Not a lot.

Not a lot happened over the weekend, thought the weather would crap out so decided to work Sat and Sun, and try and get a couple of board sessions in in the eves. It appeared not so though, a couple of the boys got down to the Pass on Sat avoided the ming and did a bit of cranking, with a few good ticks going down, nice to see the old mans still got skills ;)

Well anyhow I decided on the 2 pint an hour rule for the weekend, so I put a 3 hour cellar sesh in on Friday night, overan a bit and only just managed to catch the lock in, but being so late that gave me a couple of pint credits. Sat, I had a long day and was still a bit stiff from Friday so I had an easy night, opting to eat large quantities of chicken and use the credits. Sun, more work, but home by 6, so I opted for a quick board session. It was one of those when you feel awful to start, really creaky, and not psyched at all, but after a 45 mins I was really warmed in and pulling quite hard, and up for it again. Crucially the tendonitis in my left wasn't showing and I could fully bear down, so again put about 3 hours in.

Ive got a circuit going now on the system board, 8 exercises/problems that are mirrored, thus 16 problems, each between 5-8 moves, with 2 mins rest between each... so about a 40 minute workout. Its kind of just getting into the power endurance thing, which is not exactly what I want, but I was finding it too hard to stay warm, and I was well.. just getting bored, so shorter rests it is. For the first half though it seems fine, but the second half recovery isnt totally full with the 2 minutes get quicker and quicker. Which means I'm having to really hang in there by the end. Anyhow I like it, seems to be working already, so I'm going to stick with it.

After this, a quick 10mins rest, then I'm into an hour working a few projects. These are vagually devised around a couple of things I'd like to get done. I'm trying to be really strict though and make sure I fully rest between goes.. minute a move job, its so easy to just plow on and blow out on that board. One of the problems is an easier replica of the crux on the longridge reverse (a good grade easier), its taken a couple of weeks to build up the body tension, to be able to throw my foot out on it, but I've got it dialled now. So I've been doing reps on the problem, this should build up my left crimp strength and the stability when I cut loose, and hopefully will translate to the real thing.
Another is super simple right hand small boney crimp and throw through, nearly campusey but not quite. The plan is to get back on a problem at almscliff, I tickled the break a couple of times years ago, when all I did was campus, but never had quite enough to do it. This sort of mimics the move, although my boards a little steeper, but it should relate. Again its a grade or so easier, which should work well for training on, thats when I get round to actually doing it anyway...
What would be good for the board project as well is to link these 2 problems together... 8a/8a+ for sure.

Finished off with half hour or so circuit training.. body tension, pressups, really wide pull ups and stretching..

Ok enough rabbiting, here's a quick vid of said projects if you've got a minute and half to waste..

Get a Book!

Well I've decided in order to get my arse in gear for the summer, that, rather than building a massive training plan to concentrate soley on training 3 things. Everything comes in 3s. Weaknesses it is. Body tension, antagonists & open handed left hand. Everything else can sort itself out, and by its self.

After watching this vid http://youtu.be/enMb85tE67M of Chris Webb Parsons at the depot comp, go to 58 secs, as the flicks across the roof, he goes from kicking his foot above his head to counter the swing to perfectly stopped on the returning swing... and he doesn't even look like he's trying... it just made me think again, for all the arm umpff in the world it means bugger all if you cant keep a grip of the lower bit.

So fortunately having a 60deg board in my cellar, that's a bit of system board, coming up with some tension exercises has been easy. Small footholds big moves! ...a one foot climbing 6 move exercise that is mirrored and a desperate bachar ladder style slap and control the swing as another. Pretty simple stuff but quick and easy to stick in a session.

Antagonists... well i've been doing these for a bit.. mainly as an ongoing treatment for the back.. so press ups, working up to maybe a couple hundred at the end of a session and kneeling plank superman things for middle and lower back strength. 6 sets of 20 second holds each side.

Open left hand.. a combination of a ten minute routine on the Matrix and another simple idea of sticking a slopey first digit 3 finger hold as a finish hold rather than a jug on the board. The idea being to always finish on this hold, cut loose and hang for 5 or 6... im working upto this!


Im definately coming round to the way of thinking again with having such a little amount of time to train, that to get the most out of my time on a board, its got to be simple, pretty specific, and easily quantifiable. The sort of thing after a day in the office when psych is low, you just get a brew on roll a tab, get in the cellar and do the routine, no planning, no major head ache, and simple to gauge the gains... and being creatures of habit and all that, make it a habit! So these should take up a good portion of a session leaving a bit of messing about on projects and doing some general system board problems.

..Funny.. I found my training note book the other day from around 2001... I look back now and realise I actually really pulled my finger out... for six months ... I used to campus 3 times a week in between normal climbing and the sessions were super simple...  8 sets of 1 4 7 10 up and down, followed by usually 4 or 5 sets of  2 3 4 5 6 fall off .. on the 10mm rungs. Then maybe an hour of easish problems. With it being logged, it was easy to turn up psyched to better the last session or quickly realise you were tired, not on it, and back off. Make the most of a session and go home happy. Maybe the simplicity suited me, no faffing, just get on and do it.

Anyway it sort of worked... I went from just managing a single one armer to doing 8, and from being pretty useless of the rungs to clipping the 9 on a 1 5 9 a few times...   nothing to shout about these days but I managed the improvement pretty quick. Of course they were my weaknesses at the time but I really targetted them and didn't get distracted.. and it was written down...  hmmm...

So... I'm thinking go simple and go specific... and I've bought a book!