trails of Goongumpas, among the mining trails of the Bissoe Valley, 8:20
W - 9.1 miles, part off-road, to lift home, 7:53
T - 7.8 miles, 900 ft ascent, to a lift home, via Carn Brae, 8:53
F - 9.1 miles, mostly off road and coast path around St Agnes Head and the beacon, 1300 ft ascent. Really cold. 9:05
S - 19.8 miles, 2600 ft ascent, onto Bodmin moor, mostly on road. 9:08
S - 7.4 miles, road, 1200 ft ascent, but only at 8:49 pace. I have done this at 8:17.
Post edited at 17:41
 hms 08 Feb 2015
In reply to Nick Russell:

Thanks Nick. Came back from Spain straight into a work melt-down so it all seems sadly long ago already! 2 week update, as accurately as I can remember it:

M - cycle commute.
T - cycle commute. Tapering for trip so easy routes session, dozen 6c and below, nothing too taxing.
W - cycle commute.
T - drove to Gatwick in the evening.
F - Hideously early start to fly to Spain. Couple of warm-up routes then straight onto a thin vert 7b+. Took a whipper, but did manage to then clip-to-clip the top section so knew all the moves were possible
S - 7a onsight. I had belayed Ally on it, but he is such a different shape that I felt that that offered no practical help at all - no other beta. Tried a 7a+ but couldn't get a nasty little thin sequence to work on lead - even with a sneaky kneebar.
S - got the 7b+. Nay-sayers claim it is really really easy for the grade. Well, it felt pretty hard to me. Had a wobble at the top but refused to let go! Also belayed Ally on his 8a onsight, hopefully yelling lots of motivational encouragement at him as he climbed.

M - 7a+ flash (we thought it was a 6b+). Amazing route, totally 3D with weird bridging, tufas you name it. Then finished off the other 7a+ from Saturday with great ease - all about having the confidence to cam the L foot into a crack & then stand on it. Very cold.
T - couple of goes on another 7b+. Lovely route, no doubt it would go with a little more time, but extremely cold so hard to get moving (even with lots of jogging, arm flapping, star-jumps - but no AJM chicken running!).
W - drive back from Gatwick, straight to work & a 3 hour technical workshop - nice.
T - cycle commute
F - cycle commute. Routes at UCR, 10, in pairs. Lots of 6cs, 1 try on a 7a but muffed up the clipping line so terminal rope drag stopped me.
S - S&C 3 sets
S - lots of circuits at UCR, inc a lot of working of a 7a+ on the steep. Couple of moves that totally elude me as yet.

Next trip is to Costa Blanca in 4 weeks, so have to keep training going focused now on that. Shorter but burlier routes. Anyone been to Pinos btw? Look like a good set of grades available, but pretty steep.
 Cyan 08 Feb 2015
In reply to Nick Russell:
Cheers Nick and thanks for doing the stats.
Falling apart a bit, sore ?hamstring so no running at all this week and taking it cautiously at the wall.

Mon: Rest.
Tues: Rest.
Wedns: Wall, boulder. Flashed a couple of alleged V5s, hmmmmm.
Thurs: Rest.
Fri: Wall, boulder. Circuits to finish, painfully pumped.
Sat: Rest.
Sun: Wall, boulder. Finished a couple of bogey problems incl hideous jamming V3 which has left me with volume rash. Too lazy/tired for circuits, boo.

Ally - yep, definitely. Would need to be mid April onwards though - couple of trips coming up plus other stuff on. Keen to see what you're doing as a hold has come off so my sequence won't work any more...
 biscuit 08 Feb 2015
In reply to hms:

I've been and it's pretty good. We went to Pinturas.

I got Paprika either 1st or 2nd go, can't remember. It's soft but i took it

I also tried the 7c 2 routes down and it's the closest i've come to a 7c in a session, especially after doing a 7b same session. The routes are very easy to read from the ground, short and steep. But don't underestimate the headwall.

We were there due to bad weather so good for rainy days and you won't get a more roadside crag.
OP Nick Russell 08 Feb 2015
A good week for me, got 2 brilliant days winter climbing in North Wales before the thaw set in!

M - Gym
T - Redpoint, going through some technique drills from the Self Coached Climber with the uni club. It was good to slow down and think a bit harder about what I was doing. Finished off with some ~6c routes.
W - Kettlebells class at the gym. Left me feeling very sore, especially the legs! Lots of lifting and pressing with the shoulders too, probably very good for me.
T - Rest
F - North Wales, Black Ladders, Western Gully (V 6). Full on, big day. Very sustained route in lean condition.
S - North Wales, Clogwyn Du: Clogwyn Left Hand (V 5) and El Mancho (VI 7)
S - Half-hearted TCA session. My foot was very sore from winter climbing (I'm going to try to do something about that) so ended up doing a bit of campussing and a few pull-ups.

