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.

Hi All,

Hope everyone is well this week.  Thanks Si for doing the stats last week.  Miniswede has been up at insane O clock the last two mornings and I’m nackered so apologies if none of this makes any sense or if I’ve missed someone out!

Si dH – good week of training.  I’ve recently experimented with different breakfasts to fuel the day but my breakfast of choice at the mo is 50g oats, 50g peanut butter, 150ml oat milk and a glass of fruit juice.  I have this sometime before 7am and it keeps me going ‘til breaktime at work at 11am (where I usually stuff in some full fat yog with mixed nuts).

Derek Furze – well done for getting something done everyday – are you doing the sharkathlon too?  That’s quite a jump in max hangs weight in the week.  Either you were going a bit light before or you’ve achieved some never before witnessed progress!

Randy – I know you’re used to it but that’s still a pretty high volume week.  Deload next week looks like a good idea, especially if you are feeling low on energy.  We only keep getting stronger if we stay uninjured.

Steve Claw – sorry to hear about the back, any improvement yet?  Good sport mileage, what was the HVS you did at Brean?  Cyclops slab?

SteveJC94 – 5 times a day! Wow, that’s got to be hard to fit in around life but at least its working.  I often see my cycling friends write ‘over/unders’ on their strava, is that some sort of interval training?

Alan Little – did you get your car back in one piece!? 3 solid wall training sessions and some cross training, I’d call that a good week.

AJM – hope the finger calms down soon, at least you’ve still been able to hit the bigger muscle groups and will be able to continue to do so with the relocated pull up bar.

Ross Barker – big gold star for 3 outdoor sessions this week.  Sounds like you’ve at least two things lined up for the send when weather/daylight etc are right.

Tom Green – I think the key to static cycling is to get up a film on a tablet and consider it tv watching without being on the sofa! Massive congrats on your Dawesesque shenanigans, sounds like great fun.

Ally Smith – Good training session at the start of the week and sounds like The Joker is coming, slowly, just needs that perfect go…

Liam P – shame about the finger injury but I bet you’re still glad to be outside again.  Let us know hoe your leg holds up on the Scotland trip.

Planetmashall – great work on Savage Slit, I’ve been meaning to get on that for ages (you done this one Tom…?) You must be nackered after all that driving around!

Biscuit – a busy week there, do you find the gym work makes a difference to your climbing level?  It’s something I keep meaning to experiment with and have never got round to.

Cheers SSB. Took a week off to rest the finger. Will start some light training this week but layoff finger training for a while.

Unfortunately, the nipper picked up a virus at nursery so had to cancel the Scotland trip. Assuaged myself by spending all Saturday wiping snot and looking at the rain on the CIC Webcam!

Have a good week.

Cheers SSB. It’s been an enforced week of light activity this week as the plague arrived chez AJM. I seem to be over it now fingers crossed but had a few days of grot peaking on Friday. We had to cancel all the visiting grandparents for miniAJMs birthday and fill today with fun ourselves - I had hoped to do a bit more this evening but I’m feeling a bit pooped now!

Monday - assisted one arm shoulder shrugs, pseudo planche leans, pushups, a few tuck front lever holds

Tuesday - got the mono pick-up hold out. Easing back in. 10kg on pinkies, 20kg on the big three on the left hand and right index, 15kg on right middle and ring. My fingers are really weird in that my index is regularly my strongest mono finger.

Wednesday - feeling grotty. Gentle stretching and back on the mono pickups, just a gentle session though, familiarisation & a little more volume rather than going big.

Thursday - more grot, more gentle stretching 

Friday - worse grot, nothing

Saturday - slightly less grot, a short walk

Sunday - about an hour pram pushing and lots of birthday funsies.

Thanks SSB.

The back is mostly better, but seizes up if I don't stay active or sit down. Had a really gentle week as want it to recover, and not aggravate it. The HVS was an adaption to the mid height traverse of boulder cove.

Tues - Indoor top ropes, as didn't want anything to upset the back

Fri - Training - Auto belay warm up, 3 sets of: 5* I's and T's (front and back) 10*Press up, 10* scalp pull up +10kg

Hoping to pick things up again this week

Thanks SSB.

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, I think, Monday seems a long time ago.

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

W: rest

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

F: rest

S: morning density hangs then a session at the Hangar combined with son No.1 going to rock club mini. Pretty good; I did one of the whites that I tried last week, and another two new ones. Shoulder/bicep rehab.

S: took son No. 1 to go bouldering at Scout Crag but it was freezing, damp and surprisingly windy We walked up and he did a bit of scrambling about, then we retreated.

Not a bad week, I got my fingerboarding done and had a decent session at the wall. Would have obviously been better with some nice weather today but hey ho.

