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varstar10
Feb 14, 2002, 3:12 PM
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Ok guys. I have been climbing for about a year now and i love to climb. But i go threw these little times where i am totaly into climbing i am pulling like 5 times a week and training on my wall and just going at it hard... And then like a month later i feel like i am just out of it...like my fingers are falling off and i feel like i gained weight and cant do the routes that i used to be able to do...what do you guys do for burn out...
Jon
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andy_lemon
Feb 14, 2002, 3:15 PM
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I have these days too. But it is not Burnout, I beleive it is fatigue.
[ This Message was edited by: andy_lemon on 2002-02-14 07:17 ]
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timhinck
Feb 14, 2002, 4:01 PM
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I think that the best way I have found to fight the problem of "plateaus" is to anticipate when they are coming. When you feel yourself starting to bottom out, just take a long time off (about a week or so) and do NO climbing. That usually jump-starts my ambition and lets my body rebuild those abused tendons.
Sometimes you feel yourself psychologically burning out. I have 2 tricks for this:
1. Take a road trip. This will get you psyched about climbing again and provide a change of scenery.
2. Take a LONG time off. When nothing seems to be working and you are beginning to feel like climbing is more work than pleasure it is time to take a LONG LONG time off. Like a month or more. You will begin to crave climbing, but don't do it. The first week back will feel like you have lost everything you have learned, but stick with it and soon you will be pulling harder than you ever thought you would.
peace,
tim
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dogen
Feb 14, 2002, 4:39 PM
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I fight the mental burn out by switching styles. If you've been doing nothing but bouldering, climb some trad routes. If you're sick of sport, go do some aid. That kind of thing helps keep me motivated and gets me out of plateaus in each style.
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stickit
Feb 14, 2002, 5:04 PM
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I'm going through one of those "burn-outs" right now, so I know what you're talking about. What I sometimes do is drop down a couple of grades. Like if you have been sending 5.10s go back to some 5.8s, but send them really, really well. I try not to just fly right up them, but maybe work on style or different body position. I think it's good for the mind and body. I know that I feel better when I don't fall every second move, even if that means I'm not climbing a harder route. I lift weights a lot, and the same thing happens there. One day you're bench-pressing a house, the next month you don't have motivation to go because you pushing a lot less weight. I drop down the weight and make sure the technique is as flawless as I can make it. This usually gets me through the tough times. Hope this helps and good luck.
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pianomahnn
Feb 14, 2002, 5:46 PM
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I went through one of those late last year. Now I'm just going through a period of I have a place to climb, and no way to get there.
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minos
Feb 14, 2002, 7:24 PM
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Burnout, or to a lesser extented feeling weak, is a natural part of your fitness cycle. For the full description I recommend you check out Flash Training, sorry can't remember the author. Here's the reader's digest version. Everyone generally goes through a four to five week cycle in fitness where they peak and valley out. The trick is to figure out your cylce and when your low, train endurance or footwork or something on low grades, and then when your on fire, head for your project. Also, you have to be careful in how much training, or climbing, you do, because you can actually get weaker if your climbing 7 days a week. Your body needs time to recover and build muscle, if you don't give it that time, the muscle that was building the day before will just rip and you don't gain anything. If your really feeling the need to climb lots try two days on, one off, two on, two off. Just remember, it happens to everyone, so don't get bummed out. Just know your going to be stronger when you come out of it.
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jt512
Feb 14, 2002, 9:40 PM
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Climbing 5 days a week? The symptoms you are experiencing are those of overtraining. You should not climb or train more than 4 days a week. Less, if you are climbing at your limit.
-Jay (sometimes less is more)
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maculated
Feb 14, 2002, 10:00 PM
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Here's some thoughts from a former dog trainer:
Dogs, and people, have 'learning plateaus.' It usually hits around the fifth week of any kind of learning, and I think climbing constitutes some learning.
You push yourself and get some good, technical moves and suddenly by week five or so, you're spent. You've plateau'd. It happens with dieting, studying, everything.
Go easy for the next week and hop back on and see that you've passed the plateau. At least, that's the theory.
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jt512
Feb 14, 2002, 10:34 PM
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Quote:Dogs, and people, have 'learning plateaus.' It usually hits around the fifth week of any kind of learning, and I think climbing constitutes some learning. You push yourself and get some good, technical moves and suddenly by week five or so, you're spent. You've plateau'd. It happens with dieting, studying, everything. Go easy for the next week and hop back on and see that you've passed the plateau. At least, that's the theory.
Interesting. Has the 5-week figure been documented in humans? Here's why I ask: Most climbing trainers agree that climbing training should be periodized; that is, you should train power for X weeks, endurance for X weeks, and power-endurance for X weeks. The question is, though, what should X equal?
If you are correct that learning plateaus around the 5th week, then it would seem that a training phase should not exceed 5 weeks.
What do you think, Kristin?
-Jay
[ This Message was edited by: jt512 on 2002-02-14 14:35 ]
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maculated
Feb 15, 2002, 12:54 AM
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Jay,
I don't really know whether it's been documented among humans. The fifth week plateau theory belongs to Diane Baumann who's an experience obedience trainer. Obviously, people don't adhere to one theory, so if you don't buy it, don't buy it.
The theory is that the learning curve for short term memory is about that long, and then it needs to move to long term memory and that's when results being to fail. This would be for both mental and physical activity.
Dogs and people are certainly very different, but a lot of the learning and training strategies are the same, so it's just something I'd offer up.
I wouldn't be surprised, however, if that transition from short to long term memory was about 5 weeks as well, based on my general observations with my fellow students in school work. If I had more time, I'd try to dig up a study for you.
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daggerx
Feb 15, 2002, 2:56 AM
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I get mad at my self "if I cant make it to rock or the gym" im like what are you doing you fat sob you make me sick, get you fat a-- and go work out. I eventually get so mad I work the frustration (sp) out.
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miagi
Feb 15, 2002, 8:30 AM
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I said this in another sport. I swim and our coach gives us a lower scale workout so we can gain our energy. We practice hard all through the year, then at the end for competition we do really easy workouts and believe it or not our times improve considerable amounts. Take a break, do something else for a little bit or dont do such hard as a workout. It works and you will feel brand new
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phasenoise
Feb 15, 2002, 8:48 AM
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Roll over and go back to sleep......
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