I'm very pleased with my winter climbing this week. Western Gully was awesome, and we pretty much had the Ladders to ourselves (saw one other party as we were setting off in the morning). The route was definitely in tough condition - water ice and turf were in, rock was rimed up but snow was completely useless. The crux was tenuous to say the least.

El Mancho was great for my confidence, though grade-wise it felt easier than Western Gully. It's been a bit of a trade route this season (I think we were the 4th party on it on Saturday) so all the gear and tool placements have already been dug out. Still, that's a good place to start when pushing a new grade.

Goals
  • Brean progression to The Milky Bar Kid (8a)
    Prisoner of Conscience -> The Guilt Edge -> Bullworker -> Prisoner of Bullworker -> El Chocco -> The Milky Bar Kid
  • 2-finger (front and middle) repeaters on BM1000 small pockets
    Managed 6x6/4 on middle 2. Front 2 still seems a way off
  • Tick off some of the harder Avon trad that I've not got round to yet
    Amanita, Think Pink, Central Wall, Peryl, Main Wall Elimate, GT Special, Low Profile
  • Winter grade VI
    Tick! Between El Mancho (guidebook VI 7 but in easy condition) and Western Gully (guidebook V 6 but hard condition, felt harder than El Mancho), I think I can take it.
  •  flopsicle 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Thanks Nick!

    I've had a really good week. Started using Strava on my runs and got a 2nd place trophy on day one - got to first place today on my 3rd attempt (although if there'd been a witness at the top of the hill they might have dialled 999!). I've exceeded my wkly 10 mile target too. And then *does very childish happy dance* I got TWO - TWO blacks!! There are five colour circuits at notts and black is the last, the untouchable where the big boys and girls play, the really really good climbers. Both routes have been up a while and I'd tried both before but never got beyond the first move - not sure I even got the first move right. Well happy, biggest milestone in 6 months at least.

    Mon - 2.3 miles, hills
    Tues - 2 miles, hills
    Wed - 4 miles, some muddy hills! 1.5 hours bouldering
    Thurs - Nowt.
    Fri - 2.5 miles, hills. 2.5 hrs bouldering - went at it hard till I was totally done in shaky.
    Sat - 1 hr bouldering, got my first black route.
    Sun - miles hills - got 1st place on Strava segment. 2 hrs climbing ropes and bouldering, thought I was done in but then went and got my second black!

    Feel like I've worked hard and got rewarded. Celebrated with 2 bottles of Hopping Hare and a curry!
     biscuit 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Cheers Nick.

    Musings are still on going over the swim.

    Weight stabilised but fat% gone down. That's better!

    Despite a 7 day 60 odd hr week i've managed to fit 3 runs in and 2 climbing sessions.

    Main difference has been recovery from climbing sessions. I have been aching for a day or two after up until this week and suffering from sore skin. And i've been fitting more routes in at a harder level, so all good.

    Boulder session on Monday - volume. Did all the problems up to and including V5, so that's 48 i think. Really concentrating on technique and movement rather than difficulty as 1 session every 2 weeks isn't going to see any strength improvements.

    Leading on Friday with PPG. Good session. I upped all my doubles and got some falling practice in too. My head sabotaged me again on the lip of the mammut when i had an armful of slack out. Didn't bother me the rest of the time though.

    Next week i may not have chance for a session, despite having 2 days off. So i WILL get on the fingerboard like i've been promising for the last month.
     Tyler 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    > Ouch, sorry to hear about the ligaments. Just stick with the rehab

    No rehab for the athritis but the ligaments are improving I think....

    M: Deahanging, meant to go to a spin class afterwards but got the time wrong.
    T: Routes at Stockport, climbing as a three so no doubles. In fact very few singles, third session in a row where I was poor. Time for a change.
    W: Excercise bike. On the minute intervals for 1 hour, started at level 15 but quickly dropped to 12! Looked like Bambi on ice when I got off, felt great.
    T: BoulderUK, intended just to deadhanging circuits but ended up bouldering. Fortunately the problems are hard and the mats are soft so no ankle damaging falls from high up.
    F: Excercise bike. Same as Wed but started at level 12 - so far no DOM'S from either of these sessions.
    S: FOMO meant I had to go out and try and do a winter route. Totally out of condition Birkett Gill, got scared, wet and ended up hobbling to the car so no different to most winter climbing experiences. Amazing cloud-inversion/sunset combo meant I took probably the best photo I ever will so all good.
    S: Deadhangs, first improvement in deadhanging since I started. No explanation for that
     hms 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to biscuit:

    sounds like a good bet then. Thanks for the recommendations. I had wondered about Gandia but it's quite a long way. I've been there once a v long time ago and my abidding memory is that it was totally rammed too!
    In reply to Nick Russell:
    Thanks Nick - yes please. Will be in the Boulder area 21-24 Feb and keen to do one of the long multi pitches, maybe on the first or third flatiron...recommendations and rack beta gladly accepted, especially as it'll be fighting for space with my skis!
     AJM 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:
    > AJM - Good work on the open handing. How was the cycling this weekend.

