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NikNak
Aug 2, 2012, 9:52 PM
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Registered: Jul 29, 2012
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I was thinking a lot about the responses to my 1st thread where the overwhelming advice is to climb climb climb, I'm going to the bouldering gym twice this week for the first time, I normally only go once, and need 3 or 4 days to shake off the pain of progression. On that precedent when I was at the gym on Wednesday this week I decided not to push myself to the point of collapse, so that I would be ready to go at it again on the Saturday. It took a lot of will tbh, there was new routes in the cave that I really wanted to push myself on. (only V3's, but to me that a tough route!)
So i guess my question would be, is it better to give your all into sending it on a once a week basis, or is it better do easier routes over and over and more often?
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Kartessa
Aug 3, 2012, 3:56 AM
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NikNak wrote: I was thinking a lot about the responses to my 1st thread where the overwhelming advice is to climb climb climb, I'm going to the bouldering gym twice this week for the first time, I normally only go once, and need 3 or 4 days to shake off the pain of progression. On that precedent when I was at the gym on Wednesday this week I decided not to push myself to the point of collapse, so that I would be ready to go at it again on the Saturday. It took a lot of will tbh, there was new routes in the cave that I really wanted to push myself on. (only V3's, but to me that a tough route!) So i guess my question would be, is it better to give your all into sending it on a once a week basis, or is it better do easier routes over and over and more often?
Try this:
When you get to the gym, scope it out. Find the new stuff you want to push yourself on and then leave it at the back of your mind. Next, look around again and find a few easier routes that you dig the movement on. Do the easier stuff - SLOWLY - and concentrate on the moves, aware of your body, take the time to find your centre of gravity, think about each and every muscle and feel it... This is called a warmup.
Now it's time to work your "proj" brah. Crush that gnar, send it like a postcard. If you encounter roadblocks, sit down and think about it the way you did your warmup. Watch someone else work it and see what they do.
Once you feel righteously knackered, do a few more easy problems with the same mindfulness that you started your session with.
If you don't thrash around like an idiot too much, you should be able to learn a little more body awareness and conserve energy while you climb to save it for when you need POWER!
(This post was edited by Kartessa on Aug 3, 2012, 3:58 AM)
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J.Haze
Aug 3, 2012, 1:03 PM
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Registered: Aug 3, 2012
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What I take from your post is that a session in the gym regularly consists of working problems at your limits, which is benificial in some aspects (i.e. knowing your limits and finding weakensses) but can be detramental to see solid progression week to week. If your climbing hard enough to the point that you can only put in one trip to the gym a week then I think you are probably hindering long term gains. A common mistake I see at my gym is the newer people seeing a problem at or above their limits, usually other people or friends working the problem as well, and climbing hard on that single route and basically blowing all their energy while not getting any benificial training out of it. The advice you have been getting to "climb, climb, climb" is the best thing you could do, early gains are not going to be made from constantly pushing your limits but in simply getting milage on problems/routes. I suggest keeping those V3's and what not until you have the ability to do multiple gym sessions in a week. Climb problems you find easier but work on foot placement, balance, ect. by changing the way you make the movements (use different feet and see how that changes your center of gravity and how it feels compared to other movements). Climb the easy problems until you can do them with clean movements and then downclimb them as well, climb all of them and resist the temptation of the sick new cave problem that is probably at your limit. Once your able to put in more time per week at the gym say 3 or 4 days then you can set a day to try those hard problems, train 2 days and the third work on those projects. Just remember while those other newbies are flailing around trying to send that V3 at their limit you are getting in solid training, and in the future when they can only pump through one hard problem you are using it as a warm-up.
Check out the blog (local guy from Cinci Ohio):
http://www.powercompanyclimbing.com/
and maybe invest in buying the Self-Coached Climber (not bouldering specific but will help in understanding balance and movement)
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NikNak
Aug 3, 2012, 4:34 PM
Post #4 of 4
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Registered: Jul 29, 2012
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thnak you both for the advice, when we go on Wednesday one of the lads is much better than the rest of us and he kind of motivates us to try the harder problems. But i'll be going on the Saturdays with my nephew (he really wants to try it and I know I'm too new to teach him but it will be good quality time together) so I can use the Saturday jsut to get mileage on the easy routes and practise technique.. hopefully then the Wednesday sessions will naturally come easier :D
J.Haze - thanks for the blog link, I found that very useful reading
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