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Training Forum on CS?

Wendy

13-Jan-2010
7:31:54 PM

On 13/01/2010 wallwombat wrote:
>On 13/01/2010 Wendy wrote:
>>As Malcolm is living evidence that housebuilding is the best cross training
>>around, I am freely offering my house for training purposes to anyone
>so
>>inclined.
>
>Do you also have a Torana that needs a rebuild?

I'll also freely offer my van for anyone who would like to investigate if rebuilding old vans is equally effective. Actually, he abandoned the Torana years ago for the Bedford van, so obviously, vans are superior training material


wallwombat

13-Jan-2010
7:36:37 PM

On 13/01/2010 Wendy wrote:
>........... obviously, vans are superior training material.

I wish it were true.

simey

13-Jan-2010
10:27:56 PM

My opinion on training is that there is far too much emphasis on getting stronger and not enough emphasis on getting better at climbing.

For example a top-level gymnast will already have the strength, agility and fitness to climb extremely difficult routes but more than likely will bumble around until they learn how to climb efficiently. Therefore efficient climbing technique should always be the primary focus of any training irrespective of who you are.

If you live in the city then I've always been a big fan of traversing bluestone walls for developing technique and stamina. In Melbourne, Richmond Bridge on Yarra Boulevard (Melways Reference 2H J10) is great but if you are new to climbing you might find it a bit too difficult. There is a really good wall on the Marybinong River just south of Flemington Racecourse (Melways Reference 2T D7) which is much easier and good for developing your skills before tackling Richmond Bridge. In my opinion these walls are much better and more realistic than the walls at Burnley or climbing gyms.

If you are a fat f#ck then do some running and lose some weight. A few pull-ups won't do you any harm either. Forget about campusing, finger boards, system boards etc until you are comfortably onsighting up to 22 at least. Providing you are a reasonably healthy and fit individual you should be able to onsight low 20s simply by climbing regularly and chucking a few laps down at Richmond Bridge.

Another common mistake with many climbers is that they train their strengths and not their weaknesses. Be prepared to struggle and fail. That's what climbing is all about.


phillipivan

14-Jan-2010
1:10:02 AM

On 13/01/2010 Sarah Gara wrote:
>As for my tasi TR - I held a baby wombat (so cute) stroked a tasmania
>devil - went diving, went sea kayaking did the whole wine glass bay thing,
> went for gentle jog along the bay of fires and richardson's beach,sunbathed
>(and did a few climbs) - I mentioned my 1st grade 15 lead! -antagonist
>at lassie wall -if anyone is interested... I also got stung by a jellyfish!
>- fortunately it was a dying jelly and only hurt for a little while - and
>no no-one had to pee on me!! Oh I also did some extreme hammocking -now
>that was scary. x

Nice lead Ms Sarah. Following that made me think I could become one of those sick individuals who goes out of their way looking for offwidths. But really, I just want to see the photos.

olbert

14-Jan-2010
8:15:59 AM

On 13/01/2010 Sarah Gara wrote:
>I fell off the shelves in our upstairs landing 3 times on tuesday (grade
>20 move??) while trying to change the battery in the smoke alarm - that
>sure as hell was challenging. - I ended up getting a chair to stand on
>- did it first time then!
That was cheating! If you couldnt do the original line you have no right to alter it just so you can FA a '3 star' classic! I regard that as worse then chipping


ajfclark

14-Jan-2010
9:31:09 AM

It was clean aid and didn't permanently alter the line. I'm fine with that.


wallwombat

14-Jan-2010
10:18:46 AM

On 13/01/2010 simey wrote:
>My opinion on training is that there is far too much emphasis on getting
>stronger and not enough emphasis on getting better at climbing

I largely agree but 26 is the new 21 and if you aren't strong enough to do a single crux move, then all the technique in the world wont help you. Unless, like me, you only climb slabs.

>If you live in the city then I've always been a big fan of traversing bluestone walls for >developing technique and stamina.........................In my opinion these walls are >much better and more realistic than the walls at Burnley or climbing gyms.

No offence but traversing bluestone walls produces climbers like you. Training at Burnley and climbing gyms produces climbers like Chris Webb-Parsons, Nathan Hoette and the Cossey brothers. I can take a guess who most young climbers would prefer to emulate.

>.......Be prepared to struggle and fail. That's what climbing is all about.

Yep.

Personally, I think the key is to do lots and lots and lots of climbing. It seems to work for Sharma.

Unfortunately, for most people, there comes a point when life gets in the way.


evanbb

14-Jan-2010
10:39:52 AM

I do heartily agree with one important point from Simey; train your weaknesses. Find out what you're shit at and do it a lot. That's why I climb so much crack and try and boulder slabs.

It is easy to think though, that strength is your weakness; being stronger makes things seem easier. I'm not sure how to gain an honest perspective of what your weaknesses are though, particularly starting out. I think leading and failing makes that easier. I realised pretty quick that it wasn't strength I was lacking (like I thought) but an ability to find rests and climb properly between them. Maybe some outside observation? Some mates who are good might help? Or perhaps at the extreme, pay an expert?

Strength is good, but it's not necessarily the least cost alternative for improving.

egosan

14-Jan-2010
10:44:59 AM

On 14/01/2010 evanbb wrote:
>I do heartily agree with one important point from Simey; train your weaknesses.
>Find out what you're shit at and do it a lot. That's why I climb so much
>crack and try and boulder slabs.

