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.
Link to last week’s thread:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/walls+training/ukc_fit_club_week_954-7826...

Derek Furze: If there would be a "convert your running time with an arm sling to a normal one" calculator it should show that you times are not that bad as you might think. I hope that you still manage to stay in a positive frame of mind. Best of luck for the review next week. We all keep our fingers crossed tht you can avoid surgery and get back to climbing soon.

AJM: I hope that your climbing session last week did not set you back on your road to recovery and that the test was successful. No shame in failing to do 1-2 rehab sessions. In the end being consistent over a long time is way more important than nailing every single week.

Exile: Good to see that you dialed back the volume a little bit, after last week. With a 122% 7s max test result, doing sets of 10s at ~ 112% BW should feel taxing, so i would not worry too much that you struggled on the last sets. If i remember it correctly it has also been a while since you trained on a 20mm edge with added weight, so there should be a quick progression if you do them regularly. 

mrchewy: Congratulations on a good start to trip. I am really happy to see that all the hard work paid, and you manage to get healthy just in time. Hopefully, the weather was not too hot this week, so that you had a good shot at your next goal, Dragonfly.

mattrm: I am sorry to hear that the toe is still bothering you, but it looks like you have a least an idea on the root cause. Hopefully, the adjustments to your pedal position has led to some improvements and that you well soon.

Somerset swede basher: Another strong onsight session combined with some classic british understatement in your report. The fact that you felt some tweak in your fingers on two sessions is a little bit worrying to me, but maybe my injury made me a little bit paranoid. Nevertheless, it is probably not a bad idea to monitor this closely and take a step back if things does not improve.

Tyler: I know, it is always frustating when life gets in the way of climbing. Keep your head up and remember that the rock is not going anywhere.

Si dH: As someone who had trained more days in a hotel room than in a climbing gym this year, i can assure you that even a small finger specific training stimulus helps a lot to maintain your strength. I have not seen any weighted pullups in your recent reports, so jumping straight to +30kg is maybe a little bit too much, especially with some history of elbow problems. Though it looks like it did not cause i problems it is maybe a better idea to ease into weighted pullups with +10kg, but doing a little bit more volume.

Ian Parnell: I am sorry to hear about your parents but i am glad that at least climbing is helping you to cope with the situation. Nevertheless, though it is helping you mentally don't underestimate the additional physical strain that it puts onto yourbody. So remember to listen to your body and don't be afraid to skip a session if you are feeling tired.

Alan Little: Considering the hot weather, i am seriously impressed by your Sunday session. Doing endurance training in that conditions would have been more than enough for me, but combining it with bike riding requires a lot of dedication, so well done.
Tom Green: In the end climbing is most specific way to train for climbing, so i would not call it a poor week for training with 3 outdoor sessions. Also a nice mix of pushing your limits on sport climbing and one good trad session. Good call on not pushing it on  Wednesday after you felt your fingers a little bit. 

Ross Barker: Great to hear that the finger is not bothering you on real rock. Great start to the trip with an impressive ticklist. It looks like the training of the last weeks paid off and that you were able to convert good strength numbers into some hard send (the latter is the part that i am usually struggleing with ). I hope you had a good normal holiday week with your wife and gained back some strength and skin to try hard again next week. 

ExBristolian: Welcome back to Fit Club after your holiday absence! I hope you had a great time on Crete, it has been a while since i went there but i have some fond memories of it.  It also looks like you did a little bit of maintenance strength training, so i hope this will pay in the next weeks.

biscuit: I think we all have been at the point where the weather got in the way of our climbing plans so you have my sympathy, though i am really impressed that you even tried to continue with Final Solution (E3 5c) after it started raining. I personally would have probably bailed after the first rain drop so kudos for that! 

BTphonehome: Two impressive endurance session despite hot conditions, combined with strength exercises afterwards show some real dedication. I doubt that i could make myself do such a session in hot conditions unless i have a very specific target in mind where i need these fitness, so well done!