    The cycling was probably good. By which I mean that apart from all sorts of random aches and pains I've also aggravated something in my knee which is currently quite painful. Once that clears up, it will have been good. Some of it was definitely type 2 fun mind you, but it was a lovely day to do it on. 61 miles, and either 2100 feet of ascent, 2700 feet of ascent or 2800 feet of ascent depending on whether you believe my phone strava log, the course organisers or Nicks GPS respectively. Just shy of a metric tonne (98km), lots of thoughts on thing to do before the hillier one in May.

    Other than that, a NNFN of a week. It was all going well until I got tired towards the end of my Boulder circuits, got clumsy, and I assume switched from an open hand to a half crimp and pulled too hard. Oops.

    So I've got an A2 partial tear, and I got a diagnosis for my other finger too whilst I was at it - basically a sprain to the knuckle. Ive got a list of rehab exercises and a climbing re-introduction progression from the physio, and coach has sent me a list of alternative training to do in the meantime, heavy on rings and core. youtube.com/watch?v=CrFB9AV3VMg& Includes some of the stuff I've been set to do. certainly be good for working on my beach body

    Oh, and well done on the VI action. Awesome stuff.
    Post edited at 21:19
     Mutl3y 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Cheers Nick. The weightloss is going really well. I'm still focussed on that but wavering a bit over whether my end goal of 60kgs is the right level. Apparently my bf is 12% according to calculator.net and as I weighed 65.2 this morning that means to get to 60 without losing muscle I will have 4% bf.

    4% is supremely ripped and v difficult to achieve (apparently) so getting to that weight will probably involve significant muscle loss or wouldn't be sustainable anyway.

    Long ramble but probably worth more thought on my part when I achieve my STG of 64. I welcome views!

    Anyway, this week the MA went from 67.0 to 66.1. Progress there is great.

    M - body weight exercises and got my illusions of having a strong core wrecked by my gf getting me to do basic tension exercises.
    T - works hour of power. Did the last yellow problem which might be a lot harder than the 6A it is advertised at. Was totally made up by this.
    W - nowt
    T - nowt and felt under weather
    F - works, black problems went up, did 15 or so but failed on quite a few too (about 6Bish but a wide spread)
    S - pub lunch was a challenge for the path
    S - works. Comp wall and more blacks. Felt strong and good. All going well.

    Next week. Really need to up my activity on non-climbing days but don't want to do too much that will build muscle where I don't need it for climbing. Maybe kettlebells routine. We'll see.

    STG (written 7th jan for end feb) - drop 6 or 7 kilos from 71 and "tick a few 6As on actual rock". I can't fail to hit the first of those goals now but the second will involve me actually going out with a mat in the cold.
     mattrm 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    It's not really budging at the moment. But I love eating badly and drinking beer (he says with a pint of beer next to the PC and a pile of oatcakes with cheese on a plate), so that's hardly suprising. Thanks for the stats and well done on the VI, that's pretty hardcore.

    STG - Sport pyramid - 6a (2/10), 6b (1/6), 6c (0/1) - Trad pyramid - VS (5/10), HVS (0/6), E1 (0/1) 11st 10lbs weight
    Aspirational - Climb E5/6 (London Wall), Scottish Winter V (Point 5, Zero, Minus, Orion), WI5, Redpoint 8a (Masada, Mortal Kombat & Cider Soak) stay injury free & maintain 11st.

    Weight - 12st 5lbs (same)

    M - 20 mins core workout (decent compared to normal)
    T - 45 mins indoor bouldering - circuits
    W - 1.5 hrs indoor climbing
    T - Rest
    F - 5k run
    S - DIY.
    S - 100 dish tucks

    Month average - 75%
    Year average - 76%

    A good week really. The core workout was much better than previous weeks and the run was much longer than normal (5k doesn't include the warm-up and down). I really should have got off my arse and gotten Central Gully on Pen-y-Fan done, as it was (maybe still sorta is) in. But I didn't. Hardly done any hillwalking or mountaineering stuff this year. Been a bit slack on that front. The bouldering and climbing sessions were good and fairly focused. Just fizzled out at the end of the week. But having said that I have just gotten back from a 7 hour round trip to visit my Grandad. Hardly suprising energy is at a low point.

    My diet is ok, it's just erratic. I've always struggled with my weight and while climbing helps keep it off, I know I'd climb better with a bit more weight off. It's a relatively easy win for me.
     Joyce 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Ta muchly Mr Nick!

