UKC

Greetings Fit Club! Before I start, did we agree who was taking over next week?

A new thread is posted each week on Sunday for anyone to jot down their previous week's activity. UKC fitclub 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.

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

I’m rubbish at training recommendations but here’s some climbing and other culture…

1.      For those who have Dawn Walled (by which I mean watched it!) it’s always interesting to hear the Beth Rodden angle. Here’s her latest blog: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/blog/article/ask-beth-rodden-rebuilding-you...

2.      Book of the week: Middle England by Jonathan Coe. Some incisive Brexit-related social observations. If you can’t be arsed to read it, it’s also on BBC radio IPlayer…

Last week’s thread can be found here: https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/walls+training/ukc_fitclub_week_612-69706...

You can look back at your previous posts here (to some extent… it’s still a work in progress, this now goes back to FC500): http://ukc-fitclub-user-posts.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/users.html

Posters:

Guy – sounds like a good start back on the bouldering and some early identification of specific areas to work. Good push and pull up discipline. How is the shopping for 2019 adventures going?

Bones – I’ve always found comps make you practice things (including mental) that can benefit other areas of your climbing. What is it about the head game that you want to work? Ps. Strength training programme – machine!

AJM – It’s good to see you’re training your all-round banter and alcohol climbing game and making work and child excuses, but we would like to see some harder work this week please

Biscuit – Awesome that you have access to so many WBLs – mixing it up with some good variety and being pressed into an onsight mentality can only be beneficial. That sounds like some awesome self-care with physio, sleep and diet. You are a shining example to us all!

Ally Smith – Congratulations! 

Powderpuff – Hope you’ve had a better week with less injury, illness and time pressures. Can I persuade you to lay down a goal to keep you motivated over the winter?

Cyan – Cool – are you going to Wadi Rum? It’s ace. “Brief but enthusiastic excursion onto the dance floor” sounds like a solid training session to me. Looking forward to a positive attitude report from your next silly run and jump comp problem, though it sounds like you didn’t need those points this time!

AlanLittle – Sounds like you have several takers for DAV trad. Is the sleep improving? 

The sheep – Well now that you put it like that…J Good thinking re: the wetsuit. When you get to outdoor season remind me to tell you about crocodile eyes, Popeye breaths and other ridiculous beta… 

Somerset swede basher – Woohoo for the lighter workload! Has the psyche and time translated into training as you had hoped?

Ardo – Ah the Dr Climbing method. I’m still processing her pinch grip advice and can’t wait to action it when my finger can sustain it: http://en-eva-lopez.blogspot.com/2013/02/training-pinch-strength-for-climbi... Are the MRI results in? Fingers crossed (in a strengthening way, naturally) for a good outcome... 

Mattrm – Good luck with the moving stuff. Have you a plan for a fingerboard/TRX training station for the new place? Ben has designed a double-height garage extension for Cheltenham with a cave and gear storage, but I fear this will be a couple of years’ saving away… Yes for evening Yat – time to start ticking the crag. On the Lip of Insanity excluded of course…  

Alexm198 – Surprisingly easy is definitely good! ‘By feel’ sounds good enough for me as I struggle to maintain midweek patterns. Here’s the Eric Horst take if you’re curious in something more scientific - https://trainingforclimbing.com/podcast-14-performance-tips-for-weekend-war...  - more aimed towards sport, but with some transferable takeaways.

Ianstevens – As a yogi with projects you are clearly a prime candidate for Ondrayassa https://rockandice.com/videos/climbing/ondrayassa/?fbclid=IwAR3ydWks_D2kax4... (Also a must-see for anyone who has watched Reel Rock). Nice afternoon on Cadair?

Rebecca Ting – is three sessions in a day really a good idea?!

Dandan – sounds like an excellent philosophy and sounds like some beneficial mileage. Hope you’ve had more fun in the sun. Wish we were there too!

Tyler – Is that a hand up for 30 December? J I’m such a guidebook geek that I’m almost tempted even though I have no intention of going to Margalef. (For those who are it is cheap in the CMK closing down sale https://www.coldmountainkit.com/product/margalef/ ) That’s definitely the perfect end to a trip, and a well deserved rest. Time to crack on with the yoga goal?

