The Climbing Lab

Programming Cycle Postmortem

2012-02-16T05:04:00.000-08:00

I finished my first training cycle of 2012. It was designed as a post-season building phase before a training-dedicated winter cycle, but real winter never visited the mid-atlantic region. I climbed outside in reasonable conditions every week. No time for a training-only cycle, me and my Climbing World Problems.

Overall, the results of the cycle are mixed. I put up more than 20 new problems. I kept the primary goal The Goal. I fell short on most of the other objectives. I was chassing too many rabbits. For me, two is too many rabbits.

I made improvements to my climbing stamina. Those gains were partly masked because I choose two correlated dependent variables. CIR, aka rows, and hourglasses are both measures of stamina. I should have picked one and chased it until I killed it.

I picked up heavy weights and put them over my head at least twice a week. Olympic Weightlifting helps me be a more useful human being, doesn't help my climbing. I was not even close to hitting my lifting numbers, lifting after climbing for 2-3 hours is an action not consistent with the goal of lifting strong.

My core is objectively stronger. Additionally, I was able to intergrate that strength via specific technique drills. I'm better at pasting my feet and having them stay put. Most importantly, my research uncovered RKC planks. Those are a game changer.

Adding 15-20 minutes of targeted technique and mobility work at the beginning of EVERY training session is the biggest win of the cycle. It tightens my mind and loosens my body for the hard training to follow.

Lessons learned. Time for the next cycle.

Leave No Trace vs Tread Lightly

2012-02-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

I love outdoor climbing and want everyone to enjoy it, including future generations. I also love puppies and want to play with them. The trick is not to get people to agree with me but make those things happen.

Leave No Trace is one of the most popular programs for promoting sustainable enjoyment of the outdoors. However, that is an impossible standard (by name alone). If you climb outside, you will leave a trace. The traces range from short-term, footprints, to long-term, bolts. Instead, I choose to support Tread Lightly. That is a reasonable standard I can do (most of the time).

The difference between Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly is similar to the difference between New Years Resolutions (untenable after a week) and Fresh Starts & Modest Changes (which works now and in the future).

Saturday Syke

2012-02-11T04:53:00.000-08:00

Another fine Udo Neuman video reinforcing the gap between USA commercial routesetting and European competition routesetting.

Another Piece of the Map

2012-02-09T06:23:00.001-08:00

Most climbers don't train (FYI - Projecting climbs inside is not training. That is just performance in a different venue.) Of the few climbers who train, most are self-coached. In self-coaching, by definition, the person both creates the training map and has to follow it. For any map to be useful, you need to know where you are, where you want to go, what is the fastest way between those two points, and what is interesting along the way.

A great article, part of an useful training map, can be found here.

Guidebooking

2012-02-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

When I travel I'm a guidebook climber. I buy the best guidebook available and follow it like a bible. I chase stars if possible, regardless of grades. If there are no stars, I seek out climbs that will challenge me. A hard onsight or a quick redpoint are preferred.

When I am not traveling, I move beyond the guidebook by cleaning and sharing climbs. Every climbing area, from Heuco to any given roadside choss, has the potential for additional climbs.

I often see climbers, even local ones, as guidebook-only climbers. That choice limits their growth as climbers and the growth of the sport in general. The climbs in the guidebook are a narrow slice of the big climbing pie.

Saturday Syke

2012-02-04T05:28:00.000-08:00

Brave flowers are showing their buds, it is the beginnings of spring. Bushwhack, a clean, well-lighted place for boulders, will no longer be optimal. I'm on the search for cooler, shader areas. My adventuring has yielded these two gems.

My personal passion is riverblocs with their smooth, sculptured holds and flowing water. I try to mirror those elements in my movement and often fall short. Another interest of mine is feature climbing. I enjoy the odd, frequently holdless, rocks of the world. They require more than average push and pull of climbing.

Effecting a training effect

2012-02-02T05:02:00.000-08:00

In order for training to be effective, it has elicit an effect. That might seem obvious but many people miss it. Yes, a novice can "project" all day, every day and eek out minor improvements. The foot-cutting thrutching they call climbing elicits a training effect for them.

At some point a finer distinction is needed. They are many ways to elicit a training effect. You can fonder the fingerboard, switch to thrutching up a campusboard, or even try to structure your climbing to match your goals. Since they are novel stimuli, they will elicit a training effect. Some methods will have more direct and longer lasting effect on your climbing, but they will all work in the short-term.

If you aren't seeing improvements (i.e., outputs are the same), you need to change your routine (i.e., change the inputs). Any change is better than doing the same thing that is not working.

It is not the number of years; it is the number of feet

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

There is a saying in computer programming, "It is not the number of years; it is the number of hours." I propose a revision for climbing training, "It is not the number of years; it is the number of feet."

If you want to get better, you have to climb feet (lots). If you want better power endurance, you need feet of climbing while being pumped silly. If you want to climb strong on the steep, you need climb feet of steep. If you want to climb V10, you better be able to crush feet of V9.

Every time you sit down, your climbing total is not going up. Every time you climb 10 moves of V3 and fall on the V5 move, you are getting better at climbing V3. The V5 total is the same.

Simple, ain't the same as easy.

Saturday Syke

2012-01-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

Imagine how this will transform climbing gyms, from custom holds to custom walls.

Columns & Rows

2012-01-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

This is a follow up to the Pyramids, Diamonds, and Hourglasses post.

There are two additional shapes to structure training - Columns & Rows.

Columns

Columns are tall and skinny. The example above shows completing 1 boulder problem at every grade from V0-V10. Although this plan is simple, it is a dubious method to accomplish training goals. Rarely does the action of completing a column match any goal, other than to complete the column itself. Inherently, the intensity will either be too low or too high.

Rows

Rows are short and fat. The above example shows completing 8 problems at V5. It is easier to modulate volume and intensity in row format than column format, increasing the likelihood of eliciting a positive training effect. Continuous Intensity Repetitions (CIR) training is built upon the row idea.

Slide & Wedge, aka Crack Climbing 101

2012-01-24T04:31:00.000-08:00

As a result of a recent crack climbing binge, I had this mini-epiphany:

All crack climbing is just "Slide & Wedge."

Your hands slide and wedge. Your feet slide and wedge. Your body slides and wedges.

Most crack climbing trouble is a failure to slide or wedge. Identifying and treating that single biggest weakness has the potential to up anyone's splitter game.

Sprinkle in high pain tolerance, you are ready for the 'Creek.

Pyramids, Diamonds, and Hourglasses

2012-01-19T05:28:00.000-08:00

A plan doesn't have to be complicated to work. Let's look at the simplest plans for climbing performance and training:

Pyramids

Pyraminds are the most common plan and a great place to start. Build a base layer, 4 V7s in the example above. Then add another layer, 3 V8s in the example above. Keeping building up to the peak, V10 in the example above.

Pyraminds can be a good performance or training plan.

Intensity Zenith = 10

Intensity Nadir = 7

Intensity Total =80

Volume Total = 10

Intensity Average = 8*

Diamonds

Diamonds are the second most common plan. Start at the top, for example 1 V10. Then go down a level, for example 2 V9s. Continue one level at a time to the bottom. That last send feels very hard.

Diamonds work better for training than performance.

Intensity Zenith = 10

Intensity Nadir = 7

Intensity Total = 132

Volume Total = 16

Intensity Average = 8.25*

Hourglasses

I saved my personal favorite for last. Start at top (e.g., 4 V7s). Work down one level at a time (e.g., 3 V8s, 2 V9s, and 1 V10). At the bottom of the hourglass, the climbs are objectively easier but have the same subjective difficulty. It creates a beautiful grind. Hourglasses are designed to provide the appropriate volume at the appropriate intensity for maximal training effect.

Hourglasses work for performance and training.

Intensity Zenith = 10

Intensity Nadir = 7

Intensity Total = 150

Volume Total = 19

Intensity Average = 7.89*

* The averages are meant to illustrate qualitative differences in the plans, not quantitative differences. In order to construct meaningful averages, data needs to interval scaled. Climbing unfortunately chooses difficulty measurements that might not be interval scaled.

Subtle Limiters

2012-01-17T05:07:00.000-08:00

Improving limiters is the fastest path to improvement. In the case of climbing, limiters can be subtle. They are not always obvious like falling on a climb.

Are you barndooring but not coming off? That is a clue that your foot postion could be optimized.

Do you consistently hyperventilate after you clip the anchors? Your breathing might not match the nature of the climbing.

Are you holding to much tension during easy moves? Learning when to apply peak tension separates good from great climbers.

There is no end to this game. It keeps climbing at all levels engaging. A moment to recoganize the limiter but a lifetime to improve it.

The Complete Guide to Projecting

2012-01-12T05:08:00.000-08:00

Do you project better climbs to get better or you get better to project better climbs?

Looking for training partners at Earth Treks Rockville, MD

2012-01-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited about their recent expansion and looking for people who are interested in training for climbing at Earth Treks Rockville, MD.

I do a majority of my training on the wall. I occasionally hit the system board and use wieghtroom rarely.

I'm looking for seriously fun partners at any grade, preferably someone who will push me. For context, I can 1st go mid-12s and V7-8 according to their ratings.

Please send an email to me directly - theclimblab@gmail.com

The Digital Dawn

2012-01-10T04:42:00.000-08:00

The climbing world is flattening. Everyone now has the opportunity to share their own interpretation of the rock. There is no longer a singular voice of authority.

I don't care if you are the guidebook author, the first ascentionist, or the local. I don't care if your blog has more hits or your video has more views. None of these people make my climbing rules. I already have too many of my own rules, thank you very much.

If you want to play the "historical reenactment of the first ascent" game, go ahead. If you want to race to the bottom by adding progressively lower starts, go for it. If you want play the hardest eliminate game, more power to you.

I'm playing a different game.

May the best interpretation win.

Saturday Syke

2012-01-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

Wow!

(Seriously, WOW!!!)

Why I Olympic Weightlift (And You Shouldn't)

2012-01-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Under the Bar in Competition,

aka Keeping The Goal The Goal

(Somedays I miss my previous leg muscles)

My Olympic Weightlifting objectives might come as a surprise given my stated goals. Let's dig into why I'm doing it and why you should do something different.

I lift weights for a variety of reasons. One of the primary reasons is my interest in health and longevity. Climbing is my sport, I do everything possible to improve my performance just short of direct negative impacts on my health and longevity. Lifting weights in a planned progression has the greatest return on investment I have found for health and longevity.

It is important to establish a base cake layer of strength before adding the power icing top. During the holidays, I assessed my strength in the basic barbell movments. I was able to meet or exceed my benchmarks:

Back Squat, 3x5, 185lbs

Shoulder Press, 3x5, 125lbs

Deadlift, 1x5, 275lbs

at a bodyweight ~170lbs

This numbers represent my personal triple point for climbing sport performance, general health, and longevity. In the past, I had bigger gym numbers but I was not climbing very hard. Given my nominal strength base, I plan to add power via Olympic weightlifting.

