UKC

Hi folks. On my way home from climbing, so here’s a placeholder for anybody desperate to post their training diary instead of (or as well as) watching the footie this evening. 
Proper stats to follow tomorrow 

Thought I’d give it a go whilst the pundits chatter.....

Monday - house admin faff

Tuesday - Wall in the evening. Took a little while to get going but actually had a pretty solid session once I got going. Worked on a few different angles, at somewhere between the flash and half a dozen go level.

Wednesday - rest

Thursday-Saturday - spare time was spent working on the wall, since parental cover meant extra hands either for building or distracting children. Pretty pleased with where we got to - the frame and most of the ply is up, MiniAJM can use it, and there’s a list of smaller things to do to get it to a finished state, but things which can be done in gaps - adding the campus rungs, adding the rubbish dome footholds for me, crafting a circuit for me, that sort of thing.

Sunday - Wall. I toyed with going outside, but I only had a short window, it didn’t necessarily fit well with others’ plans, and a southerly wind with >90% humidity didn’t exactly inspire me to push on regardless! Seeing a friends pic of a rainy windscreen provided after the fact justification. Anyway, another good solid session. Worked hard, spent a bit longer on some things this time, particularly a problem on big wide pinches, unlocked a bit of beta at the end for this one so maybe next time.

Really pleased with progress on the wall. A lot of littler things still to do but some big steps taken and it’s usable for miniAJM which is great. When it’s done it’s going to be about 8 foot square, 15 degrees over with no kicker, with my campus rungs fitted towards one side (the reduced legroom under it may force neater technique/less leg movement?), with the remainder able to provide bouldering for miniAJM and circuits for me. I’ve got some wooden domes to drill for feet, probably need some better feet as well for lower intensity stuff, and probably look to get 2 circuits up at some point to give 2^2 options between hands and feet. And then there’s direction, linkups, multiple loops.....

Full time. Not much to report from me this week really.

M: afternoon - 3* 30 second density hangs, a few easy board problems (felt very tired and weak although the finger was ok), 5*5 1-arm scap pull-ups with theraband assistance. Canned a planned hip mobility session in the evening due to having done something to my knee over the weekend.

T:  evening - 3* 30 second density hangs, a few easy board problems, 5*5 1-arm scap pull-ups with theraband assistance. 

W: afternoon -  2*10 TRX hamstring curls and 2*10 copenhagens on each side. Didn't do the full four sets as there was a bit of aggravation of the knee I knocked at the weekend. Evening - 4*10 second mono lifts, with 8kg on pinky and 15kg on other fingers.

T:  rest, picked up a cold from Sol.

F-S: still ill (not covid but pretty wiped out!)

Si

Cheers Alan. Football was interesting but unfortunately not to be. Time to forget about football until England next qualify for a major tournament!

Week for me was pretty productive, finger was happy to bash out three decent sessions and I've explored a new gym which I have quite enjoyed and will definitely be visiting again.

Got my jab booked on Thursday so hopefully the side effects don't ruin any weekend plans!

Last Week:

M - Contrast baths.

T - 2.5hr gym session. Tried a new centre, had a great time trying new stuff and chatting with the owner, great little gym so so think I'll be coming here a bit more regularly. Contrast baths.

W - Rest.

T - 1.5hr gym session. Tried some harder stuff, didn't top much, however. Tried one problem which is reasonably finger and had to leave it in the end, don't think I was 100% recovered from Tuesday and didn't want to shaft myself for the weekend. Contrast baths.

F - Contrast baths.

S - Contrast baths.

S - 2hr mega-sweaty gym session. Unexpectedly topped a squeezy "V7+", suited me to the bone and likely soft anyway, but a nice little ego stroke. Topped a V5-7 crimpy number, even more unexpected but the finger didn't complain! Get in!

Next Week:

M - Rest and rehab.

T - Rest and rehab.

W - Climbing of some sort dependant on weather and partners.

T - Rest and rehab.

F - Rest and rehab.

S, S - Outdoor bouldering in the shade and wind, please!

Goals:

Rehabilitate finger.

Suavito.

Tierdrop.

Rigpa.

Morning all. Welcome to this week's thrilling instalment of the UKC Lakes/Wales Crack Downgrade Club. I'm pretty confident that I would think Central Buttress sans chockstone was E3, even though I vaguely recall finding it ok to second when the chockstone was still present.