Si

Cheers for stats as always, been another decent week this week, intended on squeezing an extra session but life gets in the way, eh?

Cheers! Almost didn't go on the Friday but very glad I did, great committing little route, that was. Not sure when I'll next be up at Manor Crag but it's a short enough approach I might be able to squeeze a (hopefully) quick ascent before a full day out elsewhere.

Had some interesting thoughts about the links at the dugout, they're very power endurancey and it's just not really the sort of thing I enjoy. I know it's good to work your weaknesses but as a man of little discipline it's not very easy to make myself do it. Still some non-pumpy segments to finish but then the difficulty accelerates up to Sub Moron (f7C+), which itself finishes up a very droppable (imo) 6C+. Not tried it though, so might surprise myself?

Last Week:

M - Groin, calf and hamstring stretches.

T - Groin and calf stretches.

W - The Dug Out. Intended on Rigpa but looked like the morning's rain hadn't dried out yet. Had too heavy a dinner and really struggled. Knee skills are improving, could go hands free a few times but still strenuous on the core and hips. I've also now found a good sequence for Doug (f7A+) - surprisingly different to Ally's despite being similar builds. 

T - Rest.

F - Rest.

S - Stanage Plantation. Mostly punting around. Touched the holds of The Joker (f8A) but couldn't even get off the ground so technically not dropped the flash. Got heckled by some über wads trying Brass Monkeys (f7C) and got further than last time (Nov 2020!), maybe I'll get back again and link it this winter? In two halves, despite greasy overchalked holds.

S - Active rest, lots of chores.

Next Week:

M - Not sure. Something low volume so I'm fresh for Rigpa.

T - Rest.

W - Rigpa (V9). Ready to have my heart broken again I think.

T - Rest.

F - Rest.

S, S - Get outside!

Goals:

Rehab finger tweak (pretty much done now).

Get better at trying hard when pumped or gassed (but will I actually work on improving this?).

Rigpa.

Brass Monkeys.

Mon. Burbage hit, managed to do Zaff Skoczylas (f7C) which I'm super pleased with. While I've done quite a few limestone 7Cs that's only my 2nd grit one and the first was about 10 years ago! It went quickly in the session (3rd session) so put a sequence together for the right hand finish.

Tues. 40mins on the rollers with the bike, nominally 20km.

Wed.rest.

Thurs. Back to zaffs for the right hand finish. Got really close dropping the last hard move. I actually ran out of core rather than the fingers going which was weird. Work to do there clearly! I've been out on the grit loads recently and managed to keep my skin in good shape. That ended tonight! Bleeding through tape all over the place, and not even a tick to make it worthwhile.

Fri. Rest.

Sat. Some hard grit toproping. Did linden clean on top rope from the floor to the end of the hard climbing but my fingers were really cold and then I just got colder and colder and it wasn't a day for a lead. Had a play on some harder stuff but didn't get anything else clean in one. Only bleeding on two tips when I finished though so better than Thursday.

Sun. 10km run. 

Yep SSB, probably a bit light previously, but I chose to reset after Christmas and was starting on a new grip.

 A pretty light week for me, partly work and partly doing some deliberate rehab.

Managed plenty of running - 4 5km runs through the week.  Plenty of stretching throughout.  Two days with max hangs 5 sets at 17kg then up to 18.1kg, plus 5 sets of 12 push ups.  Very light on pull ups with only a short set of pyramids to fifty on one day.  Rehab LH elbow every day - good.  One session at the wall, which was enjoyable.

Start a cycle of working away this week, so thinking hard about how to keep some training effort going.  

Morning SSB.

No problem at all with my son & the car. Despite (or because of?) having been taught to drive from the age of 12 by my racing driver bother-in-law, he doesn't drive like a teenager at all.

Meanwhile: I may not have caught covid in the bus or at the wall last Sunday, but I caught something. A mostly lost training week, followed by a better weekend.

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 (poor), ancap (ok), anpow (ok). To do: 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:    
T:    Didn't go to the wall, feeling unwell. But still well enough to manage a set of max hangs instead - I generally figure that these put so little load on the system as a whole that they're ok if I'm just a bit under the weather.
W:    Half an hour stretching
T:    
F:    
S:    Wall, Weyarn. Short autobelay session in the evening.
S:  Finally a decent amount of fresh snow for the first time in over a month: seemed like a good time to resume my pandemic-interrupted skiing career. Struggled with poor visibility in the morning, but by the afternoon I felt like I'm not too far off picking back up where I left off two years ago.

Hi Everyone. Top statting, SSB. And great work on Zaff -a real classic.

