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wonderwoman
Jul 16, 2009, 2:58 AM
Post #28 of 35
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Please folks - chillax, chill out, or do whatever you need to do, but please remember to keep it civil and helpful here in the LR. Thanks for your cooperation! Tiffany
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joanneding
Jul 16, 2009, 3:46 AM
Post #29 of 35
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Registered: Feb 3, 2007
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I've started climbing with my husband and 4 years later, he is outclimbing me. It's tough to understand because we climb exactl the same routes, the exact amount of time spent on the rock since we don't usually climb with anybody else. Regardless I think man are just stronger in general but does not mean us girls will never get there, it just takes a little longer. I've been stuck at 5.10s for almost 2 years now. This year I started following a routine training (we read how to climb 5.12 book) and the results is quite good. I am finally breaching 5.10 and moving on to 5.11. One thing I notice is that to climb 5.11, it's no longer about technique but you need strength to pull many big moves consequently so bouldering is great training. I am not promoting any particular routine here but maybe you should try to focus on training very specificly like endurance and strength instead of just climbing any routes in the gym. It's a little tough sometime when I'm training endurance by staying on the wall for hours doing boring traverses while watching other climbers working on some fun routes. But the results does pay off, just be patient. Good luck.
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clausti
Jul 16, 2009, 11:46 AM
Post #30 of 35
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Registered: Oct 5, 2004
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you will always need technique to make the best use of your strength, no matter what grades you're pushing. i actually found the opposite of you, that strength was sufficient for 5.10 and better technique necessary for 5.11, but i guess it depends on where you start out with, 'cause in the end you need both. one thing about gym climbing without a specified training plan is that it can be easy to just do routes you are pretty comfortable on, and then you're not getting the max out of the gym. make it a goal to leave every time noticeably tired and unable to climb anything else, and you'll see more improvement. a good way to round out a gym visit to ensure this is to pick a route, ideally mildly overhanging and a grade or so below your limit, and run laps on it until you fall because you just can't hang on anymore.
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lhwang
Jul 16, 2009, 2:57 PM
Post #31 of 35
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Registered: Aug 4, 2005
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Wow, Clausti... are you reading my mind? I also found the opposite... that I was able to muscle my way through the easier climbs and harder climbs required me to use my strength more efficiently. Like blueshrimp, I also boulder a lot. I find it's not so much about developing power and strength (although that comes as a side-benefit), it's about learning to move efficiently and use body position/body tension. Another thing I thought of... it helps to train with someone who climbs harder than you and who you feel comfortable taking advice from because it does help having a mentor. Most women I know get pissy when their boyfriend/husband tries to give them advice so training with your spouse may not be the best option.
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wonderwoman
Jul 16, 2009, 3:46 PM
Post #32 of 35
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lhwang wrote: Another thing I thought of... it helps to train with someone who climbs harder than you and who you feel comfortable taking advice from because it does help having a mentor. Most women I know get pissy when their boyfriend/husband tries to give them advice so training with your spouse may not be the best option. This is also good advice. I think it either works with your SO, or it doesn't. My husband and I had a rough time at it in the beginning of our relationship, but now we're very supportive partners.
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clausti
Jul 16, 2009, 3:53 PM
Post #33 of 35
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Registered: Oct 5, 2004
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lhwang wrote: Wow, Clausti... are you reading my mind? I also found the opposite... that I was able to muscle my way through the easier climbs and harder climbs required me to use my strength more efficiently. i think it comes down to the fact that for moderate sport climbs, one or the other will do. you can either be strong enough, or finessy enough to climb 5.10 but once you start pushing grades a bit more you'll eventually need both. i think this is the source of the 5.10 plateau.
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granite_grrl
Jul 16, 2009, 4:17 PM
Post #34 of 35
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Registered: Oct 25, 2002
Posts: 15084
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wonderwoman wrote: lhwang wrote: Another thing I thought of... it helps to train with someone who climbs harder than you and who you feel comfortable taking advice from because it does help having a mentor. Most women I know get pissy when their boyfriend/husband tries to give them advice so training with your spouse may not be the best option. This is also good advice. I think it either works with your SO, or it doesn't. My husband and I had a rough time at it in the beginning of our relationship, but now we're very supportive partners. Nathan and I have had some explosive fights at the crag, but he has helped me. Not as often with specific beta maybe, but more with how to approach a sport climb that starts off being too hard for me. It's a little more difficult with trad climbing, but that might be because we're not very close to gear climbs that it's possible to push yourself on. So I guess that's been my way of improving. Find a climb that interests me and pound it into the ground, spending weeks on it if you have to. I know that this isn't for everyone, but I do believe that it's effective. You really have to work at bringing yourself up to the level of the climb, learning a lot in the process. I also don't think pure strength is the answer for increasing in the grades, and I've never considered myself a strong girl either. As you work your way through the grades you tend to build up a certain amount of muscle. You might start identifying aspects that you could improve upon as you go along (ie - I should work on my core a little more to make better use of my reach, one of my few natural advantages), but these things aren't deal breakers. While they might make a certain climb a bit easier, this doesn't mean you can't do the climb. You just have to learn more about climbing and techniques you have to use to compensate for it. In the end I believe this will make you a better climber.
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clee03m
Jul 16, 2009, 5:16 PM
Post #35 of 35
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Registered: Oct 29, 2004
Posts: 785
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granite_grrl wrote: So I guess that's been my way of improving. Find a climb that interests me and pound it into the ground, spending weeks on it if you have to. I know that this isn't for everyone, but I do believe that it's effective. You really have to work at bringing yourself up to the level of the climb, learning a lot in the process. "Pound it to the ground"--I like it. I also do this for sport climbing. Along with getting better, I feel like I just won the lottery when after days or weeks of working a route, I red point it. I am totally high for the next couple of days. Some times I am high even before I red point a project. I've been working on this route for weeks, and I fell once on it yesterday on my second go. I was so stoked and still basking in the glory of it. Ahhhh.
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