UKC

Posting early this week as I anticipate being busy tomorrow – feel free to ignore until tomorrow eve.

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.

Hi All,

Great discussions on the thread last week.  Good to see everyone psyched and ready to get at it this year.  It was also nice to finally have some good conditions out in the Peak Tuesday and Wednesday after so much condensation recently.  Maybe I’m looking back with rose tinted glasses but I remember last winter having rain but no where near as much condensation as this year.  Happy 2022 everyone.

Derek Furze – impressive party efforts compared to other 62 yr olds! All the parents of young children I know were dreading having to be up past 10pm!  What size hold are you using for your max hangs?  I’m assuming ‘on tips’ means you switched to a smaller one?  I think most of us use a 20mm edge as a good balance between small, but still skin friendly and big enough to stack the weights on.  I’ve done a couple on your hit list – I remember black grub being a bit of a clip up at about 6b+ ish and a gift at E3 but very very good, and Robert Brown having a run out section at the start but ok if you don’t hang around and get tired thinking about it.  Do your trad aspirations need to be onsight or just to have lead them?

Liam P – Are max push ups just a normal press up with weights on your back (saw a guy at the wall do this a while back and he looked totally badass) or lying on your back using a bar (I presume not as this doesn’t sound that heavy given your usual form)?  Good consistency with the campus work.

AJM – I feel you on the ‘less doom scrolling’, the facebook algorithm is very impressive and I’m finding myself doing this too then pausing to think ‘why am I watching an MMA fight when I have no interest in MMA?’ Great climbing targets there too. 

Si dH – Well done on the board session, what’s ‘board 10’?  I think Ally has mentioned this in the past too.  At least with the rest days at the end of the week you’ll be well rested for next week.

Tom Green – loving the one leg turbo session, speedy too!  You can add ‘North West Girdle at Almscliff with SSB’ to your targets list for when your leg is better.  Happy healing.

SteveJC94 – Tower Double sounds amazing and well beyond my skiing abilities.  There have been some great photos of people dropping into the Nevis gullies in recent years on UKC.  I’m not really a skier so I’ve no idea if these could give you any useful beta but definitely worth a look.  Sorry to hear about the finger injury, you should still be able to keep the winter goals though even if its really bad, just leash up and get going!

Randy – welcome, welcome. Hopefully you’ll be able to hook up with Alan at some point and have a ‘team Germany fitclub meet’.  Looks like a high volume training week, well done and be wary of injury.

The sheep – I hope you left a dent in the decking!  What are the challenges you’re excited about?

Steve Claw – some lofty (and rightly so for a man of your ability and experience) goals in there.  I think you are probably already very close to regularly ticking 7c in a session, no?  Can the trad routes be Avon style with loads of insitu fixed gear or do they need to be full on nuts and cams stuff?

Alan Little – Good work on getting out.  I generally find there is something to go at this time of year even if options are limited.  Might be worth getting back on the 7a+, you might have been tired from the day before.

Biscuit – I like your 3 hard days/ 3 rest days idea.  I flit between big sessions/big resting and short but hard sessions more often.  I’m yet to work out what aggravates the elbows least.  If you manage your 5 7Bs over the winter I think you’ll do your sport goals very quickly in the spring/summer. Maybe needs a possible 7c+ at the end of the summer in there?

Ross barker – Good to meet you lasts Saturday even if conditions weren’t great, was it much better over at the roaches?

Ally Smith – Some admirable aims for 2022 there.  Anything in particular on the 8a and 8A list as targets?  Or do these need to be something new? I’ve heard some one move wonder at the plantation is only 7C+ now so you’ll have to scrub that off your list 😉.

Crikey!  Only just going out for Saturday night and the Sunday post is up already!  I’m 64 SSB!  Thanks for the tips - I will proper post tomorrow.

Feels like a decent week and made a couple of changes with interesting results.  I've used the first week in January to 'reset' to some extent.  Yes, tips is about 20mm.

Sun  Max hangs on three finger slots at 13.6kg - a grip change for variety.  Six sets.  Felt solid.  Sixty push ups.  Short run with Julia (2.5k) and hip stretching.

Mon  Felt pretty poorly and actually went back to bed at one point.

Tuesday Work and poorly, but managed a 3k run with Julia

Wed Work

Thurs  Extended my stretching set and am planning to do quite a bit more of this as I am beginning to feel change and my flexibility needs work.  100 pull ups.  Here I experimented with a changed pattern - normally I do pyramids one session then low reps repeated next session (typically 5*20 to get to 100 at one minute intervals).  My experiment was to go to 30 second intervals and split the five into a two, three pattern.  Surprising how different this was!  It felt like more of an endurance pattern and became quite aerobic.  Did the last 25 as 5*5 at one minute.

Fri Max hangs on three fingers at 13.6kg.  Six sets.  120 push ups in block of twelve.  3*3 weighted pull ups at 13.6kg - these beginning to feel better now.  Leg and hip stretches.