I love to Snatch and Clean & Jerk. Any program you love will have higher compliance than a program you hate. I enjoy the speed, aggression, and technical challenge. In addition, quick lifts have a smaller eccentric loading component than the basic barbell lifts which means less muscle soreness for my primary sport. There is an inherent mobility component, an upright postural ying to balance the climbing hunchback yang. On the technical side of the coin, I have general sense of how do the lifts and not hurt myself. I find one focused cycle in the year breaks up the monotony of training.

Those are the reasons why I choose to lift. It is mostly likely not right for you. #1 - it takes too long to learn the lifts to gain the limited benefits for climbers. Climbers are better served by increasing strength via basic barbell movements. However if you are still interested, I suggest you contact someone that can teach Olympic Weightlifting and has a track record of results.

My 2012 Promise

2012-01-01T04:59:00.000-08:00

I have decide to share my 2012 year in climbing. In the past years, I shared part of my programming and many individual sessions. Lately, I've chosen to go in a different direction with this website. Now, I feel providing a complete year at the programming level is the best way to appreciate The Climbing Lab approach to climbing.

I will share my cycles, but I won't share the individual sessions, inside or outside. I don't want the forest, the cycles, to get lost in the trees, the daily sessions. Anyone can make-up a workout that is hard or spray down about a climbing trip. There is much more value in creating a program for consistent improvement and long-term results.

Most importantly, I will share "The Why." Before a cycle, the reason for what I do and when I do it. After a cycle, a breakdown of what worked and what didn't work. Then, you can improve your own program using the principles.

You can find this experiment here. The rough sketch of "The Post Season", the first cycle of 2012, is already posted.

Please join me on this journey.

Saturday Syke

2011-12-31T06:11:00.000-08:00

A double dose of the 'whack.

I'm a proponent of difficulty pyramids. These problems represent one level in the difficulty pyramid for Bushwhack Rocks.

Now is the time to go to the next level.

Guide: "New Dawn" Boulder of Harpers Ferry

2011-12-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

PDF version

A guide to the "New Dawn" Boulder of Harpers Ferry, consistent with The New Standard.

Enjoy!

A Scheduled Rest Period

2011-12-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

Several times a year I force myself to take a scheduled two week break from climbing, 1 week of no activity (other than walking and stretching) and 1 week of general strength and conditioning (heavy on the strength).

Most climbers (and CrossFiters) periodize by accident. It looks like - Hard, Hard, Hard, Injury, Rest, Easy. I choose this periodization instead - Rest, Easy, Medium, Hard, Easy, Hard, Rest.

Your body needs rest, and it will take it if you don't give it.

Continuously Break Meaningful Records

2011-12-21T13:35:00.000-08:00

You need to continuously break meaningful records if you want to reach your next climbing level. Let's explore each element of that statement.

Continuously
You should be able to break your records at will. If this is not possible or happening, it is an indicator of suboptimal training. You need to change what you are doing if you are currently at a plateau but want to get better.

Breaking
Your should be setting new personal records in training. Even before I enter the gym, I have the goal to set a new specific record. Here are my campus and hangboard logs from a previous cycle. I have the dates when I broke my previous records, in addition to recording each session.

Meaningful
The records should be personally relevant to your limiters and goals. My goal is to send everyday, so I focus on refining my tactics and maintaining stamina. Your meaningful records might be different. It might be maximum number of pull-ups in a set (most likely your definition of "meaningful" should have nothing to do with pull-ups).

Records
You should have specific, objective benchmarks. One of my favorites benchmarks is the number of climbs I can send in a session at 3 grades easier than my current onsight level. That is my preferred indicator for stamina. Another one of my benchmarks is the number of tries to send a climb 3 grades harder than my current onsight level. That tells me how my sharp my redpoint tactics are relative to my onsight ability.

The New Standard for First Ascents

2011-12-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

Here are my new standards for claiming a first ascent:

Video
Any quality but the complete climb. HD is nice but not necessary. You can edit however you like but also provide the uncut version.

Pictures
Any quality. Color is required. There is no reason for black & white beta photos. Drawings are unacceptable.

GPS
A majority of the time there is no specific information about the location of a climb. It would add value to the climbing community if the location of climb was expected when discussing a new climb. In addition, I don't want your vague directions. I demand the unequivocal accuracy of GPS.

These standards apply to all media (i.e., books, websites, and blogs).
I won't waste my time and attention on anything less.

It is time to raise the standard.

Saturday Syke

2011-12-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

A Practical Guide to Training Plan Construction, Part III

2011-12-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

This is the third and final segment in the "A Practical Guide to Training Plan Construction" series. Part I and II can be found here. The next steps in the "Natural Planning Model" are organizing and identifying next actions.

What is the best way to organize?

Since my collected ideas are physical, I organize on the floor by topic. Each column in the picture is a topic. My current topics are: warm-up, strength training, footwork improvement, and bouldering tactics. I'm missing a column for over-gripping with my whole body and small hesitations.

How do I identifying my next actions?

This is an important step since we want a change in the world and actions are vital to changes in the world. My first next action is filling in the missing columns. I can do one of two ways: Research (e.g., online or training book) or brainstorm. Another next action is incorporating my collected ideas into an ideal warm-up for my winter training plan. I do the same for my strength ideas. My footwork improvements ideas need to be refined so I plan to video my next training session to better understand precisely how my footwork changes when I'm pumped. My tendency to hesitate will be addressed in the same way. I realize that I have many ideas but lack a coherent plan. I will resolve that issue by contacting someone to help me create a plan.

All I need is a clear goal and a script for the first steps. I don't need to completely plan all the steps. I'll repeat the natural planning model if I need to reassess my goal or if a next action is not clear.

Saturday Syke

2011-12-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

The Mid-Atlantic temps are perfect for bouldering, just in time to develop an area - Bushwhack Rocks. I'm spending the rest of my season picking the plum lines.

I hope you are following your folly.

A Practical Guide to Training Plan Construction, Part II

2011-12-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

This is the second segment in the "A Practical Guide to Training Plan Construction" series. Part I can be found here. The next steps in the "Natural Planning Model" are outcome visioning and brainstorming.

What will the conclusion of a successful training program look like the physical world?

Outcome visioning creates your best-case scenario goal. Personally, I don't focus on long-term projects. I enjoy climbing things quickly (e.g., onsight or in-a-day) to maximize my limited time outdoor climbing time. A successful training program for me will increase my ability to quickly send a wide-variety of climbs in a wide-variety of contexts.

Your outcome might be focused on a specific climb or competence at a specific grade.

What are important questions to ask?

Brainstorming is what your mind intuitively does to connect the dots between your current state and your envisioned outcome. These are best phrased as questions. Here is a selection of my brainstorming questions:
"What is the path of least resistance to my outcome?"
"Do I want to try a different training program?"
"Should I get someone else's input?"
"Do I need access to additional training tools?"

Writing down these questions will unlock your mind's creativity.

By this point you should have the raw materials to construct a training plan. The final segment cover the nitty-gritty of transforming the raw materials into a plan by organizing and identifying next actions.

A Practical Guide to Training Plan Construction, Part I

2011-12-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

"It's not the plan that is important, it's the planning."

Dr. Graeme Edwards

Winter is encircling the North Hemisphere in its icy talons, thus for many people is time to create a winter training plan. My step zero for creating a training plan is the collection of limiters. I have a written laundry list of reasons of why I didn't send (e.g., over gripping with my whole body, poor footwork when pumped, small hesitations, suboptimal redpoint bouldering tactics, ...). My goal for the winter training cycle to eliminate those specific limiters. I use "The Natural Planning Model" as a general framework for constructing my training plan:

1. Defining purpose and principles
2. Outcome visioning
3. Brainstorming
4. Organizing
5. Identifying next actions

What is my purpose for training?

Primarily, I enjoy the process of improvement. I like to improve my climbing for the intrinsic benefit of seeing progress. In addition, physical activity makes me happier. I especially enjoy being active with a positive purpose. Lastly, I can complete more climbs on performance days and choose from a wider selection of climbs because of my training.

Everyone has their own reasons. You need to find yours.

What are my principles?

Principles are the boundaries of the plan. It is important to write down your principles to have an objective inventory. Here are a selection of my training principles: I have the ability to make to a plan and follow it. I'm willing to train, instead of defaulting to performance-oriented climbing or doing what other climbers are doing. I have the desire and opportunity to train 4 days a week for 2-3 hours each day.

Currently, I have easy access to a commercial climbing gym with about ~35 quality problems that range from V0-V9, a system board, and a hangboard. I have access to a commercial weightroom with a lifting platform, limited free weights, light dumbbells/kettlebells, treadmills, and indoor rowers. I have a video camera.

I don't list the things I don't have unless I plan to do something about them.

Saturday Syke

2011-12-03T06:08:00.000-08:00

There is a lifetime of knowledge, bordering on wisdom, in this video.

A Better Appoarch to Grading Climbs

2011-11-30T05:49:00.000-08:00

Grading climbs appears to be a fundamentally contentious issue. However it doesn't have to be, science already has an elegant solution to this problem. Measurement Theory is a branch of science that has developed specific strategies to assign labels to real-world attributes. An introduction can be found here.

"The map is not the territory" is the most fundamental assumption. Measurements are not the same as the attribute being measured; the grade (measurement) of a climb is not the same as the difficulty (attribute) of a climb.

Given that assumption, there are 2 steps to establish a functional grading system:

1. Use comparative scaling to rank-order the difficulty of climbs.

2. Construct and assign scale values (i.e., grades) based on those rank-orderings.

The first step requires a fundamental shift in the way climbers record difficulty. Instead of arbitrarily assigning a grade to a climb, a climber would compare the difficulty of the current climb to the difficulty of other climbs the climber has completed. For example, I feel "Dragon Fly" is more difficult than "The Madien" but less difficult than "Baby Face." More subtle distinctions can be made - "Dragon Fly" feels more difficult than "Lobsterclaw" but less difficult than "Hobbit in a Bender." A climb could also be rated as the most relatively difficult. An internet database (e.g., Mountain Project, Rockclimbing.com, 8a.nu, 27 crags ...) would be the logical place to aggregate these comparisons.

The second step uses these comparative rankings to construct scale values and assign value (i.e, grades) to the climbs. This is a technical but straight-forward process, it could be handled by anyone who has taken a basic Measurement Theory course. I'll leave the in-depth discussion of that process to a future post.

The current debate on difficulty and grades is pointless until a better connection to the ground truth is established. Above are straightfoward steps in that direction.

Saturday Syke

2011-11-26T04:59:00.000-08:00

This week it is The Climbing Lab's own.

Recently, I relocated to the Mid-Atlantic region. Everyone offered their condolences,
"Sorry, there ain't much climbing around here. It ain't no __________."

So far I have been climbing great problems in great settings, as much as my fingers and other interests will allow. The problem above is just one example. It is a fun romp, 15+ moves on immaculate rock.

It reminds me of what a wise sage said once.

Review: "Bouldering" Book

2011-11-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

Peter Beal's Bouldering: Movement, Tactics, and Problem Solving is an attempt to cover entire discipline of bouldering. Overall, it is a pale and bloated imitation of 9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistakes by Dave McLeod. Throughout the book Peter Beal comes off like an armchair philosopher. The book is rife with broscience, word-of-mouth knowledge passed off as fact. There is little or no supporting evidence for any statements made in the book.

