UKC

A new thread is posted each week on Sunday for anyone to jot down their previous week's activity. UKC fit club is a rich community with posters sharing their goals, noting successes and failures and offering support to those struggling to maintain motivation. Anyone interested in starting is very welcome to join, but to get the most of UKC fit club 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 and drive you towards achieving your goals whatever the level of your chosen activity.

The following training article by Alex Barrows gives an excellent breakdown on training the four main "energy systems" specific to climbing:- http://alexbarrowsclimbing.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/training-for-sport-climbi...

For those wanting to find out more about training for climbing a number of physical training articles are linked here:- http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=274502  

Last weeks post - https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/walls+training/ukc_fit_club_week_687-7194...

Psyche video - Suggestions please?

Sorry about last week, but my internet took a dive for the whole weekend, so I wasn't able to stat.  Big thanks to AJM for stepping in.

Posters:

Somerset swede basher - Congrats on the return to rock.  Nice ticks.  Hope that you've recovered ok from your illness?

AJM - John Kettle was saying that 10 minutes of mobility training has helped him massively, so sounds like a good idea.

Si dH - Glad to hear you'r back out on rock.  Hope you've had a good week?

Cyan - Bonus run for the win.  Great to hear you'r keeping active.

Ally Smith - Sounds like a full on Saturday.  All recovered now.  Was Dark Ark worth it?  I hope the board is well christened now.

Tom Green - Lots of great stuff there.  Well done on the STG ticks.  The hill run sounds lovely.  Did the E4 go this week?

the sheep - The duathlon and time trial sound cool.

AlanLittle - Lots of good climbing there.  Must be nice to be out.

Steve Jones - Good progress on the Wainwrights.  How's the foot this week?

Rebecca - Hope you're ok.  How's the wall going?

mattrm - Less DIY, more running and the like.  Try for DQS scores this week.

Thanks Matt.

Monday - stretching/flexibility class again, this time shoulders.

Tuesday - campus day. For some reason despite having had a pretty restful day the prior day it just didn’t come together. Lacking a bit of zip and fingers felt a bit creaky. Decided to sack it and have a short session fairly early on. After a microsulk about the whole thing, I decided to get out in the garden, and fashioned myself an edge for rung 2.5. Quite pleased with it in the end. It’s quite small - 17mm thick scrap wood - but I’ve cut an angle into the top of it so it is very slightly incut rather than flat (to the ground - it’s maybe 20 degrees incut mounted to a 15deg overhanging board) and the radius on the edge is a lot tighter than on the rungs which makes it feel a bit better - but hopefully rounded enough not to be skin shreddy...

Wednesday - pull-up day. 5x5 wide @90.5 - tick!

Thursday - children up early and a busy day at work: “rest”?

Friday - wall class on lower body conditioning. I’d love to say that it was a planned decision for it not to be campus day but eventually I reached a point in the day when it was clear there wasn’t time for it to be campus day any more - a process of distraction rather than a choice! 

Saturday - campus day. A good session with several successes on 2.5-4-6 and 2.5-5-6. Rung 2.5 is quite positive compared with the others and is probably the last hold I can hang reasonably straight armed under before I become very bunched - the full 2-x-6 pull through will definitely be a step above still but it’s definitely a very useful progression to try to consolidate on. In some ways because of the more positive start rung it’s not really any harder than just the (2,x)-6 pull through itself - the extra move is negated by the slightly easier pull through and more incut rung. Also for the first time managed to bump 3-4-5-6-5-4-3 (I.e. one hand moving, the other hand stays still) which is hard on the way down as you’ve got to stop the drop down really quickly coming down onto 4 and 3 to avoid dabbing. Also shoulder presses @32kg, 3 sets of varying reps but average about 8, and a few km of walking between a park trip and a walk to settle microAJM 

Sunday - pull-up day. 91.5kg wide grip, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4. Also bout 5km walking trying unsuccessfully to get microAJM to sleep.

A good week. Got one more week and then it’s all change - I go on Shared Parental Leave at the start of June and miniAJM goes back to nursery 2 days a week. I’m going to be working 1 day a week still but am hoping this gives me the opportunity for some outdoor climbing. It’s nearly dws season now and there’s also bouldering I could do. I’m also going to take it as a change to mix up the training s bit, maybe work one offset pull-ups for a bit and switch back to fingerboard after a block of campusing.

STG: 

- solidify the 1-x-5 pull through variants, start working the full 1.5-x-5 ladders [decent progress on the 1.5-x-5 ladders, perhaps more so than just the pull through]

- 5x5@90kg wide grip pull-ups [tick. 92kg next?]

- one more week until I hopefully get to go outdoors again - campus until then, then time to switch things up I reckon.