Yeah, I try to Netflix and YouTube my way through the turbo, but it's going to be a big relief to be able to run outside! On the topic of getting back to normal, it turns out I was being hopelessly optimistic thinking that I would be back to gentle hill walking etc once the cast was off. The doc was fairly unequivocal in instructing no impact above 'stroll to the shop intensity' for another four weeks Although I will probably push things a little bit, I'm conscious that being impatient is only going to save me a couple of weeks, whereas causing problems by overdoing it could cost me a lot longer than that. So unfortunately there'll be a few more turbo sessions yet! 

Week 3:

M: Max hangs. Pull-ups (weighted). Prehab -elbows and shoulders. Cast off, Moon-boot on -a mate said: "Didn't know Ben Moon made those -guess it makes sense for a bouldering company!"

T: Core sesh. TRX compressions. Prehab -elbows and shoulders. A productive appointment with Biscuit sorting out rehab for my withered, vestigial limb!

W: Turbo cycle -50 mins, low intensity. Prehab -elbows and shoulders.

T: Max hangs. Pull-ups (weighted). TRX compressions and Core. Prehab -shoulders.

F: Long day at work, lots of walking in moon-boot.

S: Prehab -elbows and shoulders.

S: A few km walking in moon-boot. Max hangs. Pull-ups (weighted). Prehab -elbows and shoulders.

Week 4:

5 x Prehab -including new leg rehab plan from Process Physiotherapy.

2 x Core 

3 x Max Hangs & Pull-ups

2 x Conditioning

2 x longer walks and maybe a day of one-legged toproping.

STG -end Jan:

Max Hangs: 75kg total (TICK -misjudged this, actually up to 86kg already).

Pull-ups: 77kg total (TICK -misjudged this, actually up to 90kg already)

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: 90kg total.

Pull-ups: 95kg 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: 100kg.

Max Hangs: 95kg.

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 (Going to solidify this to 3+ days at each -a bit more measurable!)

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

Late summer/autumn alpine trip.

Yep! Back when I was 19, before leashless was a thing! (Makes me realise I have got worse as a climber, but it's been compensated by gear getting better! I very much doubt I could get up it with wrist-loops and shit crampons now!)

It was a landmark climb for me, as it was the route that got me psyched for winter climbing. I'd found a photo of the line (I think in a winter round-up in On The Edge) when I was 15/16 and thought it looked like the coolest thing I'd ever seen! My mate let me lead every pitch because he knew how psyched I was, which was very generous because I took all day (literally -we started the route at first light and topped out just as it was getting dark)! It was right at my limit (I think I'd only done one other V at that point). I don't remember the climbing that well, but I have vivid memories of how buried it was -every single placement needed full-on excavation. I was so exhausted on the walk out -I kept seeing coloured flashing lights... I asked my mate why there were fireworks being set off at the ski centre and he just gave me a funny look. I only realised later that it must just have been a side effect of bonking so hard! 

Once I'd recovered I remember feeling more deeply content than at any other point in my life. On the train home from Aviemore I decided that I could give up winter climbing because I'd done all that I'd ever wanted to do. (That feeling lasted about three days and then the guidebooks were opened again...) 

Edit to add: sorry for the self-indulgent reminiscing -you were probably just expecting a yes/no answer SSB! It's just one of the routes that I think of as a real defining moment in my climbing life!

Thanks for the top stats - reads just fine despite sleep distruption. Our Squiggle has been waking early for the last few nights, which topped with my wife being on-call all weekend has made it quite a tiring weekend.

Week 3

M – Pull-ups 5x5 “on-the-minute” BW+18kg - hard. 4x12 40kg bench press. Density hangs BW+10kg.

T – Crimpd Active Hip Mobility and some more passive stretches.

W – 5/3/5/3/5 low-end aero-cap as a warm-up. Lattice block lifts. 5x6 46kg L 48kg R.

T – Easy boulders and Crimpd “Power pulls” to warm up. (5x 3 fast pull-ups – I used Lattice edge @BW). 5x5 F3SHC lifts @36.25kg. Should have done some aero-cap, but ran out of lunch break. Wrist feeling a bit weird and clicky.

F – Rest. Wrist achy. 

S – Mam tor walk was aborted because of low cloud and winds – too cold for rucksack Squiggle. Short walk around Winnats pass, car picnic then walk up to the Plantation to heckle Fred and Ross

S – Morning snooze time: 90min boulder – long warm-up then tried some harder 7B+ to 7C+ things. Managed a sole 7C. Afternoon snooze time: Pull-ups 5x5 “on-the-minute” BW+18kg – even harder than Monday! Then 10x 1on/1off aero-cap laps of woods; miserably hard work. Evening stretching - mostly working on front splits.