Sat  More experimenting with changing pattern for pull ups.  Went to 20 second intervals and did blocks of three minutes just doing ten sets of two pull ups.  This was interesting as it was definitely more pumpy / endurance in feel, so confirmed the experiment from earlier in the week.  Despite only doing 10 pairs of pull ups (20) across a three minute cycle, it feels hard at the end and I needed a rest.  Completing the other 4 cycles in the same way was increasingly difficult - I suppose the rest is down at around 15 seconds, which isn't even time enough to step away from the board, so recovery is clearly incomplete.  Interestingly, the 100 pull ups are being squeezed into 15 minutes (not accounting for rest time) which explains the different pressure on the body.  I will continue to include variations on these rapid cycles.  A new hip stretch routine.

Despite losing time to illness - a good week.

Great job on the stats SSB, and it's yours at the moment to do with as you will, but I have one small request. Any chance you might restore the link to the previous week? I often want to refer back to things said in the previous week that you're responding to

(iirc I only got it wrong, and left in the link to two weeks previous, once)

SSB - forgot to respond to your onsight question.  I went on Robert Brown once back in the eighties, so it would probably be almost on-sight by now anyway.  The others I've never tried.  However, you might be asking whether I was thinking of practicing them first?  If so, it is something I have never deliberately done (even on sport climbs!), but I might consider it as a a way of getting back to that standard more quickly.  However, I wouldn't do it on three star targets unless things get desperate!

Yeah sure, the only reason I haven't is that I don't know how. Is there an 'insert link to previous thread' option somewhere? 

Thanks for the warm welcome SSB. The last week was quite normal volume for me. It probably looks also a little bit more than it actually was, as the non-climbing focused training sessions take usually just 45 minutes and are at a lower intensity. Thus, often times i feel better recovered after them compared to when i do a full rest day.

Mon: Fingerboard repeater session, 6 sets of 6x7s,3s with ~ 3:30 min rest between sets: 

• 20mm egde:  59,2% of BW average with right hand, 55,0% of BW with left hand
• Pinch Block with 11kg
• Assisted one-arm-lockoff, 80% of BW, 4 sets of 15-20s at different angles (170° -45°)

Tues: L-Sit (floor) 2x15s, Handstands against the wall, 2x10 pike pushups, 2x8-10 fingertips push ups, 12-15 Lunges, Pistol squats (2 on each side), 30 normal pushups, 45s V-Sit-Ups

Wed: Fingerboard repeater session, 6 sets of 6x7s,3s with ~ 3:30 min rest between sets: 

• 20mm egde:  61,7% of BW average with right hand, 57,6% of BW with left hand
• Pinch Block with 11kg
• Assisted one-arm-lockoff, 80% of BW, 4 sets of 15-20s at different angles (170° -45°)

Thurs: L-Sit (floor) 2x15s, Handstands against the wall, 2x8-10 pike push-ups, 2x8 fingertips push ups, 15-18 Lunges, Pistol squats (2 on each side), 30 normal pushups, 45s V-Sit-Ups

Fri: Fingerboard repeater session, 6 sets of 6x7s,3s with ~ 3:30 min rest between sets: 

• 20mm egde:  62,1 % of BW average with right hand, 59,5% of BW with left hand
• Pinch Block with 11kg
• Assisted one-arm-lockoff, 80% of BW, 4 sets of 20-25s at different angles (170° -45°)

Sat: L-Sit (floor) 2x15s, Handstands against the wall, 2x8-10 pike push-ups, 2x8 fingertips push ups, 15 Lunges, 30 normal pushups, 45s V-Sit-Ups

Sun: Fingerboard repeater session, 6 sets of 6x7s,3s with ~ 3:30 min rest between sets: 

• 20mm egde:  62,6 % of BW average with right hand, 59,6% of BW with left hand
• Pinch Block with 11kg
• Assisted one-arm-lockoff, 80% of BW, 4 sets of 15-25s at different angles (170° -45°)

High volume week, as i wanted to use the last week of the christmas break for hard training before i have to get back to work. Next week i will definately drop down the volume a little bit. How much will depend on how i feel and how stressfull the first week at work will be. With the repeater sessions i am now back at the same strength level as half a year ago, when i did this training regularly for the last time, but i also lost a couple pounds in the meantime. Hence, factoring this in, i am already at PB-Level, despite not doing any endurance work in the last months before christmas. I hope next week will continue like this, with a little bit more rest i can maybe even increase the intensity slightly more.

Nope. I just pasted the URL into the text by hand. The forum software is smart enough to recognise that it’s a link

Evening all, nice job on the stats again SSB!

Was a good day out indeed, nice to put a face to the name. Stuff in the trees was a bit damp as the wind couldn't cut through, but the exposed stuff was in decent nick. Weather looks good Tues and Weds, though, jealous of your proximity to the Peak at the minute!

Been a decent week for me, visited a new crag and enjoyed a bit of chossy cave action.

Last Week:

M - Hip and groin stretches.

