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...     also this - https://www.instagram.com/p/CEGfCg7DbkK/?igshid=4a1o55jwpus2

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

And for those looking for more theoretical background, there's a useful subject index of published research studies on the Beta Angel project. Not sure how actively maintained if is though. https://beta-angel.com/research/research-inventory/

Psyche Vid: too busy watching the Salt Lake City (2) bouldering semifinals livestream whilst statting to pay attention to other climbing videos. youtube.com/watch?v=DMr4n5vSgVQ& Janja and Tomoa really are another league at the moment. <Spoiler Alert> not every day we get to see Janja fall off a boulder twice though.

Last weeks post - https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/walls+training/ukc_fit_club_week_740-7350...

AJM - decent Dartmoor ticks after the involuntary rest week. Hope the Yorkshire/Lakes trip is off to a good start.

Ally Smith - did you get any bouldering in on the Lakes trip?

BarneyLoosemore - "I suppose the plus side [of board climbing] is it makes other forms of climbing feel relatively straightforward in comparison" - that's pretty much what I'm hoping at the moment too.

biscuit - glad to hear things are looking up again. They must be if you can cope with three weekday bouldering sessions *and* a weekend trad day.

Liam P - solid looking training week. How did the Swanage trip go?

Rebecca Ting - so how's the jumping programme going?

Roadrunner6 - congratulations on an excellent result!

Ross Barker - good luck with the finger rehab. Maybe stay off the monos if you want to have only one finger out of action?

Si dH - congratulations on the family news!

Somerset swede basher - Roche season sounds like it's going well. "Wandered round some woods looking for a crag that turned out to be wet" - ha! I once spent an hour in a wood in the Frankenjura looking for the Gotthardskirche, without success.

the sheep - splash splash. Wedding annniversary dinner sounds nice - life gradually resumes.

Tom Green - we've had the coldest May in thirty-odd years over here too, but it sounds like it hasn't been as dire as in .uk. Hope things pick(ed) up for your last week.

Tyler - the far north west is truly amazing isn't it? Top motivation heading straight back to the wall on the return home.

AlanLittle - good start to the steep board season - now just need to find that delicate balance between enough recovery and enough load.

In reply to AlanLittle:

STG: Frankenjura long weekend coming  up (hopefully, weather permitting). Would be great to get at least one of my numerous previously attempted routes there off the to-do list.
MTG: Complete one of my local (Zellerwand) 7a projects - short, sharp power endurance. Complete Couch to 5k
LTG: Be a confident, well rounded low to mid 7's sport climber by 2021. For measurable definition see Fit Club 658

M: Schönhofen. There's a 6c+ local classic here that I've wanted to try for ages - one of the half dozen or so routes that get three stars in the "Frankenjura Süd" book of sandbags. Turns out I am currently way off the power I need for the bouldery start on small finger pockets. Stil a pleasant enough day - did some other routes, and I now know what I need to work on for this one.

T: rest

W: Wall, Gilching. Moonboard instead of Kilterboard this week, because the wall with the moonboard is in a region with lower covid incidence & no test needed to get in. Mostly the entirely-to-be-expected post lockdown ass kicking, but ended the session with a glimmer of hope as I punted off the last move of a near-flash on the last problem I tried.

T: 

F: Wall, Boulderwelt. Kilter board. Another confirmation - as if any were needed - of the unwisdom of board sessions less than 48 nhours apart for my at my current fitness level.

S: Family outing. Celebrated both my son's 18th birthday and Austria's border reopening with a chauffeured day trip to Innsbruck. Saw posters there for the world cup round in June, am now guiltily half-hoping for a wet weekend so that I have an excuse to go & spectate.

S: Zellerwand. Brutal insta-pumps on a couple of 6b warm-ups, then my proj was being seiged anyway by a couple of other teams so I didn't even get on it. I need to think about priorities, and why these insta-pumps. If trying to board climb twice a week is going to screw up my weekends then I need to dial it back - but once a week isn't going to make me any stronger. Hmm. Focus o real climbing for now, worry about getting stronger when the weather's bad (or during the next lockdown)

Plan for the coming week: four day long weekend Thursday to Sunday - three rest days beforehand would seem to be in order. Hopefully Frankenjura, but if the weather isn't suitable the option of heading south of the Alps is no wopen tu us again. Life resumes, gradually. 
 

In reply to AlanLittle:

Thanks for the write ups Alan

Wasted miles on the wall are the only thing I do get motivated for, unfortunately.