Even though the book is over 200 pages long, there needs to be a more complete treatment of all the topics. Almost every line of text begs more questions than it answers. He suggests using a "trucker's hitch" to tie two pads together, thus making the approach easier. He never elaborates how to tie a trucker's hitch. A nice tutorial can be found here. The "Staying there:" sections lack practical information (i.e., facts) for a traveling climber. Here is the Bishop section: "Overnight accommodations range from The Pit, a cheap campground in an old gravel quarry on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public land, to motels in town. Will Young's guide has the specifics." It doesn't list the name of the guide, Bishop Bouldering, and Mick Ryan is also an author. Better Bishop camping information can be found here.

There are interesting guest appearances from bouldering elites, including Dave Graham. However, some of the sidebars are odd choices. There is advice from Daniel Woods about training for World Cup bouldering success. He wouldn't be my first choice because Woods has so far only limited World Cup success. Wouldn't 5-time overall champion Kilian Fischhuber have a better perspective on training for World Cup bouldering? Choosing Daniel Woods is one example of the entire book's Colorado and Boulder bias.

The book is hard to read in many places. There are lengthy written descriptions which could be better handled by short video tutorials. There are no sequence pictures which would illustrate the written points. In fact, most of the pictures are not correlated with the content of the text. They appear to serve an atheistic function, compared to a pragmatic function; however, they are not in color.

It might be an acceptable gift for a newly minted boulder who just feel in the love with climbing and is hungry for any information. Otherwise, it can be skipped.

Getting what you need, even if it is nonlinear

2011-11-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

My inner geek wants my training to be linear. For example, I want a step-by-step training program that I flawless execute with predictable sends as a result. My linear seeking behavior extends to my training facilities. I want a constant slab wall adjacent to a constant vertical wall followed by a constant off vertical, ... etc. The training area would stop short of a constant roof because that is just stupid. There would be none of those tricky transitions. I could perfectly train my movements and tactics in isolation. Later, I would bring those separate elements together.

I haven't (yet) built the full scale "Climbing Lab." I'm forced to train in the current real-world which includes transitions. Those nonlinear elements are either a crux or a rest, despite the best routesetting. My inner geek recoils at the "non-optimality" of the situation. My inner realist realizes there is an opportunity to train the real-world climbing elements of pacing, recovery, and jessery (Yes, jessery is a real-world climbing skill that should be trained). In the end, those elements will contribute more to sending than the perfect training facility.

Strength Villain

2011-11-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

I recently had the honor of hanging out with the Strength Villain crew, sharing a love of training and tattoos. They are "subject matter experts" on powerbuilding. Powerbuilding, a mix of power lifting and body building, is a program to perform and look like you actually train. Through cigar smoke and Lil' Wayne, I learned our underlying similarities vastly outweigh the surface differences. Here are a couple of training and life lessons:

Bring both heart and head to what you do.
Pick the right goals and walk your path towards them.
Help as many people as possible along the way.
Realize the power and limitations of the digital medium.
Value your crew and community.

Limiter Driven Training

2011-11-15T04:57:00.000-08:00

My training philosophy is "limiter driven improvement." I constantly seek out my current climbing limiters and design drills and progressions to improve them. The easiest way to find a limiter is ask, "Why did I fall?" I ask that question not just when I fall off a limit-level climb. If I fall off a warm-up, that is an equally valid data point. Maybe I'm rushing my warm-up and that lack of "being in the moment" is limiting my climbing. This fundamental deposition towards limiter driven improvement makes climbing intrinsically motivating. My primary focus is increasing climbing competence, sending more and harder climbs is a welcomed by-product.

I collect personal climbing limiters and design my next training session or cycle around improving them. Currently, one of my biggest limiters is not pushing enough with my feet when I'm pumped. I don't automatically jump to "I need to be stronger" to improve this limiter. Limiters could be technical, mental, or psychical. I approach this limiter from technical and mental perspectives. I have a deposition towards over-powering moves at my limits. I need to readjust this strategy towards finding technical solutions. Mentally, I like being in control. When I'm pumped I'm start to lose control. I try to regain control through my strength. I'm working on being okay with losing control.

By using this method, my climbing is still improving. My gains are not in leaps and bounds but a little each time I climb. That improvement keeps me engaged with climbing even after 10+ consistent years.

Saturday Syke

2011-11-12T04:52:00.000-08:00

A new vision to push climb forward can be found anywhere.

The trouble with the thumb

2011-11-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

James at CATS Climbing has an interesting take on grip positions. I agree with most of his conjectures. However, there is room for subtly in this statement - "There is no advantage to climbing without the thumb pinching the bottom of the hold (Grip B)"

If you are climbing in a performance-orientated environment, then there is a role for Grip B. On the other hand, if your inside climbing is training targeted towards outside performance, there is less need for Grip B. It is uncommon to pinch the bottom of edge holds outside. I would advocate spending a portion of training time on thumbless climbing. Yes, it is contrived. Yes, you can't climb as hard. But it transfers better to outside climbing than the the ubiquitous pinch grip found in indoor climbing.

Lastly, I simply don't understand the statement - "None of this applies to route climbers."

Pretty should be the new strong

2011-11-08T07:50:00.000-08:00

People say interesting things when someone is post-crux on the send go of their project. There are shouts of French (Allez!) and Spanish (Venga!), when neither person speaks enough of the language to get out of de Gaulle or Barajas. From my experience, the shout of "Strong" is on the rise. Yes, the a post-crux climber is fatigued and needs to keep it together to get to the top. However, the climber needs more than strength at that point. The climber needs to climb well. The best term for this concept is pretty climbing (handsome, if your uncomfortable with pretty). "Pretty" needs to the new "Strong."

The next time you see me post-crux, please remind to me to climb "Pretty."

Debate Through Movement

2011-11-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

I hear climbers at the gym and crag having in-depth theoretical discussions about the path of least resistance up a particular climb. Climber #1 proposes a complex undercling-pogo-drive-by sequence. Climber #2 proposes a simple, but elegant, jump move. Their discussion lacks context since neither climber has touched the problem. There is nothing wrong with generating multiple sequences for a solid flash attempt. However, these conversations frequently last longer than it would take to try every permutation of climb.

Shut-up & Climb!

Humans have the magical gift of language. There are times when that gift doesn't serve us. Much of climbing is implicit and can only be learned through direct experience. Words can inhibit this procedural learning. For example, the moment you try to describe riding a bicycle you fall off.

Settle movement debates through movement.

Beyond The Mohs Scale

2011-11-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

I have stumbled upon another batch of my favorite type of rock - river-polished granite. So perfect but so slick. Boulder after boulder of wavy, bullet-hard goodness. The rock in this particular area has least amount of friction I have ever encountered. It feels slicker than glass. I lack the vocabulary to adequately describe it to other interested parties.

Mohs scale of mineral hardness is convenient shorthand for geologists to talk each other. Climbers need a similar scale for rock friction. I propose additional systems of letters to describe friction (or lack thereof). The rock described above would be type "A." Yosemite granite would be type "C." Southern sandstone would be type "F". Limestone with little spikes (name?) would be type "M."

Saturday Syke

2011-10-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

I like it raw and uncut.
Just hot climbing movement.

The rest of the comp can be seen here.

Cheerleading vs. Coaching

2011-10-27T05:25:00.000-07:00

Cheerleading, at its core, is unconditional support. Whereas, coaching is pragmatic advice aimed at improvement. In a performance-driven environment, cheerleading typically drowns out coaching. The problem comes when an athlete spends a majority of his or her time in a performance-driven environment. There needs to be time and space for subtlety of coaching to take place, when improvement in movement is more important than getting to the top of a climb. Everyone in climbing would benefit from a little less cheerleading and little more coaching.

Review: "Redpoint" Book

2011-10-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

I had high expectations for Redpoint: The Self-Coached Climber's Guide to Redpoint and On-Site Climbing. My copy of their first offering, Self-Coached Climber, is falling apart from constant use. "Redpoint" did not disappoint. It covers all aspects of redpoint and onsight climbing. It is primarily focused on sport climbing with the occasional references to traditional climbing and bouldering. In additional to their extensive personal experience, their history of instruction enriches the book. The book is more than a collection of tactics. It a complete, systematic approach to performance oriented climbing. There are a range of insights, large and small, that can be gleamed from a close reading. Even experienced climbers will learn something.

The book really shines when it covers the mental game, an under-appreciated aspect of climbing. One important element they address is the fear of failure. That is the primary fear I see at the crag, especially for performance-orientated climbers. They give pragmatic advice to mitigate that fear.

They are proponents of video accelerated learning. They discuss the value of video taping climbs and subsequent movement analysis. The included dvd provides another perspective on the issues in the book.

There is a bonus section in the book on "The physics of falling." A fascinating read for the geeky climber.

There are couple of specific places where the offering falls short. The books drags when they describe in words what a short video clip could cover far better and quicker. On page 126, a picture caption states, "A climber properly outfitted for a redpoint attempt." The pictured climber has several quickdraws attached to the harness. The text on page 124 states, "The route is already equipped with draws, so a harness, shoes, and chalk bag with small hold brush are all you really need; leave everything else on the ground." The picture and text body don't agree. Additionally, the dvd didn't work on my computer (a macbook pro). I downloaded the assessment pdfs from here.

On a personal note, the book and dvd are full of references to New River Gorge, WV. I recently made my first pilgrimage there. It was fun to use many of the references (including play-by-play video sequences).

I would recommend picking up a copy after picking up The Self-Coached Climber first.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2011-10-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

The human primate has a powerful ability to learn through observation of other human primates. Scientists are beginning to understand the neurobiological basis of that ability. That neurobiology drives, in part, Crowd Accelerated Innovation.

Currently, the internet is a massive catalyst for this process. A climber no longer has to be present to watch someone else climb. He or she can watch a video of a climb and learn. He or she still has to work out the particulars, but the learning process for that climb is accelerated. The open sharing of climbing videos (of any quality) will help push climbing forward.

Adding Value

2011-10-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

What adds more value to the climbing community?

A repeat
A second ascent
A first ascent
Developing a new area
Sharing a new area

Do One Thing, Brilliantly

2011-10-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

A climbing coach of mine says,"Put on your shoes brilliantly."
I do that.
Then, I place each hand brilliantly.
Next, I place each foot brilliantly.
Finally, I start to move brilliantly.

Now everything is easier.

Continuous Intensity Repetitions

2011-10-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Continuous Intensity Repetitions (CIR) bouldering, from The Self-Coached Climber, is one of the most best methods I have found for improving my climbing. CIR is climbing a set of problems at particular, sub-maximal grade with near complete rest between problems. Lately, my CIR sessions are ~12 problems at V6/7 and last ~45 minutes.

Why bouldering? Distilled, focused movement. I can visualize and perfectly execute short sections of climbing. Why 12 problems? It gives me a breath of movement opportunities while maintaining precise execution. If I climb more problems, I get sloppy. I don't want to practice, thereby ingraining, sloppy climbing. Why that grade? It is the grade I can consistently send 1st try. Why near complete rest? When I get pumped I flop around like mackerel in the hull of fishing boat. I want the movement to be brilliant, but balanced with the entire session not taking too long.