T - The Dug Out. Clicked with A Mon (f6C), thus meaning all segments of A Mon With A Spade In His Head (f7B+) (calling it "The Big Link" from now on as it's a ridiculous name!) are complete. Definitely need to find a better sequence for A Spade (f6B) and dial that in, though. I also need a lesson from Ally on how to properly milk a kneebar rest Repeated In His Head (f7A+) then tried the other two known betas, which came close. Then tried Doug's Windy Beard (f7A), sussed the top section but was too tired to complete it. Will return.

W - Hamstring, groin and calf stretches.

T - Light density no-hangs (need more weights!), calf stretches.

F - Bit of walking.

S - The Dug Out. Finally gave some proper efforts on Doug's Feet (f7A) which went rather quickly. The crux is living with the amount your arse dabs on the floor. Tried Doug's Windy Beard (f7A) again but couldn't really hack it, bludgeoned my elbow and might have been too tired. Tried some new beta on A Spade (f6B) which has harder moves but very few of them, so might be ideal for the big link.

S - Craig Ty Mawr (Tremeirchion). Got spanked by most things, but had a good time with a good crew. Will return when operating around 7C I reckon.

Next Week:

M - Stretches and fingerboard pick-ups.

T - Stretches and fingerboard pick-ups.

W - Dugout? Rigpa? Other? Weather looks nice but time is short.

T - Stretches and fingerboard pick-ups.

F - Stretches and fingerboard pick-ups.

S, S - Get outside!

Goals:

Rehab finger tweak. Going alright but think I need to be a bit more active on this front at times.

Get better at trying hard when pumped or gassed. Definitely a necessity on the Dug Out linkups!

A Mon With A Spade.

Cheers SSB. I’ve made a start by moving Instagram and FB off the accessible screens on my phone, so I have to go to the “all apps” list to open them, and this has definitely helped, both directly and acting as a cue to when I’m doing it with forums.

A decent week. My finger continues to grumble though. I’m not really sure what I’ve done to it - I will try to write up a summary some point to see whether it rings bells for anyone. Pleased with the pocket project at the wall and with another week of exercise-every-day, and I tried hard today even if it’s yet another dnf to add to the logbook!

Monday - once bitten twice shy, decided it wasn’t worth a trip outside particularly given MrsAJM was interested in going inside. Family wall trip. My finger was a bit grumbly - I suspect I should have warmed up better yesterday. But I managed to do a modest amount stuff around the child faff, including trying a couple of harder things - main interest at the moment is a yellow on the cave roof which is basically all good 2 finger pockets. Managed some decent links on it, was pleased to feel strong pulling from hold to hold rather than having to full on throw. I think the feet suit me a lot - there’s some volumes in the cave roof so some bridging/drop knee possibilities etc - it doesn’t force face on burl! Large pub lunch to mark the end of Christmas holidays, and then some stretching and a few pushups when I got home.

Tuesday - bit achey. Stretching and compression.

Wednesday - wall with miniAJM. Ticked the pocket project in the cave third go of the day. Cool moves, long-ish problem (12 moves), sustainedly pockets (only one hold in the middle of the problem isn’t a 2 finger pocket, plus the start holds and finishing hold). Finger a bit grumbly when crimping though. Also did the 3 easier circuits on the circuit board plus a number of other problems.

Thursday - 30 min walk and about 20 dips on the bars in the park fitted in around school drop off. In the evening, after a protracted bedtime battle, I did a modest amount of stretching and a few sets of pushups.

Friday - tried a mix of weighted 2-arm shoulder shrugs, assisted one arm shoulder shrugs and assisted eccentric one armers to try to find a thing that hit the sweet spot. Then did 5-3-5-3-5 aerocap on the home board. The last block had quite a lot of time spent at the (steep, only moderately restful) rest in the corner, but it’s a start. Ought to be doing several of these a week really I guess if routes are really an aim for later in the year. Haven’t done fitness in a while!

Saturday - family wall session. Fairly easy session, focused on some different angles etc for variety rather than anything very hard. Good session.

Sunday - cuttings boulderfield with MiniAJM and Liam P. Liam was keen on V for V for Vendetta (f6C+) so I thought I would have a go at one of my “why haven’t I done this already” problems - Coronal Mass Ejection (f6C). This is a 6C, big stretch out from undercuts to a crimp at the lip, foot cam, match….. then, if you’re sufficiently talented, you use a toe hook to stop the swing, and go up to a good hold. However, I couldn’t get it to stick. Few other people could either, including some of the local experts who declared that it used to be such a good toehook it could be used in trainers! That leaves me basically with the option of jumping for the good hold and hoping I can hold the swing off that. I nearly did on my best go, but it has to be said it’s a slightly unsatisfactory solution. Maybe next time I’m there it will go, but my lack of ability to do it technically means I’m not that inspired to rush back…

Get a knee pad that doesn't slip.  SEND Strap-on?

Shorts. 

Spray glue and gaffer tape (shaving your thigh avoids the pain from removing the above bit is next level deviancy)

CORE! Which for that knee definitely also includes left hip flexor conditioning. 