In reply to Randy:

Mon - Tues: Rest

Wed: Block Lift repeaters 20mm, 12x6x7,3 @21-22kg with 2 min rest

Thur: Block Lift repeaters 20mm, 12x6x7,3 @21-22kg with 2 min rest

Fri: Rest

Sat: Block Lift repeaters 20mm, 12x6x7,3 @21-22kg with 2 min rest

Sun: &C: 2x10s L-Sit, Handstands, 2x12 Pike Pushups, 2x12 Lunges, 2x30 Bodyweight Squats, 40 Pushups 45s V-Situps

Local forearm endurance continues to improve and i tried to stay in a half crimp position also with the left hand. Nevertheless, it feels a little bit like i have hit a rehab plateau. The finger still feels a little bit sore and stiff after training, which usually gets better after icing them, but i don't have any kind of pain anymore. Hence, i am not really sure how much load the finger can really take and how much it is still inflamed.

In reply to Randy:

Thanks Randy. The demotivation continues this week. I think I was spoilt by such a great day out at the Shelterstone in March and since then it's just felt like hard work with the weather spoiling things just as I was feeling ready to push on.

But this week I've got some training in, really paid attention to my food and sleep so at least I can take some positives from that.

M - Gym

T - Wilton - Did 2 routes at HVS and E1 (my lead and Rach's lead) that it turns out we'd both done before, together, but had no recollection. Marginal conditions with cracks feeling a bit humid so I was tempted by Cheat. But then it started raining and it was coming onto the face of Cheat so we bailed.

W - 3 x 5 mins on a busy circuit board.

T - Autobelays - 30 mins on

F - Testing and Indoor boulder at BUK. Topped out at V5 and they took a few goes. That's my usual flash grade there, so a sign I likely need to get some bouldering in.

S - Work and 3 sets of 5 pull ups with 1 min rest.

S - Kendall Wall. Finally met Huw (Hi!), which was nice. Dreadful session though. Tried the 7c I got on a few weeks ago. Couldn't get further than I did on my onsight go. Just very de motivated for indoors. Despite the catastrophic forecast it turned into a nice afternoon. Very annoying.

Went to the gym after to do some leg work and another lot of 3 x 5 pull ups as I won't get to the gym tomorrow.

The testing revealed that my fingers are where they normally are: 150% body weight (35kg added) on a 20mm edge.

Pull ups - I got 9.

Can lock off for a second or two at 90 degrees on each arm.

This is the start of me addressing my woeful pull strength. I need to get some motivation to do something and that seems as good as anything. It's the start of a 16 week one arm pull up training programme from Climb Strong I found on You Tube. I won't get to do a 1 armer but improving my pull strength won't do any harm.

Let's hope the 3rd heatwave arrives soon.........

In reply to biscuit:

Don't feel as though we missed out too much Andy - my wife who was cycling in the Lakes got very wet. 

I am also coming to the conclusion that my pull strength is an are for attention (trying Meet the Wife at Scout Scar I can hold all the holds but not pull on then...) so, having also seen the Climb Strong YouTube on one armers and being intrigue,d I'll watch your progress with interest. 

In reply to Randy:

Thanks for the encouragement with weighted hangs and putting my added weight into perspective. I think this and pull strength improvements could be the core of next winters training...?

Training / aims:

Spring / Summer 2025 climbing aims:

Weight - keep to daily 78.something kg ✓

Aim to gently reach 75kg?

Keep to training programme and climbing through what will be a full on work year.

Winter climb when available ✓

Redpoint 7b (Straight Tach, Millside Scar)

Headpoint E6 6b (Exequy, Red Wall, Trowbarrow) ✓

Onsighting harder mountain E2s (eg Equus ✓ Astra ✓ Tumbleweed Connection, Fast Burn)

*Maybe E3s (Cruel Sister, Paladin, Air on a Bow String) & E4s that suit me (One Step Beyond, Malice in Wonderland)

*Maybe Needle and Citadel (Shelterstone) in a day as Comici prep?

*Big Alpine rock route – 12 to 24hr cardio & climbing effort – Cassin / Comici? 

*Aspirational goals

Longer term climbing aims: 

Regularly have adventures in great places with good friends & family ✓

Continue Alpine route progression to complete more big classic alpine rock routes.

Continue British winter climbing ✓

Continue climbing Hard Rock type routes outside the Lakes.

Keep Head/Red Point grade in 7s ✓ and E5s ✓

Onsight up to at least E2 ✓ & V ✓ (winter) each year.

Improve while not getting injured 

M - 30.6.25 - 

W - 78.0kg

am - 40min back & finger stretching

pm - 50min finger board. 4x10sec +10kg. 20mm. 10. 10. 10. 9

 +weights A -

Internal shoulder rotations - 12.5kgx5=

External shoulder rotations - 12.5kgx5 =

3x3 off set shoulder shrugs

Weighted pull ups. - 3x2 PUs+20kg. Hard today

Bench press with bars 3x3+54/64/74kg = PB. 