 
M-F: Nothing except daily yoga 4/5 days. Talked myself off my current comfy project for something more interesting and probably more stressful. Drove to Lakes on Friday night. 
S: Sat around the campsite until late morning then decided to go for a run up a handily placed Wainwright (one day I might want to tick them all), turned into a brisk walk up followed by a 20 minute sit down before a gentle jog back to the campsite. Met Nige at 3pm for a Swirl crag session, led a HVS which felt tricky but the only other time I’ve tried to lead trad in the last two years I backed off a HVS so this might be progress of sorts. Abandoned all ethics to top rope an E4 I’d had my eye on for 20 years, something had fallen off recently so might be harder, either way it felt pretty full on, bold to start and then pretty strenuous to place gear above, might not have done it even in my pomp. Seconded a grotty E1 before having to rush to dinner in Keswick

S: Gentle climbing was abandoned in favour of even more gentle rowing on Ullswater followed by a short jaunt up two more outlying Wainwright’s. Ate a week’s worth of calories in Keswick (queue for chippy reached back to Moot Hall so fortunate to find anywhere to eat). 
Not a great climbing week and feet problems persist (particularly on trad routes where most of your weight is on your toes most of the time).

In reply to AlanLittle:

Cheers Alan. Sounds like you had a good week. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to Swanage and had a bit of a ‘mare.

Monday:

Zero motivation to train but forced myself down the wall for a session.

• 6x Boulder Trebles and fell off absolutely everything.
• 4x laps of the 5a Circuit Board (96 moves) and called it a day.

Felt really weak and like I’d hit a plateau - essentially all the signs of overtraining so decided to take the week off.

Wednesday:

Got up from the couch and had the mother off all muscle spasms in my mid-back. Spent all Thursday incapacitated and after a variety of remedies (hot bath, painkillers, NSAIDs, Single Malt) managed to get some sleep. It’s eased off a little but I still have a really localised sore spot on my spinal erector.

The only thing I can think of is that I’ve overdone the Tuck Planche Holds and it’s a strain that has taken a few days to trigger. My abs are strong enough to hold my knees to my chest but my back isn’t strong enough to raise my hips. Definitely a painful way to find out!

I’ll be spending this week doing lots of stretching/prehab in an attempt to -hopefully- rescue next weekend.

In reply to AlanLittle:

Thanks Alan. Insta pump on your warm-up just sounds like it's a bad warm-up!

I'm hoping to do some climbing on the bank holiday tomorrow so will post my week tomorrow night.

In reply to AlanLittle:

Sounds like you had a good week, I wouldn’t angst too much about whether you are doing the right thing in the right order. If you are getting out frequently and trying hard that’ll do

In reply to AlanLittle:

youtube.com/watch?v=L3xHu8c0kPc&

I'm not sure whether it has wider appeal, but I watched it and was left thinking how good it would be to be able to try really hard on sport again. It's been a while since I was able to put any time into anything...

In reply to AlanLittle:

Thanks Alan!

Yeah, so we arrived today - up to the in-laws yesterday and then up here today. Nothing much to report for the week itself - busy tidying off work and packing.

Being 15 min from the crag I took the opportunity to nip out this evening once miniAJM was settled down. Did a few nominally easy problems at Earl Crag. This is a great crag although the tops were a bit scrittly and the ground has a habit of sloping away under all the problems - a combination which left me wishing for company more than once!

I found things tricky, but then it was pleasantly warm so hardly grit conditions and also obviously a style I'm not used to. But I did the superb Warm Up Arete (f5), then after several goes I did Rat Au Vin (f6A+), which is a techy arete, building up to a high foot on some poor holds. Finally did The John Dunne Slap (f6B), which is, as the name suggests, a jump for a big hold. Dynos are not my forte, so weakness working - I could cover the ground fairly easily, but getting my arm to hold it rather than pat it took slightly longer. In general good fun and trying things I am not very good at!

In reply to AlanLittle:

Thanks Alan. Its our new go to dodgy weather crag so been quite a blessing recently!

Mon. 11km run

Tues. 6 sets of repeaters (+4kg), 3x10 shoulder shrugs, 5x5 on the min pull ups, 3x10 press ups.

Wed. Rest.

Thurs. Gypsy buttress eliminates session. Took me ages (nearly 2 hrs?) to do a 7A that I tried at the end of last session then did a 7A+ 3rd go.

Fri rest drive up to North Yorkshire after work. 

Sat. Family visit to  Fell End boulders didn't get that long as it has taken longer than expected to walk the kids up. Did a circuit of font 3-5 of scrittly moorland grit.