Fit Club 666 goals:

AJM - Mark of the Beast (or Blue Planet/Privateer); E5 (or equivalent); sport onsight/“quick tick” & some from Colors/Tennessee/Paradise Lost/Bird of Paradise/Return of the Gunfighter

Ally Smith - Devils Gorge newbies; Rock Atrocity; press a sport climber; 8c+

Tom Green - Satanic Verses

Dandan82 - Horny Lil' Devil/Mark of the Beast/Camino a la Perdicion; +66kg weighted pullup - +60kg; 666 one-arm pullups - 44/666; 666 ‘good’ handstands 25/666 ; 66 routes at 7aand above including 6 routes at 7c+ and above - 4/66 0/6.

alexm198 - Versant Sataniques, 1938 route

Tom Green - 666m of arete on lancashire grit

Tyler - 66 yoga sessions; 66 routes at 7a and above, 6 routes at 7c and above

Bones - A front lever

Rebecca Ting - Fiesta de los Biceps (7a); Riding to Babylon (7a+); Stanage VS challenge; Tales of Yankee Power (E5 6a)

Mattrm - Lead 6a, Lead 6b, Lead 6c

Biscuit - 6xV6 slabs, 6xV6 vert 6xV6 slopers at BUK

Lornajkelly - Comes the Dervish onsight

Ardo - Satanismo En El Alpinismo & Invocando de Onan

Cheers Rebecca, ridiculous beta sounds fab. Sounds like I’m going to enter a whole new world of fun

Had a steady week gone by

Monday, 1km swim at lunchtime 

Tuesday, 7.5k run followed by 1km swim

Wenesday, 1km swim at lunchtime and 16km cycle home

Thursday, lab Christmas lunch so no exercise 

Friday, 2km swim at lunchtime 

Saturday, very wet windy and muddy 8km trail run

Sunday, rest day, morning spent at eldest daughters swim gala then off to pick the younger two from Brownie camp this afternoon 

Thanks for statting Rebecca. Not much progress on adventure planning- I booked a half marathon trail even for March to give me a bit of focus for my running, and have a boulder comp or two in the diary but nothing more than that. I have a vague plan for a link up of several of the peaks in the Saas valley in summer, details tbc.

Pretty much met my goals this week (assuming I run later). Will add both a shoulder theraband exercise, and assisted pistol squats to my set of morning exercises this week. They are definitely making me feel good at the start of the day. I haven't done routes for a few weeks but I will do this week. Bouldering is going fairly well, feeling some slow progress on the steep stuff. 

Monday: pullups/pushups/knees to elbows x3 sets, bouldering mainly in the pen

Tuesday: pullups/pushups/knees to elbows x3 setsZ4-5 run, 45 minutes

Wednesday: pullups/pushups/knees to elbows x only 1 set, bouldering session, mainly on the wave

Thursday: pullups/pushups/knees to elbows x3 sets, 50 minute z1-2 run

Friday: pullups/pushups/knees to elbows x3 sets

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: bouldering mainly on the wave, will do a 45 minute run later to see off my weeks goals.

Thanks Rebecca, yes it has! 

Mon. Boulder session on the wave at the foundry, only got on hard stuff to keep the intensity high.

Tues. Circuit board session. All circuits I know reasonably well. 6c, 6c+, 7a+, 7b+, 7c, 7c, 7b+, 7a+, 6c+, 6c. Felt OK, should probably have done a 3rd lap of the 7c as didn't fail anywhere.

Wed. Hilly 16km trail run, Sheffield out to Burbage and back. 

Thurs. Core session static holds, plank, side plank and hollow bends then antagonistic stuff with the theraband. 

Fri. Fingerboard repeaters and some middle 2 hangs. 

Sat. Was going to have a board session in the attic but fingers felt like they might be in injury red zone after warming up so did another core session. Leg raises, Jack knives, V ups and supermans. Pretty broken after that.

Sun. 7km pram run, flattish. 1km swim in 2 halves. 

I consider myself reprimanded, and shall make no comment in response about your “another week with no training” entries of late

And thanks for the CMK tip. I have just ordered a copy, plus the magic wood alpine bouldering guide and a big dyneema sling.

Tuesday - wall. Did some warmups, and then found a psyche high cluster under the woody. Everywhere else was a bit lacklustre, possibly because the only people there were the ones who hadn’t managed to get Free Solo tickets. But nevertheless, a good session ensued - not on the form I was in Feb/Mar, but a good solid start and psyched for some more.