Deep weighted stepups 3x3+45/45/45kg = PB

Goblet squat 3x3+30kg =

3x3 Leg raises on bar =

T - 1.7.25 - 

W - 79.0kg

am - 40min Scar run

W - 2.7.25 - 

W - 78.5kg

am - 40min back, shoulders & finger stretch 

pm - Climbing @ Millside. Managed to TR Straight Tash twice after a wobbly start. 

T - 3.7.25 - 

W - 78.8kg

am - 40min back, shoulders & finger stretch

F - 4.7.25 -

W - ?kg

am - 1hr 15min pre work Sharp Edge / Blencathra run. Bloody great! 

S - 5.7.25 - 

W - ?kg

am - 30min back &shoulders stretch

am - 1hr recovery (from yesterdays run and an unusual few evening beers) walk

S - 6.7.25 - 

W - 79.3kg

am - Climbing @ Kendal Wall with my boys. Not loads done but 2x6c flashes, so I'll call it maintenance. 

pm - Weights B - 

Internal shoulder rotations - 12.5kgx5 =

External shoulder rotations - 12.5kgx5 =

Shoulder shrugs on bar

Pull up +20kg 2/2/2

Bench press with bar 3x55/65/75kg PB. But not full range of motion. Back to 70kh

A. Deadlift  3x70/80/93kg PB

B. Bent over one arm row 3x30kg/30kg/30kg =

3x front leaver progressions

Reflections -

Not a huge amount of climbing. 

Frustrating session on Straight Tach @Millside Scar. My first go on it I had to rest three times so kisses off the idea of a lead as I thought I was knackered. Went on it a second go to work the moves and TRed it clean. Went on it a third go to clean the draws thinking I was very tired, TRed it clean again. I think the lesson was I wasn't warmed up properly, so sort this next time. (I did refine some beta though, so not all lost.) 

Nice couple of runs. 

I'm conscious of not getting to the end of next week exhausted from work and a load of activity, and then not being able to function in the Alps. I feel like I'm getting this right at the moment. 

Finally met Andy today, which was nice to put a face to a name and have a quick catch up. 

In reply to Randy:

Cheers Randy, finger is definitely getting better rather than worse so I'll keep going but stay careful.

Mon. Early doors solo before work. 15 routes, mostly not harder than 4a up at  Back Forest. Tracking D of E kids on the hills all day. 7km run at one point to go and get some of them. Late afternoon solo up at Hen Cloud. Only 5 routes, it was nearly 30 degrees and it takes a while to get back round. Highlight was the 3 star Great Chimney (S 4a).

Tues. Rest.

Wed. Ticked my link up project first go today Land of the rambler (8a), about 5th session in total I think but spread over about 6 months. I've got another project there, it's a bit longer (60 moves) but easier at the end (hard 7c+?). Had two good links on this where I dropped it 58 moves in both times. The first time I forgot the beta at the end and the second I remembered what to do but was just too gassed by that point.

Thurs. 30km with 340m vert on the bike. 25kph.

Fri. Rest.

Sat. I messed up today. The forecast looked awful so I suggested to Tom that meeting up probably wasn't worth his drive. The rain then missed the Peak completely and went further north. I managed to link up with friends in chee dale but got there 90mins after everyone else so didn't get long there then realised I'd left my rope at home so was a bit more limited on what I could get on. I cleaned and removed some loose rock on Gardener's Question Time (7a) then lead that. Had a dangle on Powerplant 8a which I tried a few years back. Felt much fitter on it but I still find the crux knee bar terrible at my leg length and I don't think I really get enough out of it to make it a viable project despite the rest being sort of ok (there's one move on the headwall I find hard too).

Sun. 3km junior fell run in the morning then 3hrs of unstructured bouldering indoors with the kids. Did a mixture of stuff from very easy to about V7 (indoor grades). Probably junk miles but lots of fun. Probably also sabotaged my planned Tuesday session as I'm actually pretty tired now. Will rest tomorrow.

In reply to Randy:

Thanks Randy for encouraging words on the weekly park shuffles.  Hoping that I get some progress this week as I have GP and consultant reviews scheduled and will be seven weeks post-accident on Tuesday (feels like a lifetime)!