Sun. Steady kiddy mtb spin down Swaledale for 15km then back again at speed  on the road bike to get the car while the others stayed sat in the pub. 

In reply to AlanLittle:

Missed my update for last week but nothing spectacular to report. Combined summary - 

• Led Agony Crack (HVS 5a), found it pleasingly straightforward...
• ...Paid for my complacency getting completely shut down getting off the ground on The Mincer (HVS 5b). When I eventually sussed it, was too knackered to do any of the rest of it. Saved for another time.
• Started experiencing a pain in my left hand when doing wrist curls so eased off these and the more intense workouts for a while - took my scheduled recovery week a bit early.
• Visited Climbing Physio in Sheffield to check out the hand - think it's just a strain from poor technique when doing the wrist curls.

Next Week

Recovery week - which has coincided nicely with some decent weather. Scheduled workout volume cut by 50%

• Visit  The Ravenstones
• Some low grade sport to ease back into limestone mode
• Some Limestone Trad -  Chee Dale Lower or  Staden Quarry maybe.
• 10km trail running - useful point to do a heart rate test.

In reply to AlanLittle:

Thanks Alan. 

M: rest

T: forgot to book my usual session at the Hangar until the day before and there were no evening slots left, doh. Instead I did 4x10 second crusher board hangs (half crimp +10kg), followed by a few easier problems on my home board.

W: hip mobility routine in the afternoon.

T:  Quite a big evening session - 5 * 10 second crusher board hangs (half crimp +10kg), 4 * 10 second lattice edge hangs (front 3 open hand + 10kg), 5*4 pull-ups with bodyweight +23kg on the incut edge, 4*10 face pull/overhead press combos, and crimpd floor core.

F:  rest

S: Morning trip to Woodwell to try Not Bad Dave but after a bad night's sleep, on arrival I discovered I just had no power at all. Left after an hour and retreated to the beach with family.

S: rest and more beach

M: family trip to meet AJM and others at Widdop. Just did a few good easy problems in the sun. Too hot to pull hard on small holds but a nice day out.

Si

In reply to AlanLittle:

Hi FitClub, hope you've all made the most of that rare combo of sun and bank hols? Thanks, for continuing your solid run at the stats, Alan.

Sounding like a broken record... last week was pretty useless. Which was the 'new normal' for May. With five weeks of poor training I feel like I've lost a lot of the gains from earlier in the year. This, combined with a new decision to relocate, has led me to rethink my goals a bit. Basically I need to maximise my chances of getting a few local projects done in the next three months before they aren't local!

Week 21:

Lame week again. Just can't realistically fit much in when work is so heavy.

M: Alpine start & finish for work.

T: Alpine start & finish for work.

W: Alpine start but managed to finish early... Shunted Mean Feat (E5 6a) -what a stunning set of moves -the most perfect crimps outside of Wilton! Managed all of the moves first go, then climbed in three overlapping sections, then in two halves. Felt very doable without the worry of being on the sharp end! Think it would be face-meltingly scary in real life though!

T: Alpine start but stopped for a late evening hill run on my way home. Glorious mix of springy hill turf, bog wading and forest trails. 11.7km, 395m vert, 7:08/km. 

F: Prehab -fitted in a quick arms sesh.  

S: Work then drank to excess.

S: Rest.

Week 22:

Think finger strength and real rock technique (mileage, mileage, mileage) are going to be the key to getting my new STGs done. After a poor May, I'm very psyched, so just need to be careful to build slowly to avoid injury.

Climbing x 3

Fingerboard x 2 

Run x 2

Strength and conditioning -have dropped general conditioning out of my last cycle and starting to notice it.

STG (End August):

Max Hang total 85kg

Eliminator (V4) and Yates' Layaway (f6B+) 

Grid Iron (6c) and Jack the Smuggler (7a)

Red Square (E2) and Black Wall Direct (E2 5c)

Edale Skyline and Cheshire Gritstone Trail

2021 Goals:

35 E-points

Run 30km vert and 1000km

In reply to AlanLittle:

Get outta here with your sensible ideas!

Good week last week despite being pretty busy at work and whatnot, productive rehab and a couple o' good sessions. Bit warm though towards the end.

Last Week:

M - Good chat with Biscuit re: finger injury. Trying slightly altered contrast baths for the next few days to see how they feel compared to the usual. PM isometric pulls. Contrast baths.

T - AM and PM isometric pulls. Contrast baths.