Wednesday - all the beers. Plus all the curry. Oof!

Thursday - short fingerboard. My goodness it all felt hard. Felt a bit down given massive regression from last time, but then weighed myself and perked up a bit - at that weight I’m impressed I could do anything more than dangle off jugs! Tried hard, and that’s what counts.

sunday - front lever progressions, flies, push-ups, squats, some other light weight exercises and a small amount of stretching.

Hopes of weekend climbing once again dashed by miserable weather. Fingers crossed for this weekend, or the Christmas period some point. Just going to keep plugging away with indoor and home training, motivation for home stuff gradually picking up a bit. Worst of the work/social Christmas stuff over now so aside from overindulgence at Christmas itself I may have hit peak excess.

Makes sense, I'm sure the crazy young things of FC be out partying (or parenting) so it makes sense for me to have a go.

Well this is easy, I started out with some planned rest days which turned into a rest week. I did go to BUK for a short session to do the wood circuit but couldn't even finish that off. In fairness my fingers have felt sore (joints) since my last day in Margalef until today so I'll let myself off as long as I knuckle down next week....

Weight crept back up to 10'10" today. 

More interesting reading from Lopez. I bet she can open beer bottles with her pinky! Still waiting on MRI results, so going to chase them up at the beginning of next week. After years of saying I'll try a professional massage, finally booked in to see if and how it helps back and flexibility in general. A mixed week of training, Xmas partying, watching Free Solo and climbing. Diet ok, aside from excess food and drink at Xmas do.

Mo:    General walking, 7.1 miles. Rest day.

Tu:    General walking, 7.4 miles. IDH,(4*4*10:10:90), MH, (4*12/180), 4*4s.

We:    General walking, 7.7 miles. Rest day.

Th:    Commuting walk, 4.9 miles. Xmas do.

Fr:    Commuting walk, 8.5 miles.Rest day, tired and emotional.

Sa:    General walking, 7.0 miles. Chillin’ day.

Su:    General walking, 7.6 miles. Few easy solo routes at Burbage North.

Plan is similar for next week: train, Xmas drinks, recover, climb.

New to the group...

Mon: 6a, 6a+, 6c, 6c+ on autobelay to warm up, 20:10s bunker room session at redpoint - managed to link more moves on projects. Finished a couple more comp boulders too. Shoulder exercises and core

Tues: Campus session, managed 1-3-5-6.5 consistently but cant quite make 1-3-5-7. 4x sets of 2 laps at 7a,6c on circuit board no rest. Max hangs and antagonistic.

Wed: social bouldering - such a fab session max send 7a. Core work.

Thursday: Woody and max hangs.

Friday: rest/yoga/massage.

Saturday: Woody - finished a couple of projects. Max hangs - up to 17.5kg new pb. Strength and conditioning.

Sunday: Bouldering, Strength and Conditioning.

Next week - hopefully all this training pays off....off to Spain  

In a similar vein to AJM, keeping plugging away with the indoor training & hoping for at least the odd dry, sunny winter day on which south facing rock might be a viable option.

STG (2018): Not sure. Keep plodding on. 
MTG (2019): Double digit 7's including Frankenjura 7b+ project 
LTG (2021): Redpoint 8a before I hit 60 

Unable to do weekday evening wall sessions this week due to caring for a sick child. (When they're sick at fifteen, suddenly they're not an independent young adult any more)

M: 
T: Beastmaker max hangs morning before work. Struggling with glassy conditions on my beastmaker at the moment and not really sure what's causing it. Weather is coldish, but not unusually so for the time of year, & not particularly dry. Anything that makes the training harder is probably good (except for short term ego gratification)
W: 
T: Beastmaker max hangs. Better conditions, or actually getting stronger?
F: 
S: Wall, Thalkirchen, routes. 
S: Beastmaker max hangs. Can't expect to match pb's every time. Plus shoulder (p)rehab, wrist extensors etc.

Cheers Rebecca for the 90 seconds of entertainment My Wednesday afternoon plans were thwarted by my car - seems that I need a new battery! But did get out on the coast path (which is all of 50 m from my front door) on Friday so not a bad replacement, and interestingly has a lot of elevation change anyway. To answer your question to yourself...  

Yes! So long as they are of appropriate intensity and stress different systems with suitable rest inbetween - see my Monday for example!.