    An Cap Wk 1/2 weight = 73kg
    Mon: 3 sets of 6 one arm hangs – mostly with fleeting grabs for support with other hand. First sagged slowly, then it deteriorated. Will leave these until we’re max strength training again.
    Frenchies: 3 sets of 2 cycles – completed on first set, then 2 sets of 1 ½ cycles before failiure and finishing them off after a quick rest. First time I’ve tried these – what a burn – awesome!
    Slow Motion Pull ups: 3 sets of 3 (5s up/10s down). Also new for me - harrrrd! Also ace!
    Pull Up Intervals: pretty spent by now. Managed 3 sets of 4, starting on the minute.
    Various core/circuits/antagonistic exercises/shoulder control muscle exercises.
    Tues: More speed work. Did 10 reps again. Up to 5s up on most, only down by 2s on first one. Did '4km' in 13:55 excluding the rests = an improvement.
    Wed: TCA; mucked about on some yellows (2nd hardest circuit but actually really hard) and blues (hardest circuit) and got a blue in 2 goes.
    An-Cap Intervals on steep circuit board: First time I’ve ever tried this and I did much better than I thought I would. Did from 45s up to 2 mins on variously on the 7a, 6c and 6b circuits. Only problem was I had to ‘over rest sometimes’ as others were on the board or someone whom I hadn’t seen for ages showed up for a chin wag – great to catch up with folks, though. However, when I did get the rest/climb ratio equal, I could feel that steady pump like a good ‘un – liked it.
    Frenchies: - 3 sets of 2 cycles – completed on first set, then 2 sets of 1 2/3 cycles before failiure and finishing them off after a quick rest. Still awesome!
    Thurs: TCA; mucked about on some greens (2nd hardest circuit) and got a three or four of ‘em – pretty easy ones mind.
    An-Cap Intervals on less steep circuit board: Did from 45s – 90s starting on the 7a+, then mostly on the 6b+/6c and finishing on the 6a+. Got the intevals working better today, felt a steady pump throughout.
    Frenchies: - 3 sets of 2 cycles – completed on 1 2/3, then 2 sets of 1 1/3 cycles before failiure and finishing them off after a quick rest. Still awesome!
    Fri: And relax!
    Sat: Running interval training; found a flattish spot and ran 5 x1km intervals with 1 min jogging on the spot rests, at 18min 5K pace in theory. Turned out, it took 18:49 for the running bits. Hard.
    Sun: Ahh, the mighty Huntsham. Had a super afternoon. Started off on a new boulder, the Cube Boulder. Did a 6C dyno and ‘greened’ off of the top slap of a 7A. Tried another 7A one move wonder (didn’t get it) before heading to the Sliced Slug for An-Cap training. Did 32 mins of same time on/off intervals with the first being a repeat of Ames Low 7A+ and then onwards and downwards until I could barely do the classic Underflake 6A. Brilliant fun, adding a new take on an old playground, will be back for more of this! And the sunset…

    Right then, goals:

    STG (by Easter):
    Boulder 7B+ (probably Between the Lines or Underhand at Almscliff as close to both).
    Keep working weaknesses - one armed hangs, slopers, an-cap, power
    Tick some more 7A+s in a session - only done this a couple of times so far.
    Do more in a session at TCA - a little less conversation, a little more action - this is probably my biggest weakness

    MTG (by September)
    The Loop at Huntsham (super an-cap 8a),
    The 7C traverse at Biblins Cave.
    7B in a session - could be ambitious but we need that, eh?
    Some 7Bs at the Bowderstone

    LTG (by end of next winter)
    Tetris, The Keel, Peckitt's Roof (Huntsham), Fat Cat Roof (Dinas Rock) - all 7C
    Climb all the Classic Rock routes with the good lady wife.
    Actually go up some mountains, rather than just staring at tiny crimps in a cave at the bottom of them!

    Dream Climbs
    The Nose (El Cap)
    Careless Torque - never even actually seen it but it's THE line - wanna be falling off of it within 5 years.
    Great Wall on Cloggy - the essay in Hard Rock just does it for me.

    Lovin' the An-Cap, more next week.

    Love from,
    Joyce,
    Xxxx
     Lancer 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:
    Thanks Nick- operation E1 is still ongoing, although since I almost killed my car attempting to get to Burbage on icy roads, I haven't been on rock for a while. Feeling stronger indoor- small steps though.

    Mid term aim- VS to HVS through to E1.