Keeping to a reasonably regular routine of walking sat the start of every day, which is low-key in terms of exercise, but a pleasant way to spend some time thinking.  Did 5.75km walks on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday' then on Thursday did walk / run intervals, which I will aim to do a couple of times a week now.

Friday headed south to meet my new grandson which was brilliant.  Continued south to see other daughter and parents - ended up a late night as sat around in the garden chatting until after midnight.

Saturday - parkrun with my daughter.  Slightly better time than last week, but took it easy as the first time without a sling and shoulders and back felt it fairly quickly.

Reflection:  A couple of days where I have done a bit of work on the van and suffered as a result.  It still takes very little effort to get things sore again, though I usually recover quite quickly now.    Really looking forward to the reviews this week and anxious to get some clear understanding of the damage to my upper back musculature and tendons - the main soreness now is across my trapezius, though my right shoulder can also get tender if I lift much.  Enjoying walking and jogging and have shifted my focus to some parkrun targets as a way of giving me something to progress while waiting for everything to heal.

In reply to Derek Furze: Well done on the sling free Parkrun Derek. You might not feel it but your reports show progress week to week. keep up the good work.

In reply to Randy: Thanks Randy for the stats and thoughtful comments. Not that much this week which I think was partly in line with your comments as I just didn’t feel I had the capacity to train at all. Also on my climbing day I recognised the fatigue and held off pushing too hard. I’m aware this much if this year is going to be challenging outside of climbing so I’m kind of reassessing my goals. in terms of my sport project Brachiation Dance (7b+) I’m lowering my aims to just managing all the moves this summer. If I can do that it will be a worthwhile goal to redpoint next year. who knows I might get lucky this year but that seems like a more manageable target at the moment.

Monday-Tuesday nothing 

Wednesday - big day in Wales 4.20 alarm with the hope of a big day on Cloggy but high winds meant we opted for the Llyn. First stop Trwyn Melyn on Cilan Head and the excellent Mercury (E1 5b). This had a wet crack section high up which necessitated an entertaining quarryman sequence palming up the corner. quick try on Blue Planet (E4 6a) but didn’t get past the start which was very wet. Opted to change crags and a surprisingly long extra drive to Trwyn Maen Melyn. I’ve wanted to climb here for ages. Felt tired on The Bardsey Ripple (E2 5b) so ratcheted back my plans and did The Ideal Hom Expedition (E2 5b) both superb routes and steep ground but enormous holds. Beautiful location and 8 stars in 3 routes. got home at 1am completely shattered.

Thursday-Saturday nothing 

Sunday 20min 2 mile run. very short but no reoccurrence of the achilles pain. 3x6 strict push ups, 3x 10 lu raises and 3x 10 shoulder external rotations.

In reply to biscuit:

Some strong stats there Andy, you're going well.

In reply to Randy:

Just wrote the whole reply out and lost it! Can't be arsed now - thanks for the stats Randy, I'll try and do it tomorrow, when I've calmed down.

In reply to Randy:

Thanks Randy. Freimann is indeed quite a long way for me on the bike, but it's a pleasant ride along the river and through the Englischer Garten.

STG: Resume local sport climbing
MTG: Summer '25 - Dolomites and/or Swiss granite. Salbit hut booked.
LTG: Autumn '25 - tufa 7a
LTG: Be a confident, well rounded low to mid 7's sport climber. For measurable definition see Fit Club 823

M:    Complete rest day (aka barely able to move in the heat)

T:    Thalkirchen. Made sure my chalkbag and water bottle were well filled, and set out expecting to do battle in the sauna-like heat. Turned out nowhere near as bad as I expected; didn't try anything hard but managed a decent volume session with 8 x 6b
    Bike 45 minutes

W:    Office, and too hot for the bike so: stairs. 2 x 40 storeys

T:    Shoulder & knee (p)rehab exercises, stretching

F:    rest

S:    Alpspitze sub-four attempt: 3:56:25. Yay. I don't think I can have got that much fitter in four weeks, so how did I manage to go twenty minutes faster than the last attempt? Tactics: smarter pacing low down, and I took some energy gels to fire me up the last couple of hundred metres of the VF where I hit the wall hard last time. I also spent very little time on the bike this week, which was mostly to avoid the heatwave but possibly had the side effect of going into the weekend with legs well rested.