I reckon you're not a million miles off already if you were in full precision "flow" mode, but some training of trying hard while pumped/powered out is always good fun.  The Crimpd power endurance exercises cover most bases.  Jump in and enjoy the PUMP!

It's pretty grippy to be fair, when I tried your strap-on (behave, you lot!) I still experienced a bit of slippage under high load.

Worth a try to be fair!

I can't tell if I find this exciting or horrifying...

My weak flexors strike again! Good to know there's more than just tactical kneepad faffery to it though.

I can tell you're a sport climber being pumped is very foreign to me but I'll embrace it and siege on!

You've definitely got to go shorts. Strap it on tight. Move around for 30 seconds then tighten it up again.

Its easy to make goals when sitting on a sofa on a cold January day! Although I did try to make them a far reach, but also somewhat obtainable.  I'm not far from 7c in a session on a good day, (prob 7b+) but as we all know each grade gets exponentially harder as you progress. 

For the trad, I don't mind if its a bit bold, but I'm no into dangerous, so that is why E5 and above is a headpoint for me, even if its just to check the gear.  I am going to try to do then in a more ground-up style as that's much more satisfying, I often loose the drive to RP a route once I have top roped it, (as I know I can do it).  Luckily Avon/Cheddar/Uphill etc have lots of hard trad that is actually something like a bold E3 5b/c section to a f7b/c crux with a bolt or two, making an E6.  I would like to find routes that are just trad gear, but unfortunately in the high grades these are often the ones with no gear.

Gentle start to everything again this week.  Felt a but groggy most of the week and carrying 3kg extra, so nothing too hard.

M - Short indoor session - 3 rounds of:-  5* T's, I's front and back, 10* leg raises 10*BW scalp pull ups.  Felt really weak.

T - Brean sport - Easy going, as felt like I was running at about 60% power. 7a,7a,6c,6c+ and also dogged my way up Bullworker (7c) and thanks to someone who gave me beta from the neighbouring route, I pulled the crux moves once, but no energy to do it again.

W - Portishead Quarry - still not feeling right. 6a+,6c,6c,7a+,7b

T - Indoor training - 3 rounds of:-  5* T's, I's front and back, 10* leg raises 10*BW+10kg scalp pull ups. Fun play on the Woody.

F - Rest

S - Rest

S - Indoor training - 6*10s hangs +15kg (half only to 7s) Boulders to V6. Not bouldered in ages, it all felt really hard, V5 felt nails, and did 1 x V6

STG: see where I stand on jwi's sport climbing fitness benchmarks, scaled from 8a down to 7a by the simple expedient of subtracting one number grade across the board. Done: lactate theshold (bad), ancap (good). To do: anpow, strength
MTG: 1H 2022: onsight 6c+
LTG: Be a confident, well rounded low to mid 7's sport climber. For measurable definition see Fit Club 658

M:    Half an hour mobility & shoulders
T:    
W:    45 minutes step-ups & jogging
T:    Wall, Boulderwelt. 
F:    
S:    Beastmaker. Resumption of my "natural open hander learns to half crimp" programme.
S:    Wall, Weyarn. Autobelays. Not surprising when doing an endurance session the day after fingerboarding that the fingers felt a bit below par, but I felt I was moving like a donkey too. Alarming how far one's performance can drop off in six weeks, considering I was fit and on form at the end of November. But what goed down can (and will) also go up again. Probably the most useful part of the session was the 15 minutes ARC I finished off with, starting to address the aerobic deficiency that benchmarking identified.

running at about 60% power. 7a,7a,6c,6c+ and also dogged my way up Bullworker (7c)....

That would be a season's best for me!  Good effort Steve!  

I spent six months in Bristol in 1977 - fond memories of the Gorge!

Me too. It was my "local" crag as an undergraduate - the only one we could reach in a day by train on days when the few car owners in the Mountaineering Club were otherwise engaged.

Fit Club Avon meet then?  As I recall, very little need for strength on most of the routes, so it would be a good leveller at least.  Local expert Steve Claw can no doubt dispel this myth or false memory!

Thanks SSB. 'Board 10' is just a name that Lattice give to one of the routines in the Crimpd app that uses a woodie. It consists of doing 10 problems. 5 are supposed to be at around your flash grade (but ones you know already) as an extended warm-up and then 5 are supposed to be nearer your max (perhaps a grade or two below I think) - having a maximum of four attempts on each before moving on to the next problem. I find that when I have managed to complete this on my board it has felt like a really good session. It doesn't look like high volume, but at that intensity it definitely feels it for me.

Reading some of last week's posts I have decided that I need to set some more measurable goals than I wrote in the end of year thread. I haven't included goals in my posts for a long time but I'm going to start doing so again, at least for a little while. I'm hoping this will help keep me motivated to do them for a good period of time.

Goals:

- Maintain my physio rehab on finger/shoulder every week and aim to stay uninjured

- Subject to above, maintain a consistent pattern of 2 fingerboard sessions per week until at least the end of March (starting with 3/6/9 protocol but I plan to move to one arm max hangs at some point)

- Go climbing once a week, have fun, try hard and maintain movement skills

- 3 Font 7s in Font at Easter, assuming we go

- 2 Font 7Bs across the year

These goals feel fairly modest but let's see how it goes... I will plan to review them post Font.