A new thread is posted each week on Sunday for anyone to jot down their previous week's activity. UKC fit club is a rich community with posters sharing their goals, noting successes and failures and offering support to those struggling to maintain motivation. Anyone interested in starting is very welcome to join, but to get the most of UKC fit club you should aim to post each week, every week, however little or much you have done. By making such a regular public record of your activities and by restating your goals every week this new habit will hopefully improve your training habits and drive you towards achieving your goals whatever the level of your chosen activity.

The following training article by Alex Barrows gives an excellent breakdown on training the four main "energy systems" specific to climbing:- http://alexbarrowsclimbing.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/training-for-sport-climbi...     also this - https://www.instagram.com/p/CEGfCg7DbkK/?igshid=4a1o55jwpus2

For those wanting to find out more about training for climbing a number of physical training articles are linked here:- http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=274502

And for those looking for more theoretical background, there's a useful subject index of published research studies on the Beta Angel project. Not sure how actively maintained if is though. https://beta-angel.com/research/research-inventory/

Last weeks post - https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/walls+training/ukc_fit_club_week_746-7365...

AJM - good news on the negative test; hope the family holiday week also works as a effective training deload

Ally Smith - what's 7/6/3/1 aero-cap? I have the highest respect for anybody with the patience to do fingerboard aero-cap.

biscuit - sorry to hear about the foot - getting better I hope? Thanks for the advice on my MTG planning.

Liam P - I understand the desire to maintain training with the new sprog in the house, but fingerboarding the day after what sounds like a heavy routes sesions might not be the greatest idea in the long run

planetmarshall - good Lakes trad efforts. I recall finding Tophet Wall amazing, but remember very little about CB (avec chockstone). Both 40 years ago.

Ross Barker - fitting those little maintenance sessions in when you're busy with other things is infinitely better than nothing.

Si dH - hope the boys camping weekend went well

Somerset swede basher - did the finger deload week help?

the sheep - when's the event? You're going to have to step up the running & biking a bit at some point

Tom Green - I did all the moves on my lockdown 7a project in November, and redpointed it in June; I predict that nothing like this will happen to you on Jack the Smuggler. Good Lakes E3 tick at Wimberry  

Tyler - sounds like a good holiday trip. "Climbing in Dorset, really interesting moves" - yeah, I found the climbing style at Portland very cryptic on my one visit there. Would need more than a single weekend to acclimatise.

AlanLittle - so, did the day out in the mountains once again trigger thoughts that sport climbing might not be everything? (Yes)

My DAV group's plans for Leonidio in November have fallen through, so ...

New STG: plan autumn sport trip, assuming no delta 4th wave / 3rd lockdown

STG: Board power phase: any moonboard benchmark, kilterboard 6A @ 40°
MTG: Summer 2021: Fill out my couple-of-goes pyramid around the 6c-ish level before moving onto to any more harder projects. 
MTG: Autumn 2021 trip. Ditch the lockdown weightbelt (3 to 5 kgs) beforehand and get fit 
LTG: Be a confident, well rounded low to mid 7's sport climber. For measurable definition see Fit Club 658

M: rest day
T: Boulderwelt, kilter board. Focus more on volume. I'm definitely getting more comfortable with the general concept of creaking on a steep board. I did flash a "6A" at 40°, but kilter board grades are all over the place (even compared to the moonboard), and this one felt so easy compared to others I tried that I don't think I can really take it as an STG tick.
W: 
T: Boulderwelt. Went with the intention of checking out their 2019 set moonboard, in the hope that it might be better than the horrible 2017 one I usually use, but the moonboard was closed due to routesetting on the wall adjacent. Did a short session on the normal gym boulders but wasn't really feeling it - strength still down from Tuesday's big session, didn't want it to be even more down with a maybe-decent forecast for the weekend (ha! see below) - so bailed early.
F: 
S: Zellerwand. Desperate times call for desperate measures, such as going to a south facing crag in the hope that it might at least dry quickly after several days of torrential rain. And it was, indeed, dry and quite good in the morning in the shade. Managed to get a 6b+ slab ticked - first success in my pyramid-filling plan - before the heat became completely impossible in the afternoon.

S: Schwäbische Alb. Raining everywhere in Bavaria, so drove west in search of dry rock to what the guidebook said were Stuttgart climbers' home crags. Damp & horrible in the morning, and my first reaction was "they can keep 'em". But then we got on some harder things that my mate wanted to look at and they were genuinely excellent. Seconded a steep juggy 30 metre 7a rising traverse to clean it, that would have been tricky to clean on lead, and confirmed pretty much where I'm at at the moment - individual moves no problem, but would have really struggled with both head and endurance on lead. Heat became impossible again by late afternoon.

