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whoa.there.tiger.
Oct 10, 2008, 10:06 PM
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Ive been climbing for a while and I can never really seem to get past the V3 level. I can climb most of the V3's in my gym without a whole lot of trouble and not even alot of projecting needs to happen either. I'm wondering what kind of training can take me to the next level.
I'm 185 pounds and 6'1, so I'm trying to lose some weight. I've started biking everywhere and started to try and be more concious of what I'm eating. I just got the grillito hangboard by revolution and I have a balance board and all the normal gym machines, free weights, medicine balls and the like availible at my gym. WHAT CAN I DO? I'm talking specific exercises and such.
thanks in advance
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palidon11
Oct 10, 2008, 10:32 PM
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just climb more frequently. really.
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suilenroc
Oct 10, 2008, 10:46 PM
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I totally hear ya about being stuck on V3's! Honestly, i am quite alright with it. I don't train, i am probably over weight by climber standards, i drink way to much beer and whiskey, don't really think bouldering is all that great, smoke to much, and my feet f'n stink. I just figured that by sharing my traits you might be able to analyze why you are stuck on V3s.... v3 is EZ!
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kennoyce
Oct 10, 2008, 11:44 PM
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I'm right there with you. I once went over a year without climbing anything at all, and the first time back to a gym I was flashing V4, so I would say that its just time for the OP to give up climbing all together.
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porkchop_express
Oct 11, 2008, 12:24 AM
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How long have you been climbing? V3 is equivalent to mid range 5.11 routes...and having done my share of gym climbing AND outdoor climbing, I can tell you that the way routes are set in the gym are not necessarily equivalent to the same grades outdoors.
One of the biggest mistakes that I see people making is overtraining. Trying to go big too fast. I would focus primarily on technique to begin with. If you try to focus too much on strength from the outset, you will likely wind up messing up a tendon or two which take a long time to heal completely. Getting "stronger" is not just about muscular strength but is more about strengthening your tendons-without which your finger muscles arent worth too much... tendons develop much slower than muscles, so whatever training you are doing, make sure that you listen to your body and dont "climb through the pain"...
In weight training, if you want to make gains you dont just lift heavy all the time. You develop a training cycle in which you are always starting well below your limit, focusing on increasing resistance to the max over a period of weeks. Once at the max, you start over and eventually your max increases.
Apply this principle to your climbing training. Work on technique and really styling easier problems. Work on pull-ups on jugs and dead hangs. Also, work on your open handed grip rather than your crimping. It strengthens more muscles and it is far less risky to your tendons. Additionally it strengthens your crimp strength as well...
Sorry for rambling on, but thats what I've found to work for me. You have to go down to go up, so to speak.
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sungam
Oct 11, 2008, 1:21 AM
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It's all in the fingers. V3 to V4 is the grade jump that generally marks the point where finger strength becomes necessary. Until then big arms and back will get you through.
Simple answer?
Forget about your other muscles for now, climb fingery problems. This will also mean less steep. Once you can do them, start using shitty footholds with them (if you're in a gym) to concentrate on getting your fingers working. deadhangs on your fingerboard will help, but be careful not to do anything that hurts (at the time or afterward).
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jakedatc
Oct 11, 2008, 2:25 AM
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Just start working the harder routes more.. gym grades don't mean a whole lot so there can be a big difference from one setter to another.. one gym to another etc. my gym switched to Rec, moderate, Advanced, Open.. there are sets where i can do some of the advanced but not some of the moderates..
hell get on routes you know you probably can't complete.. but you will start learning different techniques and work on the ability to use those bad holds. then come back later on and those same holds will feel better and you'll be moved onto even worse holds (this is even more fun outside where you can have old projects turn into warm ups)
edit: also... climb with folks who climb harder than you.. alot harder if you know them. then can watch you work on harder problems and give you tips and see things you can improve on. If they climb alot harder than you then they should be able to show you multiple ways of doing problems and help you find one that works for you.
(This post was edited by jakedatc on Oct 11, 2008, 2:53 AM)
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docburner
Oct 11, 2008, 3:46 AM
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Climb outside and see how you do. Climb more
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whoa.there.tiger.
Oct 11, 2008, 6:58 AM
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figured I should mention this too
I climbed tonight and got up some 11b's (only a couple falls, 11c's here I come)
also, as it is, i'm climbing about as much as I possibly can, which generally works out to thursday night, friday night, saturday night, and maybe wednesday night if school work is light. I try and only do hangboard stuff on days that I'm not climbing
I've been climbing pretty constantly for about a year, so I don't think tendons will give me that much trouble (as long as im still careful) since they've had time to toughen up
any good recovery tips?
I'm not feeling too sore or fucked up after climbing either.
and no top roping buddy most of the time.
also, on my hangboard, the holds are such that I have the slopers on there with no problem, and one of the crimpers I can do, but the others are just too small for me to even hang a little bit, what can i do to use these as well?
(This post was edited by whoa.there.tiger. on Oct 11, 2008, 7:01 AM)
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jmvc
Oct 11, 2008, 8:25 AM
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Stop wasting time on regular gym machines and climb more.
Losing wheight is an obvious help, so long as you don't weaken yourself.
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docky
Oct 11, 2008, 10:53 AM
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Hi, www. Udini.de/ ...go to Arichive then at the top go to training. When you hover over training it will say system click it. You now have the best training for climbing on the planet for fingers body and movement. To all who see this your welcome and good luck. Look at both videos they are in german. But read the english text and they are easy to folow.