When I convince other boulders try CIR there is an immediate improvement in their climbing (and their enjoyment of climbing). That could be the Novice Effect, aka something new eliciting an improvement. I think it goes deeper. CIR provides a platform to increase your movement repertoire. It tricks you into climbing more than a typical bouldering session of projecting limit-level problems for far too long.

I use the following variations of CIR to accomplish different goals:

Onsight Only: Usually done at visiting gyms or crags. A great way to sample an area while getting a training dose.

All Different, But Repeats: Exposes subtle movement limiters.

Circuits: I pick a set of 4-6 problems. Climb each one, and repeat the entire set of problems 2-3 times.

Efficiency Grinders: I pick a problem and climb it 3-4 times in a row. I repeat that process for 4-6 different problems. I refine each repetition either by experimenting with different sequences or becoming more efficient with the same sequence.

Why Climbing Should Not Be An Olympic Sport

2011-10-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

There is a limited amount of attention and money in our sport. How do we want to spend it? Lately, it has been spent on a push for Olympic inclusion. The hope is to increase both by being picked for the Olympics. I disagree, the return on investment isn't worth it.

The Olympic label doesn't help fringe sports. Since climbing is a fringe sport, let's compare it to the other fringe sports of Olympic Weightlifting and CrossFit. Olympic Weightlifting is an Olympic sport (arguably the most icon one) and CrossFit is not. Olympic Weightlifting is orders of magnitude less popular than CrossFit in the USA. You would hard pressed to find somewhere to Olympic lift, and on the other hand, you can't swing a kettlebell with hitting a CrossFit affiliate. Olympic Weightlifting has been picked by the Olympic committee, but dutifully following the committee's rules doesn't help its popularity. CrossFit makes no overtures to being picked. It is widely successful by building a community and creating its own infrastructure.

Climbing should do the same.

The Silent Killer

2011-10-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

One of the first drills inflected on novice climbers is "silent feet." The objective of the drill is to place the foot quietly on each and every foot hold. It focuses attention on those strange objects on the end of the legs which are neglected in the novice climber's effort to ascend via a series of pull-ups. This drill can lead to rapid improvement because it provides immediate feedback (a super secret trick that can used to get better at anything). I have found it is slightly more effective when done in a climbing gym, rather than outside, because climbing on "plastic" is inherently louder than rock.

However, it can be have unintended consequences. In an effort to be silent, novices can put too little weight on their feet. This ingrains a different set of poor climbing habits. How can this be avoided? The best yin to the silent feet yang is "over-pressing" with the feet. After you place a foot, press it down with too much force. It often surprises how little force climbers were using in the first place. Later, you find the right temperature for the pressure porridge.

There should be a progression of two drills:
First, drills done separately on different days.
Then, both drills done on the same day.
Finally, both drills at the same time.

Saturday Syke

2011-10-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

A Waste of Space

2011-09-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

“It is not that we have a short space of time,
but that we waste much of it."
Seneca

I propose substituting climbing gym wall space for space of time in the quote above. I have visited more gyms than I care to admit, and that is true for 99.99% of them. It is a combination of incorrect vision and improper execution. Their vision does not serve the needs of the community, which could range from a sedentary person's 1st climb to the local "rockstar" trying to break into the 5.14s. Instead, gyms focus on getting people in the door with "that looks cool" factor. These travesties include belay ledges, roofs, inverted staircases, and anything that can be labeled "natural." These climbing features are carnival toys, played with hard for a day and forgotten about. From my experience, the worst set 5.4 gets more traffic than the best indoor crack.

The lack of vision is compounded in the execution phase. This includes not enough t-nuts to texture that rips your shoe rubber off. The last step in the execution phase is routesetting. The biggest sin I have seen lately is "hold blocking." Hold blocking is setting a later climb with large marcos in the flight path of an previous (frequently harder) climb. Again this is taking the easier path over serving the needs of everyone in the community.

The list of particular gyms guilty of not serving their community is too long to call out for this post. However, one gym I can highlight as a shining positive beacon is Movement for both its vision and execution. It is physically a small gym but NONE of its wall space is wasted. That is one of the reasons they are hosting a World Cup on American soil.

Which Way Do You Hang?

2011-09-24T09:01:00.001-07:00

Hangobarding, when done properly, will make you stronger. That macro-question has an unequivocal answer. That leaves many micro-questions remaining. Which board? What is the proper work to rest ratios? What is the best length for a training cycle? This article tackles one of those micro-questions. Should you hangboard with 1 or 2 arms?

The jury is out. Peter Beal advocates a mix. On the other hand, Mike Anderson suggests two armed. He points out the difference between the two methods in transferability. Hangboarding is specific physical preparedness (SPP), the specific physical skills needed to advance in a sport. Hangboarding is the best method to create strong fingers with minimal risk. Once you have the strong fingers you have to do something with them. Therefore I'm not looking for direct transferability. I'm training to get a bigger engine that I will tune later. Additionally, I prefer empirical results over theoretical musing, praxis over theoria.

Your body doesn't "know" where you are hanging on 1 or 2 arm. Your body only "knows" there is a stress. If the stress is the appropriate intensity and duration, your body will adapt. Therefore it shouldn't matter which why you hang. The secret sauce is systematic, progressive overload.

Climbing Commands Reframe

2011-09-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Context by my favorite indoor ripper

I have instructed the basics of top rope belaying a lot. I view it (like many of my interests) as a craft. I'm consistently finding ways to make my teaching more effective and efficient. One key breakthrough I made is reframing the "Climbing Commands" as a dialogue between the climber and the belayer. The word command implies an order and does not necessarily imply successful understanding on the receiver's end. The word dialogue implies an exchange where each party is a participate. I prefer to think of (and teach) it as a series of questions and answers. The climber asks a question and the belayer answers. Example:

Climber: On Belay?
Belayer: Belay on.

Climber: Climbing?
Belayer: Climb on.

Climber: Take?
Belayer: Gotcha.

Climber: Ready to Lower?
Belayer: Lowering.

This subtle shift inherently improves the relationship between the climber and belayer. It encourages a better system that is less prone to miscommunication and the subsequent mistakes.

Video: "Free But Not Cheap" Poudre Canyon, CO

2011-09-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

"Free But Not Cheap"
11a/b
No Stars

The Approach: PMA crag is listed in the Poudre Canyon Guidebook and on Mountain Project. It is the second set of bolts from the left.

The Story: The name is an inside (of my head) joke. The route is fun and overhanging, aka your feet get freedom, but there is a crux to pay, not cheap for the grade. Horrible junk rock, so bad that I "cleaned" with a soft bristle brush a jug into the wall when I bolted it (Baby Jesus please forgive me). It is the second warm-up of PMA crag, preparing you for the harder routes and makes their marginally better rock seem very solid.

There are two separate, but equal, methods to solve the crux at the 3rd bolt. A static method involving a sharp, thin pinch and the much more fun dynamic method demonstrated in the video. For full value, mantle the top of the cliff

Footnote: I repeated it on my birthday. However, I couldn't send my adjacent project. No cake for me!

Saturday Syke

2011-07-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

The entire video is brilliant.
The section starting at 11:10 is most relevant for the rest of the post.

This is video does a great job addressing why 1st ascents are special. Not 1st ascents in the absolute sense (the first person to climb something), but 1st ascents in the relative sense (the first widely available to the public).

One prime example is the grade of 15a. "Realization" (or whatever it is called this week), sent in 2001, was very public. That grade had been climbed much earlier, "Open Air" was sent in 1996. Which one had a bigger impact on the climbing community?

This concept extends to cryptic ascent information. It has inherently less value for the community than open information about ascents. Is a first ascent about the climber, the climb, or the community? How about including approach directions in the spray as the minimal standards for the public acceptance of a first ascent?

Review: THE VOO - Rock Climbing in Vedauwoo

2011-07-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'm an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) of climbing. I find value and enjoyment in pebbling wrestling, clipping bolts, and playing with widgets. I can partake in all those styles in one afternoon on the coarse granite of Vedauwoo, WY. Throw in easy access, free camping, and relative cool temps, it is an ideal summer destination. Last weekend my girlfriend and I decided to escape the oppressive heat, thunderstorms, and flood warnings of Boulder, CO for the wonderland of rocks called Vedauwoo. I picked up THE VOO: Rock Climbing in Vedauwoo, the new guidebook, on the way out of town. The following is my take on it.

The guidebook is gorgeous, stacked with pictures, both historical and contemporary, that jump off the page. The guidebook is rich with first ascent information, including drama and gossip.

One aspect of guidebooks that I highly value is helping me get to the best climbs quickly. This book does a mediocre job of that. There are plenty of clear and detailed overview maps. However, there are no written descriptions of the approaches. You have to guesstimate approach times from the map scale alone. Several of the cliffs had multiple approach trails, again you have to choose by map scale alone. In addition, there are no descriptions of sun exposure. Being the middle of summer, my girlfriend and I were desperately chasing shade. Again, we had to guesstimate it from the overview maps. Once you get to a cliff, it is easy find the routes via the color photos.

There is a lack of written descriptions for individual climbs. Cracks are described by colloquial terms (e.g., "hand", "fist", or "squeeze"). Given the range of physiology in the human species, this is a vague and arbitrary method for describing size. Imagine a company selling pants by listing size as "adult male" or "child." It would have been better if the guide listed crack size in inches. There was little (or more frequently no) information about gear. I had to bring more gear than necessary on every climb. There is an occasional crypt remark regarding wide gear. Most sport routes do not include bolt counts, and bolt density ranges widely in The Voo. I climbed one pitch that had 3 bolts within 15ft. I climbed another pitch with more than 15ft between the bolts. You get very different experiences in attempting "sport" routes listed in the book.

Overall the guidebook is like Vedauwoo, great but not world class.

Saturday Syke

2011-07-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sport climbing (like all of climbing and most human activities) is inherently silly. However, there are moments of transcendence.

Forcing The Move

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

The men's 1st problem of the 2011 Arco bouldering final.
Three climbers use three radically different methods to accomplish the same goal. I unable to discern the routesetter's intention.
Does the routesetter's intention matter?

Routesetters, from novice to expert, obsess over "forcing the move." They have platonic ideal of a particular climbing move. It could be mundane, a two crimper dyno to a jug, or esoteric, double bat hang. Routesetters hallucinate that people care. People don't care. People care about other qualities of a problem. Primarily, they want challenging and fun problems to solve. If problems can be solved multiple ways, it doesn't diminish the quality of the experience. In fact, alternative sequences can enrich the quality of the experience. I argue it is more interesting to encourage the richness of climbing. Otherwise, it is the same people climbing the same problems in the same way (sounds eerily like the climbing scene on Front Range).

I view routesetting as installation art. I create a context that only matters once people interact with it. I can't control how people climb "my" climbs (or what they say about them). Additionally, I'm usually working 3 climbs ahead. I would have to stop creating to address criticisms.