New plan: run to the hills. Contemplating a sport climbing trip to Cita dei Sassi in the Dolomites. Climbing in the shade at 2000 metres has to be a way of finding decent conditions surely? Not sure about Italian covid travel rules though.

Should have read 7/3/6/1:

7s hang

3s off

x6 (total 60s)

1min rest 

Rinse and repeat. 

Agree wholeheartedly; I've tried and failed to do some harder things on Portland "in-a-day" in the past and felt like I'd just unlocked the nuances at the point that skin and muscles were done in.

Week 27

M – Deadlift; 5x5 95kg. Bench press; 5x5 55kg.  Reverse flys; 3x10.

T – Last minute opportunity to get out. Despite rain, Devil’s Gorge was in pretty good nick. 3x tie-in on the roof project. First go I was pursuing some bridging beta, which was quite steady to a super wide position but exiting to the far side was very hard. Next go spied out an alternative on a slightly higher line. 3rd time, made good links on this method. Still needs some further cleaning of footholds and polishing of beta, but it’s a goer :-D 

W – Mild bit of core.

T – 25km flat. 50min.

F – 1-arm max-hangs @BW-11kg. Considerably better than last week. Then 3x 7/3/6/3 BW repeats on M2 pockets.

S – Morning board. An-cap 6in6. Was doing really well to keep to the planned 7B average intensity before I burst a blood veseel in my pinkie and couldn’t pull on any longer, causing me to miss final set of 6. Finished off with bench-press 5x5 60kg and reverse flys (5x6).  Afternoon of carrying squiggle up hills at Beeston castle.

S – Christening. Buffet gluttony. Football.

Hi Alan, yes it did!  While top end finger strength is slightly down on my right hand at the moment - I'm still not confident crimping at my limit - a couple of weeks of endurance work means I'm feeling quite fit at the moment which I've used to put an old and a recent project to bed.

Mon. Revisited an old project of mine that I never managed a couple of year ago managing to do Full Traverse Rubicon (f7C).  At 50+ moves long its probably better described as route 8a/+ as there isn't any section harder than about Font 7A/+ ish on it.  Its just a total pump fest.  5 (possibly 6?) sessions in total but I could still remember the beta even though 2 were ages ago.

Tues. hilly 8km run.

Wed. Rest.

Thurs. Finally managed Zippy's into Pink Indians (f7B+).  5th session if we include doing the individual problems too and I've loved all of them!  2nd go today.  So close to getting it first go, I got the finished hold but missed the 'good' (its relative!) bit and couldn't match despite an age of trying to readjust.  Went smoothly 2nd go with slightly tweaked foot beta for the last move. 

Fri. 21km roadbike

Sat. Nice weather but no opportunity to get out unfortunately.  6 sets of BW repeaters, 3x10 shoulder shrugs, 5x5 on the min pull ups and 3x10 press ups.  5km walk round the woods with the kids.

Sun. flat 5km run.

Cheers Alan.

The antibiotics and infection made me feel a bit bleurgh all week. I tried a couple of times earlier in the week but didn't feel good so stopped.

M-Thurs - Nothing

F - 5:3:5:3:5 on the home board. I'd forgotten how good it is! 

S - 1 on 1 off on 12 move circuit on the board. It wasn't An Cap, it wasn't Aero Pow, it wasn't strength work. Not sure what it was - medium effort and medium volume. But felt good to get my shoes on.

S - Density hangs before a big day of driving for a family thing.

Well i got a bit done....

Work had got busy over the last few weeks as i had to take some work on from a colleague who left. they have now been replaced and the last couple of weeks my workload has reduced. That has made a big difference and i aim to keep it like this.   

Inspired by Alan sorting his medium term plans out i have got a new structure to my week. This is the plan with the focus being (possible) trips to Arco and El Chorro in Sept and Oct. Arco will be lots of mileage and hard onsight attempts and Chorro i'd like to get a holiday 7c. 

M - Max Hangs

T - An Cap (Fingerboard) 7:3 @ 70%

W - Boulder session (structured for strength, not aimless), Aero Pow (foot on campus) then Aero Cap in the evening

T - An Cap (fingerboard) 7:3 @ 70%

F - Climb - currently trying ground up stuff so Aero Pow will be taken care of here as i get pumped a lot

S - Climb

S - Str exercises and Aero Cap/Regen

Arco is in log weekend range for me - if you let us know when you're there I might be able to recruit a climbing partner to head down & say hello

Cheers Alan. Life got in the way a bit this week. A Covid Jab on Monday and house move on Wednesday meant I only had one real training session - but what a session it was. I finally managed to get up the Woody!