    Mon- 12 mile cycle commute.
    Tues- 12 mile cycle commute. Awesome Walls- 6a+, 6b, 6b, 6b (dogged), 6c (3/4 of way up, then had to rest). Two 4 x 4 on 5+.
    Wed-12 mile cycle commute.
    Thurs- Nothing.
    Fri- Frenchie session- 1 set of 4, 1 set of 3.2, 1 set of 3.1. 4 x 50 press ups. 3 x 7 body curls.
    Sat- Nowt.
    Sun- Beastmaker session- 6a routine- ouch- may finish this routine one day...
     mrchewy 08 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Hey Nick - nice winter warrior stuff for you there, never been on harder than tech 5 myself and that was mean and nasty enough. Great to see. Knee rehab was going okay - icing lots but this week was hectic, didn't keep on top of stuff and ended up at a physio's whilst working away. No damage done long term, just need to ice and stretch and roll religiously. Third physio to say I have the tightest hamstrings they've ever seen tho... I really must keep working at this.

    Weighed in at 81.9kg this morning - was 85.5kg on the 12th January, so half a stone down near enough since the meet.

    Worked away and did pretty full on days, pretty knackered when I got back on Saturday.

    Mon - Nowt
    Tue - Pressups 20+15+11+10 = 56. Nothing mad BUT it was the first time since'07 I've managed pressups with my hands on the floor. One happy but sore chappy.
    Wed - Pressups, 77 in total.
    Thu - 30 pressups in one hit, hands on floor. So f*cking happy.
    Fri - Really late wrapping up job.
    Sat - Nowt.
    Sun - Plantation with Kevster. Bashed the new van into some one's wing mirror before I'd even gone a mile... then climbed badly all day. Came to a head on a 5+ at the end, just couldn't understand what I was doing wrong and then worked it out and it may just be a game changer for me all round. Brilliant sunny, snowy and wind free day - was so good to be out.

    Looks a crap week on paper but think I made progress this week. The pressups, well I broke my wrist in 26 place a few years back and it was a bit painful especially on the 30 set but I was so psyched. Technique wise, I reckon I learnt something today, need to test it out but hopefully I've found the route of why I just don't seem to progress. Fingers crossed.

    Booked two afternoons with John Kettle in a couple of weeks, mostly to get some movement critique. Been chatting to Dave Thomas a lot too this last week - interesting fella with some views on climbing that have so far proved illuminating and also raised as many questions as answers with regards to motivation when it comes to climbing. Yeah. No excuses anymore - got everything in place to progress, just need to man up and try hard.
     Dandan 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    > Dandan82 - Still seeing progress on the finger?

    Thanks Nick, the finger is still ticking along, it is still tender at times but is letting me climb up to 7b now with no complaints (and even a few crimps) so I can't complain.
    Another decent week despite life's attempts to get in my way, house moving, social engagements and bailing partners all trying to thwart me!

    M: Bouldering; 50 routes V1-V6 (I totalled up my V points, got 120ish compared to 108 last time. Averaging V2.4, must improve!)
    T: Rest; if you can call helping a mate shift a garage full of tools and engine parts a rest
    W: Routes 4x4 6b, 6c, 7a, 7b, got a little further on the 7b set than last time, not much but I felt tired from Monday and last time I did this session I felt super strong, so pleased I still managed improvement.
    T: Strength and conditioning
    F: Rest; I think, had a bit of a mind blank
    S: Routes; double dips 6c x2, 6c+ x2, 7a x2, 7b x2, 7b x2 went to Reading wall, grades felt stiff as hell especially 6c and 6c+, apparently wasn't just me being weak either.
    S: Strength and conditioning plus more root digging and general garden destruction.

    50 routes on Monday was really good, flashed a V6 in the middle of it which was pleasing. I then headed to my new weekday digs, I moved in with a mate who has rented a new place and had a spare room. I was expecting him to be all moved in and I would just need to build my bed, job done, settle down in front of the TV. Turns out he wasn't quite that organised, I ended up being roped into moving more of his stuff and didnt get to eat untill 11pm, not ideal.
    The next day we tackled his garage, two full covered trailer loads, and everything was heavy. Not the best rest day i've ever had!

    On Wednesday I went to my usual weekday hangout, Bear Rock at Warwick Uni, and for the first time ever, I actually had to queue for the hard routes on the steep wall because there were 3 other pairs all doing various reps and clearly following structured training plans.
    Despite having to wait for routes, it's really good to see more proper training going on, I've only ever seen one person training there before, hopefully its an upward trend.

    Reading on Saturday was nice for a change, stiff routes like I said but I stuck to the grades on the plan and it was very worthwhile. The 7b I chose was awesome, I couldn't tick it in 1, falling off one move from the end each time, but it was a joy to climb.

    Injury update: finger is slowly improving I think, elbows are being proper troopers, everything else is good!

    Goal for next week is just keep going again, its the first week of Anaerobic Endurance so it will seriously test my elbows, i'll keep a close eye on all injuries and not do anything risky.

    In other news, i got an audition for Ninja Warrior! It's on Sunday the 22nd so i'll need to fit in a couple of rest days before it, it's a physical test and some kind of interview on camera, so I need to perform well. fingers crossed!
     mrchewy 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Dandan:

    Warrior - come out to play...

