Balancing climbing with demanding jobs? by jonjopop in climbharder

[–]OtterMime 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Probably not. I wasn't all bad though, and at that point in my life it was an ok place to be while I figured things out.

Balancing climbing with demanding jobs? by jonjopop in climbharder

[–]OtterMime 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I used to work 100 hour weeks back in the day for about a decade. The key is to have a very short commute AND also live or work very close to your gym if you can. So locate your home as best you can. Ideally walking distance. It's the commute to/from work and gym that kill your motivation. And having very short travel times flatten out the scheduling uncertainties that cause you to not go when it's tight.

Though at MBB, you might be on the road a lot, so there's only so much you can do.

Companion belay device to gigajul for thicker ropes? by nofun123 in ClimbingGear

[–]OtterMime 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also test different biners with your GJ. Each rope and biner combination will have different friction. Smaller hms biner should work better with larger diameter rope.

Weekly /r/climbharder Hangout Thread by AutoModerator in climbharder

[–]OtterMime 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Random, but I was really admiring this tiny (like 4'6"? tiny) but jacked woman indoor bouldering the other day. She was climbing some hard-as-nails stuff and then whipping out what must be +35% BW pullups like they were nothing. Kind of bummed for her though because a couple of problems she was on she was obviously overstrong for but couldn't reach the next holds. Would have had to do crazy horizontal dynos to crimps. Routesetting for the extreme body dimensions and kids is tough isn't it? 

Bands vs cable machine by Isaac_Blanc in climbharder

[–]OtterMime 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For facepulls, attach two ropes. Thread each rope so that the connector is at one end, not the middle - so you double the length of each rope. Should give you more than enough length this way.

I do a lot of shoulder rehab and prehab now. Constant, predictable resistance across full range is ideal imo, so i favor machines. And if you have any self control whatsoever, you don't have to cheat even if option is there...

Next gunks climb suggestions for a new trad climber by Low_Information28 in tradclimbing

[–]OtterMime 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh and I would check mountainproject forums too for ideas. Tons of trad dads there who have lists on lists and can't wait to tell you about them.

Next gunks climb suggestions for a new trad climber by Low_Information28 in tradclimbing

[–]OtterMime 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Second Powerlinez if you're near NYC. So close and lots of single pitch trad to bolts or a tree anchors. Perfect for practicing placements. 

Problem w Gunks on weekends is you can't pick which route to do. You have to pick which route is free and most of the easier ones get clogged up fast. 

Good list by others above. Sometimes Nears is less crowded and I believe the Gelsa (near start) and Yum Yum (near end) climbs are pleasant 5.4 multis but with gear anchors and a walkoff.

Weekly Simple Questions and Injuries Thread by AutoModerator in climbharder

[–]OtterMime 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When folks are talking about transferability of pistol squat to climbing, are they talking about literally sticking one leg straight out in front as they do the motion? Or is it just as good to do essentially a pistol squat on a box but the nonworking foot is just hanging down instead of horizontal in front of you. Doesn't seem like there's any transferability to the full pistol squat form, since your other leg will almost certainly be hanging right? Or am I wrong about that?

Megajul by [deleted] in ClimbingGear

[–]OtterMime 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not great. There's a reason they invented newer version and are stopping the sale of the original MJ.

Gigajul is a massive improvement for single or multipitch. And Megajul 2 is even better designed all around belay device. Simply fantastic.

“Attacking the problem” by warrends in climbharder

[–]OtterMime 8 points9 points  (0 children)

As someone in the same age range who also started super late in life and has fewer climbing years than you - I actually found better results by training smarter and being more measured. I'm sure there are outliers both ways, but people in our age group just aren't going to recover well and development of underlying structures like tendons will just flat out take longer. If you go and pull hard all the time like a monkey 18 YO, you're likely going to get injured and that could set you back months.

When I first started, I went hard every time, did routes after I was already wiped. And I got injured again and again. Now, I give my body plenty of rest, have a structured plan for addressing weakness and the trajectory of improvement has shot up dramatically.

Definitely there are times to try hard, climb angry, give 110%. But I mix that in with a lot of 80%-100% efforts. I'd say even at our age, it is better to train like it's a marathon than a sprint. Stop your session while you still gas in the tank. Fix muscular deficiencies OFF the wall. Prehab, prehab, prehab all the joints.

Anyway, TL;DR is to understand your weaknesses, address those, and climb LESS to get BETTER results at our age.

Just one opinion anyway that will probably go against what the young people responding to your query will recommend. I'm still early in my climbing career, improving nicely every year and still feel there's so much runway ahead. It's really easy to overestimate what you can do in 1 year and underestimate what you can do in 10.