I’d like to think it’s due to strength gainZ but I swapped my stiff down turned LS Solutions for some old floppy Evolvs. The comfier shoes meant I could really push hard which solved the feet skating off issue. Probably the easiest problem on the board but still psyched as even pulling on felt impossible last month. The joys of training!

Pram Shunt Weekly Total - 7:20 (PB)

Mon:

• Pram - 2:40
• 2x 12 7:3 Pinch Repeaters (12kg)

Tue:

• Pram - 1:20
• 3x 2&1/3 Frenchies
• 10x Board. Finally sent in 3 goes. Worked on mirroring with the left.
• 6x Campus Ladders

Wed:

Rest Day. House move, Football & Beers.

Thu:

• Box crimping & painting
• 4x12 7:3 Repeaters (40mm)
• 3x7 Psuedo Planche Push-up (Feet on Swiss Ball)

Fri:

• Pram - 0:40
• Box crimping & painting

Sat:

• Pram - 1:40

Sun:

• Pram - 1:00

More box crimping & painting this week so I’ll be happy with at least one trip to the wall.  

Have a good week.

Oh cool! No need to find a partner (of course you can if you want) just come over.

At the moment we're booked 2nd - 14th Sept. But who knows. Our friends (we're going for someone's 50th) have had their flights cancelled from Scotland. It may get moved but i'll keep you posted.

Thanks Alan. Hi all.

Brief one from me, as I’m on the road, so on my phone…

M: Fingerboard and strength sesh. 
T: Prehab. Good to get back to this. Need to make it routine again. 
W: Nowt.

T: Trail run. 9km, 185m vert, 5:52/km. 

F: Quick sesh at Llanymynech. One TR of project to warm up and remember the moves. One tie in when I changed sequence on the crux and it didn’t work! Then one tie in when I got through all the hard climbing to the 6b+ finish then fell off, partly because I was a bit tired but partly because I stopped concentrating because I thought I had it! Idiot! No excuse not to do it soon?!

S: Fingerboard and strength sesh. 
S: Nowt. Drank a little too much during the football. 
 

Goals: same as usual!

Hi all, I would like to start contributing, I have recently stepped up the training, so it would be good to write some of it down and make myself accountable.

I have just turned 40, but much stronger than I was in my 20's.  Currently trying to get steady at E4 and RP 7b/c.

I'm tall at 6'3, 75kg and have a positive ape of about +3, flexible, but not all that strong.  I'm currently trying to increase my core and shoulders to allow my to really work the height and reach I have.

I have a slightly sprained Lumbrical (pinky to ring) in my left hand, which is taking ages to heel and is effecting my ability to pull hard on pockets.

Just had a fairly good week, so a good one to start with.

M- Dropped in to Avon to work "Was it you?" for the second session, and managed a clean ascent on top rope (rope solo)

T- Nothing work

W - 3*20 Push ups, 3*10 Pull ups on BM Jugs, 3*20 Dips 

T - Trad in Avon - Lead Them (E3 6a), Top rope Already Gone Direct Start (E6 5c), then failed to lead up Arms Race as was to tired, and it was super hot and sunny. Then did some easy bits, and got sun burnt

F - Nothing, work and children's party

S - 3*20 Push ups, 3*10 Pull ups on BM Jugs, 3*20 Dips

S - 3*20 Push ups, 3*10 Pull ups on BM Jugs, 3*20 Dips

STGs

- RP Was It You? (7c+)

- Lead Main Wall Eliminate (E4 6a)

- Manage 30 push ups in a set and 10 pull ups with out making my head spin

- Get better body tension. Start using the Woody board at the climbing wall?

LTGs

- RP an 8a

- Be steady at E4

- Work out how to get up Smashing of Amps (7c+)

Welcome!

Nice work on Them. Still one on my list, I tried it twice back in the day and never quite managed to commit!

Likewise - welcome along.

Intrigued by the mention of Was it You and Smashing of Amps; both things I never got on when I lived in Bristol.

I have thought about trying Smashing of Amps a couple of times, looks good - although working some of the harder trad there also has appeal instead. Was it You was never on my Bristol radar but does seem to be getting rave reviews...

Welcome welcome.

