Tick Tick Tick!
Just a quick note: One month to go. Two more weeks of weighted dead hangs. Three weeks of weights left, 2400 sit-ups, 1000 more pull-ups and two months till I get my 10% yogurt back!
Word!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Two Minute Abs!
Well it's been a little while since I gave you a training update.
Since we last spoke I've been training hard! Okay not hard compared to you guys but hard for me.
I've been climbing indoors four days a week and doing weights on top of that as well. The biggest gains I've noticed are weighted pull-ups. I've been doing enough weight were I can only do a maximum of three to four reps. But then when the weight comes off.... It's still three or four but they are a lot easier. Anyways the point of weighted pull-ups is not to make you stronger but to make you recruit as close to 100 percent of your muscle fibers. Feels awesome and makes you look like a bad ass in the gym. At least it would if my training partner didn't use more weight then I do. He looks like a bad ass. I just look pathetic beside him... I say short arms, doesn't have to pull as long.
Anyways.
I've been doing this finger board workout that involves taking as much weight as you can handle while holding a 18mm crimp for ten seconds. The gains are supposed to be huge from this work-out. So far my hands just feel really tired.
On top of everything I've given up white flour and refined sugar as well as all dairy. I'm now 12 pounds lighter... and really grumpy... haha!
My good friend Rich went on a surf trip to El Salvador and caught a parasite causing him to lose close to 20 pounds. He told me he feels stronger than ever. So I've ordered a case of their drinking water. I mean sure he's throwing up and can barely hold a meal down. But the guy is looking good on the campus board.
With Hueco fast approaching I'm trying not to rush the trip. For the simple reason that I have more time to go before I get there then I do actually being there. If I rush this next 5 weeks my four weeks in Hueco will fly by as well.
It is self-evident that I'm psyched for this trip. A whole crew for us are going to be down there. As the count goes Tim, TD, Rich, Thomo, Pete, Vince, Sam and myself and maybe Brent. Should be a lot of laughs.
Today I'm thinking of resting a bit but am going to throw in a ab workout. Along with interval running at the Y. I've been challenging people to one on one in basketball. I say if I beat them they have to race me in wind sprints. I'm undefeated in one on one... but 0 and 50 in races won.
My ten years of no running has made me slow as hell. That and bullying children in basketball makes my ego huge!!! Haha.
Hopefully before I go I can have one good day in Squamish. I really enjoy the winter temps and I have a problem I cleaned off to do before any of my snakey friends catch wind of it.
Peace!
Since we last spoke I've been training hard! Okay not hard compared to you guys but hard for me.
I've been climbing indoors four days a week and doing weights on top of that as well. The biggest gains I've noticed are weighted pull-ups. I've been doing enough weight were I can only do a maximum of three to four reps. But then when the weight comes off.... It's still three or four but they are a lot easier. Anyways the point of weighted pull-ups is not to make you stronger but to make you recruit as close to 100 percent of your muscle fibers. Feels awesome and makes you look like a bad ass in the gym. At least it would if my training partner didn't use more weight then I do. He looks like a bad ass. I just look pathetic beside him... I say short arms, doesn't have to pull as long.
Anyways.
I've been doing this finger board workout that involves taking as much weight as you can handle while holding a 18mm crimp for ten seconds. The gains are supposed to be huge from this work-out. So far my hands just feel really tired.
On top of everything I've given up white flour and refined sugar as well as all dairy. I'm now 12 pounds lighter... and really grumpy... haha!
My good friend Rich went on a surf trip to El Salvador and caught a parasite causing him to lose close to 20 pounds. He told me he feels stronger than ever. So I've ordered a case of their drinking water. I mean sure he's throwing up and can barely hold a meal down. But the guy is looking good on the campus board.
With Hueco fast approaching I'm trying not to rush the trip. For the simple reason that I have more time to go before I get there then I do actually being there. If I rush this next 5 weeks my four weeks in Hueco will fly by as well.
It is self-evident that I'm psyched for this trip. A whole crew for us are going to be down there. As the count goes Tim, TD, Rich, Thomo, Pete, Vince, Sam and myself and maybe Brent. Should be a lot of laughs.
Today I'm thinking of resting a bit but am going to throw in a ab workout. Along with interval running at the Y. I've been challenging people to one on one in basketball. I say if I beat them they have to race me in wind sprints. I'm undefeated in one on one... but 0 and 50 in races won.
My ten years of no running has made me slow as hell. That and bullying children in basketball makes my ego huge!!! Haha.
Hopefully before I go I can have one good day in Squamish. I really enjoy the winter temps and I have a problem I cleaned off to do before any of my snakey friends catch wind of it.
Peace!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Grades
Another confession:
I think about grades... a lot.
The idea of grades is quite interesting if we could expand on them a bit.
I'd like to run some experiments where you test a climbers overall strength along with weight, reach and experience.
It's interesting for me to watch a climber at the gym doing pull-ups, dips, campusing, dead hangs and compare them to another climber who has climbed the same amount of time but who does not spend the time training as above. Sometimes the non-trainer climbs harder grades.