- start using the crack trainer again to work on skills

- continue archer rows and antagonist/stretching [shoulder presses]

- do some of the online wall classes [did one on shoulder flexibility and one on lower body conditioning]

MTG:

- 70kg one arm assist on the 20mm edge

- 5x5 @95kg

- solidify 1-3-5, 1-2-5, 1-4-5 campus despite bunched positions

- ladder the 15mm extra small rungs

Thanks Matt. Pretty good week thanks, not pushing too hard. Hoping to get outside somewhere again tomorrow for a brief play. I suspect it's going to be hot again though, you'll see a theme below!

M: rest

T: afternoon off and took Sol out to Brownstones for a play. It was really baking in the sun so I just did a few easy problems and then we had an explore. I got sunburnt!

W: rest

T: board session in the afternoon. It was ok but very hot. Weirdly I felt quite strong on the pinches but found the heat problematic on crimps. Fingertips felt quite sore.

F: rest

S: board session in the afternoon again. Felt pretty good although didn't manage of the ongoing projects I have built up (there are now three, two of which are hard but should be doable and the other of which is really hard.) I did a much more extensive shoulder warmup/mobility session before getting on the board, which seemed to work quite well. I also tried my new liquid chalk for the first time. Seemed to work well. It's good to reduce dust creation in the garage.

S: A long walk this morning and some TRX this afternoon.

Si

Hi All, hope you've had a good week training, or even ticking goals? Thanks for the stats Matt -glad the internet's healed!

Half decent week for me...

Week 21: 

M: Rest.

T: Climbing. Shunt sesh at Nesscliffe (Marlene in the Corner (E5 6a) in three overlapping sections -moves felt fine but quite sustained and would feel pretty bold on lead). Decent strength sesh in the evening: Max Hangs +3.75kg; Pull-ups BW 5x5; TRX Crimpd Compressions).

W: Hill run. 7km, 330m vert gain, 7:48/km -felt amazing to get some untracked uphill in, but feel crazy weak on steep climbs. I guess its only the second bit of uphill since coming back from Cham in mid-March.

T: Board sesh. Boulder triples; Circuits min-on/min-off x10. 

F: Climbing. Shunt sesh at Nesscliffe (back on Imagination (E4 6a)). Arrogantly expected to cruise it after doing all the moves last week but was climbing terribly. Greased off and cricked my neck. Also elbows felt sore and footwork was terrible. Maybe yesterday's board sesh had taken a bit much out of me? Or maybe just a bad day?!

S: Neck/back really sore from yesterday. Max hangs (+3.75kg) and Elbow prehab to salvage the day.

S: Hill run. 15.1km, 683m vert gain, 7:33/km. Absolutely banging run on largely untracked, springy turf. Still hardwork on the uphill but fighting upwards feels so good after two months of tedious road running.

Week 22:

Still need to sort a rack so I can do heavy squats.

165min Z1

30min Z3

2 Core sessions

2 General strength sessions

3 Climbing sessions (3 Aerocap; 3 Strength or Ancap)

2 Prehab sessions

STG (End May):

Max Hangs 75kg total (TICK!)

Weighted Pull-Ups 90kg total 3RM (Ticked original goal of 85kg total)

Squat 70kg 3RM (waiting on rack)

Deadlift 85kg 3RM (currently 78kg)

3 sets of core circuit. (currently 2).

5-on, 3-off x3 on circuit board.

MTG (End Aug):

Use CV as an excuse to toprope some of those routes I've always been too proud to headpoint ('I may get good enough for the onsight one day' etc etc!) -clean ascents of Marlene (E4 6a) Sex and Casual Ties (E3 6a) 

Eliminator (V4) Yates' Layaway (f6B+)

Run the Stretton Skyline

Hi Matt, 

Welcome back! This week I've been amazed at how resilient the human body can be. Cyan was right and my negative Covid19 result turned out to be a false negative (got retested). I never had a cough and the temperature was pretty short lived at the end of last week but fatigue was dominant symptom with me sleeping 15hrs a day last weekend. At the start of this week my chest was really tight and I felt out of breathe even stationary in bed. Mid week I was OK when still but out of breathe just moving around the house. By friday I was feeling loads better and able to go for a short walk. This eve I've been out for a 15min boulder at  Reddicar Clough just to test the water and it was OK as long as I waited for my heart rate to calm down between goes. Given that Covid19 symptoms vary from nothing to death, I am very grateful that mine seem to have been short lived even if I was a little scared a week ago. Hoping to get out for short and reasonably gentle bouldering in evenings this coming week and hopefully strength and fitness should feel like it's coming back quickly. 