S:    Freimann. Tried another endurance session but was unsurprisingly pretty weary afer yesterday so only managed eight routes. But that's still a couple of hundred moves in the endurance bank that I'll be glad of come Autumn.
    Bike there & back about 2½ hours.

In reply to Randy:

Thanks Randy. Ref: the elbows, pull-up volume causes more problems than intensity for me. I found recently that doing unweighted pullups in sets was setting my elbows backwards again, or else causing different problems to the original one. Since then I have been doing the odd pair with +20kg and they were starting to feel pretty comfortable so I decided to shift up to +30kg as an experiment. Just doing one or two pairs of pull-ups a week is enough for now,  alongside other things. The approach seems to be helping the elbow further improve.

Unfortunately this was a pretty poor week. I cancelled the trip away this weekend due to a poor weather forecast. I haven't been sleeping well which has made training difficult and I've also let my diet slip quite badly due to evening snacking on several occasions. I need to get both sleep and diet back under control. Hopefully it'll be easier now I'm past the work trips away for a while. However I'm posting this 30 minutes past my bedtime which is not a great start...

My goals:

 - to make the most of my half-days out (twice a month weather-permitting)

 - fingerboard training twice a week (medium term goal to be able to train at bodyweight +25kg for 10 s hangs)

 - gradually improve my right elbow to the point that I can do weighted pull up training

 - keep up the current diet, which has gone well so far (~1900 kcal per day + exercise, LTG is back down to ~75kg from a starting weight of about 84.5kg on 13/04)

This week:

M: rest

T: busy day away with work, didn't have any breaks to fit anything in

W: 10-15 minutes active pulls in hotel room before breakfast. I did 3 pulls with 4 finger crimp and 3 pulls with middle 2 open hand, after a very brief warmup.

T: fingerboard in evening. Unfortunately I only did two fairly poor attempts at max hangs and then gave up, I felt really weak. Possibly a bit of an underlying bug (son No.1 has been snotty most of the week), possibly just tiredness from being away with work and several days waking up early.

F: rest

S: climbing hangar in the morning while son No. 1 was at rock club. I hadn't slept well but it wasn't a bad session, I did three new whites and very nearly a fourth.

S: took the boys swimming in the morning. Painting and gardening later. Bodyweight in evening 77.4 kg.

Si

In reply to Randy:

Thanks Randy. Hope all good with you.

w/c 30.06.25

Monday

Very grumbly lower back. Lots of mobility and stretching work and went for a massage after work instead of the planned run.

Tuesday

AM – More mobility and stretching work for lower back.

PM – Max Hangs: 6x 10sec @ 10, 15, 17, 17, 17, 17kg (failed last rep). Little Depot: 5x5 shoulder shrugs. New Black Circuit x30 problems. Pull Set: Max Pull-Ups: 5x3reps all @ 24kg (PB), Hammer Curls: 3x10 @ 10kg, Bicep Curls: 3x8 @12.5kg, Bent Rows: 3x10 @ 20kg. Intervals: 20x 14 move V2 traverse 1 min rest between reps. Hip mobility.

Wednesday

AM – hip mobility, lower back, 6-minute core.

PM – Little Depot: 5x5 shoulder shrugs, 24x blues continuous climbing, Push Set: External Rotations: 3x8 @ 10kg, Lateral Raise: 3x8 @ 10kg, Chest Press: 3x8 @ 15kg, Shoulder Press: 3x8 @ 15kg.

Thursday

Rest and a gig in town after work.

Friday

AM – Rest

PM – 7km walk locally, 6minute core, hip mobility.

Saturday

Met up with some friends for a walk. 15km from loop from Pym Chair followed by food and beers in Macclesfield.

Sunday

AM – Rest

PM – Little Depot: 5x5 shoulder shrugs, 12x blues, 12x blacks and had a couple of failed attempts on an upside-down route in the cave. Push/Pull Set: Max Pull-Ups: 5x3reps @ 24kg, Bicep Curls 3x8 @ 12.5kg, 15kg, 15kg, Bent Rows: 3x8 @ 22.5kg, Shoulder Press: 3x8 @ 15kg, 17.5kg, 17.5kg (PB), External Rotations: 3x10 @7.5kg, Lateral Raise 3x8 @10kg. 10x 14 move V2 traverse with 1 min rest between reps. Hip mobility.