M: rest

T: 3*30 second density hangs, 5 * 3/6/9 hangs with bodyweight+20kg (all on 23mm edge), shoulder/bicep rehab

W: rest

T: 3*30 second density hangs, 5 * 3/6/9 hangs with bodyweight+20kg (all on 23mm edge), shoulder/bicep rehab

F: rest

S: Morning session at the Hangar. I had an hour while son No.1 was at 'rock club mini' then my wife turned up with son No.2 and took over son No.1 in the cafe when he had finished, so that I could get a bit more climbing in. I'm hoping we can do this more often, it seemed to work fairly well. Did a couple of the new whites and a few other things. Forgot to do my shoulder/bicep rehab at the end...

S: shoulder/bicep rehab on the afternoon, otherwise rest

Si

Mon. Rest. 

Tues. Lamp session at Stanage. Amazing conditions but I was struggling to stay warm in the wind. Did The Green Wing (V6) and then The Green Slap (f6C). I'm not exactly sure what the rules are for these but I stayed off any of the lettered holds and they felt about right.

Wed. Met up with Ally at Froggatt. Warmed up on the easy stuff at Todys Playground and also did The Eyes Direct (f7A) and then Hot Toddy (f7A+) with some excellent passing old fella beta. Moved on to the next block and did Petit Pois (f6C+) and also Gibsonitus (f7A+) which I was really pleased with as I'm terrible at all that wide arm stuff. A really good day out and managed to keep mini swede warm enough all day to make it fun for everyone. Finished off with a 9km run in the evening. 

Thur. Rest.

Fri. Shrugs, Max hangs (+24kgs).

Sat. Sociable, unstructured wall session. Great to have Mrs Swede come along for a climb too. Lots of 6b milage plus a new 7a+, and a 6c and a 7b I'd failed on before. Did a 7c+ in 3 sections up to the last bolt then a move at a time from there. Worth another look if its still there next time I'm at the wall. 

Sun. 40mins on the rollers, nominally a 20km cycle.

Back to work tomorrow and got my booster jab booked too so may be a lighter week next week. 

Si - what are 3/6/9 hangs?  Some kind of repeater pattern?

Cheers SSB.

Sorry they’re max rep press-ups. Doing them with a weight plate on your back sounds like hard work!

This was my last week of Christmas leave so squeezed in a couple of trips and half a training session.  

Wed

Trip to Cuttings Boulderfield and after refining my cut loose beta with AJM Crouching Start, Hidden Agenda (f6B+) went first go. Spent an age on Memory Lapse (f6A+) which felt like a bit of a sandbag with the guidebook saying to use the side pull. After an hour of trying I ended up skipping it for a smaller Gaston which still took another 10-15 goes. Finished the session by opening my account on Lost Decade (f7A).

Fri

• Max Hangs 5x 20mm Half Crimp (+18.75kg) 12,12,12,8,8s
• 90mins on comp wall (V3)

Sun

Trip to Cuttings Boulderfield with AJM and Mini AJM. Jumped straight on V for Vendetta (f6C+) which went fourth go. Really cool problem. Steep and sharp crimp pulling and a max grade Boulder for me! Moved on to Coronal Mass Ejection (f6C) which felt hard. Couldn’t hold the swing on the crimps and didn’t have the tekkers to stick the small toe hook. Finished the session with another few pulls on to Lost Decade (f7A) which I’m going to project as my first f7a. Must have been 8+ people and loads of pads at Sunbathers which made for a great sociable session.

Should get a couple of trips to the wall and possibly another to the Cuttings this week. This is the first time I’ve properly got in to bouldering and I’m really enjoying it!

Thanks

Seems like most people have spent some time in Avon. I know Ally has as well.

Always welcome.  The style in Avon changes depending on the location and the routes. The Main Walls is less strenuous, but likely to give you a crux mantel well above gear. The Sea Walls, and Ramp are very different, vertical pumpy face climbing on small crimps.

3 second hang, followed by 10-50 second rest, 6 second hang, same short rest, 9 second hang. That's a set, I do five sets. You set the weight as the maximum you can hold when completely fresh for 12 seconds.

The idea is it's a strength protocol but which gives a bit more hang time than a traditional max hang protocol and I think the 3 second hang is useful to warm up into the harder hangs.

The idea is in the 4th week of a 4 week cycle, you do 3/6/9/12 instead of 3/6/9, I did this after my first 4 weeks but was finding the 12 second hang very hard.

Interesting - a sort of cross between traditional max hangs and repeaters.  Quite like the idea of a warm up into the longer hangs

I did a fair chunk there when I was based in Cheltenham. Still got a few things on the list, although Malbogies (HVS 5a) is probably the only one I wouldn’t have to be on top form for!