Cheers Matt trying to be positive but it’s tough this week. My wife has had a mammogram and lots of biopsies taken. It’s now a long wait for results 

Have run a few times but apart from anger and tears whilst out it’s not been good 

STG: Vary my post-quarantine training to include more general strength & mobility. 
      Weight back down to pre-lockdown level
MTG: Autumn Kalymnos trip? Do a beginner ski tour in spring 2021
LTG: Be a confident, well rounded low to mid 7's sport climber by 2021. For measurable definition see Fit Club 658

Tbh I'm finding the ability to move freely in the mountains, and see views other than the one from my living room window, more rewarding at the moment than trying to stand two metres away from other people at a busy sport crag. So this turned into a deload week for the fingers, though not for the legs.

M: 75 minutes box step-ups.    
T: 
W: Token max hangs
T: Virtual DIY Club - wrote a little screen scraper to log, track (and eventually predict when I've accumulated enough data) the number of lockdown-limited free places at my local climbing walls.
F: Hillwalking Club, Kreuzspitze. Second visit to the idyllic Ammergau Alps.   
S: 40 minutes stretching & mobility, including Shauna's shoulder routine.
S: More Ammergau hillwalking. Realised that I have in fact set foot in this range before, a few years ago on one of the handful of snowboard tours that I did before deciding to learn to ski instead.

That's $hit - got my fingers crossed for you.

Week 21

M – Got a bit carried away; 7x Moonboard benchmarks 6C to 7B. After an hour my elbows were a bit grumbly so stopped. Did 30min yoga with my wife, cooked dinner, then back out to the garage for Crimpd pinch block test: 20kg was a new PB; even got close at 21kg with right, but a fair way off with left. Crimpd “Dead-pinch”:“Max” @18.5kg which was mostly successful. Finally, 3x10 bench @55kg.

T – After work ride to attempt KOMs on Alderley Cobbles with CXer. Got one, off by 2s on another. Evening Compex: Core & brachialis.

W – Pre-BBQ board session. Warmed up with some 6B+’s then 4x 7A+ (2x flash), 2x 7B, 2x 7A, 2x 6B+ warm-down. Much less elbow grumble. 6x15 bench @35kg.

T – Tried to quickly fit in some tendon density hangs, but quickly realised

A) I wasn’t warmed up properly and

B) my right shoulder was having a grumble and

C) Lock-down CBA was in full effect.

Ride: 18km at a gentle pace with my wife; then split off for final 7km and mashed the pedals hard.

F – Another session on the board. Getting in the swing of things now. 5x 6B+ to warm-up. 3x 7A+ to get fired up, then browsed my way through the 7Cs looking for something that wasn’t stupid jumping. Found 2 potential candidates. 3x 6C+ to warm-down. Evening Compex on core & groin.

S – Brief warm-up on the board, then did Crimpd aero-power repeaters 12x 7on/3off at bodyweight (7kg more intense than app said, but much less faffy with no pulley). Managed to fight my way through majority of 6 sets. During rest intervals, got my mini crimpers (4mm!) set-up and started setting a juggy down-climb/aero-cap circuit on the moonboard. 3x8 @60kg bench. Quite hard – feeling very inconsistent on the bench press number for the last couple of weeks.

S – 7mile local walk.

Thank you, we will get the results next week so indeed fingers crossed!

Sorry to hear that.  Hope things are ok.

Thanks Matt. Must. Do. Post!!

Last week flew past without me getting around to posting. Thanks for the encouragement AJM. I figured it was better just to keep moving as much as I can for as long as I can for my mind and my body. It's been fine so far, I think I have been very lucky feeling so good throughout the whole pregnancy. If I didn't have a bump I'm not sure I'd know, I'd just think I was even more rubbish at everything! Some runs are better than others, but I have slowed down a lot in the last couple of weeks as it's been so hot and I've just become lazy.

I have found that some days I think I can't run anymore and other days are slow but I just feel really good so I keep attempting it and just playing it by ear. Haven't been very diligent at keeping up with any gym workouts or finger work but I don't feel super motivated at the moment with that and am also trying to get in as much paid work as possible before maternity leave kicks-in.

Mon, tues, thurs, sat, sun: rest

Weds: run, 21:38 min, 2.64km/ 1.64miles, (8:12min/km) - got quite painful stomach cramp after around a mile and walked home

Lower body workout with Catalyst climbing - lots of squats etc.

Fri: went out for a run with Guy and we just walked instead 1:27:21 min, 7.53km/ 4.68miles, (11:36min/km)

I have also been walking quite a lot most days but haven't paid much attention to it for reporting purposes. Just been getting out in the sunshine.

Finished! Just forgot to order footholds... 

Jenga set off eBay... fifty footholds for a tenner!

STG - 14st / 30 minute 5k

MTG - Goblin Girl (6b) 6c at Navigation, then WFD

LTG - ???

Weight - 15st

M - Push ups
T - S - Rest

Mostly just finishing up the last of the DIY and a load more gardening.  Lots of stuff to tidy up.  Diet still horrific.  Sleep has been awful, so there's been no motivation to go for a run in the evenings.