W - AM, lunch and PM isometric pulls. Contrast baths.

T - AM isometric pulls. Evening session at Crag B. Carefully repeated crimpy 6B+, tried an outstanding 7Aish project but involves a lock-off on a RH crimp, so in the aim of not ruining my finger I had to leave it. About 45 minutes of nettle gardening to warm up.

F - AM and PM isometric pulls. Contrast baths.

S - Early session at CTW, nothing mega hard but enjoyed the new upstairs stuff, some silly dynos and steep problems.

S - Lunch isometric pulls. Contrast baths.

M - Stanton Moor and Stanton in the Woods. Surprisingly decent conditions despite being very warm indeed. Bashed out a good handful of things 6A to 6C, several of which were flashes, all in all a good day. Had a play on Brad's Arête 'The Presence of Absence' (f6C+) but couldn't get the knack, unsure if it's a commitment issue, bad beta or just bad climber. Finger felt pretty good all day which is very motivating to see. Contrast baths.

Next Week:

T - Rest and rehab.

W - Rest and rehab.

T -  Crag B if the weather is still good. Probably won't actually do much but should be a good time. Rehab.

F - Rest and rehab.

S, S - Day out somewhere? More rehab!

Goals:

Rehabilitate finger.

Suavito.

Tierdrop.

Rigpa.

In reply to AlanLittle:

APPEAL FOR A SHORT TERM VOLUNTEER

Unless the weather takes a dramatic turn for the worse, I'm heading up to the Frankenjura for a long weekend Thursday to Sunday. First time in a year, hurrah!

I'll most likely be getting home late & tired on Sunday evening, so if anybody would like to step & do stats for this week, feel free. Otherwise I'll do them on Monday.

In reply to AlanLittle:

Said he, having not yet watched the final at that point

In reply to AlanLittle:

5 weeks SPL has flown by and I'm now sat back at my desk just as the weather has improved: Boo. The last week of leave was spent in the Lakes.

M – Loughrigg Fell walk with protesting Squiggle in rucksack carrier.

T – Soggy Bowderstone. Managed half a dozen problems 7A-7C avoiding the worst of the damp. Impropa Opera (f7C) being the highlight.

W – Easedale Tarn walk with the lady while g’parents looked after Squiggle.

T – Officially O.L.D. I now qualify for entering Veterans competitions! Family walk along coast of Windermere, then indulgent 4hour dining experience at L’Enclume.

F – Gentle walk around Cartmel, then drive home.

S – 1hr / 30km flat ride.

S – Return to the cave of justice. Chunky links on various projects. 2x new (to me) 7A/B links.

In reply to AJM:

I can’t seem to find your email.
 

if you feel like trying to remember what it’s like I’m heading to Kilnsey on Friday if you’re close. Probs going to get on/off comedy. 

In reply to biscuit:

If you message me on here or on Instagram both work.

Do you think we're likely to see you in the lakes? I might be able to pop by for a quick chat on Friday but probably not much more since I'll have the family in tow - if you reckon there's any odds of seeing you somewhere in the lakes that might be a more family friendly option, but if not then I can try to do Friday at least to say hello...

In reply to AlanLittle:

Thanks, getting back into it this week. Lots of easy running with the dog.

m: 4 mile rail trail run easy whilst my daughter was at gymnastics.

t: afternoon: 3 miles easy on the road. evening 4 mile trail run around a local pond with the dog.

w: afternoon: 3 miles easy. pm: 2 miles with the dog in a thunderstorm on the local mountain.

t: 10.3 miles easy. evening: pm: 2.5 miles with the dog.

f: 3 miles on the road easy. Evening: 4 miles on the local mountain with the dog.

s: 4 miles easy in the morning. pm: 11 miles road run on dirt roads in Maine.

s: 6 mile loop Caribou Mtn in the whites. pm: 7 mile road run on dirt roads.

In reply to AlanLittle:

Cheers Alan.

Good week gone by, mixed it up a bit more which was nice.

Monday, 2km swim at lunchtime and 12km trail run in the evening

Tuesday, 1km swim

Wednesday, 1km swim and 5k evening run

Thursday, 1km swim followed by stretch class

Friday, 1.5km swim

Saturday, rest day after driving a 300mile round trip to the inlaws to look at a caravan!

Sunday, 35km cycle with friends 

In reply to AlanLittle:

I should be able to do it, unless you have had other volunteers.

In reply to AJM:

Thanks but looks like it won't be necessary - the weather forecast for the weekend is atrocious

In reply to AlanLittle:

Ah no! Gutted for you...