Summary

No outdoor climbing this week which was anticipated with various commitments here and there and the changeable weather. But I’ve had three good training sessions at the wall instead, with added weight to some sets and I’m pleased with some of the progress here. I’m going to have a look at some more specific endurance drills/sessions for the bouldering wall to try and maximise the indoor sessions focusing on a weaker area. I don’t always get these right and prefer auto-belays for endurance but there’s no gym at the roped wall so unable to combine sessions there yet.

I have an odd week ahead with a large amount of driving involved, so I’m going to try and adapt as best I can and try to get out, particularly with the forecast looking good.

Have a good week all.

In reply to Randy:

Thanks Randy. Back to work and training after 2 weeks off.

Week 27

M – Finger edge lifts to warm-up. 21 to 74kg with 20mmm Tension Block. Then Force Board overcoming isometrics. This was my 7th session of these in a half-crimp position, and I’ve noted some significant increases in what I can “pull” in this manner, having started at <40kg and now managing >55kg. Bench press up to 70kg double and 75kg single (edging closer to the 1x BW benchmark).

T – 26km, 62min flat road ride with some “gravel” sectors that were truly sketchy on 25mm slick road tyres! COMPEX core. 5x6 wide pull-ups. Finger edge lifts to warm-up. 16-66kg with 20mmm Tension Block. 10x 7/3/6/1 aero-cap hangs @BW-16kg.

W – Nothing but a 10min ride to the postbox.

T – After 7 years has a full-time homeworker and courtesy of my company buying up a local Manchester firm, I suddenly have a local office again! Today was the factory tour / celebratory opening / jolly. I did the buffet proud and then tried in vain to burn some of it off with an hour at Pex on the way home. R DIP still not up to crimping hard on vert, but I did half a dozen Pisa Wall problems/routes (F4 to 6A+) and flashed The Knife on TR (f6c?) I should go back and lead it, especially as I own the crucial Tricam for the top.

F – 4-day week reboot 45km 110min gravel ride, completing the whole of Lauren’s ride, Heritage Loop. I had a gel every 30min and drank about a litre of water but still struggled with the headwind coming home and was pretty knackered and dehydrated afterwards. No cramps though, so not too desiccated! Afternoon gardening and wrangling with a short OAPU session. 6x singles on each arm with 5kg assist.

S – Tired legs, no limited DOMS. More gardening and wrangling.

S – Morning trip to Pantymwyn. 6C-7A warm-ups, then worked and RP’d a new 7B/+ thing. Repeated another 7B/+ and set about trying a 8A+(?) link: Dry fired, missed the pads, ripped a flapper and bruised my bum. Tried again and run out of beans after 7C+(ish) worth of climbing. Rested, tried a 7C-ish newbie link and powered out again. Shoulders felt super worked while continuing the garden clear up after lunch.

In reply to Randy:

Cheers Randy - I'll try again! With regards to your rehab, something I've had to learn to be good at, I often go with how it's feeling rather than the data. If icing is still helping, then go with it.

Okay, an alright week and it's been a relaxing week apart from the climbing, which took maximum effort and returned failure, or rather, let's call it growth. Temperatures cooled down somewhat yesterday. Did the usual mobility and lymph work daily.

Mon - Rest. Ice, ultrasound and massage for the right knee, the original bad boy, three times operated on and still avoiding a replacement joint. Also pilates and lots of stretching. 

Tue - Walk. A nice gentle stretch the legs kind of walk up on Sonnerberg, plus ice and ultrasound for the knee.

Wed - Slept late. Much needed, as my sleep has been poor and the early 4am mornings knock me out of rhythm. Ice, ultrasound and massage on the right knee. Stretching and pilates. The knee seems much improved and I think I probably took a knock to it and didn't realise. Best bit of the day was René suggesting we do Salbit West Ridge next summer.

Thu - Climbing at Fracki, up at 1600m on Pilatus and in the shade. 1hr steep walk-in, 41 routes of 6a-8a+ and not in a guidebook. Limestone, been once and had a torrid time. Only TRed, started on a strong 6a, fell a lot on the steep layback before the chains. Then Tiger on the Run 6c, has a technical first 3 bolts and I managed to find my own beta eventually. Above that, it felt okay and something I could manage one day. Then round the corner for a 10m 6b that should have been called Ultimate Sandbag! Nuts. I watched René, who bolted the crag, slightly quivering with core tension on one part and knew I had little chance on it. Oh how we laughed! It even rained on me at the top. Beyond belief hard for the grade. A wet walk down finished the day.