Doesn't look like you missed much! Unless you were after some damp scottish rockclimbing! And now you still have the brownie points in the bag for another trip north!

I feel your pain! 

Excellent! ;-p

Thanks SSB. Having spent the past year rehabbing an ACL reconstruction, I've developed a high boredom threshold when it comes to physio exercises!

Yep exactly that, they're intervals just over and under threshold efforts, which means they're very painful! 

Summary for last week:

Monday

Pull-ups (10 x 4 sets), press-ups (10 x 4 sets), , russian twists (20 x 4 sets), twisting crunches (20 x 4 sets), tricep dips (10 x 4 sets), side plank (4 x 30 seconds), inverted rows on rings (5 x 4 sets)

Tuesday

Rest

Wednesday

Zwift tempo session, zone 3 power

Thursday

Zwift Zone 2 recovery ride

Friday

Rest

Saturday

Knee rehab exercises

Sunday

Easy bouldering

I'm due to fly out to Morzine for a weeks skiing on Saturday so this week will be spent trying to avoid catching covid at all costs, so will only be doing home workouts and avoiding the gym/climbing wall like the plague! 

Thanks for the stats SSB, the Deload week was definately neccessary. One my biggest training weaknesses is that i like to do too much and delay deload week. It is always good to remember that we are actually getting stronger when we are resting and not when we during hard training sessions.

Mon: Rest

Tues: Rest

Wed: L-Sit (floor) 2x15-20s, Handstands against the wall  2x10 fingertips push ups, 15 Lunges, 30 normal pushups, 45s V-Sit-Ups

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

• 20mm egde:  60,4 % of BW average with right hand, 56,6% 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°)

Fri: Rest

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

• 20mm egde:  60,8 % of BW average with right hand, 55,6% 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°)

Sun: L-Sit (floor) 2x15-20s, Handstands against the wall, 2x10 pike push-ups,  2x10 fingertips push ups, 15 Lunges, 2-3 pistol squats on each side, 30 normal pushups, 45s V-Sit-Ups

Cheers SSB,

A belated quick post after missing last week. Life seems to be very busy so a short but sweet log in.

Monday, 1k swim

Tuesday, 5.5k run

Wednesday, 0.5k swim, pool full of slow folks so gave up after a crap stop start session, i like to do my swims non stop o it just wasn't happening

Thursday, much better, 1.5k swim followed by stretch class. Only 3 of us in the class so the instructor got out some foam rollers. Ouch time but my goodness they work! 5k run in the evening

Friday 1k swim

Saturday, rest day

Sunday, 7k hilly run round Bradgate park, up to the memorial twice. 

I love Bradgate Park. My dad took me there when I was small; I took my son there when we went to visit my folks; I used to do the Bowline Club Bradgate-Swithland evening circuit regularly. Lots of very fond memories.

(Not to mention the secret Fontaineblau that is the Stable Pit (Bradgate Park Crags))

I have spent many a happy afternoon/evening there. I even potentially put up a new route there way back in 2001!

Rising traverse on the left side;

http://www.leicesterclimbs.f9.co.uk/BradgateR.htm

In fact looking at the UKC logbook it would appear that Somerset Swede Basher has logged it 

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/stable_pit_bradgate_park_crags-223...

Thanks SSB - great to see you get a goal problem ticked! 

After sorting out my outdoor bouldering problems they may well go on the back burner as we've booked a trip to Costa Blanca in March and i need to get some fitness in. Ah well. I'll get to use my boulder pad one day I'm sure.

M - Stretching and leg strength work - 3 sets only instead of 5 as it's been a while

T - Stretching. 10 mins on the wall at 6a - aero cap work

W - Boulder UK - Winter League. Good session. I felt i was moving well, pulling hard and could keep going. A few to go back for though.

10 mins on 6a+

T - Lancaster Wall - boulder league - Still feeling good and strong but some elbow niggles after this sessions (2nd day on and just brought in Aero Cap work).

F - Went for a run. Forgot how much i enjoy running. Did an hour of offroad running from the house.

S - Rest

S - Lancaster Wall for the last couple i think i might get. Got them. 

Did short circuits on 30 degree woody to finish. Not much just experimenting to see if it feels OK.

So a good week. But again i didn't do my supplementary stuff.

The two walls i work have now (between them) got a bench and deadlift platform and a squat rack and loads of free weights. So I am going to use those. I find it hard to get psyched for home training.

I am going to go hard this week we are currently in and then have a deload week as i've not had one for a while.

Then it'll be 3 more weeks of aero cap focus a deload week and 3 weeks of aero pow focus before the trip.