(This post was edited by docky on Oct 11, 2008, 10:54 AM)
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suilenroc
Oct 11, 2008, 1:36 PM
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whoa.there.tiger. wrote: Ive been climbing for a while and I can never really seem to get past the V3 level. I can climb most of the V3's in my gym without a whole lot of trouble and not even alot of projecting needs to happen either. I'm wondering what kind of training can take me to the next level. I'm 185 pounds and 6'1, so I'm trying to lose some weight. I've started biking everywhere and started to try and be more concious of what I'm eating. I just got the grillito hangboard by revolution and I have a balance board and all the normal gym machines, free weights, medicine balls and the like availible at my gym. WHAT CAN I DO? I'm talking specific exercises and such. thanks in advance
A little more help for you... Stop worrying about GRADES - they are arbitrary... in the end, the amount of fun you are having is way more important that a little number that someone wrote on the start hold tape with a Sharpie!
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sungam
Oct 11, 2008, 1:38 PM
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I think he is basically saying he wants to progress, in this sport progression is shown by an increase in numbers. He doesn't come across as a number chaser, just a kid who is having fun climbing but wants to climb harder stuff too.
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lena_chita
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Oct 11, 2008, 2:53 PM
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I know I sound like a broken record when I say it, but how come no one has brought up TECHNIQUE yet?
Without seeing you climb, I can't say whether you are climbing with good technique, or whether you are one of those guys who muscles their way through easy grades and gets stuck when something other than (or rather, in addition to) just strength is required.
So:
"Self-Coached Climber". Read it. I guarantee you that no matter where you are in your climbing, you will find useful ideas for training there.
Good luck!
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Myxomatosis
Oct 12, 2008, 10:38 PM
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whoa.there.tiger. wrote: figured I should mention this too I climbed tonight and got up some 11b's (only a couple falls, 11c's here I come) also, as it is, i'm climbing about as much as I possibly can, which generally works out to thursday night, friday night, saturday night, and maybe wednesday night if school work is light. I try and only do hangboard stuff on days that I'm not climbing I've been climbing pretty constantly for about a year, so I don't think tendons will give me that much trouble (as long as im still careful) since they've had time to toughen up any good recovery tips? I'm not feeling too sore or fucked up after climbing either. and no top roping buddy most of the time. also, on my hangboard, the holds are such that I have the slopers on there with no problem, and one of the crimpers I can do, but the others are just too small for me to even hang a little bit, what can i do to use these as well?
Ok... some people have missed the real clues in here.
Climbing V3's after a year... thats pretty good, don't feel to bad.
Your training days are flawed, you really need to rest between days of hard cranking. Can you move school work to Thur night.. then climb Wed/Fri/Sat or Sun... that will help your muscles grow faster as they need that recovery time between.
Second... you said the word... top rope... LEARN HOW TO LEAD, sorry for the bold and cap's but you really need to move onto leading now. You won't go climbing above 11b/11c unless you start to lead climb. You will gain strength alot faster, holding lock off's when clipping and extra moves to gain proper balance for clipping will teach you more about climbing movements in three months than two years of top roping. Also power endurance will triple after a couple of months.
Also.. hangboard... stay off it, you don't need it. You shouldn't really be using it unless you are climbing 5.12 or boulder at least V4 or two years of climbing. I have never used a hangboard and I am climbing mid 12's in the gym and working them outdoors and never have a problem with crimps or slopers and no finger injury's
And on a personal note... After a year of climbing, I thought I could lead climb 5.12's in another three months of training because I could lead to the 3rd clip without falling.... It took me another nine months of training to be able to climb to the top with fall's... Climbing is a funny thing and takes a serious amount of time, training and committement. Don't feel to bad you can't do V4's, everyone plaetu's when strength won't get them up and you have to learn technique
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rhythm164
Oct 13, 2008, 12:10 AM
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all good advice. Really you probably would benefit from just cimbing more. Depending on how long you've been at it, hitting the hangboard might actually help you out. I feel like you need to develop enough tendon strength before you really start doing hangboard workouts (or risk injury), but I started using mine in a more regimented fashion this summer and went from V3 to V6 in just a couple months ( I didn't just focus on hangboard, but it definitely helped, it depends on where you're starting from too, I've been climbing ~5 years and max out around mid 5.12, so have a good baseline strength level before starting a hangboard program). Lay off the standard weight training stuff, and look for more climbing oriented workouts, isolating muscle groups that you actually use, and throw some cardio in there for cross training (road bike, running, ect) it'll go a long way. Practice lock off strength, technique, and control. Most of all, just get out of the gym, and hit the real stone, that's were true progress starts. Hope you crack through your plateau! Good luck!
(This post was edited by rhythm164 on Oct 13, 2008, 12:12 AM)
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whoa.there.tiger.
Oct 13, 2008, 1:49 AM
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haha good news all, in the past 2 days, I've hit 4 of the hardest routes I've ever done 2 5.11bs and 2 V4's last night. Thanks for all the words and as for the climb more advice, thanks, but I really am climbing as much as is really possible. I basically am at school an work between 8am and 730pm each day, not including homework (no class or work on friday and very little homework on wed. night).
I will definetly try and rearrange my schedule so that I can have more of a rest between my sessions, but generally these are not long sessions (between 1 - 2 hours of solo bouldering) and I generally finish off by hitting the sauna and stretching out in there then a cold shower to help ice the muscles. try it
the reason I ask about the hangboard is because i was wondering if people ever hit that when they're not able to get to the gym
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rhythm164
Oct 13, 2008, 11:01 AM
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whoa.there.tiger. wrote: the reason I ask about the hangboard is because i was wondering if people ever hit that when they're not able to get to the gym
of course!
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