Goals:

STG (end 2018): 1) finish at least one of two long-term projects (weather depending) - Beltane (7b+) or Deliverance (f7B+); 2) complete planned strength and power sessions for the next 6 weeks (83%). Adding a new one - I can get up to 600 hours of training this year if I put in two 14-hour weeks. Doable with time off over xmas...

Its looking increasingly logistically unlikely that I'll do either of those two projects before the end of the year, unless the forecast sorts itself out. Fingers crossed though. Did manage a 6C+ at the wall which I've been trying for a while and is my complete anti-style so pleased with that.

MTG (April 2019): Climb >10 7s (sport) - off to NZ in April so ideally before then but always scope to add some there if I can find a partner (>24 in terms of equivalent grades)

LTG (end of summer 2019): Depends on winter progress - either a 7c or an 8a. Don't be shit in the Snowdon Skyline race (Sept 2019).

 Last Week:

A good one - got in a lot of sessions and saw some progress in finger strength.

Monday: 1) Yoga; 2) Wall: ARC 20 mins, boulder ladder warm up, 2 x 10 min limit boulders - getting closer!; 3) Turbo group workout (40 mins); 4) Core strength: TRX Jacknives, weighted sit ups (< 22.5kg now), windsheild wipers, dish holds, forearm extensor and flexors

Tuesday: 1) Yoga; 2) Much needed rest

Wednesday: 1) Yoga; 2) Lattice style max hangs in AA slot (-1kg from BW) - completed all; 3) Turbo (race) - average 228W for 28 mins (failed run - dead car battery!)

Thursday: 1) Yoga; 2) Wall: ARC 20 mins, boulder ladder warm up, 2 x 20 min limit boulders

Friday: 1) Yoga; 2) Coast path run, 14.3 km, 705 m elevation

Saturday: 1) Wall (Beacon) - boulders < 6C+, tried <7A+

Sunday: 1) Walk up Plynlimon (~2 hours, 9.7 km, 368 m elevation); 2) Turbo race - average 237W for 28 mins (new FTP associated with this, now 225W); 3) Lattice max hangs in AA slot @ BW - completed all; 4) Forearm extensor/flexor

This Week:

Down as a power-phase week so will be trying limit bouldering-style moves, either indoors or ideally out - if the latter then these will be project based. Athletics Club TT tonight so going to try hard in that (although its only 3.8 km so I will not do well!), but will also try and get in at least one other run, ideally in the hills. All a bit weather dependent, but as a general goal targeting 3 x climbing sessions (with one core and one pull-up based strength session to support), 2 x hangboard sessions, 2 x runs (one long/hilly/off road), yoga most mornings and cycling when it fits. Seemed to work ok-ish last week...

Nothing this week, just lots of packing and stuff.

Thanks for statting Rebecca, you are doing a top job! Quick run down for me so I don't have to remember too much next week. 

Things have been going well, I've enforced a couple of rests due to slightly iffy elbows but when combined with a couple of wet days, I don't feel I've really missed any prime climbing days. I'm up to about 6 or 7 7b/+ on sights or second tries, then on Sunday I hit a high point with an onsight of La Corva de la Felicitat (7c) which was an awesome route and a real fight! That's my second 7c onsight after Aegalis in Kaly, hopefully there will be many more to come.

Other highlights include Califato Coach (7b), an airy outing high up at Cabernet, watching a friend work the ludicrous Cerco Ibérico (8a), possibly the steepest thing I've ever seen at the grade, and seeing Mrs Dandan jump a grade and start projecting a 7c, Antológica (7c)!

Even better news to come next week...  

Your praise cuts like a knife. I've been ill all week. 

The diet/sleep stuff is a way I can take a bit of control whilst being in my final year and on placement. Normally not much time for anything else but if I can make that a habit it'll be great when I can get back to it. 

After 10 weeks on my final placements where you're constantly assessed (and a last week where I climbed 5/7 days) I think my body kind of gave up a bit and got ill. 

So literally nothing done all week. It was all I could do to not take sick days. I stretched twice, that was it. 

It's still lingering, especially in the mornings. That's annoying as that's when I need to do my physio or I end up not doing it. I went to the wall today just to stretch and do my leg exercises. 

On the plus side a couple of climbing sessions planned this week (WBL's) and Scotland at the weekend to find some snow patches to link together over heather and rock and call it ski touring. Despite that i'm genuinely excited. 