Stop focusing on forcing the move. Start focusing on creating art.

Pendulum Wave Loading for Threshold Bouldering

2011-07-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been trudging through the Westside Book of Methods. It is written by Louie Simmons, the bastard son of Jack Kerouac and Jack Lalanne. I don't apply the methods (e.g., reps, sets, and rests) to climbing. I do apply the principles (e.g., role of technique, mental attitude, and importance of maximal strength). In particular, I use the concept of pendulum wave loading to improve my threshold bouldering.

Threshold climbing is a concept I picked up from the Self-Coached Climber *. Threshold climbing focuses on successfully climbing your personal hardest moves. Mentally, it accustoms you to trying hard and succeeding. Technically, it can facilitate the identification and treatment of limiters. Physically, it strengths your entire body for harder climbing. The goal of threshold climbing is climbing few moves, as opposed to completing entire problems or routes. Threshold sessions are short, under 45 minutes, and intense, complete rest between attempts. I have successfully been using it to improve my climbing for several years. With anything you consistently do, you'll plateau. Applying pendulum wave loading has helped me break my personal plateaus. I'm excited to share it with you.

To use pendulum wave loading in training, you systematically manipulate some variables while holding all others constant. The two variables I manipulate for threshold climbing are number of tries and number of moves. For the first wave of a cycle, I set number of tries at 1. During the first session, I set the number of moves to 3. This is relative easiest combination on my joints which lays a healthy foundation for the rest of the cycle. I create mini-problems that should take me ~1 try to complete 3 moves, no more or no less. I stay at the 1.3 (tries.moves) level until I plateau (i.e., I stop seeing improvement. I'm no longer sending all my 1.3 projects). Then I progress to 2.3 and stay there until I reach the same criterion. Then 3.3. Then I start the second try wave. I aim to send a new set of 3 move problems on my second try. Sometimes they are too hard, sometimes they are too easy. I adjust and move on. During this process, I gain valuable insight into my climbing which helps me select the appropriate outdoor climbs. I continue through 2.2, 2.1, 3.3, and 3.2 threshold bouldering levels. Finally, I reach my mini-peak with 3.1. These are very hard movements. They would have felt impossible at the beginning of the cycle. Through systematic progression, I have improved my mental, technical, and physical capacities to succeed on them. At this point, I start entire process over again.

One of the prerequisites for this training is objective benchmarks. That is only possible if the training holds don't change during a cycle. It is possible to systematically progress with holds that change but not optional. For that reason, I choose to train at CATS or my home gym.

* The long awaited follow-up is scheduled to be published in October. Very Skyed!

Guide: Wolverineland, CO

2011-07-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

Just kidding!

I would never attempt that but someone else has started one. Given my interest in the future of the guidebooks, I'm watching. WikiBoulder has the best potential for a website I have found.

Video: Unknown Climb at Zorro Sector of Wild Iris, WY

2011-07-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

I couldn't find this climb in the 2011 Guidebook. It is quintessential bouldering on a rope. My best guess for the grade is 11c. The crux revolves around a long pull off a good mono (Brilliant!). Bring a brush! It is dirty but should clean up to be a nice addition to the area. Share your knowledge.

Enjoy!

Saturday Syke

2011-06-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

A beautifully, simple video, showing the pure beauty of climbing movement. He looks smooth (almost flawless), a treatise on redpointing steep limestone. Bravo!

A Contrary View On Eccentric Loading

2011-06-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here is the official Climbing Lab position on eccentric-centric training- Never (Ever). There is no good reason. Concentric and eccentric muscle contractions are the Yin & Yang of strength training. However, people get suckered into focusing on eccentric loading because it feels subjectively harder and will leave you sore (especially the loaded, "as fast as possible" variety). I don't see much data, anecdotal or otherwise, that it improves athletic performance. If want you to "feel" like you worked out, that is fine but do not kid yourself that you are chasing performance improvements.

Eccentric-centric training does build muscle. I don't see a reason for ANY climber to build muscle. Get stronger! Yes (and more please)! Hypertrophy and strength are two different beasts. I know which one I can ride to Sendtown.

People also equate eccentric loading with slow movements. Those two do not need to be found together. Training the eccentric portion of a movement "greases the groove" but that should be done at regular speed. There is no reason to train to be slower. The best "greasing the groove" for a particular climbing movement is heaps (and heaps) of that movement. There is no reason to train the reverse engrams. One basic Climbing Lab training tenet is - You perform how you train. If your feet cut during training, your feet will cut on your project. If you primarily send during training, you're more likely send your project. If during practice, you climb 1 move, fall, and rest on the mat for 5 minutes talking to a climbing nugget, you are getting better at that (not sending your project).

Here are the practical aspects:

Don't down climb. Lower.

You should only down climb if you are training for onsights, especially of the traditional flavor. Some people claim that down climbing improves footwork. From my experience that is only true in novice climbers, but everything (and anything) improves a novice climber's footwork. Down climbing will just make you tired. Stealing time and energy from up climbing, which is the best use of your limited training time.

Don't down campus. Drop.

One of the best reasons to campus is to become more explosive and aggressive, both mentally and physically. Down campusing introduces an element of unnecessary control. It subtlety trains you to believe that you need to be in control. That is counterproductive to developing "pitbull on acid" mentally sometimes necessary in climbing.

One final note, climbing is about moving your corporeal body up. Why you want to get better at moving down?

Saturday Syke (Wednesday Edition)

2011-06-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

I just love climbing, everything from digging through poop to get a "first ascent" to gym climbing. Lately, I have been climbing in every style from HOT (& heavy) sessions on leftover spring projects to onsight attempts (aka get gripped) on trad lines. There are no words or images that can capture the richness of the climbing experience. This video gets close.

1-Arm Starts, Party Trick or Party Starter

2011-06-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, the 1-arm start. Is it a party trick to impress the Tuesday night shirtless crowd or a fundamental stepping stone on the path to Crankdom? Sometimes mandatory. Sometimes mandated. Always impressive. The following is my take on that dark art.

I break my training into three components - mental, technical, and physical. From a mental training perspective, 1-arm starts feel impossible until you do it (a micro-pattern for the macro-pattern of projects). You pull and pull and pull, then one time you float. I can stack little 1-arm start victories to build the mental fortitude for my big project victory, constantly setting new barriers and breaking them. From a technical training perspective, it forces me to move my body in new, productive ways. Each one is an unique puzzle to solve (again with the micro/macro pattern), building me into ATV climber. From a physical training perspective, it is the repetition method for 1-arm pull-ups. Following the Westside Barbell paradigm, you never use repetition method in the classical lifts (1-arm pull-ups), but rather with special exercises (1-arm starts). If you start every problem of an indoor session (~20 problems) with a 1-arm start, it will build strength, endurance, and work capacity to reach the next level for 1-arm pull-ups.

This is very interesting from a hyper-geeky training perspective. But will 1-arm starts help me to crush the outside gnar-gnar? It depends (possibly). In my experience, 1-arm starts have limited but vital transfer. You might never see a pure 1-arm start in the wild but often both hands of a start won't be prefect. I rather have the confidence from 1000 1-arm starts, then the shock of encountering it for the first time at a crux (I apply the same logic to monos). This effect is often times indirect, thus overlooked.

I suggest that it be folded into the training mix for the Advanced trainee, not to the exclusive of "bimanual" starts but just enough to impress the Tuesday nighters.

I'm WEAK

2011-05-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Nice but those pants are cheating.

Trying Not To Repeat The Past, Every Damn Day

2011-05-23T09:30:00.001-07:00

Off To Practice

2011-05-18T14:45:00.001-07:00

It is raining for the second day in a row. I'm dreaming of lichen covered granite, digging into the crank bank, and thinking about training. One of the most important aspects of training for climbing is "practicing." That isn't the same as "doing." Here are Dr. K. Anders Ericsson's four conditions for deliberate practice:

1. Well-defined task
2. Appropriately difficult task
3. Immediate feedback
4. Opportunity for repetition & correction of errors.

Applying those guidelines, here is the "on the wall" portion of today's training session:

1. Super Slow Climbing - I climb as slow as possible for 5-10 minutes. I felt every movement. Where I'm holding unnecessary tension? Where I'm wasting movement and energy?

2. Perfect Repeats - I climb a series of problems three times each with complete rest between every repetition. The problems range from very easy to difficult (but completable in less than 3 attempts). I strive for each repetition to feel easier.

3. N's - I climb up a problem, down a problem, and up a different problem without leaving the wall. I rest completely and repeat the same circuit until failure. The up problems should be very difficult. This closely mimics a day on my current project, a short, brutal route. I should be dialed in by the 3rd set and maintain until the 8th set. Everything past the 9th set is pure training bliss.

I'm off to practice.

Technique, Intensity, & Volume

2011-05-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

(Click in box & Press space bar to play video)

The "Technique, Intensity, & Volume" paradigm is fundamental to effective long-term improvement in climbing. Most climbers start chasing intensity and never stop. As a result most climbers do not improve past the novice stage (i.e., getting better by just doing a sport). Chasing intensity over technique creates a big engine that goes nowhere because the tires do not have traction. Primarily chasing intensity results in short, finite gains. Emphasizing technique is a slower and longer road but leads to higher peaks. Intensity is seductive in climbing because ease of measurement. Every climb has a grade, a reasonable proxy for intensity. Technique is more subtle. Just because something is less measurable does not lower its value. Do not ignore intensity, just put intensity in its proper place. Frequently as people progress from novice to advance climbers, they start chasing volume. You see this in 3+ hour sessions 4+ days a week. They are just ingraining their poor climbing movement. I consider volume the icing on the training cake. I only increase volume after my technique and intensity have started to plateau for the current cycle.

The "Technique, Intensity, & Volume" paradigm is often thwarted by climbing gyms. Indoor gyms put a premium on intensity. There is often a culture that rewards people for sending without regard for technique. It doesn't help the hardest climbs in gyms often do not require the best technique. They are usually "paste & jump" (repeat). Additionally, all climbers, including indoor setters, have a limited technique vocabulary. Indoor climbs are limited to the particular setter's vernacular. Indoor climbs do not encourage a variety of solutions. Routsetting "success" is often arbitrarily defined as forcing a move. Typical gyms, by their very nature, have many problems. Frequently it is too many for training purposes. Instead of creating an environment where you are encouraged to learn what problems can teach you, you can always find another problem that suits your own meager technique vocabulary. Rarely, do you see climbers taking time to expand or rebuild their technique on easier climbs. I see the average gym climbers as a small dog trying to jump over a high brick wall. No matter much or how hard it jumps, it just cannot get over the wall. The problem is not effort but tactics. It is standing too close! It could easy jump over the wall, if it took a couple of steps back to gain the necessary momentum.

I challenge you to try the "Technique, Intensity, & Volume" paradigm for one training cycle. It just might help you jump over your brick wall.

Allez Repost, The Fundmentals Never Change

2011-05-14T10:58:00.001-07:00

The King-Dino has posted the complete anthology of Allez for the world to enjoy. Allez was well before my brief tenure in Santa Barbara, but it was the inspiration for this website, a forum to share my passion and knowledge of local climbing and training. I could always use a reminder about the joy of sharing and the need to revisit training fundamentals.

