In reply to beardy mike:
> But bouldering?
Yes, bouldering. The whole reason it came into conception in the first place (before becoming a discipline in its own right) was as training for routes. It is massively beneficial to practice harder moves in isolation in order to be able to execute them on a route.
I've heard so many people make the whole 'bouldering is boring, I've never got on with it' statement. What they usually mean is that they've never spent more than a few sessions focusing on it and therefore never saw the benefits. The more you do it, the stronger you will get and the more fun it will become as your ability grows.
Bouldering isn't a 'cool activity' for the kids, it's a powerful tool for growing your climbing ability. Without it you will IMO seriously struggle to gain the necessary power for routes in the 7th grade.
> Will get back on the bike in the early spring for aerobic training for the mountains and to trim off some weight...
Ironically this likely won't make much if any difference to your climbing. Aerobic gains made from cycling won't benefit your climbing as they aren't specific enough - the training needs to involve the muscle groups used in climbing working together in an aerobically intense environment - hence the laps on easier ground to help get your aero systems working without being hard enough that it tips over into AnCap. Plus cycling will recruit muscle mass to your legs, at least partially offsetting any weight you might lose.
> That's the trouble with training for me - if I find it dull I just don't have the will power!
Well, that's the deal. Just like anything else in life, if you want to achieve something you have to put in the grind. You have to want the end result. Do you want to climb harder, as you said earlier?
> This year I'd like to get to 7a consistently, 7a+ redpoint and 7b on a bloody good day.
Sounds like you do. Training is pretty simple IMO. Put something in, you'll get something back. If you put nothing in, guess what you're going to get?
If you're not psyched to try hard and challenge yourself in areas of weakness (where all the biggest gains are made!) then I recommend you just enjoy the climbing that you can manage right now. But if you're keen to push yourself and hit a new level of difficulty then it's important to mentally commit.
Friends are very helpful in this regard! Are your mates interested in pushing themselves as well? Maybe they'll be up for doing your training with you? And if the local wall is a bit of a mission then maybe invite them round to your place and get on the fingerboard together. Get some info off the internet and maybe the beastmaker app and have a mess around. You'd be surprised how much you manage. Some of my best sessions have been having fun with friends on a system board or campus board etc, just seeing what we can do.
P.S I agree with the above - if you can consistently onsight 7a I'd be expecting a fairly regular 7a+ onsight and 2nd or 3rd go on 7b redpoint. Indoors, that is.
Hope this helps