I'm down your way with half a day spare on Saturday 24th July if you are keen for bit of sport at Brean Down?  I was planning on bouldering but keen to tie in if that's an option (I've not run this past Mrs. Swede yet but should be OK).  I've not checked the tide times yet but there is a 7c on its own towards the top of the beach that's barely tidal I think.  Let me know if you're keen and I'll send you my number.

We are stopping on the way to Cornwall for a few days at my parents house and planning to do the same on the way back so I might be able to grab a session a couple of weeks later on the way back too!

Unfortunately I'm off on holiday with the family on the 24th for 10 days, as its the start of the school holidays.

However, we are going to ....... Cornwall, near Falmouth, its where I grew up. Not sure if I can sneak out, but will give it a go! If not then on you way back might work?

Ally and AJM 

Them was hard mentally as much as physically, but like lots of classic Avon, never desperate (but it was a hot day).

Ally, seen your photos in the guidebook, often a source of inspiration.

"Was it you?" Is great, just my style, vertical wall climbing on small crimps. Prob only 7c if your tall, and even that is for the endurance of it, as the moves are not that hard on their own.

I've tried Smashing of Amps but can't work out the crux beta, seems like there are 2 ways to move over left to the slab, high or low, and I'm not close to getting either.

Wrong end of Cornwall for a meet up unfortunately (we will be in Looe).  I'll message you my number, if you text me with yours we might manage something on the return journey.

Tophet Wall is a fantastic route - as with CB I didn't realize it was a Classic/Hard/Extreme Rock tick, but suspected it probably would be (The CB flake pitch is even on the front cover of the new Hard Rock)

Last Week

Lattice Lite Week 9

Tuesday

Project Bouldering at Substation

Wednesday

Benchmark Tests

• BW+25kg on 2 rep pullup (+5kg on previous PR)
• BW-2kg on 10mm deadhang (-2kg on previous PR)

Pullup results tally with me feeling generally stronger, but have regressed on finger strength - probably reflects that my bouldering sessions tend to be steep and juggy rather than fingery. Find some more fingery problems to train on.

Friday

Trail Run (Kinder from Hayfield) 14km/600m

Sunday

Strength Intervals at Substation

Last Week's Goals

• Do missed benchmarks from last week - Done
• Two leads at E1 or above - No trad this week...
• Two sport routes at 6b or above - ...or sport
• 30km trail running (10% increase) - 14km only - left till too late in the week again.

Next Week's Goals

• Two leads at E1 or above
• 30km trail running - get started early in the week or this won't happen.
• Find some more fingery routes on the bouldering wall
• Some good weather is coming - try and get another mountain trad trip organized.

W: Routes at Stockport with Fi, really enjoyed it although still unable to take falls and spent most of the time bolt to bolting things too hard for me. 
F: Depot, very hot. Strapped up my ankle and climbed Laura Rogora style which is fine if you are Laura Rogora but for an overweight, middle aged man with fingers like cooked spaghetti is not so great, I need to urge gracelessly between the holds and risk falling off. All reds seemed beyond me with the requisite level of certainty so mostly stuck to blacks. 
Sun: Turned back on drive to Kilnsey, not feeling the love. Very unusual for me.

MTG: Cave Route Right (7b+)

If there was a FC gathering one weekend I’d definitely be up for that. 

Disclaimer: detailed beta discussion that won't mean anything to anyone except Si!

I had a play on moffatrocity yesterday.  I saw from your video that you go for the flying heelhook approach to doing the bit just before the junction with Jericho Road.  I find this really hard although I've not tried doing a toe hook then change to a heel yet.  Did you ever try using a left heel in the obvious scoop and the bumping the right hand along a few inches to allow you to bring your left hand onto the good crimp?  I can't work out if I've come up with something good or whether I'm barking up the wrong tree and just need to practise getting the heel hook in.

Hmm, well, different body shapes etc - I always found it fairly straightforward to get my heel in. I think I caught the instep on the hold first and used that to sort of go again with my heel (which became a heel-toe) with a little momentum. It just worked well for me so I never tried alternatives. Sorry!

Last minute entry, been a busy week with the kids off!

Pretty standard week before, 5 swims up to 2km, 10km run and stretch class 

Highlight was open water swimming with eldest daughter at Stoney Cove 

Sunny day and saw a juvenile Peregrine falcon on the cliff face above us as we swam round 😊

Cool, hopefully I'll get down on Tuesday for another play. Its a bit of a stretch getting my foot all the way over there but I can physically span it so it might be a goer.