UKC

This first episode of our lockdown training panel discussion features Neil Gresham, Maddy Cope and Louis Parkinson talking about motivation for training during lockdown.

I really enjoyed this discussion and got a lot out of it. 

Really enjoyed this.  Three very articulate and thoughtful climbers offering wide-ranging views on the current situation that we're all in.  There's plenty of high quality advice and insight in this one-hour discussion that should endure well beyond lockdown.

Great to have a balance of male/female perspectives as well.

Lots more of this kind of thing please!

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the comments. 

Next week's episode is on fingerboarding - if you've got any questions for Neil, Maddy or Louis feel free to get in touch and we'll get them answered on the show.

Nick

Hi Nick

I have a question that I think would be interesting (hopefully!).

I have always thought that fingerboarding was discouraged until you reach a certain grade. In my head this was maybe around V5/6, though I’m not sure where I got this from. I have personally got to V5 ish with just climbing a lot - and no fingerboarding whatsoever, though to progress above this I would need to work on my sloper strength for example. 
 

Is this view generally still held? It was definitely the prevailing view at my local wall maybe 4 or 5 years ago. Obviously because we can’t actually climb inside atm it’s not possible to progress in this way, but I think the general message was that with fingerboarding you’re more likely to injure yourself/ it doesn’t really benefit you that much if you can’t climb at a certain grade.

I don’t actually have any sources to quote - just general hearsay and chat! Would be good to know whether this is actually right or not!

This was great content. Can't wait for more like this.

But thanks for this discussion.. if you're not motivated then training is tough

I think the general consensus is coming around to the dangers of fingerboarding being one of form and volume. The advantages of fingerboarding can be found at lower levels of strength, possibly 60-70% of max. 

The big advantage of fingerboarding is the control over load and risk. You can apply just the right amount of load in the best and safest way (i.e. never fall off) which makes it way better than pushing yourself on a systems board or crimpy boulder. 

The problem is that most people who haven't climbed much perhaps don't have the self awareness to stay in control or perhaps try to go full throttle in power and volume.

I'm no expert though - just repeating what I've read with some common sense thrown in.