P.S. This has been my most productive cycle for development. I have a large publication project in preparation.

October 2, 2020

2011-03-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

It is a crisp fall morning, and I open my guidebook. The table of contents is a rendering of the Earth, similar to Google Earth. I spin the model and zoom in to the crag I wish to climb at today. It syncs with several weather websites and suggests the best time to climb is mid-afternoon. I see the ~~street~~ crag view with the climbs superimposed on color photos of the rock. Since guidebook space is unlimited, all variations (with grades) are shown. Today I feel like reenacting an old John Gill circuit. I first sort by stars and style. Then by grade and a couple of other personal preferences I have set. Meanwhile, another part of the guidebook web-crawls for all old guidebooks (that have been digitized), blog posts, and videos that relate to today’s climbing. Just in case I want a little more beta. I create a glossy, bound, individualized guidebook for today’s adventure with my personal print-on-depend printer

However, when I get to the crag I change my mind. I am not in the mood for the circuit. I press the Concierge button. My electronic Sherpa remembers I like to onsight 10a off-widths and suggests several that are nearby. Since the guidebook is synced via GPS with my phone, it suggests the most efficient path from where I am to the base of the climbs.

I update the guidebook after I'm done climbing, it is a wiki after all. I add my interpretation of the rock, via text and video with suggestions for grades. It recalculates the mean, median, and mode grade for each climb with standard error. That information is instantly synced in everyone’s guidebook. I have no evidence that a couple of the climbs have been done before so I suggest they might be new. The guidebooks notes this. It highlights those climbs as unconfirmed and sends an alert to other people who are interested in second ascents in that area. I decide to end the day with the best local Mexican food. The guidebook dials the number so I can confirm they are still open. I close the guidebook and continue into a brilliant fall night.

Update - The physical manifestation of this post. 04/29/11

Last Tango in Durango, CO

2011-03-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

Guide to "Upper Narrows" of Poudre Canyon, CO

2011-03-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Take Highway 287 to Highway 14 West (Ted's Place), then travel 19.5 on Hwy 14 West. Park in a small pull-out on the right, below the "East of Eden" climb. The cave pictured below is located directly across the river. The approach time is less than 1 minute and includes a river crossing.

#1, (V4/5) Stand sitting incut horn and climb overhanging arete. Exit via a lichen, chossy groove. Video Evidence

#2, (V-weird/fun) Start sitting on opposing slopers, make your way through the roof notch via a variety of techniques.Video Evidence

#3, (V?) Rumored to be V14/15 and all the moves have been done.

#4, (V?) Traverse out of corner. Arbitrary start with poor rock quality.

The Official Climbing Lab Shake

2011-03-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of optimal methods. The "paelo diet" (Will someone rebrand it already?) is an optimal baseline in my experience. It maximizes how I look, feel, and perform with minimal inputs (I'm lazy). I focus on high quality, low processed foods. I don't sweat the details and don't care for historical reenactments (That encompasses my philosophy towards life and climbing, too). I won't be stalking albino raccoons through the wilds of Isla Vista or enjoying a tall cold glass of Cambodian breast milk. I mainly eat steak and yam.

Paleo is just a baseline. I tweak from there and track changes. I supplement smartly and enjoy a good Gin & Tonic. In addition to my laziness baseline, I'm busy. Therefore it is time for the world debut of the "Official Climbing Lab Shake." It is simple, tastes good, and gets the protein, healthy fats, and carbs in my belly.

Ingredients:
1/2 can of coconut milk
Handful of blueberries
1 teaspoon of cod liver oil
2 scoops of protein powder
3 ice cubes
Raw milk
(Optional: Gin & Tonic)

Steps (Really?):
1. Put them in Blender
2. Press the button
3. Enjoy!

Guide to "Picnic Rock" of Poudre Canyon, CO

2011-03-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

Take Highway 287 to Highway 14 West (Ted's Place), then travel ~2 miles on Hwy 14 West. Park in the large parking lot on the left marked with "Picnic Rock" sign. The boulder pictured below is located .5 mile downstream. The approach time is ~10 minutes and includes a river crossing. The rock is partly in the river. Plan according.

GPS Coordinates:
N 40 40.127
W 105 13.644

The river polished "wave" feature

#1, (V1/2) Start standing with quality slopers to technical top-out.
(V3/4) Start sitting with a low right-hand side-pull and a high left-hand crimp, move to small crimp then hidden jug to join stand version.Video Evidence

#2, (V2/3) Start standing on flat jugs to incut jug top-out.
(V3/4) Start sitting in horizontal crack join stand version. Video Evidence

#3, (V0/1) Start standing. Climb lichen and chossy dihedral. An unappealing warm-up.

#4, (V3/4) Start standing with small starting holds, move to slopers, and exit via jugs. Video Evidence

#5, (V1/2) Start standing. Grab side-pull, move to lip, and mantle. Video Evidence

#6, (V1/2) Start standing. Grab lip and mantle. Video Evidence

Roadtrip Questions

2011-03-04T10:49:00.001-08:00

Where is the line between a better method of climbing and conducting a historical reenactment of the first ascent of a climb?

How do you define a climb?

How do you define a successful climb?

Who defines your successful climb?

Do names refer to the rock, a path on the rock, or a specific person's path on the rock?

What happens if I create my own interpretation of the rock?

Should I use the same name as previous ascensionists?

What happens if I start higher?

What happens if I start lower?

What happens if I create my own finish?

What happens if I choose my own path between the start and finish?

What happens if I place a hand on a hold the first ascensionist didn't touch?

What happens if I place a foot on a hold the first ascensionist didn't use?

What happens if I use the holds in a different order than the first ascensionist?

What happens if my body is in a different physical space than first ascensionist?

What happens if my mind is in a different psychological space than first ascensionist?

What is the difference between claiming an ascent among friends, on the web, or posting a video?

Who do I need to sign my metaphorical climbing scorecard?

Sample Training Session With Analysis, Part II

2011-02-21T19:17:00.000-08:00

Analysis

I break my training intro macro-blocks (4-6 weeks), micro-blocks (1-2 weeks), and session-blocks (15-30 minutes). My macro-blocks are related to the season. Right now, it is end of winter on the Front Range. That means I can climb outside but not often (and not consistently). Micro-blocks are dependent on weather and other life responsibilities. A workout session is made of several session-blocks. The sample workout has 4 30-minute session-blocks (#1, #2, #4, & #5) and 2 15-minute session-blocks( #3 & #6).

The stated objectives are related to the goals of the current macro-block. Right now, I’m only intrigued by bouldering and short routes. Those are contingent on maximal finger strength. At the same time, I don’t want to waste my strength. Therefore, I want to increase my technique. I’m not chasing the rabbit of stamina. That is for next macro-block. You can only chase so many rabbits. I found that strength and technique are the Gin & Tonic of climbing training, aka always classic. Following the basic physiology, you get stronger by resting from the proper dose , both inter-set and inter-session (stolen from Mark Rippetoe). During that inherit strength-building rest period, I analysis my technique via both video and introspection. Some climbing coaches train technique in power endurance or endurance sessions. Everyone’s technique degrades when pumped. So either you reinforce poor technique or don't properly train power endurance, chasing two rabbits running in different directions. Endurance session promotes mindless, junk mileage. Any climbing worth doing is deserves my attention and should be hard. Another constraint on choosing macro-block objectives is an acute knee injury I suffered falling on a jump move. It is healing, and I’m assisting the process via rest, ice, specific strengthening, and targeted mobility. Currently, it limits the number of climbing moves I can do in a day. Perfect excuse to focus on intensity over volume.

I like having themes. A theme is a thought intention I set which guides my training. The best ones I have found for me are: silent feet, glue feet, smooth, fast, straight arms, and belly breathing. I aspire to climb every problem in the theme. It doesn’t always happen. I have found that merely setting an intention puts my feet on the right path. Thumbless climbing is a perfect theme for me. Thumbless prevents two handgrip types: pinching and full crimping. Indoor climbing is pinchcentric which does not translate directly to outside climbing. Personally, I default to full crimping. That is a unsustainable habit. Thumbless tricks me into becoming a better outside climber. It serves has functional theme for especially within threshold bouldering. If a threshold problem is too hard, I can a thumb (or two).

I don't warm-up. I train technique for 30 minutes. I use "The Clock" throughout my training. It tricks me into proper behavior. Like fish oil, I don't like training technique, but know it is good for me. I set the timer for 30 minutes. During that 30 minutes, I'm only process-oriented and on restriction from climbing harder than 40% of my max. During this session, I repeated each problem in my home warm-up circuit 3 times in row. I strive to make each lap smoother, faster, and more efficient.

During threshold bouldering, I set new personal climbing records. I was trying to repeat problems in thumbless style during this session-block. I had previously climbed these problems using the optimal handgrip type. I have practical guidelines, kinder gentler rules, for threshold bouldering. My guidelines support my training mantra - “It doesn’t matter if I succeed, it matters what I learned.” I aim to have 4 successes out of 6 attempts. If I fail 3x on a move without improvement, I move onto a different move. Otherwise, I’m training to fail. I use "The Clock" during threshold bouldering to force rest. Here are my rest guidelines:

1-3 moves = rest 1 minute
3-6 moves = rest 2 minutes
6-10 moves = rest 3 minutes
10+ moves = you are not training for bouldering

I select movement and holds that directly transfer to my outside climbing limiters. I choose to do this mini-session at my homewall which is designed around Front Range climbing, i.e., crimpy and technical. Location affects my reality. I love my home wall. I've created a “DO WORK” vibe. I see inspiring quotes and posters. I play LOUD music. Lately, it has been Middle Class Rut, but Dr. Dre is always classic. I have all the appropriate torture/training devices. I pick holds and angles that mimic, but not replicate, local climbing. S.A.I.D. baby. I set simulators for projects. I rarely change holds so I have objective benchmark for each training cycle. I complete control of the environment. I love the commercial gym I have a membership to. There is a “Have Fun” vibe. There is pleasant ~~music~~ muzak. There is a wide selection of training toys. I climb on holds with movement that I would NEVER see outside. There is outstanding breath of problems that are constantly changing. Most importantly, I climb on other people’s problems. It forces me to adapt to an environment that I have no control over.

After the extended warm-up of technique and hard bouldering, I move to hangboarding. Campusing is sexier and very satisfying. But strength is the basis of power. Hangboard is simply the most optimal tool for improving climbing strength. The barbell squat improves EVERY activity that requires moving your legs. Similarly, the hangboard improves EVERY activity that requires hanging from fingers. It is simple, measurable, progressive, and repeatable. Hangboarding is so important it deserves its own post (in the hopper). This hangboarding session-block is based on addressing my personal limiters, open hand, in a progressive manner (i.e., I add weight every session).

I love flashing problems outside (performance) so I practice that inside (training). Flash climbing requires the alignment of both physical and mental properties that I seek out in climbing. Commercial gyms are the best venue for flash training.