It's a Steve Bechtel programme originally I think. Here is more info:

https://strengthclimbing.com/steve-bechtels-3-6-9-ladders/#Intro

I only do one grip position because having two small kids I never get more than an hour free for a fingerboard session and I'm quite slow warming up with my density hangs and so on.

Interested, What are some of the others?

Thanks Si - a useful source.  Might try this on my next cycle 

Thanks SSB. Yes I think the bouldering goal is the most challenging for me. I really need to get better at outdoor bouldering.

My new plan immediately got spoiled by getting a cold that is still lingering now. Tested negative everyday so still avoided COVID. I felt a bit ropey before swimming in Crummock last week but felt better after. It obviously didn't go away when i look back on the week.

M - Eden rock - love the setting here. I noted i felt strangely underpowered and had no zip. Finished with some circuits that absolutely spanked me. Another sign i need to get some fitness.

T - Work

W - Got on the 45 board at BUK. Previously (august) I managed 2 problems and got 850 points. Today i got 3250 points. That feels like progress,

10 mins on the 6a circuit after.

Str 1 - 3 sets of 5 of lock offs, dips, seated SLR and side bends

T- Quick gym session

Super sets of deadlifts and squats. Built up to 4 working sets (5 reps) of 110kg and 80kg respectively. Was planning on 5 sets but just didn't feel like it. Suddenly felt v fatigued.

Got properly ill later.

F  - Ill

S - Ill

S - Still not on top form but went to Kendal for some routes. Did some techy slab work (all walls should have bendcrete slabs IMO) and went up the tall wall 3 times at 6b/+.

Felt good to do something.

I've got my plan for this week but it's just going to depend on how i feel. I'm not going to push it. 

Good effort! What's a point?

It's probably not a huge list - I took off a lot of the more peg dependent numbers after a friend had an accident several years ago. Probably:

• Them (E3 6a), 
• Arms Race (E4 5c),
• Whichever of Main Wall Eliminate (E4 6a) and Central Wall (E4 6a) has the better/least in situ protection 
• Ladder of Desire (E3 5c),
• Maybe one of those alternate top pitches to yellow edge (I can't remember the names!)
• I have a hankering to have done The Preter (E2 5b) for the extreme rock tick, but I'm not as certain I actually want to do it, if you see what I mean!

Nice list, they are some of the best. 

Possibly one of the top E3s in the South West

Mega safe and everyone gets spanked on this

I am still to do Central Wall

Nice, seem to remember it being longer and more sustained than I expected (was on 2nd)

Took a massive lob on Yellow Edge 3 years ago when a hold broke (an so did my heel).  Top pitch of Hammer Horror (E4 6a) is great

Very Avon experience, all balance on the feet, never desperate, minimal gear but just about enough. Possibly one of the technically easiest Extreme Rock ticks. 

Regarding the pegs, Climb Bristol project replaced hundreds of the pegs and upgraded a number of belays upgraded to double bolted in 2015, so its not the sketchy place it once was.  There is a spreadsheet with all the details on it, but essentially if the peg is vital to keep you safe then they replaced it with a new one, and in some extreme situations with a bolt.

Always welcome if you want to visit

I did Yellow Edge and Amanita back in 2019, great experiences! I can easily see how you could go a long way if a hold broke - I snapped a hold in the cheese band on Amanita just before the huge thread, which gave me something of a moment!

Yeah, that description sounds like what I was expecting Preter to be. I think I'd need to get back in the Main Wall groove to be comfy on that

My friends accident was after the Climb Bristol work - it wasn't technically a peg failing I don't think - I think the rock around the peg exploded - but nevertheless it has made me very wary of in situ gear in general, particularly where it can't be backed up as can often be the case in Avon.

I forgot to reply to this bit, but yes, I will do!

Amanita Muscarina (E4 6a), Pink Ginsane (E6 6b) & Bold as Love (E6 6b) are obvious gaps in my Avon palmares. 

But like AJM, I too was very spooked by the accident he mentions.

Be very cautious about that list. I have a sneaking suspicion that in quite a few cases it wasn't actually a replacement, but a removal and reinsertion to inspect (e.g. lefthand side of Main wall)

I've been meaning to have another trip to Brizzle/SW but would more than likely limit myself to sport. Academic (8a) anyone?

Pink Ginsane (E6 6b) is a good point - at one point when I had more time on my hands I considered going down and shunting that, since I think you could rig a rope in the right place from the anchors on Think Pink fairly ok, but always found something else to do instead. 

They don't have to be newbies, but they probably will be

The Joker (f8A) is totally anti-style for me, so it's staying on the list. Downgrade? The votes say otherwise.

Week 1

M – 8km muddy pushchair walk along an old railway line incorrectly advertised as pram-friendly! 25min gentle boulder and density hangs (left index feeling a bit tweaky, so only BW+5kg)

T – Nowt but a walk into town and back.

W – Froggatt with SSB and others. Warmed up on Tody’s playground and did various bits thereabouts. Highlight was flashing Gibsonitus, “7B” which must be one of the most morpho problems around. >6’ ape-index very useful

T – Pull-ups 5x5 “on-the-minute” BW+10kg. 5x5 75kg deadlift. 5x12 25kg bench press. Double dose of density hangs BW+10kg.