Fri - Walk, just up on Sonnerberg again but I could feel the aches from the climbing on Thu. Ultrasound on the knee and the usual stuff.

Sat - Climbing at 'The Beach'. Led Above the Fog 6b for warm-up and felt good, so Dragonfly 6c next. Led to the crux fine but man, that top rope before helped more than I thought. There's no feet really, just poor vertical smears and a huge right handhold in front of you. Pull in and reach for a high sidepull directly above. No hope. Too heavy, couldn't get my feet high enough and pull in, plus the dodgy wrist was only letting me use the small two fingers properly. Took some falls and decided to not waste more time on it then, what with the perfect weather. Time to try Camino del Carstino 6c and 34m of vertical laybacking on both sides, a proper king line. In hindsight, I learnt a lot and some parts I did okay but it totally wiped me out. I was empty for the most part but kept moving between falls, the crux move between cracks showing up the lack of bouldering I'd done lately, I just didn't have enough power. Hard to imagine leading it but definitely an aim for the future, such a beautiful route. Then got on Anxiety Neurosis 6b+, I led this last week and have many times before but this time I fell off the steep start 3 times, before doing the rest clean. Can't say I've ever been so knackered on a climb, I was the definition of empty and there was still a 40m jumar to go. What a day! Perfect weather, climbs and people.

Sun - Rest. Didn't do much of anything, read a lot and had a wonderful meal but the body felt okay, almost recovered from the hard (for me) climbing 2 days out of 3.'

This week, well, it's the first time I've really tried maximum effort and I'm happy to say there's been no dip after. Yeah, I can confidently say I'm 100% better from having MECFS - there was a small nagging doubt it might all go wrong but now that's in the past. What a journey it's been! Keeping the faith is difficult when noone even knows how to fix you and you're stuck in this chasm, where putting any sort of effort in makes you even worse. I'm so grateful to everyone who helped a little, with kind words, especially on here and in the UKB Black Dog meetings but especially Sean Kenny, who is on his own journey to recovery.

Positives from the week? My leading head is okay, in fact it's great. I'm strong enough for 6b+, so I'll focus on repeating a few of those and enjoy the climbing. No stress needed at the crag, just smiles. Surround yourself with good people and great things can happen and that's exactly how it is here in Switzerland. I still have to pinch myself some days that I get to go to these amazing crags and climb with the locals.

We've booked the Salbitschijen hut for Thursday night and Friday's weather is looking fabulous. I'm quite excited about this! It's ten years since myself and René climbed the Südgrat, an anniversary climb if you like but now we're older, we get to stay in the hut - we took 7hrs to the summit last time, 3½hrs on the ridge itself, so there's something to aim for. I'm feeling fit enough, strong enough and just need to avoid too many beers at the hut the day before hahaha.

Have a great week everyone!

In reply to Somerset swede basher:

Great work on the 8a link project Dom. 

In reply to Randy:

Hi all -sounds like some great weeks have been had. Thanks again for the thoughtful write-up, Randy.

Good, and comforting, point that climbing is still training! Very welcome confirmation of that, given that I always prioritise climbing over training! Well, nearly always...

Week 27:

This week was the opposite of last... climbing got replaced by training rather than the other way around! Having got used to endless perfect weather, it appears that I've lost my previous talent for conjuring good sessions out of a bad forecast. Aw well... it helped me achieve my training aim of more fingers and board climbing!

M: CARs, Prehab.

T: Climbing. Early morning trad sesh at Staden. Pleased to scoop up a couple of cheap E-points with the very bouldery Hammer into Anvil (E2 6a).

W: CARs, Prehab. Didn't do planned run -combination of lack of time and feeling a bit jaded.

T: CARs, Prehab, Fingers, Board. Attempted to do an AeroCap/Power endurance session, but not sure my board angle is that well suited to sub-max work. Might need alternative plans for stamina work.

F: CARs, Prehab.

S: CARs, Prehab, Fingers.

S: Board sesh. Pretty productive limit bouldering session. Felt strong... maybe because I've been doing a bit more powerful climbing (board and sport) or maybe because I didn't do a max hang session first (which I often do).

Week 28:

M: Rest. Feeling a bit wiped, so going to take a full, designated rest day!

T: CARs, Prehab, Fingers.

W: Climbing.

T: CARs, Prehab.

F: Climbing.

S: Run.

S: CARs, Prehab, Fingers.