Block #5 is the last climbing specific block. It echos the first Technique block. I repeat each problem 3 times striving for improvement on each lap. There is no difficulty restriction, but the goal is complete 3 laps on different 4 problems. It is built-in perfect practice and aims to maintain my stamina (i.e., the number of problems I complete in a day).

I finish the day with “Prehab & Core.” I superset (i.e., alternative the two activities without rest) to save time. Many people with much more knowledge about climbing training than me have stated that external rotation needs to be trained. It is important so I do it "everyday." Additionally, I train vertical and horizontal push. The details aren’t important. It important that I do it. My primary core excise is Torture Twist. I rotate core work when I plateau.

One last comment on “The Clock”. The total training time is a little over 2 hours, broken into two mini-sessions at 1 hour each. Two mini-sessions fit better with my lifestyle, since I work a full-time job and have other engaging hobbies. Additionally, I find better transfer to outside climbing from 2 high intensity mini-sessions vs. 1 marathon session.

What is omitted is often more important than what is included. In my current workout programming, it is rigorous free weights and pull-ups Both have a place in specific people’s training, typically older or female climbers who lack raw horsepower. I, like 99.999% climbers, need to climb more. Everything else takes away from climbing, either in an one-to-one time exchange from today’s session or stealing from future sessions via accumulated fatigue. Additionally, I have yet to see a climber whose biggest limiter his or her basic strength. If it not not your biggest limiter, your limited time is better spent elsewhere.

Conclusion

This post is a snapshot into how I approach training for climbing and reflects the best I have found to date. I pay attention to the details. I tweak. I steal from people who produce better results. My workout will be different the next day, next week, next year, and next decade. Every workout is different, but the logic is the same. However, my workout will not be different for the sake of different. It will be different for the sake of better. I ask myself will X [insert any program or exercise] transfer to better performance outside. Unlike other fitness enthusiasts and programs, I don’t train to impress people in the gym.

Sample Training Session With Analysis, Part I

2011-02-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

Preface

This is the next installment in an ongoing series exploring training for climbing. Now that you have the rules, let’s make sure you are a law-biding citizen in you daily life, i.e., the training session. The work done during the training session is the walking of the path to your goal. There is plethora of sample training sessions on the internet or in books. However, most of them lack data and logic. I define the relevant data as the results derived from adhering to the training. I define logic as the coherent rational or mechanism that connects the method to the data. I, too, am a scientific sinner and will only allude to data. I have consistently improved over my climbing career. However, it is hard to quantify that improvement because of the qualitatively different venues I have expressed my "climbing as art." I have followed my bliss in climbing from indoor to alpine to traditional to sport to bouldering to developing. The only constant has been outdoor bouldering. That will be my benchmark. I have improved (but only modestly) every year for the last 5 years. I have increased by redpoint bouldering level by one V grade per year, from V5 to V10. I have enjoyed that run, but no trend is linear forever. I don’t (and shouldn’t) expect to climb V15 in 5 years. However, that modest improvement is better than many climbers who do don’t measurably improve after using up the novice effect. What I lack in actual data, I hopefully will make up in logic and reason. It is common to supply workouts without logic. It is the evaluate of dealing drugs without telling the addict the wholesaler’s phone number. This post will provide a sample training session with supporting logic.

Any logical treatise has givens. I have already alluded to one given - You want to improve at climbing. If don’t want to improve in climbing, then stop reading. Your time would be better spent at an internet Crank Bank. If you want to improve (at anything), model someone that is successful. If you think I’m successful, then model me. If not, model someone else. Another given - You have to train to improve. At some point, just climbing (or just performance) will yield diminishing returns. From my observations, that happens ~5 the year mark. You can “just climb” for 5 years and see beautiful linear improvements. After that most people will have to train to continue to see linear improvements. One way to view training is separating outcome from process. In training, I’m process-oriented. In performance, I’m outcome-oriented. All climbers (including me) perform too much. I made this rule to simply my life - In the gym, I’m training. Outside, I’m performing. Other people play by different rules. Ask yourself, “Are the rules you choose to follow moving you closer to your goals”?

Sample Training Session

Date: 02/17/11

Objective: Increase maximal finger strength
Increase technique
Maintain stamina

Theme: Thumbless

Blocks: 1) Technique

2) Threshold

3) Hang

rest 3 hours

4) Flash

5) Technique

6) Prehab & Core

Location: Home gym - #1, #2, #3
Commercial gym - #4, #5, #6

Part II (The Analysis) will be posted tomorrow.

Guide to "Ouzel" of Poudre Canyon, CO

2011-02-14T21:36:00.001-08:00

Take Highway 287 to Highway 14 West (Ted's Place), then travel 12 miles on Hwy 14 West. Park in the large pull-out on the right marked with "Ouzel" sign. The boulder pictured below is located IN the river, ~200ft upstream. The approach time is less than 5 minutes.

GPS Coordinates:
N 40 34.339
W 105 03.078

#1, (VB/V0) Start standing and climb low angle arete. There might be holds under the lichen. video evidence
#2, (V0/V1) Start standing and climb dirty face with actual holds. video evidence
#3, (V1/V2) Start standing on rock in river and follow path of least resistance up and to the right. video evidence
#4, (V2/V3) Start sitting down and ascend using rounded but positive holds. Awkward climbing. video evidence

The Climbing Lab’s Training Rules

2011-02-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

Dalai Lama

1. Don’t Injure Yourself

If you injured yourself, either acutely or chronically, you can’t train effectively or efficiently. The easiest way is stop doing stupid stuff. You don’t have to try every arbitrary move in the gym. That double gaston move might be a routesetter's wet dream but it is your shoulder’s nightmare. Most importantly - DON'T DO INDOOR DYNOS! No matter how rad they are or how sexy the climbing nugget is. Don’t campus when tired, either at the end of a hard day or a hard cycle. Drink some water. Stretch a little (but not too much). Occasionally do a push exercise. Get a spotter. Get a good spotter. Throw a rope down that highball. Some people might not sign your scorecard (Who cares?). Make sure you are playing by your own rules not someone else’s rules.

3. Have A Climbing Goal

A goal focuses and compels training. Have something you are striving for. People frequently pick a grade goal. That is dumbing down climbing. Climbing can be much more than that. Pick a goal that makes you grow as a climber and a person. How about an experience goal? My favorite goal is travel to a new climbing area and attempt all the 5 star climbs. It means have to get better and very specifically better. If I’m going to Hueco, I throw more crimp and roofs into the training mix. If I’m going to Indian Creek, I run laps on greasy indoor splitters and try not to get MRSA (not linking that one). S.M.A.R.T. is a good starting point.

4. Create Your Own Benchmarks
Benchmarks are signposts on the path of progress towards your goal. 1-arm pull-ups are rad. But is that really your benchmark? Running a 5k in 16 minutes is rad. But is that really your benchmark? An arbitrary wieghtroom movement at an arbitrary weight could be rad. But is that really your benchmark? Grades are finicky but better than the above stuff. Test-piece climbs, preferable outside, make for great benchmarks.

5. Always Progress
Are you better, the same, or worse that yesterday, last week, or last year? Are you closer or father from your goal? If the answer is better and closer, than what you are doing is working. Keep doing what you're doing or as the kids say today, "KFTC." If the answer is not better, stop KFTC. You can't improve all things all the time, unless you are a rank novice, but something should be improving. Good things to be improving are technique and strength.

6. Improve Technique
Technique is the successful application of strength. Technique is the magically pixie dust that instantly makes you a better climber. It is free money on the table. Take it. Get a Flip Camera, video tape your training, and examine your faults frame-by-frame (if you are sadistic bastard like me). A wise man said, "If it is important, do it everyday." I don't warm-up anymore. I work "technique" for 30-45 minute at the beginning of every session.

7. Improve Strength
Strength is the successful application of technique. Strength is like salt. It makes everything better. Always remember, it is hard to acquire unless you focus on it. Additionally, strength is specific. What does that mean for climbing? Your fingers are primary. Everything else is a distant second. Dust off the hangboard today.

Guide to Mile 6.3 of Poudre Canyon, CO

2011-02-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

Take Highway 287 to Highway 14 West (Ted's Place), then travel 6.3 miles on Hwy 14 West. Park in the large pull-out on the right. The boulder pictured below is located on the opposite bank, ~100ft upstream. The approach time is less than 1 minute but includes a river crossing.

GPS Coordinates:
N 40 41.579
W 105 15.610

1. (V4/5) Start sitting on the ground and follow steep arete. video evidence
2. (V5/6) Start sitting on the rock in the cave and traverse right to join #1. video evidence
3. (V9/10) Start sitting on the ground in the cave and join #2. video evidence

Update: I was fortune to witness another ascent of #3. That ascensionist suggested V8/9 if a "cheater" sweater is used for the first move (^_~).

Git Er Dun (offline)

2011-01-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

I've done some soul searching and have decided to temporarily close this window into my life. I'm still following my bliss, i.e., training, climbing, and bolting. Just more privately for a little while.

I have big plans in the works.
Lichen beware!!!

Trouble With Trundles

2011-01-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

Back in My Hole

2011-01-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

Day 5 on my project.

The ending broke, previously seen here, resulting in a significantly easier climb. I'm suggesting V5. I climbed it from the more logical sit down, starting on the rock immediately behind.

The sit down start (from the ground) was wet, dripping wet.
I can't complain, since I'm climbing outside in January with my shirt off!!

Shrinkage Penalty

2011-01-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

Performance/Training: 1) Technique

2) Onsights

3) Campus

4) Prehab/Core

Does your climbing gym have valet parking?
Movement does!

Notes: Headed to Movement (along half of the Front Range). Too crowded for a significant training session. Choose an indoor performance day.

#1 Long warm-up on the high quality moderates. #2 Too crowded to get a lead rope. Onsighted (on TR) lots of 12-. On a relative intensity scale from 1-10, the routes felt like a 6. #3 Wanted a stronger dose than routes could provide. I only keep benchmarks on 1 board so this was for fun. Focused on contact strength and pulling through (separately). #4 Quick & standard - front levers and external rotation. Overall a medium session. The worst of both worlds, performance and training.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, A Review - Part II

2011-01-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

"I can pimp the hell out of myself"

  I have meet several pro climbers, including two that known for extreme self-promotion. They are great people, despite their flamboyant personae. They have helped the sport in observable and measurable ways. They separate "pimping" from work/art. They get their work/art done. They love climbing but know it is their job.

“So the Muse whispered in Beethoven’s ear. Maybe she hummed a few bars into a million other ears. But no one else hear her. Only Beethoven got it.”

All the climbs in the world already exist. Yes, I just declared that. However, they need a corporeal being, a human body with a will, to manifest them. The muses whisper in everyone's ears. The muse’s interested in creating new climbs are shouting my ears!

“The amateur plays part-time, the professional full time. … Resistance hates it when we turn pro”

Lately, I've turned pro. What is my profession? Hunting unshared climbs and sharing them. I choose not to do activities that will directly interfere with that, i.e., lift weights (which I love) or train for climbing (which I love even more). It would be easy to hide in those activities. Seeking out unshared lines and sharing them is work.