F – TV stretches. Ab DOMS.

S – Damp, but I had a day-pass so made best use of it and equipped a newbie, probably 7b+? Crimpd active hip mobility when home.

S – 25km flat ride. Felt quite tired. 4x10 hanging knee raises.

I was only joshing with you, we all know its 8A and Matt has no idea how strong he is! 

Hi FitClub. Cheers for the solid statting, as usual, SSB.

An good week, all planned sessions completed (turns out training is easy to fit in when you aren't actually climbing!) 

Definitely psyched for the Almscliffe Girdle -one for a sunny Easter bank holiday!! ;-p

Week 1:

M: Max Hangs and Pull-ups. 

T: Two-legged turbo session -30 mins. No idea of distances, etc... couldn't be bothered hooking up to Zwift. Felt ok on the dodgy leg as long as I stayed at relatively low resistance. Shoulder and Elbow Prehab.

W: Core sesh (used the TRX -this may be the added interest that I need to stop me shirking core sessions). Shoulder and Elbow Prehab.

T: Max Hangs and Pull-ups. Shoulder Prehab.

F: Two-legged turbo session -30 mins. Upped the resistance a bit -feels like it is giving the legs a bit of a work out, but doesn't feel like it's doing much for cardio? The legs seem to be the limiter, before I actually get close to aerobic threshold... maybe I'm doing this cycling thing wrong?! Shoulder and Elbow Prehab.

S: Rest. 

S: Max Hangs and Pull-ups. Floor Core.

Week 2:

5 x Prehab

2 x Core 

2 x Max Hangs & Pull-ups

2 x Conditioning

2 x Turbo 

STG -end Jan:

Max Hangs: 75kg total.

Pull-ups: 77kg total.

Average 2 core sessions per week.

Walk my usual running loop (14km, 450m vert) with a climbing weight rucksack.

MTG -end March:

Run my usual running loop.

Max Hangs: 80kg total.

Pull-ups: 83kg total.

Some Scottish winter routes -no longer fussy what... just anything white on tools!

2022 Arbitrary training goals:

Roll over of last year's running targets: 35km vert and 1000km.

Weighted Pull-up: 95kg.

Max Hangs: 85kg.

Weighted hill climb: 2 laps of RT in 30 mins with 15kg.

2022 Climbing goals:

7a (Possibly one of: Arc en Ciel (7a) The Jim Grin (7a))

ALL of my local must-do list: 0/15

Visit at least five of my 'why haven't I climbed here' list: 0/5

Get at least one session at each of my 'I should climb more at this crag' list: 0/8

Start properly getting to know: Brimham, Almscliff, Caley, Slipstones. 

At least two days from big mountain list: 0/2.

Late summer/autumn alpine trip.

Additional S-MTG:

I need to rebuild the board...

I've been putting this off as the new house has created a bit of a conundrum. I either need to rebuild it 'as was' but outside, which will mean I need to build a roof and sides for it and obviously is less cushy than indoors. Or I adapt it for a much smaller/lower roofed garage which will mean it has to go both smaller and steeper (less good for circuits). Or I try and find someone locally with some barn space, but then I won't have such easy access.

None of these options are ideal, so I've been prevaricating, but given that the local crags are sandstone I'll get a lot of benefit from having the board back in action over the rainy season, so I should probably just make a decision and get on with it.

Are you fit but weak, or strong and unfit?

Either way personally I would go inside, in all honesty, because I would use it so much more, but for the stronger-willed the first question might be more relevant!

Pink Ginsane is great, and not all that hard (was on TR), planning to go back and see if I work out Pink Insane (E6 6c) which looks crazy hard.

I do believe I know the one you mean, and have scoped out the area on TR, scary stuff.

I think you are correct here, and although lots of improvements were made, it doesn't negate the need to abseil inspect hard routes (I often do)

Not tried this one yet, but its on my 8a investigation list.

I think The Prince (8a+) may also be your thing, rumoured to be a 7C highball.

The problem I have is that I'm unfit AND weak!

Pragmatically, I can improve strength through other means, so I the main payback from the board is mileage/time on the wall for fitness. Fitness (and mental ability to fight the pump) improved hugely through being able to do circuits at 15degrees. I know that beyond 20 degrees, I just can't stay on long enough to do anything approaching ARCing/aerocap.

The outside thing is obviously not ideal, but where I had the board previously was practically outside as far as temperature goes (a barn with a roof but no walls), so I think motivation wouldn't suffer too much, as long as it isn't horizontal rain. It's more the motivation to weather proof it that is a drag! -I didn't bother painting/varnishing it previously, because it wasn't getting wet, so I'll have to take all of the holds off, treat the boards, then rebuild and reset. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people who enjoys the DIY element -I just want it done- so I keep putting it off!

I think the option of having it elsewhere is probably the worst of the three -having to leave home to visit it would definitely mean less sessions!

