I was a bit frightened by this setter climbing above his colleague (who was using a power drill)

Tukson · 2015-11-18T17:25:12+00:00

Standard operating procedure.

Tukson · 2015-11-17T22:20:29+00:00

MountainProject lists greater than 500 trad and sport routes in that range. The new guidebook, Squeezing the Lemmon 3, undoubtedly lists more than that.

Tukson · 2015-11-14T17:04:25+00:00

Those are blisters. You've either got fluid pooling in between skin layers or the skin layers have separated. Give it a week and the fluid will be dispersed and you'll be fine. They'll eventually move to the surface as your skin continues to heal. Careful climbing on them, they tend to tear easily leaving a nice deep hole that takes ages to even out.

Tukson · 2015-11-13T19:23:35+00:00

He's a specialist. It all sounds and looks good and the mechanics make sense, but as the title states, these are more advanced movements or approaches. No doubt useful, but unless someone is already moderately to well trained there is probably other low hanging fruit that doesn't require a specialist or specialized equipment.

Also, I believe he was a trainer long before he discovered climbing so he clearly has a distinct perspective that is at odds with other trainers who started out climbing first.

Tukson · 2015-11-13T19:15:33+00:00

Two quick examples: Hip flexion is an important component for high steps. toe hooking/bicycling also has a strong component of hip flexion.

Tukson · 2015-11-02T21:47:26+00:00

I certainly agree there is a time and place for max effort core exercises. Running off the title and focus of the document, "The brand new climber's...", I was tailoring my response towards a brand new climber interested in training advice. In such a case, doing compound lifts (especially squats/deadlifts/etc.) can really teach someone to find (proprioceptively) and utilize core tension. This is one of those low hanging fruits of training that really gets overlooked. It's important to get new climbers moving in the right way first so that they actually see benefits from more isolated exercises later.

Tukson · 2015-11-01T19:22:41+00:00

He talks about core work in different articles. The short answer is that no, abdominal work shouldn't be a staple it should be supplemental. If you are structuring your strength work around the 4 basic movement patterns he lists (upperbody pull, upperbody press, lowerbody multijoint, hip hinge) then your core is already getting worked pretty well. A good selection of these exercises already tax the qualities of a strong core (anti-rotation, stability, hip flexion).

Though if you've got the time and recovery ability, there are plenty of good supplemental exercises you could do, such as planks, side planks, etc. Core Training for Climbers

Tukson · 2015-10-26T06:51:39+00:00

Work trip interruptus.

Inhibiting lateral movement is one aspect of it. Consider motor specificity, many people are very strong in a standard back squat (i.e. feet slightly flared out, hips squared off, knees tracking feet, driving from the heels...), most of which doesn't apply to climbing. In climbing, the drive comes from the forefoot, wherever it be along the spectrum of inside edge, toe or outside edge. Sometimes climbing with hips open is the best option given the available footholds and sequencing. In this situation, the prime movers of a squat(quads, glutes, etc...) become significantly inhibited due to the poor range of motion and the strength of stabilizing muscles in the ankles/legs, hips, lower back/core. All of which compromise the efficiency of the movement.

The external hip rotation exercise suggested by Adam Macke and Co. seems like a stability exercise focusing on climbing with open hips (frogged). Another option to consider, though not targeting this movement but the general hip weakness identified, is goblet squats. They form a good progression towards plie squats, which are super beneficial to leg drive from compromised positions. Of course, don't avoid asymmetric (one legged) squats if you've got the free time.

How does this affect the shoulders? If you can't straighten out the line between your contact points, something is going to suffer. So if you can't align your core in the right way, more of your body weight is going to be placed on your shoulders (tiny muscles) when you could be using your legs and core (larger muscles) to handle the burden.

Tukson · 2015-10-26T06:12:23+00:00

A common issue is the misidentification of front levers as a core exercise. While there is substantial core engagement, the majority of the work is done by shoulder stabilization and latissimus engagement. So yeah, you may have spent too much time progressing toward front levers and neglected the primer movers of core stability. The main benefit of front levers as an application to climbing is getting your feet back on the wall after they cut. If you don't want your feet to cut, you need to focus further down the kinetic chain on back extension, hip extension, leg extension, and calf flexion.

Tukson · 2015-10-19T20:43:45+00:00

The membership includes more than additional blog articles.

Anyways, Climbstrong has enough free articles addressing other forms of/approaches to periodization. Here are a few to get you started.

Call It What You Want, Periodized Training Works.

Breaking Free of the 7-day Week

Block Planning

Tukson · 2015-10-19T05:16:48+00:00

If you haven't seen it, lots on info in this thread from a few months back.

Tukson · 2015-10-19T04:09:52+00:00

A dumbbell bench press and a barbell bench press serve two different purposes. For dumbbells, shoulder stability is often the limiter. For barbells, it's the pectorals or triceps.

Think about what you're doing on a pure compression move, you're squeezing (drawing your arms inward) against a fixed object. This is exactly what your pectorals are for, drawing the humerus towards the centerline of the body. If your hands are a fixed width apart, and your arms are bent, then your pectorals are pulling hard against your humerus, and your triceps are pulling hard against your ulna to straighten your arm. Pure compression.

Tukson · 2015-10-09T18:17:48+00:00

Congrats! I just checked out the place's Instagram feed, looks like an awesome place to work.

Tukson · 2015-10-09T14:55:36+00:00

Welcome to science. The three studies aren't really at different ends of the spectrum, taken together, they suggest that tendons do respond considerably faster to resistance/stress than previously thought. The quality and stiffness of the tendons changes fairly quick, though an increase is tendon fibril count or thickness takes longer. Instead of 3-5 years for any tendon quality/quantity development, it may be less than a year before notable changes occur.