Lets put it like this. If someone can do twice as much pull-ups, twice as much dips, is better at campusing but ends up climbing two grades lower, what is the reason?
Is climbing about grip strength? Does technique matter most?
Or is it a mental aspect that makes grades attainable for some and not others?
I know of climbers who can do one-arm pull-ups but haven't cracked double digits. Seems strange to me because I always felt like finger strength and lock off ability make for strong climbers.
The best climbers in the world are not necessarily the best athletes in the sport.
So what makes a strong climber?
My theory is muscle recruitment. The best use everything at once, they push their bodies to as close to one hundred percent as possible.
I think about grades... a lot.
The idea of grades is quite interesting if we could expand on them a bit.
I'd like to run some experiments where you test a climbers overall strength along with weight, reach and experience.
It's interesting for me to watch a climber at the gym doing pull-ups, dips, campusing, dead hangs and compare them to another climber who has climbed the same amount of time but who does not spend the time training as above. Sometimes the non-trainer climbs harder grades.
Lets put it like this. If someone can do twice as much pull-ups, twice as much dips, is better at campusing but ends up climbing two grades lower, what is the reason?
Is climbing about grip strength? Does technique matter most?
Or is it a mental aspect that makes grades attainable for some and not others?
I know of climbers who can do one-arm pull-ups but haven't cracked double digits. Seems strange to me because I always felt like finger strength and lock off ability make for strong climbers.
The best climbers in the world are not necessarily the best athletes in the sport.
So what makes a strong climber?
My theory is muscle recruitment. The best use everything at once, they push their bodies to as close to one hundred percent as possible.
Chris Sharma Pachamama 9a+ from Campblog on Vimeo.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Old Video
Found this video on my hard drive.
Thought I'd throw it up to get you all psyched.
I didn't film this, but when I watch this I'm amazed a little man can jump this high!
Be on four.
If you want to know the history of the name of this problem, feel free to ask me if you see me in the forest. It's funny but not appropriate for a family blog...
Thought I'd throw it up to get you all psyched.
I didn't film this, but when I watch this I'm amazed a little man can jump this high!
Be on four.
If you want to know the history of the name of this problem, feel free to ask me if you see me in the forest. It's funny but not appropriate for a family blog...
Friday, October 16, 2009
Ticking Clock
Hueco Tanks is slowly approaching.
I'm leaving for my Christmas break on December 12th for three weeks of some of the best bouldering North America has to offer. I'm a little worried about this trip. The last time I was in Hueco I had one of my best climbing trips ever. I have a ton of expectations.
I haven't exactly made a list of problems I want to do but there is one I'd really like to do.
Most likely completely unrealistic. But I really want to do "Full Service". It was one of the first hard problems in Hueco and the first boulder problem rated V10. There's a little bit of history there and I'd like in a small way to be a part of it.
I have a dream list in my mind of problems I'd like to do before I'm too fat or too old to climb hard.
First 5a Digital, first 6a La Maria Rose, 7a Joker, first 8a... ya right.
So over the next two months I'm training harder then I ever have before. Weights four days a week and climbing every other day. Or even two days in a row.
I watch Progression recently and if you haven't seen it well you're missing out. Watching Patxi train is sick. 3 months without a rest day. 2500 moves a day for endurance, campusing, hangs weight belts and a ton of other madness. Got me completely psyched. A new friend of mine told me Patxi increased his fitness by 5 grades by training like this. Amazing.
So it's on. Two months to go. Time to do some situps and dead hangs.
Peace!
I'm leaving for my Christmas break on December 12th for three weeks of some of the best bouldering North America has to offer. I'm a little worried about this trip. The last time I was in Hueco I had one of my best climbing trips ever. I have a ton of expectations.
I haven't exactly made a list of problems I want to do but there is one I'd really like to do.
Most likely completely unrealistic. But I really want to do "Full Service". It was one of the first hard problems in Hueco and the first boulder problem rated V10. There's a little bit of history there and I'd like in a small way to be a part of it.
I have a dream list in my mind of problems I'd like to do before I'm too fat or too old to climb hard.
- Midnight Lightning (Yet to visit)
- Full Service (Tried for an hour 4 years ago)
- Ride the Lightning (Squamish's version of Midnight)
- Big Boss (A classic of the big four in Font)
First 5a Digital, first 6a La Maria Rose, 7a Joker, first 8a... ya right.
So over the next two months I'm training harder then I ever have before. Weights four days a week and climbing every other day. Or even two days in a row.
I watch Progression recently and if you haven't seen it well you're missing out. Watching Patxi train is sick. 3 months without a rest day. 2500 moves a day for endurance, campusing, hangs weight belts and a ton of other madness. Got me completely psyched. A new friend of mine told me Patxi increased his fitness by 5 grades by training like this. Amazing.
So it's on. Two months to go. Time to do some situps and dead hangs.
Peace!
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