Howdy.

I've been lurking these boards for a few weeks now, picking up some really good advice along the way, so thank you for all the great posts and advice available here.

I'm Nik, 30 years old from Liverpool in England. I'm a complete noob at rock climbing, or specifically bouldering, only been doing it 10 weeks! I would like some advice if any of you don't mind, basically i find my strength depletes very quickly, but most noteably in my grip, my fingers are so weak :( I've read that fingerboards/campus are not for noobs but how would a noob go about increasing his or her grip / finger strength? I definetly have started to feel some conditioning, my fingers are stronger now than they were 10 weeks ago just from my visits to the bouldering gym, but nowhere near strong enough to be of much use!

I am 5 foot 11" and weight 15 stone (95 kilo) but aim to get down to my fighting weight of 12 stone (76 kilos) to aid in my progression, I've done some research and drawn up a meal plan of sorts:-

Breakfast - cereal (shredded wheat or cornflakes) with skimmed milk
Lunch - Sandwich (White meat) or salad and two pieces of fruit
Tea - salad and rice with a variant of white meat or fish
Drinks - water / non carbonated fruit drinks and protein shakes each day

Is there anything glaringly obviously wrong with that? My aim is to lose that weight without losing muscle mass (I am overweight but bizarrely have pretty big shoulders/biceps/triceps) and I figure if my arms are being conditioned to carry 15 stone on overhangs then when i go down to 12 stone if i can keep my muscle mass high then I will be very strong when rock climbing.

Also, being 30 and just getting into this, is there anything i should be concerned about injury wise. I'm pretty sure ny body isn't as bullet proof as it was when i was a wee nipper!

Thanks you in advance. o and hi :D

I smoke cigarettes, eat bacon, and drink Dr. Pepper. Keeps me slim and trim. Oh and YGD!!! (Yore going to Die)

Ditto, tho less slim and trim... I call it "bacon booty"

thanks James, you pretty much nailed it on the head... slopers/crimps/pinches destroy me :o

[image]http://fiblecumewor.tk/image/2012/sammonsprestonhandandfingerexerciseyellowresistance15lbs.jpg[/image]

i was thinking of buying one of these to try to speed up progrssion. Not sure though, I don't see that product mentioned in any training vids?

Got my first pair of shoes though so hopefully can focus on footwork whilst I wait for finger strength to develop i guess :o

chadnsc - I have a bacon booty also. But that damn beer belly weighs me down

i actually feel young since i thought YGD was an abbreviation for 'you go dawg!'



Tbh my main concern... or main wish is devloping finger / grip strength, I feel i have to overcompensate on some problems due to the lack of strength, any pointers on devloping fingers for a noob would be awesome (i can honestly say that as a noob entering this sport there is such a plethora of vids/advice its hard to tell which is good and which is bad...moreover which i should be following!)

chadnsc - I have a bacon booty also. But that damn beer belly weighs me down

haha Kartessa who woulda thunk it!

Alas bacon is off the menu, lots of white meat, fish and veggies for the forseeable.

But the alcamahol? The alcahol sings to me...

But the alcamahol? The alcahol sings to me...