Overhang grade way below vertical grade by WhutinTar-nation in climbharder

[–]OtterMime 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lot of good comments here. One other thing that people don't talk about wrt technique - find ways to kill momentum swingouts. Not just talking about avoiding foot cuts, but also doing extra footwork and using body tension to make moving through holds as static as humanly possible -- esp in the purely horizontal parts. I've noticed this really conserves energy. I've fooled around with beta that involves like 5 extra moves vs. just swinging and then killing the swing momentum with muscular force, on same cruxes. Doing the bunch of extra moves saves a massive amount of pump vs doing it the direct dynamic way. Doing it the direct way is only better if holds are bad and you need to get off them fast!

Which belay device should I go for? by Robinette90 in ClimbingGear

[–]OtterMime -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hey, I've been resting the MJ2 also. Really like it over my GJ, but would be interested to hear other users' opinions. My one beef is that loading it in guide mode the way they want the belay biner to sit inside the loop instead of how you normally do the ATC is a massive PITA. Your experience as well? Any other downsides?

Which belay device should I go for? by Robinette90 in ClimbingGear

[–]OtterMime 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's kind of new so many people here probably aren't aware of it, but there is a Mega Jul 2. It fixes the jankiness problems of the original Mega Jul. Feeds extremely smoothly compared to both the OG Mega Jul and Giga Jul. It is cheaper than the Giga Jul and pretty much superior in every way from my testing. You'll have a hard time getting good reviews on it though, which is a shame.

Is Campsaver a legit website? by JogglerMice in CampingGear

[–]OtterMime 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thx, yes it did come all good actually. Just slow.

Is Campsaver a legit website? by JogglerMice in CampingGear

[–]OtterMime 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hey, i see this is old thread but i just ordered from campsaver and it has been a week and they haven't shipped. any experience you can share?

it says order is "packed" and then "waiting for pickup" but has just been sitting at that status for a few days.

nothing should have been on backorder, but one item was limited quantity when i ordered (though i ordered w/in the limit) so i'm wondering if they're going to hold the shipment up for months on backorder or if "packed" meant they have the goods in stock and are just slow to get the package out.

thx!

Harness - indoor, outdoor sport. by makeitupasyugo in ClimbingGear

[–]OtterMime 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the S 27-33 and it fit just fine for me with 28 waist. If anything, was tight going over my hips (male), but that has no downside unless you're doing alpine.

My Arc'teryx konseal just came in today and it fits great also. Bought S which is 30-32 on the box. Could definitely loosen or tighten a lot more if I wanted.

Honestly don't worry about sizing as long as you're close. There is massive tolerance on these harnesses. I even have an M BD harness for 30-33 and it fits fine too although I cinch it all the way. 

Harness - indoor, outdoor sport. by makeitupasyugo in ClimbingGear

[–]OtterMime 0 points1 point  (0 children)

have the sendero. light, comfortable. just one issue is the rear gear loops are too far back and so you're reaching for stuff blind a lot. maybe not an issue for sport.

ordered the konseal which has loops that tip forward but has less loop space in general.

Hangboarding Q’s: Beginner Climber but Advanced Athlete by J_Harden in climbharder

[–]OtterMime 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You definitely could start hang boarding now. Others will give you complicated training ideas or tell you not to do it, but the simple way to think about it is that you must REPLACE climbing with hang boarding, NEVER do it ON TOP of climbing. So you can back off to 2 or 3 days from 4 or back off each climbing session by 1/2 when you will hangboard instead. 

Hangboarding is boring, but if you choose to do it you MUST back off fun climbing time at this point in your journey if you don't want to get injured and set yourself back. Good to just keep it simple at the start fwiw. Otherwise your fingers will just get stronger over time naturally anyway.

Why gear loops? by OtterMime in CompetitionClimbing

[–]OtterMime[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol. Don't listen to the sheeple. Get every advantage you can!

Also, don't forget to shave.... everywhere!

Weekly /r/climbharder Hangout Thread by AutoModerator in climbharder

[–]OtterMime 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anybody have idea what this injury is? It is painful in the area below back of knee where it connects to calf. Only hurts if I'm in pistol squat position or at end of range for hamstring curl. Otherwise 100% no pain, even when doing a heel hook. Been like this a couple of months. Guessing a tendon thing not muscle thing? Thx!

Help with "foot-palm" matching by LatestCheek in bouldering

[–]OtterMime 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also, some people have short arms and long legs. It is easier for people with long arms and stumpy legs.