Yea I have trouble with large women as well. But with a great deal of hard work and sweat,
I am starting to get the hang of it.


wallwombat

14-Jan-2010
10:45:22 AM

On 14/01/2010 evanbb wrote:
>I do heartily agree with one important point from Simey; train your weaknesses.
>Find out what you're shit at and do it a lot. That's why I climb so much
>crack and try and boulder slabs.

You are actually working your strengths there, Evan. Climbing slabs is largely about developing a rythm and somekind of upward momentum. You wont get that "bouldering" slabs. You need to climb slabs.

I need to do the opposite. It's been so long since I climbed a crack that I need to devote a heap of time climbing nothing but cracks.

simey

14-Jan-2010
10:54:13 AM

On 14/01/2010 wallwombat wrote:
>... but 26 is the new 21 and if you aren't strong enough to do a single crux move, then all the technique in the world wont help you.

Most of what I wrote is aimed at climbers who aren't yet regularly onsighting in the low 20s. If you are, then your technique and stamina are obviously reasonably well developed and more power based training will help.

However I constantly see guys (and its usually guys) who are already capable of doing very hard moves and yet are still obsessed with getting stronger. You ask them what they have actually done in climbing and they have done very little. They would rather train than go climbing.

People refer to the benefits of cross-training yet a lot of climbers don't seem to practice the huge variety of climbing out there. If you want to get better at climbing then get out of your comfort zone and be prepared to push yourself in unfamiliar terrain. And that doesn't mean you need to put yourself in dangerous situations to achieve that.

>No offence but traversing bluestone walls produces climbers like you.
>Training at Burnley and climbing gyms produces climbers like Chris Webb-Parsons,
>Nathan Hoette and the Cossey brothers. I can take a guess who most young
>climbers would prefer to emulate.

The climbers you mentioned are all very different. If you asked me who I want to emulate out of those guys, it would be Lee Cossey hands down. Put him in any climbing situation and he can do it. The other guys are very specialised. I don't know much about Chris (apart from his phenomenal bouldering ability) but Nathan is a very ordinary at onsighting trad for someone with such a wealth of difficult routes to his name.

If I had practised what I preached and worked on the things that I am not good at (bouldering and training for power) then I am sure I would have ticked harder climbs.


wallwombat

14-Jan-2010
11:00:57 AM

I totally agree, Simey.

simey

14-Jan-2010
11:15:59 AM

UK climber Ian Vickers had his best competition result ever (winning a comp in the US against all the top World Cup competitors) after a few months of climbing in Australia. And what was he climbing in Australia? He was mostly onsighting trad at Arapiles, Buffalo, Taipan Wall, Sydney Sea Cliffs (failing on 23s!), Dogface, Katoomba Cliffs. I recall him constantly complaining about how he wasn't climbing the grades he was used to climbing back home. Yet I was always impressed how he was prepared to have a go at things that were pretty gnarly and not just visit sport cliffs. His Australian tour of weird and gnarly certainly didn't seem to do him any harm few months later when competing indoors against the best in the world.


wallwombat

14-Jan-2010
12:05:30 PM

I remember Ian Vickers. He won the first X-Games comp. He was, however a bit of a legend in the UK, known for hard head points on grit, hard sport climbs and hard trad routes at places like Gogarth. He was /is a pretty bloody good climber.

egosan

14-Jan-2010
12:31:08 PM

On 14/01/2010 wallwombat wrote:
>I remember Ian Vickers. He won the first X-Games comp. He was, however
>a bit of a legend in the UK, known for hard head points on grit, hard sport
>climbs and hard trad routes at places like Gogarth. He was /is a pretty
>bloody good climber.

Who doesn't want to be a all-around-crusher?

However, we must recognize the the power of specificity. Take a look
at the training regiment of Patxi Usobiaga Lakunza. Ridiculous entries
in his blog, "After doing more 11000 movements in the climbing wall,
after more than 1000 pull ups and 100 km riding my bike the weekend
is here." If you want to be the best at one thing, you need to train for
that thing.

That said, I don't really care to win indoor climbing comps. So, fu ck that.


Eduardo Slabofvic

14-Jan-2010
3:27:18 PM

When I grow up I want to be a Fireman


Sarah Gara

14-Jan-2010
5:16:07 PM

On 14/01/2010 ajfclark wrote:
>It was clean aid and didn't permanently alter the line. I'm fine with
>that.

If I hadn't have aided I'd have permanently broken the smoke al;arm and as I already have to pay for the repair from where someone (not my flatmate) reversed into the back wall of the carport I can't afford a new thingy on the whatsit too!

As for the whole training thing I was looking at the Gramps guide book last night CanBeDone - there is a good training session layout on the page just before Mt abrupt and the cheesecake -I don't know what I Jaffle is but it sounds like a reasonable place to start! x


ajfclark

14-Jan-2010
5:33:17 PM

Jaffle: toasted sandwich prepared in a jaffle iron.


Sarah Gara

14-Jan-2010
6:00:19 PM

Thanks Andrew. tasty. mmmmm... might have one for dinner.

Philivan wrote:
>Nice lead Ms Sarah. Following that made me think I could become one of those sick >individuals who goes out of their way looking for offwidths. But really, I just want to see the >photos.

not sure there are any of you on that one - have some nice ones of you leading beowolf though -If I can be bothered later I'll email you them x


phillipivan

14-Jan-2010
7:01:56 PM

On 14/01/2010 Sarah Gara wrote:
>have some nice ones of you leading beowolf though -If I can be bothered later I'll email you them

please do.

There are 66 messages in this topic.