I go to work everyday. I charge my camera, put on my waders, and grab my brush. I seek out blank canvases. Sometimes they are too featured. Sometimes they are too blank. But everyday I go to work looking for the perfect line for that day.

My "work" gets in the way of my play. Recently, I went a roadtrip for fun and put myself on restriction. I was prohibited from trying unshared climbs. I saw them at every single climbing venue, even in the major areas of Bishop. All independent and quality lines wanting for the world.

“Are these angels? Are they muses? … If we forget something, they remind us. If we veer off-course, they trim the tabs and steer us back”

I have slow realized the following fact, but Steven elucidated for me - I need to get out of my own way. I have playing the game of naming climbs and claiming first ascents. Sometimes, I'm right. Oftentimes, I'm wrong. That part is not my work. My work is discovering and sharing. Let the critics and historians do the rest.

Conclusion

 This book should be required reading for all artists, business owners, knowledge workers, student finishing dissertation, and everyone striving to be a complete human being.
Simply - If you are an artist*, you have to read this book.

I frequently do/act/create without a complete conscious, or verbalizable, understanding. Later, I find a writer that is better able to communicate the way I feel. I found that in this book. For the record, I'm as guilty of losing to The Resistance as anyone else. I occasionally win. In the future, I hope to win more often thanks to The War of Art.

Bonus: Follow the evolution of the ideas at Steve Pressfield's Writing Wednesday blog.

* Even if your art project is creating your life

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, A Review - Part I

2011-01-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

Preface

I've chosen not to publish reviews of climbing guidebooks or training guides (both of which I obsessively collect and analyze). I have started many reviews and discarded all of them. Why? I want to push climbing forward. Guidebooks mostly record the past; the occasional expectation is when they list projects. Training guides frequently are just rehashing of old material or material that is functionally obsolete, e.g., glycemic index. I want to push climbing forward. I have unique contributions to make to climbing/life, the same as everyone if they spoke up. One of my "superpowers" is that I see connections between things that most people don't see or (even worse) won't say. Overall, I'm interested in incorporating modern thought into climbing, e.g., my review of Linchpin by Seth Godin.

The Review

I'm a voracious reader. When I'm in a reading mood, I can read 400 pages straight. The War of Art is not that long or complex. It is very deep. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I paused briefly to create art, i.e., this post. I was initially tipped off to this book by Seth Godin's blog.

The book has three sections – defining the enemy, combating the enemy, and moving beyond the enemy. In this case, the enemy is The Resistance. The Resistance is the internal stopping force of creating something new and meaningful, aka the shadow of T. S. Eliot.

The book is universe. However, this review will be specific. I will take representative book quotes and relate them to the current state of climbing.

"It was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas."

I see most climbers as miniature Hitlers. They spending more time destroying, most frequently through criticism, than creating. I have made a conscious choice to create. Now I can't imagine going a week without creating something new, most frequently it is a climb*. Some climbers go their whole lives without creating a new climb. That something I can't understand. Some would attribute it too laziness. I see it as The Resistance.

I have been in (and out) of the indoor routesetting game for 6 years. I have never had "setter's block". There are simply too many holds and the human body has too much potential to run out of ideas. I see routesetters get stuck on a blank canvas. Just put a hold on the wall, even a bad hold. Better yet use the most illogical hold in the most illogical position. The same for working a project. Try a bad idea. Then try an even worse idea. Then at least you know what doesn't work (at least for right now).

"Fundamentalism and art are mutually exclusive"

Almost all fundamentalist climbers do not create art. They are too busy policing other's actions, making sure no one breaks their rules. Even the fundamentalist climbers who create art, would create more if they used that energy as gist for the creative mill.

Pressfield discusses how fundamentalists look to purer world from which we have fallen. There are too many references to various "golden eras" of climbing to even mention. Instead, think of this moment as a "golden era" and try to maximize it.

I see neotraditional climbing as a mild form of fundamentalism. Especially people who choose to remove bolts. The bolts don't interfere with your art, i.e., climbing & placing gear. Let everyone have his or her art.

"The athlete as to play hurt"

I want to suffer. I want to do things that are both physically and mentally hard. Lifting weights is hard. Getting a PhD is hard. Developing new climbing is both. That is why I seek it out.

To be continued ...

* DISCLAIMER: I sometimes rediscover a lost classic due to incomplete information. It is creating a new climb from my perspective. If people waited for complete information very little would ever happen.

2 Problems from Groom Creek

2011-01-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

Sitting in the cold & snow, dreaming of heading Southbound ...

Mechanical Turk

2011-01-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

Training: 1) Technique

2) Repeats

Dan John on Athletic Qualities
I chuckle inside everytime I hear about how good climbing is for upper body development. I laugh outloud everytime I see a climber do a pull-up. If you can do 3 pull-ups, you've paid the strength entrance fee for 5.12.
Time to work on technique.

Notes:
#1 Continuous climbing. Trading an explicit monkey brain for an implicit monkey mind #2 Over-speeded climbing. Building on #1. Sloppy but makes normal climb feel like Matrix time. 1 minute rests between problems. Everything was going well until I rushed a jump move. I spun and hurt my weak knee. Stupid indoor jump moves. I need to train for my game, not the routesetter's game. A little vitamin I, ice, and zombie western comedy will fix me up.

If You Want Fluff, Pat A Bunny

2011-01-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

Training: 1) Technique

2) Campus

3) Yoga, 2 blocks

4) Technique

5) Threshold Bouldering

Notes: The weather has gone pearshaped. Providing an opportunity for a significant microcycle of training. Planning an exit strategy, also.

#1 Worked on perfect feet (foot hover, place feet w/o moving, silent) into mircorest #2 I'm reading The 4 Hour Body (4HB). Breathtaking in breath & depth. One important nugget of knowledge from the book is Minimum Effective Dose (MED). In the past, I have program the maximum sustainable campus session. For me, that is about 10 sets per arm. Lately, I'm doing the opposite - programing the MED of campusing. For me, that is 2 sets per arm. It is working great! As the wise bodybuilders say, "Stimulate, Don't Annihilate." Medium rungs - 1-2-6 & 1-4-5 #3 I'm using another concept from 4HB - Pareto Analysis. Only about 10 yoga poses get ~90 of the effect I'm looking for. The rest/majority is fluff. #4 Same as #1. #5 Pathetic. Just digging a recovery hole. I have an idiot for a coach, aka myself.

Saturday Syke

2011-01-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

A Sublime Combination of Cinematography & Climbing Movement

Poudre Canyon 01_07_10

2011-01-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Too busy climbing to post ...

Ideology of the Cancer Cell

2011-01-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

Performance:

1) Project only

Training:

1) Hike 45 minutes

rest 3 hours

2) Technique

3) Flash Ladder

4) Campus

5) Repeat/Technique

6) Prehab

Notes: Back on the Front Range. Just in time for a perfect winter session.

#1 No send day. Day 3 on my "uber project". Still making progress. It will go (soon).

#1 Found ~8 problems not published anywhere. Good enough for me. #2 Focused on relaxing my core. I hold too much unnecessary tension there. #3 Continued to focus on using minimal amount of core tension as I attempted to flash new problems. Mediocre performance - lacked syke, exposed my limiters, skin was thin. Only went up in grades. #4 Medium Rungs. Set new benchmarks - 1-2-5, 1-3-6. My new system is working. THE SYSTEM IS THE SOLUTION. #5 Repeated the same problems from #3. Use less tension. Let the problems teach me. #6 Went back to old system. Forgot new system on computer.

New Training Cycle!

2011-01-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

Foundation/Exploration

Objective: Increase high end work capacity. Explore outside when possible.

Start Date: 01/04/10

End Date: ?

Goals:

1. a. Raise my climbing density benchmarks by 10%

b. Raise my "ABS score" (top 5 climbs in 3 hours) by 15%

2. a. Send 1 unpublished climb a week

b. Go on 1 roadtrip a month

Notes:

Chasing 2 rabbits!

I have the ability to climb easy & medium hard problems all day. I want to increase my ability to climb harder problems all day.

However, this winter is magical. It is warm & dry. I want to maximize that unique opportunity. I have many winter projects and areas that I want to develop. Using some techniques of fluid periodization that I have developed, I will try to accomplish these two tangential goals.

Goals for 2010 (Part I)

2011-01-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

I realized that I change too much over the course of a year to plan effectively for that long (The devil's laughter is always in my ears). I'm trying something different - 6 months goals.

Here's what I'm committing to:

Growing
- Climb 50 days outside
- Visit 20 different climbing areas
- Send a confirmed V10
- Finish 2nd Stage of The Climbing Lab

Giving
- Create 1 training guide
- Publish 24 climbs

Longevity
- 2 Yoga Sessions per week (1 group/1 private)
- 4 Mobility WODs per week
- Stop dry-humping badgers

Days Drag By, But Years Fly By

2011-01-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

Training: 1) As Many Routes As Possible (My definition of AMRAP) in 90 minutes

Notes: 16 routes. Volume Training has begun!

Saturday Syke Video

2011-01-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

Starting at 15:45 is the section most relevant to the thoughts below

If you view climbing as constrained by the physical world, then the concept of scarcity could apply. There is a limited about of rock. As more people climb, there is less climbing for everyone. That viewpoint creates incentives for secret areas. The convention of "Ownership" can also apply. A first ascensionist "owns" the climb. Subsequent ascensionists can violate "the rules."

However if you view view climbing as an idea, it is not constrained by the physical world. Thus the concept of scarcity is not necessarily applicable. In fact as more people climb and share, more climbing exists in the world for everyone to enjoy. An "Open Science" view of climbing creates incentives for the sharing of information. It is less important who climbs what first. It is more important the information is available. There are less "rules" to violate, merely paradigms to adhere to (or not).

Which worldview are you living in?

Which worldview would you rather live in?

Annual Review - Qualitative Analysis

2010-12-31T11:27:00.000-08:00

My Favorite Climb in Poudre Canyon, CO

My Favorite Climb in Red Feather, CO

My Favorite Video

My Favorite Roadtrip

"Warm Beer & Cold Nuts"

Taos-Prescott-Las Vegas-San Diego-Las Vegas-Barstow-Las Vegas-Truckee

My 2nd Most Favorite Roadtrip

"Green Chili & Pockets"

New Mexico(Various)-Las Vegas-Truckee-Santa Maria

Physical Manifestation of The Climbing Lab
1st Stage Completed - Photo Evidence

Most Important Thing I've Learned

I choose creating, over criticizing, copying, or destroying.

Annual Review - Quantitative Analysis

2010-12-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

Number of Climbs Published - 28+!

Number of Boulder Problems Climbed - 160+
(There were ~20 problems on private property and areas I was asked to keep "secret")

Number of Routes Climbed - 49

Hardest Boulder Problem Sent - V10 (Unconfirmed)

Hardest Route Sent - 12a

Hardest Boulder Flashed - V7

Hardest Route Flashed - 12a

Average Boulder Problem Sent in a Day - V8

Average Route Sent in a Day - 12a

Number of Outside Climbing Days - 100+

Number of States Climbed In - 7

Number of Different Climbing Areas - 24

(The number I'm most proud of)