It’s Friday again which is never a bad thing. Today’s edition of Friday is especially notable because it’s the last Friday of August which means September Sendtember and October are fast approaching. This is good.
Fall is my favorite time of the year because the cooling temps and amazing colors we experience here in Wisconsin make it a real treat to spend time climbing hanging out in the outdoors. For others of you who actually go rock climbing fall is the prime time of the year to send those projects you spent all summer sweating in the gym preparing for.
No matter what grade you’re climbing… or what your goals are… the journey is the same. Pushing your own personal limits is something hugely rewarding.
One resource you may find helpful as you prepare for your fall projects is a new blog from Kris “ODub” Hampton called Power Company Climbing (which is where the above quote comes from). After a pretty nice run as a trad climber Hampton saw the light and began clipping bolts a few years ago and never looked back. It’s clear he takes his training seriously, and his steady rise up the grading scales indicates that whatever he is doing seems to be working. Check out his blog here.
If none of that works for you then I guess your only hope is to somehow be born again with the strength and motivation of a super strong climber like, say, Adam Ondra. This isn’t really possible of course, but I couldn’t help but laugh when I watched the below videos from this year’s Melloblocco bouldering event in Italy where one of the climbers says something to effect of, “you either have Adam Ondra’s pinchers or you’re screwed”. Truer words have, perhaps, never been spoken…
In unrelated news, today is your last day to enter the contest to win a copy of the Petzl All Access DVD.
While Hampton has some very good exercises and great training ideas, I totally disagree with the pyramid philosophy. You should go after something you’re psyched about, not get discouraged because of a rating or your personal inexperience at a grade. If you can only send 5.12, but you see an amazing 13c/d that you want to try, you should give it all you have. I think a lot of people would be surprised by how much harder they can pull when they’re inspired.
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I agree but I think that for long term success the pyramid philosophy works quite well to raise your overall level of climbing on a consistent basis. Sure, you could cherry pick something super had for you to work on but if/when you succeed on that where does it leave you? Can you expect to go out and always work on routes that are that hard? Perhaps, but I think there is a lot one can learn by doing an increased quantity of routes in between.
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The issue with committing yourself mentally and physically to a project that is wildly out of your range is that it is very likely to burn you out mentally, and you’ll lose fitness while you’re hangdogging your project all day.
I’m speaking mostly about climbers that already have a feel for how hard they *truly* climb, rather than people that can jump a full number grade in their redpoint limit in a day because they had never tried *really* hard before. (I’ve almost thrown up on a route once. My buddy very nearly shit his pants. That’s effort right there.)
You’re not really getting any stronger if you can only link 2 moves on your route and you’re spending more time hanging and stick-clipping the next bolt than actually linking moves. You might make slow progress on a route like that, but your overall climbing fitness will decrease if that’s the majority of your climbing.
I prefer a hybrid approach. Go ahead and commit yourself to a route that’s really fucking hard for you but you’re extremely psyched on. Work it for a while with the intention of refining your beta and climbing short sections well rather than linking more moves but poorly.
When your progress and psyche levels start to plateau, give the route a rest for a while. Your psyche levels, as well as your climbing partners’, will rise when you start climbing at other crags again.
When you get hungry for your futuristic project again, get back on it. You’ll feel mentally and physically refreshed, and the muscle memory will still be there.
[Repeat As Needed]
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Agree, though I think the pyramid philosophy works well if you are trying to become solid at a particular grade, though huge crazy breakthroughs do happen.
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Speaking of Ondra…just rented Kickass (the movie), and 5 minutes in was like, “since when did Adam Ondra start acting?”
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I will go up to whatever I want and work it if it looks cool. I’m totally psyched to try somethings that might be above my limit, but the style and the line inspire me. I’m not a V7 climber yet, or a 12+ sport climber, but I plan on getting on them and running myself into the ground physically, and having fun doing it. As for training, I just pick whatever I think is my weakness and punish myself with until I don’t feel weak anymore. Maybe not the clearest or most straightforward way to get to be a better climber, but its what works for me.
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yes, Sendtember. …and… Rocktober.
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A little of column A and a little of column B- pyramids help form a base of skill AND confidence, but perhaps cause too much ‘respect’ towards that next grade. For instance- not getting on the 13b that you’re psyched on because you’ve only done a 12d or two…
I’ve had a hunch for quite some time that, to a certain point, my barriers are mostly mental.
Psych and belief are a huge part of our personal definition of success.
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Totally agree with your big barriers being just as much mental as they are physical. I was convinced that a slow, steady, letter by letter increase in grade was the only way I’d ever get better, but thanks to an amazing climbing partner that is always pysched, pysched me up for a climb that was an entire number higher than my previous best and within the day I sent it. So with the combination of some training, some pysch and some good friends to keep you pysched will do wonders! Keep crushing everyone! Tis’ the season to send!
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Thanks for the link Narc!
As for the pyramid post, I actually suggest that my pyramid idea was overdone, and just plain too much. Phillip is right on… psyche and belief are the most important arrows in your quiver. However, if your technique in shooting isn’t solid, the arrows will rarely find their mark.
Where can I get a pair of Adam Ondra’s pinchers?
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Is anyone else getting tired of watching Ondra throw a hissy fit when he doesn’t send? I understand he’s a great climber and has high expectations, but come on.
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oh, shut up.
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My sentiments exactly! I’m glad someone else feels the same way. BTW, I do think Ondra is a great climber but his tantrums certainly seem childish to me.
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“My sentiments exactly! I’m glad someone else feels the same way. BTW, I do think Ondra is a great climber but his tantrums certainly seem childish to me.”
perhaps his tantrums seem childish because he is child.
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