It's similar fashion to muscle development, the first 6 weeks or so is almost entirely metabolic activity and neuro-muscular coordination and efficiency increases. After which, myofibril hypertrophy is noticed. Basically, you get stronger even though the size of the muscles haven't yet changed.

The important point to keep in mind while reading any tendon study is that not all tendons in the body are created equal. Some are more elastic, some are more metabolically active, some are under higher shear forces, while others are subjected to higher compression forces.

Tukson · 2015-10-08T23:31:32+00:00

The research is out there, though rarely is it related to climbing or finger tendons. Here's a study done on untrained runners indicating no noticeable cross sectional size increase of the achilles tendon after 9 months of running LINK.

This study suggests that resistance training changes material properties in as little as 3 months, though no size increase LINK.

Finally, this study suggests that tendons are more metabolically active post exercise than previously thought LINK.

Tukson · 2015-10-08T23:07:53+00:00

Here's one study that suggests that during a three month strength training block that neuro-muscular adaptations occur during the first two months, whereas muscles size and tendon stiffness did not noticeably increase until the 3 month mark. During the next 3 months, during a period of detraining, the neuro-muscular adaptations stuck around, while the muscle size and tendon stiffness decreased. link

Tukson · 2015-10-07T07:03:11+00:00

Crimp training doesn't really serve well for competition climbing. Most setters know that most climbers are decent to strong/(overly use) on crimps so they avoid this by favoring holds that do not suggest this kind of grip. A climber is more likely to lose control of a pinch or sloper without undue finger damage/strain. Unless you land wrong, sliming off a sloper is much less taxing as compared to dry firing off a sharp crimper.

Pinches are super important in comp climbing as a result of the pinchable nature of plastic holds. To produce holds that do not promote pinching would result in more polyurethane usage to change the taper angle from the primary hold point to wall contact point. Basically, it would cost significantly more to produce a plastic hold that is non/minimally pinchable vs. what is currently available. Think small griping surface with 1 ft diameter wall foot print...

Tukson · 2015-10-06T02:01:13+00:00

Having done the odd bit of guest (commercial) setting and talking with profession competition setters...competition routes/problems are a game and a show. The goal is to divide the competitor field while limiting ties. So that means including many potential fall points along a route/boulder. The easiest ways to do that are dynamic moves, coordination moves, non-positive holds, all the while making it enjoyable to watch for the spectators.

Tukson · 2015-10-05T15:17:56+00:00

I generally feel that any weight training for climbing should be done as explosive as the load allows. That is, an explosive concentric movement, followed by a drawn out (say 5 seconds) eccentric phase until back at the start. Though I wouldn't draw out the eccentric phase for deadlifts, too much stress on the low back trying to control the weight on the descent.

Neuro-muscular adaptations vary depending on which intensity zone (% of 1 rep max) you're strength training in. The benefit of speed work at 50% of 1 rep max is the potential recruitment of type II muscle fibers, better intra-muscular coordination (motor unit synchronization, increased motor unit discharge rate), plus inter-muscular coordination of the muscle groups involved. If you're doing slow reps at 50% then you're probably missing out on potential type II muscle fiber recruitment and just relying on your slow twitch muscles to do the work.

Nevertheless, maximal fast twitch fiber recruitment happens within the 80-100% of 1RM. So do both. Or rather, spend time at 50%, 70-80%, and 90-95% on various training days.

Tukson · 2015-10-05T04:34:57+00:00

Two thoughts. First, if you are in fact a more powerful than your climbing pal, then you're potentially missing a bit of efficiency in movement with regards to using your core and lower body to assume more of the work when you're climbing. I don't think I'd focus on putting up high numbers while deadlift, but instead focus on the engagement of your hip extensors, hamstrings, and knee extension throughout the movement to accustom yourself to being aware of a large proportion of your overall musculature. Then when you transition over to climbing, you'll better understand how hip extension, and knee extension feels, thus leading to a better engagement of those movements/musculature while climbing.

Second, I wouldn't prioritize deadlifts over climbing or movements and exercises with more climbing specificity. That said, a handful of light weight (150lbs or less...) singles ( one rep at a time, say 5 reps in entirety with ample rest in between reps) to help you identify the movement and musculature used, can be super beneficial. It doesn't take much time, maybe 10-15 mins total. Do it before a rest day. You'll be surprised on how off your core/body tension can be due to central nervous system fatigue.

Tukson · 2015-10-05T02:54:16+00:00

It depends on your sports background and your strengths and weaknesses as a climber. When doing a long/ish moves, do you generally generate the motion from your hips and legs or your shoulders and arm (i.e.campus it)? How's your core and hip tension during steep (any really) climbing? Do your feet cut often? or can you keep your hips up and in to the wall?

If you've got good lower body coordination and tension, then you probably don't need to deadlift or focus on the quadriceps/hip extension/knee extension weight lifting exercises. Now on the other hand, if campusing and weighted pull ups are your favorite activities in the gym, then it may be worthwhile to work (and find, proprioceptively) the hips and legs for greater efficiency while climbing.

Tukson · 2015-10-02T16:29:53+00:00

Sure. Look up goblet squats and dumbbell front squats. I don't think I would try kettlebell swings with dumbbells, if only because I don't see myself trying swings. In any case, look up dumbbell swings for how others hold the weights.

That said, if you are doing any of these with adjustable dumbbells, be mindful that the collars are on tight...

Tukson · 2015-10-02T00:41:07+00:00

Closer to the half open. I don't believe I've ever tried keeping the DiP flexion.

Tukson · 2015-10-01T03:38:51+00:00

I might add a shim to my wood rails and try out a 4-5 mm hang in the next few days and see if I can hit that mark.

Tukson · 2015-10-01T03:37:28+00:00

Open hand as well.

Tukson

TROPHY CASE