UKC

I've been trying to make the most of lockdown by some form of structured training (max hangs and various anaerobic things) so far so good the gainz (I believe this is the correct terminology the kids are using) have been good and I couldn't believe how strong I was after the October lockdown when I whent back to the wall. However, I've been going at it since christmas but in the last week I seem to be actually getting weaker! I even had a few days off this week but couldn't hang the weight I could 2 weeks ago today and can't complete the amounts of sets I was either. Firstly,  is this normal? Is this a periodistion thing? Should I take some time off the board? And if so how long? I need somthing to fill the howling void of tedium and despair this winter has become.

Are you taking lighter weeks?

Effective training requires you to work hard enough to create an overload that forces your body to adapt but it also requires sufficient nutrition, rest and sleep for those adaptations to occur.

An individual weak session is not necessarily a problem, there are all sorts of reasons why you might perform badly for one session. But if it continues for multiple sessions, that is a sign that something isn't right in your recovery. If you don't change things, a sustained plateau and/or injury is likely.

Most people schedule a lighter week in to their training plans after every 3 or 4 weeks.

Other things to consider:

- Are you getting enough good quality sleep?

- Are you fuelling enough before and after training sessions? Are you eating enough protein and getting a balanced diet?

- Have you had a recent increase in volume or intensity of any of your training?

- Any external stressors? Additional stress? Working longer hours than usual? Kids stopping you sleeping? Is your body tired from other sports like running or cycling?

Cheers, it's been several sessions now and my routine has been pretty set so I don't think its external factors. I've been going at it pretty hard (for me as I hate training) for 5 weeks now. I'm normally (when allowed outside) a very active person so I'm surprised that a hour or so a night has worn me down.  Would it make sense to perhaps ditch the board for a while and focus on something else?

What type of board to you have? Wooden boards can be quite “conditions” dependent. A change in the weather can knock you back. Tying in with that is the condition of your skin. You may have built up thick skin which is dry, unsupple and slippy. Recently I had a bad session and it turned out to be due to lack of chalk! Mid way through the next session I topped up the chalk bag and got an instant increase in strength.  

More likely though you’ve just hit a plateau on that protocol and it’s time to do something new.

I wouldn't underestimate how intense an hour on the fingerboard is, especially if you're not used to training and you're exerting maximal effort (physically and neurologically). After 5 weeks, I'd generally be looking to have a rest week, which might be around 30-50% of the volume of a normal training week. You should aim for the lower end (30%) given your lower 'training age', as a generalisation. 

For example, if you've been doing 1 max hang and 2 repeaters per week, I'd suggest having one lower intensity repeaters session, with some easy conditioning too, assuming you've also been doing that regularly for the last 5 weeks. Then you can return to your normal schedule the week after. 

A cumulation of fatigue will at best lead to a performance slump (as you've experienced) or a plateau, and at worst will lead to injury or burnout.

If a rest week doesn't help, then I'd definitely revisit the questions that SDM posed, as there might be an external factor causing extra fatigue. If this still doesn't help, then it might be time to change your routine up with different loads or sessions. 

It's a really old metoleous simulator, I've actually had it for 15 years, but never learnt to properly us it! I can definitely see the advantages of wooden boards though, I've developed some big calluses

Thanks that's really useful, I was prepared for a plateau, it's the drop in performance  that shook me. I tried to have a week off this week but got bored and ended up with half arsed sessions instead. I never thought I would need discipline to stop training, it's funny what lockdown will do!

You don't necessarily need to stop, but you do need to deload. 'Gainz' come from supercompensation - and you actually get stronger outside the gym.

Make sure you keep notes of workouts. Work off percentages of your RM, and test your RM every 6 - 12 weeks as you need to look at progressive overlosd which only comes from diallinv up the stimulus.

Do you measure your own weight as well as the weight you’re adding? It may be that total weight is actually on the same level as previous hangs despite the added weight being lower?!

I think the first thing you should do is to find your weaknesses. There are several tests like https://test4climbing.com, so you can estimate what is the missing link to send harder. 

ho hum ! I put my failure to complete my sets down to having got fat.

Better to work with total weight for sessions to eliminate this variability in body weight IMO.