Trawling through my decaying memory, it's got some similarities with the last time I hurt my finger, described below, except this time whilst the back of the finger hurts it's more localised at the PIP rather than the DIP, and thankfully it doesn't hurt when straightening my hand.

I tend to think the similarity is more than a bit suspicious, so I think I might start on the rehab I was given previously and see what happens. 

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/walls+training/ukc_fit_club_week_668-7143...

How steep does it need to be, to fit indoors and still be a decent size?

To be honest I would flip your first sentence above around. It's boring but easy to train endurance on a fingerboard doing repeaters or one up one down laddering type exercises. A decent bouldering wall (steep board) gives you a way of training all round upper body and core strength as well as fingers. And I definitely think you'll develop more climbing skills by climbing harder boulders than you will repeating the same moves around a 15 degree board ad infinitum. At the end of the day though, I have spent most of my time bouldering for the last 5 years. If you don't enjoy bouldering so much, especially working hard things, then a steep board is probably a terrible idea

If you do go for a steeper board it's just really important that it's not so steep you find any problem other than on jugs to be hard. You need some problems to finish your warm-up that are at flash grade or below but still work your fingers a bit, in my opinion.

I'd be inclined to agree, but also as a biased boulderer. You could always put feet on the floor to make a steep board less so, but can't really deploy tricks to make a shallow one any steeper.

Thanks SSB. Yep I think I know the photo you mean, looks incredible. A friend has an idea to take a couple of bungee's up to launch into the gully with a backflip....

Managed to see the Physio tonight. Thankfully it's just a grade 1 pulley sprain so I'm allowed to get back climbing this week, though only open handed and no "proper" training until next month. For anyone that's suffering from climbing specific injuries I can definitely recommend James at the Sheffield Climbing Clinic - great consultation, explained everything in understandable terms and was sure to tailor the rehab to my specific climbing goals.

Plan for this week:

M - Core exercises & antagonist muscles

T - Rest

W - Interval session on Zwift (need to get fit again for those hard winter walk ins!)

T - Easy indoor climbing and assisted one arm hangs on the uninjured hand

F - Rest

S - Zone 2 outdoor bike ride (weather permitting...)

S - Easy indoor climbing 

It all depends on the grade and if you flash it or not. So i don't really know. It just felt like I could actually use the board and that felt good.

It would have to be a full-on 40 degree job to make it more than three moves high. 

I think the crux of the issue with using the hoard to get strong and a fingerboard for repeaters is the boredom element… I’m self aware enough to know that for longer ‘endurance’ exercises, I need interest to maintain motivation. So I can run for hours outside but feel exhausted after fifteen minutes on a treadmill because it’s just not fun. 
 

Also, the angle vs hold size thing is an issue. Past 30 degrees I’m just too weak to use smaller holds. It’s why I can barely do the easiest problems on a moon board! 
 

I was really happy with my board set up previously, so would definitely go same again, it’s just a faff that I don’t have as good an indoor space for it. 

Sounds to me like you know you'd rather it be outside and better suit your needs, but you're just dreading the building part. Time to start a UKC DIYclub to get you psyched?

That’s pretty much spot on! I really can’t be bothered! 
 

But seeing it typed out in your post is the kick up the arse I need to stop prevaricating and crack on!

Cheers SSB, the decking didn't escape unscathed, I now have to repair one of the support bits  However I defiantly came off worse, the elbow still has an ache to it but not enough to stop me swimming and it doesn't get any worse afterwards. 

Regarding challenges, close to home i want to run the Charnwood hills loop, 17 miles off road and covers some of the highest peaks (if you can call them that) in Leicestershire. Also I would like to do the Battle of Bosworth sprint tri again this year with the goal of beating last year time.

Further afield we have a few days booked at a caravan site in Castleton in the first week of the July school hols and my wife and I want to run the Edale Skyline route. This would be an ideal chance as we are there with the wife's parents and they can look after the kids  In addition I'm looking for an Olympic distance tri, hopefully with the swim leg in the sea so if anyone has recommendations I'm all ears 

Anyway much better week gone by.

Monday, 8km run with the wife's run group. Nice to run with others, back to solo running next week as my little one resumes her swim and run training in the evenings.

Tuesday, back at work so 0.5k swim to test the elbow. 6k run in the evening

Wednesday, 2km swim

Thursday, 1.5km swim and stretch class

Friday, 1k swim

Saturday, rest day

Sunday, 10k social run with the wife and some of her group. Again a one off as my daughter resumes run training next week  However as this is at Bradgate Park its not exactly a hardship and i can scope some bits of the Charnwood hills loop.

I won't be able to do stats until Monday eve. Does anyone else fancy a one week cameo appearance at the helm? No worries if there's no takers it's just be Monday night rather than tomorrow. 

I'm happy to do it for once. Not sure what time I'll manage it, but I'll definitely be able to do it some time tomorrow.

Well volunteered Si.  With all this recent talk of doom scrolling, I've realised that is Fitclub that I find myself checking rather more than is healthy.  

Thanks, that takes the pressure off