    *old skool movie reference
    OP Nick Russell 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to mattrm:
    > I really should have got off my arse and gotten Central Gully on Pen-y-Fan done, as it was (maybe still sorta is) in.

    I heard that it's 'in' but not particularly fun... lots of unconsolidated snow.
    OP Nick Russell 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Mutl3y:
    > Maybe kettlebells routine. We'll see.

    I went to a kettlebells class last week... it was pretty brutal! I think it was really good for targeting posterior chain (which I normally neglect a bit) and my legs were pretty wrecked the day after.
    In reply to Nick Russell:
    Thanks again Nick - great set of stats and sounds like a great week for you!

    Not a good week for training, mainly due to lots of work and very little sleep (maybe 3 hours a night max?). Although my grade maxes look decent, volume wasn't great until Sunday, and getting through lead routes of any grade was pretty tough. Fly to US on Thursday for 8 days skiing and 4 days climbing. Need to sort myself out.

    M - work
    T -rest
    W - coaching session very good but only managed hangboard afterwards
    T - Lead/boulder Milton Keynes - very close on a 7a+ and a v7
    F - work
    S - Boulder Wirksworth WBL 140 points. Not great, but only one session so no time to work any and should be enough.
    S - Boulder Climbing Unit. Green circuit and then some blues (v5-7). One epic blue to finish but since I got it, must only have been v5...
    Post edited at 09:07
    Andy Gamisou 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:
    Thanks for doing this Nick.


    M - Resting.
    T - 30 pull ups, weights, core strength.
    W - Climbing: 2x5a, 1x6b, 2x7a then 2 attempts on project (getting to 3rd bolt).
    T - 30 mins running.
    F - Climbing: 2x5a, then attempts on project. Getting to 4th bolt.
    S - Resting.

    Avg calories per day 1600
    Weight at sow 11st 4, at eow 11st 3.

    Stg (end Feb) - weight 11st or less
    Mtg ( end Apr) - improved cardio fitness, weight down to under 10st 7
    Ltg (end of year) - red-point the project (7c)
    Post edited at 09:09
     Ally Smith 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Cheers for doing that stats again Nick, and nice one on doing Western Gully in lean conditions. I bailed from a verglassed crux a few years back. Too thin to ice-climb, and too thick to get any gear. Need to go back.

    Half a week’s worth – Mon-Wed repeat posting.

    I've struggled to recover from the combination of 5 days climbing in Chulilla and some stressful long days at work. Also made a split worse by training on it, so taking a couple of days off before coming back at it.

    BHAG:
    - “La Geurre Sainte” 7b/+ multi-pitch in Wadi Rum
    - Hard sport multi-pitch (8a region?) – something in Taghia maybe?
    - Kaa’bah, 8c+ - gotta aim high!

    LTG (2015):
    - Do some adventurous cycle touring (maybe MTB Great Glen/West Highland way?)
    >8b+ RP – cherry pick from the list below
    - Unjustified/Overjustified & Bat Route, Malham.
    - Waddage, Mecca & Extension, Tor.
    - True North, Kilnsey
    >8a on-sight (turns out the lattice board is very non-linear and I need to aim for 110 moves for 8a+ OS; Eek!)

    MTG (Winter ‘14/’15):
    - Finish off all the remaining routes at Brean; 7c, 8a & 8a+/b link-ups
    - Stay in gainful employment – redundancy looking less likely, but still not certain
    - Fisheye and/or Humildes pas Casa, Oliana; End of Feb.
    - Headpoint some hard grit
    - Decorate the house & build some home training facilities
    - Healthy shoulders, fingers & elbows – keep following the physio (boo – sore shoulders)
    - Get some proper “rat crimp” strength so that I can climb hard on peak lime - as much about being a skinny wretch as it is having strong digits it seems
    - Cut the lard; going in the right direction - 75.5 kg and 6.6% BF – must not get tempted by flapjack and biscuits this week!

    STG (next week)
    - 2 days rest
    - Core
    - Sort shoulder soreness

    Last week:

    M - Chorerras. Accidental 7a+ OS warm-up thinking we were on a 6b+/c. Great fun though! Then bolt to bolt on Montana Magica (8a+/b). Really should’ve tried this first! Did all the moves with minimal work, then went for the no expectation RP and came off at the crux after missing a back-step.
    T - 6b warm-up, then back to MM. Aborted RP with rope wrapped around my arm and leg. Then good go up to the crux. Found extra foot move. Then all out final effort – got through the crux, but powered out 2 moves higher. Too much to ask 5th day on.
    W - Rest.
    T - Bouldering at Stockport – new set on the 45 with some much stiffer (honest) grades. Annoyed that lots of the problems have lunge finishes – not good for achy shoulder.
    F - Rest
    S - Stockport. 8x super-circuits on the 45. No where near as good as previous session. 1&2 complete. 3,4&5 fail on downclimb (move 20ish of 26), 6 complete (brushed some holds!), 7&8 fail on roll-over (move 15 of 26). Then some continuity on a weird Vickers 7a+ - good practice for high-stepping when pumped – i.e. mimicking the top crux on Fisheye.
    S - Car trouble the night before stopped me from getting out winter climbing in Wales; so went car shopping after botching a repair. Local dealer will still give me £1500 for old motor despite its problems Then did slow/snowy lap of ‘degla black after PPG queried my biking status the day before. Same as always – I feel terrible on the bike, but didn’t get overtaken for the whole lap! Stretched & tennis ball massage.
    OP Nick Russell 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Ally Smith:
    > Cheers for doing that stats again Nick, and nice one on doing Western Gully in lean conditions.

    Thanks - it was definitely the hardest winter route I've climbed. I'd bailed off it a couple of years ago, well before the crux, in similar conditions so good to tick off some unfinished business.

    > S - Car trouble the night before stopped me from getting out winter climbing in Wales

    If it's any consolation, it was pretty warm on Sunday (6C according to the BMC). Some people say they still got stuff done but I'm not convinced it would have been good.
     mattrm 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    > I heard that it's 'in' but not particularly fun... lots of unconsolidated snow.

    Well that definitely makes me feel better about having given it a miss. Thanks
     biscuit 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Ally Smith:
    That weird 7a+ is my favourite route atm!
    Repeating it would lead to sore fingers though - crimpy.
     0.5viking 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:
    I’d like to join as well to keep motivation up.
    Little background: Started climbing 1.5 years ago. Last autumn my housemate got a trainings schedule of a former European bouldercup competitor, which contained two days climbing, one day off and on the second climbing day strength training. What he’d forgot to tell me was that it was quite sensitive for injuries without too much climbing experience (he’s climbing for 5 years), so although I quickly progressed through the grades, got stuck with a golfers elbow, shoulder injury and a snapped pully.. Back on the horse since December now trying to keep things going.

    STG (2weeks): Boulder 6C indoor
    Lead more
    MTG (summer): climb more outside
    steady climb grade 6 outdoors (Norwegian grade)
    weight: 68/70 kg
    LTG (end of the year): climb a grade 7- or 7 outside
    Lead OS grade 6 indoor (though grading indoor is a bit soft, maybe 6+/7-)

    Last week: weight 75,4 kg
    M: outside bouldering working on a 6A and 6A+/B
    T: 15 minutes of running (excl. warmup/cooldown) 9.5 km/h, incline 3
    W: outside bouldering ticked the 6A and 6A+/B (A+ is guidebook, B user grade, I think A+ suits)
    T: outside bouldering working 6A and 6B, managed all the moves on both except top out (sloper+heelhook)
    F: 40 minutes running (excl. warmup/cooldown) 10 km/h
    S: Indoor bouldering: worked on a balance blue (medium) route, didn’t go it
    Tried a new 6C, managed all the moves second go without the last move
    S: interval training 1,2,3,2,1 (minutes) at 12 km/h, 1 minute 8 km/h rest in between


     Kevster 09 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Thanks Nick,

    Good week for me, mostly because I got outside on a fantastically beautiful day and managed to do OK too. Cheers MrChewy for that!

    Tues: Indoors leading. Did the 7b first go. Therefore its soft. Also tidied up a couple of others which I didn't do so well on before. They also set a 7c, crimpy little number. All the moves except one sorted. But I think it'll take a while to get it all in. An indoors goal there. I'm liking the new route setters style.

    Sunday: Plantation bouldering. As I don't boulder much, was really pleased with getting NTBTA. The start has scuppered me in the past. Though I got a bit of fear higher up and needed the pads, before getting it clean. I think I may need to polish the style though, a bit scrappy. Did a few others in the F6's too. Such a nice day to be outside. Thin fingers today.

    This week: Probably only get indoors once. So will have to settle with that!

    Thanks all, looks like others have been having fun too! keep it up!
     Spengler 10 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Thanks Nick. Currently in Spain, and the weather is good! Will update on the trip next week.

    Last week:
    A slightly easier week to recover a bit for Spain next week. So just one climbing session, and then a finger benchmarking session as described on the crusher holds website. Nice to see reasonable gains on every finger and grip here. Sometimes with the idiosyncrasies of indoor grading its hard to tell if you're improving.

    M - 1 Hour core strength work. Quite a bit stronger on this set of exercises compared to when I started them around 7 weeks ago. Time for a change up I think.
    T - Rest
    W - Wall. Short routes session. Up to 6c.
    T - Finger benchmarking.
    F - Rest. BAMFF
    S - Rest
    S - Alicante flight
     Ian Rock 10 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Cheers Nick, didn't manage the Parkrun last week - mate wanted to climb and could only make Saturday morning. Hopefully doing it this week though!