STG (End July):

Five E2s (2/5)

Three E3s (0/3)

Get on a safe E4 (Tick! x1)

Onsight 6c 

LTG (Nov 2025):

40 E-points (32/40)

Onsight E4.

In reply to biscuit:

You'll have to go back for Cheat... partly because it's a great route (the moves on the upper wall are brilliant) and partly because you'll absolutely cruise it! You won't need this because you won't drop the top moves but, for anyone else reading, make sure your partner isn't too much lighter than you and it's dead safe then!

Talking of partners, do you mix them up much on your trad days? I've wondered recently whether you'd benefit from a bit of variety (different coaxing/encouraging/heckling/peer pressure) just to help with a bit of momentum on trad. I might be talking rubbish, but it was just a thought!

In reply to Somerset swede basher:

Great work with the link up! All that autobelay work paying off!

In reply to Derek Furze:

I agree with Ian... it may not feel like it but you're doing incredibly well given that you're less than two months post-squashing. Great effort with the park run. Sounds like some classic Furze PMA there.

In reply to Ian Parnell:

Video footage please! ;-p

In reply to mrchewy:

Good luck for Friday. Great route!

In reply to Randy:

I feel like it is definitely more grumbly last week than it was the day before we went. But not worse than that, so fingers crossed. Am doing a rehab session at the moment to guage how it feels 

It was really hot the start of last week, and something of a rollercoaster week as far as the house move goes, so between those and feeling like I should let the shoulder settle I had a quiet week.

I went for a run Saturday morning, which felt like quite hard work but actually turned out to be roughly the same time as the previous (PB) run, just a few seconds shy. 

Also went for a walk Saturday pm and a little swim Sunday.

In reply to Randy:

Thanks for doing the stats Randy.  

Weight - 14st
STG - 6b

MTG - 6c - 14/100 routes/problems this year

LTG - Western Front Direct (7a) at Navigation Quarry

BHAG - F7A boulder somewhere / kickflip

M - 8k run and elbow pre-hab
T - Rest

W -Bouldering and 7k MTB
T - Rest
F - Rest 
S - Rest
S - 12k mtb

Running KMs - 8 kms

Mostly wimped out of proper running this week and just went for a chilled run with my son up to kids fell running club.  Then went out bouldering for a couple of hours on Wednesday.  New venue up at Llangattock so spent a while finding my way around the crag.  But had a nice time working on some traverses.  Then out for a bike ride with my lad.  Spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday in DIY hell.  Hopefully that's all done.  Then out on Sunday for more mtbing with my son at the Forest of Dean.  Good week.  Could have done with more climbing, but DIY club put paid to that.  Hopefully a better week next week.

In reply to Randy:

Hey guys, hope you're all doing well. Nice job on the stats Randy!

A holiday week for me, Ligurian sun, loads of pizza and daily gelato!

Last Week:

Avg weight - No idea!

M to F - Holiday holiday holiday!

S - Back to Gottardo, had a quick hour between showers after arrival in the evening, did a new obvious linkup of Gengarbo (f7A+), probably done before but good fun anyway.

S - Suworow sector. Standing ovation, Boulder 15, Problem a (Suworow) (f6C+) to start, great to get the heart going. Did the cruxy Tola Power (f6C) next, then over to the main Suworow block again - dabbled on the direct finish which is quite hard and crimpy, but then we got rained off.

Next Week:

M - Rest (crap weather)

T - Climbing if poss.

W - Climbing.

T - Climbing.

F - Climbing.

S, S - Homebound but hopefully a quick climb beforehand.

Goals:

Try hard.

Be sensible with fingers.

Be sensible with skin (yeah, like that'll happen).

Enjoy myself!

In reply to Randy:

I’m not down about my limited climbing at the moment as I’ll be a full time climber from the 19th and the DIY is at the stage where it’s actually yielding results rather than just making everything look worse! I’m also looking forward to a week of rest from Thursday as I have been getting out a little bit and the cumulative effect of that and DIY has given me a sore back. 

In reply to ExBristolian:

As ever, great effort getting that much done with two mini humans to look after. Doesn't look like two weeks on the beach has set you back much!

In reply to Exile:

I'm going to take it very steady with the programme. I will progress when I feel ready to not when it says I should. 

My initial thought is to do two weeks where it says one.

Stay tuned for the onset of elbow tendinopathy.

In reply to biscuit:

Pulls up chair, opens popcorn, watching intently.