UKC

I have very little money at the moment due to being a student, as such I can only afford to go to the bouldering wall once a week. Usually I absolutely kill myself, and don't leave until I can barely open the car door.
Is this a good idea? I know it will be a week before I go to the wall again so I don't need anything in reserve but is it actually better to leave with a little bit left to give? I always fully recover by the next week

In reply to todo1998:

I would say that's ok provided you don't push yourself to the point you lose form completely and end up risking injury.

Also, can you do any climbing specific training in between you weekly wall sessions?

In reply to todo1998:

Is it the cost of admission that is stopping you or the travel?

IME once a week visits are about the break even point for purchasing a membership at most walls. As a student you are likely to be entitled to some form of concessionary rate and a membership might just be the key to more regular visits.

In reply to timjones:

It is £7.50 per session for student peak entry
£55 for a month's pass

In reply to todo1998:
I sanded down some lengths of wood and cut them into different size shapes, then screwed them to some wooden beams in my studio (you could do it anywhere stable really) and left a chalk ball next to it, i even added some to the wall.

When i'm waiting for things like the kettle or a delivery i either practice hanging, moving around, 3/4 finger chin ups, or i pop my legs up onto the wall holds and practice overhang clipping with a long wait beforehand to mimic hunting for the right cam or nut or quickdraw etc.

Every little helps and i feel my overhang game is getting better..

Anyway, this is just one example you can keep your game up for free, hope it helps!

In reply to Skyfall:

I am trying to but limited resources there too. I've made some pinch blocks as that's the hold I'm weakest on. Tiny crimpy things are what I like but big slopers etc. I really struggle with, especially on overhangs

In reply to todo1998:

Sell the car?

In reply to Exile:

Exactly. A student who can afford to run a car isn't exactly short of money.

In reply to todo1998:

Not a good idea, road to injury in my opinion. Much better to stop the moment you notice your performance starts to deteriorate. There's no use exercising with flawed form due to over exhausting yourself in a session.

In reply to todo1998:

I'll chuck this at you the other way. £55 a month for a place you can go to train, make friends and relax as much as you want?

Looking back, as a student, I wish I'd spent less on booze and awful club entries and more on climbing.

I do, however, appreciate it is alot of money!

In reply to todo1998:
Where do you live? Some towns have pretty good outdoor artificial boulders, perhaps you can get onto some real rock, or ukbouldering has a board share directory (although you'll probably want to be fairly experienced for the last one.
Also you can do a lot of training with a pull up bar and a piece of timber with an edge above a doorframe.

In reply to todo1998:

also, where on earth charges so much per month?

In reply to JamieSparkes:

This- even the Castle isn't this much per month

In reply to todo1998:

You'll probably find that 55 is cash for just one month. Pay ddebit monthly and it'll be around 40, and you can usually cancel whenever u want?... / usually not tied to an anual contract.

I used to do this a lot (destroy myself at the wall that is; I was climbing 2-4x/wk).

Ok for a bit, and it improves your ability to do lots of climbing, and the volume helps your technique. As others have said, definitely stop before you get sloppy with footwork or movement, both to prevent ingraining bad habits and to avoid injury.

But I reckon you don't gain top end strength this way. If you pull harder and stop fresher you'll likely gain more strength IMO. And for bouldering that's more likely to push up your grade than gaining endurance.

Having said all that, it's unlikely you'll make much progress going once a week so perhaps do whatever you enjoy the most!

In reply to Exile:

No car, I get lifts with friends or get the bus. I'm not asking for money saving advice, I know that I can only afford to go once a week, the question was about whether I should train until exhaustion or not

In reply to O'Donopoo:

I don't really know you however I would do a couple of lifestyle changes to be able to afford more climbing. E.g.

Are you drinking at all? Cut the booze, a couple of pints will mean a session to get you closer to your dream routes.

Do you buy prepared food? Reduce it and cook most of your meals and you can easily save 10 quid a week if not more.

Shop at Aldi or Lidl if possible. It is considerably cheaper.

Then again I don't really know you so I might be talking rubbish. Happy training!

In reply to O'Donopoo:

Personally I climb till I'm absolutely wrecked but I'm hardly an expert coach. I don't honestly think it will make a big difference though provided you stay injury free. Definitely stop if you tweak a finger or similar.

If you want to climb harder grades then some home taught yoga and a homemade fingerboard do masses. Dirt cheap as well.

In reply to zmv:

Cheers for the help but I probably drink about 1 pint a month, I'm living at home (by student I meant A Levels) so don't buy food. I can't buy a direct debit which is cheaper as I'm leaving for Uni soon (hopefully) but on the plus side, I'm off to Bangor uni so my climbing troubles will very likely be over soon

In reply to O'Donopoo:

Tennis elbow beckons...

In reply to O'Donopoo:

Get fit, don't stress on climbing fit. If you are off to uni, focus on...

Run, pull ups, dead lifts, rowing machine, push ups, ride a bike, swim. Mix it up. Do these things until you think you are doing well, then go harder. Don't go hard hard same body part day after day.

Eat well. Sleep.

But I started uni in '94... physiology might have changed since then.
LD

In reply to O'Donopoo:

Respect for your hard training, and generally it is ok to push yourself as long as you don't get injured.
I know climbers who got persistent injuries and had to stop all together.
Keep an eye on fingers/elbows/shoulders and do physio exercises as needed.

I am happy for others to correct me on this, but I think the normal recovery from training is:
Next day: Weaker due to small tears in muscles etc
2-4 days: body recovers and then makes you a bit stronger for next time
5-7 days: body decides you didn't mean it and removes the extra bits

This means if you wait a week then much of the gain you got from training will disappear.
If you can train twice a week then you will see a big difference.
If you can't go to a wall then a fingerboard/pull-up/weights session in between your wall sessions would really help.
It may also be worth having a "hard week" where you do a midweek session every now and again.

Good luck with it all,

Robert