    M - Cycle commute. Walk.
    T - Cycle commute. Climbing - unstructured indoor routes. Social meetup, grades 3-5+. Just messing around really.
    W - Cycle commute. Walk.
    T - Cycle commute. Running, 8.2km. Initially tried to keep HR below 80% but 3km were up a continuous hill and decided to push my thresholds by not dropping my pace instead. Blooming icy on the paths.
    F - Cycle commute.
    S - Climbing. Indoor routes - good session practising footwork and pushing grades. Got straight up a steadily overhanging 5+ only to fail getting both hands on the last hold. Also managed to complete the majority of a thin, crimpy, slightly slabby 6a - again though, the top 4 or so moves were beyond me.
    S - Long walk cross country.

    A re-look at my goals for 2015....

    • Climb F6a and V2 indoors. Although it is only a step up of 1 or 2 grades, they feel a million miles away at the moment and I suspect this is going to take a whole year. 6a is tantalisingly within my grasp, V2 is not, mentally given up on bouldering - I need to 'man the **** up'!

    • Manage a static pull up (or two) and climb anything overhanging - nowhere near in technique or strength at the moment. Haven't practised pull up at all, looking back I've had plenty of off days to practice. I WILL DEFINITELY get the overhang by next FC!!!

    • Complete a sprint triathlon. Should be doing 1/3 of this on Saturday as practice.

    • Start trad climbing / leading easy stuff outside. Going this spring.



     flopsicle 10 Feb 2015
    In reply to Ian Rock:

    There's a YouTube clip called 'improve your climbing' about 14 minutes long that's very good re overhangs. On my phone so being tech thick I can't give the link!
     Ian Rock 10 Feb 2015
    In reply to flopsicle:

    Cheers flopsicle, exactly what I need! I'd figured out that getting my hips close to the wall was a lot easier, but the other info will be a great help. Looking forward to practising those move sequences!
     Dandan 10 Feb 2015
    In reply to Ian Rock:

    Depending on the setting of specific moves, you *should* be able to get up an overhanging 6a without bending your elbows, so don't feel like the pull up is an essential benchmark.
    As you have figured out, getting your hips close and dropping/bending the inside knee will allow you to twist your body, getting one shoulder closer to the wall and giving you the reach to get the next hold without bending the arm you are holding on with. If your grip can hold out you should be able to get through a steep 6a without any biceps at all!
     Dandan 10 Feb 2015
    In reply to 0.5viking:

    Welcome, is your Norwegian grading the same as the German (UIAA) grading system? Just trying to get a handle on the difficulty.
     0.5viking 10 Feb 2015
    In reply to Dandan:

    Thanks! It isn´t completely the same, but they do look quite similar, but the UIAA grading goes ´faster´after grade 5, so for a norwegin 5+ UIAA would call it a VI- according to my guidebook. I can't really comment if it's correct since I only climbed a UIAA III on a ridge in the alps. In french grades a norwegian 6 would be f6a+ and a norwegian 7 would be f6c.
     Humperdink 11 Feb 2015
    In reply to Nick Russell:

    Thanks Nick - next race was last Saturday! You can't go wrong with this for motivation (although no climbing in it) : youtube.com/watch?v=WxOFvpplvAM& there are lots of versions - this one is a bit American in the clips.

    M: am - run to work 4.5M in 33:05, pm -run home, felt good 9.2M in 59:33 (approx 6:30 miling)
    Tu: am jog to work 1.5M, lunchtime - session 1x5min, 2x4min, 3x3min, 4x2min, 5x1min all off half rep recovery - killer! ran well though, pm - 4.5M run home in 32:45 - tired!
    W: battered from session on Tuesday! am - 4.5M to work in 32:55, pm - run home 7/8M in 52:43 tired
    Th: am run to work 4.5M in 32:58 then had a late night out - opps!
    F: Tired from lack of sleep but legs finally feeling better. Lunchtime - 7/8M steady in 48:14
    Sa: pm - League XC race incorporating the British Athletics cross challenge (national series of races). Felt a bit tired but ok. The race went off hard and manged to come through quite well to finish 18th overall and 3rd in the local league race. Was around 2mins behind the winner who represented GB at the European XC. Then ran around supporting the wife who had a good run and is starting to finally get some form back 11/12M total

    You can see a video with the wife having a starring role and a quick bit with me on the startline : youtube.com/watch?v=GcQaABj26JY&

    Su: Pretty tired but still managed 15M in 1:49:19

    Good week overall, ~80M. One more hard week then an easier week culminating in the National XC Champs..... the big one!

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