You and 99% of everyone else!

Thanks for doing the stats Rebecca, and thanks for the podcast recommendation -- I'll check it out!

Pretty run of the mill week for me. Missed my climbing-specific training session as I've tweaked my elbow slightly (pretty sure it's some mild lateral epicondylitis).

Last Week (Base Week 7/30):

M: 60min Z1 stairmaster

T: Ice/mixed climbing max strength w/12min aerobic warmup and core maintenance session. Including 6x3 24kg pull-ups. 

W: 75min Z1 stairmaster

T: Ice/mixed climbing max strength w/10min aerobic warmup and core maintenance session. With the pull-ups, I did: 4x4 16kg, then 1x2 28kg and then another 1x4 16kg. Psyched to be getting closer to 30kg!

F: Rest - office christmas party. Played some violent air hockey which raised the pulse a bit!

S: 60min Z1 stairmaster

S: Was meant to go to the wall but skipped it due to the elbow. Rest.

Last week's goals:

[x - did 195] 180min Z1

[x] 2 ice mixed max strength circuits w/core routine warmup

[-] 1 day climbing-specific training

Goals:

This week

• 225min Z1
• 2 ice mixed max strength circuits w/core routine warmup
• 1 day climbing-specific training

STG (End 2018)

• [3/10] 10x Scottish winter routes
• [1RM: 25kg] 1RM pull-up w/30kg...? 

MTG (April 2019)

• 2x Scottish VII O/S
• 3x WI6 O/S
• 1x M8 O/S

LTG (End 2019)

• Bugaboos trip - getting psyched for something big and hard on the Howser Towers. Anyone here been to the Bugaboos before?
• Caucasus trip - I've been throwing around the idea of trying to get this old school Soviet-era medal called the Silver Stars of Bezengi in a single trip. It involves climbing all five of the 5000m peaks in the Bezengi area (Shkhara, Koshtan-Tau, Dykh-Tau, Mizhirgi and Pushkin Peak, I think) but my climbing partner can probably only make a 3 week trip, so this could be a bit of an ask. Alternatively something on Ushba's west face. Would be cool to try and repeat the 1982 Fowler/Saunders route but I can't find any information on it.

Thanks for doing the stats Rebecca.

The dynamic comp problem wasn't very hard, should have just got on with it! No plans for Wadi Rum yet but might pick your brains about logistics at some point.

Mon: Wall. Lead session.  Let my partner dictate the warm-up pace – too fast! Onsighted up to a very tough 6c but quite a short session, arms busted.

Tues: Rest. Watched Free Solo :0

Wedns: Rest.

Thurs: Wall.  Bailed after an hour – tired and nothing re-set.

Fri: Wall. Good session working out sneaky beta for a couple of problems. Healthy intentions sabotaged by housemates with outrageously strong elderflower wine...

Sat: ... so 9am yoga aka hungyoga really hurt.

Sun: Wall.  Lazy lead session.

Hello me... a week with some physio weekdays but nothing else (last week of term) and then Warehouse both days at the weekend (mix of lead and boulder).

Definitely coming down with something, but to be expected at this time of term.

Accidentally booked an air miles ski touring trip to Austria this weekend, so should get 2.5 days of touring and a quick session on the Innsbruck lead wall before B's family Christmas then Morocco. Possible exchanging house contracts today to complete in January....all go... 

Good luck!

I don't really mind the fact I cannot do it it's just a shame it's not more continuous for training, I'd prefer something where you can fight for an extra move or something or have a gradual decline as you tire, this i can get to the end regardless of how knackered and then inevitably fall off. 

I don't know this particular one, but I agree that setting cruxy circuits is bloody stupid.

It's one of the major failings of my local setters at the otherwise pretty good Boulderwelt. Circuits are for endurance training, and obscure, complicated, low percentage sequences have no place. (Especially not on downclimbing sections Ross are you reading this?)

I see Tyler is doing the 30th - is anyone on for the 23rd yet?

Sorry, I’m falling into the which week is which trap. I’m good for stats on 23 (covering week 614).

Ok cool

ta muchly :-D

Nothing to report this week - just home from honeymoon - gained a suntan and unsurprisingly some additional weight

I wouldn't expect any physical activity this week either

On balance we’ll let you off