In reply to AlanLittle:

That's a good point actually, thanks. I have found this transition period post lockdown very hard to manage for some reason. I do feel i am having to manage my energy very carefully. I have my very delayed Lymes test this week coming. I'm still pretty sure it's not that, but it'll be good to be sure.

I AM going to post on by Tuesday next week. I'm not really keeping a training diary atm and i keep forgetting what i have done if i leave it late.

M - 'Easy' circuits after work: 2 x 6a, 2x 6b, 2x 6b+, 2x 6c. About 30-40 moves per double. 3 min timed rest between this time. Failed on second 6c so about right 

T - Nothing

W - Morning - Boulder up to V6 (soft) went on 45 degree board at BUK. It's impossible. A problem named 'The easiest way up' graded at 6B+ was where i started and finished. Two moves of it were all i could string together. Some asking around provided comments like 'It's the hardest board i've ever been on' 'It's too hard for me' etc from people who boulder in the 8's. The 55 degree is the one to get on so i'll try that next week. 

Evening - 7c circuit. Surprised myself by doing more of this than i thought i would. There's a stopper move at 2/3rds that i can do in isolation but not as part of the circuit. Not sure whether to persevere. It feels very hard after the boulder sesh in the morning.

T - Nothing

F - Attermire - Moonshine Buttress - 6a, 6a+, 6b, 6b+, 6c, 7a (second go - it was an arete and i made a bad route decision), 6c, 6c+. Good day. Enjoyed it. It rained on us all afternoon. Bags etc on the ground got wet but the rock didn't really, just the odd damp patch. Weird weather, very humid.

S - Nothing

S - Big day out  Raven Crag (Highstile) 800m of ascent from Buttermere, over Red Pike to the Ennerdale side and back. Calf DOMS lasted 3 days. But a great crag with great routes and lots of new route potential. I led Daddy Short Legs (E1 5b) and Painted Lady (E3 5c) and seconded a very traditional thrutchy VS. Cold beer in a beer garden down in Buttermere after was heavenly.

Painted Lady is a soft E3 but good that i felt OK mentally to set off up it to find out. Getting on them is half the battle.

I'm not rushing ahead with Trad. It's still only June. My goal is still to be solid at E2 mountain trad this year.

Sports climbing wise i feel the need to get a project - 7c i think. I have potential at Kilnsey but i also still need to go back to Sunset Boulevard. 

In reply to biscuit:

I have also discovered this thing called ‘comfy shoes’ which I thought I’d share with the group. 

I’ve always had trouble with my big toe nails being very sore in climbing shoes, at the side where they touch the second toe. About 5 weeks ago I got carried away with some DIY chiropody out of frustration and made it much worse….

I have started climbing in a pair of Sportiva Tarantulas, with socks 😱I’ve bouldered V6 indoors, led 7a and E2 in them so far. It’s a revelation. They are great on volumes and smears. I still keep my solutions for steep stuff and miuras for harder trad in reserve, but the majority of my climbing will be in these from now on. 

There’s probably a comfy pair out there that will fit a bit better. These were an impulse buy from what was available. But they will do very well for 90% of my climbing and they are £70 a pair. 
 

There is a review of shoes like this on UKC from earlier this year that I found very helpful. Go try some on if you have sore feet! 
 

In reply to biscuit:

I've got a pair of Vapor Vs which I wear for 95% of the climbing I do, about half a size up from performance fit and it's great, I only stick the fancy shoes on if there's a particularly tenuous foothold or heel hook. I'd recommend getting a pair of those or similar for everyone to be honest, save the expensive shoes for when you truly need them.

In reply to biscuit:

I saved crucial minutes in the face of an oncoming thunderstorm by walking from the end of the the last abseil off the Cima della Madonna back to the hut in Tarantulas. In perfect comfort.

That was a few years ago and I've struggled ever since to find another good shoe for long alpine rock routes instead of just buying another pair. Doh.

In reply to AlanLittle:

Jumping programme slightly stalled by failing to go to the wall...but otherwise a fairly industrious week. It might be getting too hot and ferny and midgy for grit anyhow...

• Yoga every day
• 1k pool Swim
• Ran the final 13 mile link in the Cornish coastal ultra project. Just need time to put it together!
• HVS at Sennen
• SUPing and seal spotting 

In reply to Ross Barker:I love my Scarpa Vapour V’s - fairly technical but comfy. I too have had trouble with painful big toe nails but the Vapour V’s largely solved this for me when broken in.