Been climbing with the big boys again, and can actually hang reasonably well with them. I've been getting in a good bit of climbing and it feels really good to be getting it in regularly. Holds and problems that just a few weeks ago were seeming impossible are becoming realized progress. Holding on to things and moving to and from them are no longer theory but instead actuality. Is it where I want to be yet? No. But it is getting closer. The problem is the nature of climbing training in general. Nearly every climber got better by climbing more. The usual pattern is to keep trying something over and over until you finally do it. You may take 20 or more attempts on a single problem before you finally get it done but rather than repeat it, instead you move on to the next one and repeat the process until you're spent for the day. It's like taking multiple max effort attempts on a regular basis only to succeed because of more luck than skill. But that's the way training usually goes. But the problem is that in climbing that type of training is fun and most climbers shy away from 'actual' training because it ends up being more monotonous. So I've thought a lot about how to deal with this not just with my own training but when discussing training with others. So what's the plan? I'm going to do both. Over the course of a week I'm going to spend one day spazzing with friends, think of it as a max effort day, and two days of focused training most likely going to the gym on off times so i won't be distracted or pulled into veering off the game plan. The general plan for the week is:
Monday - Nothing
Tuesday - max effort climbing 2-3 hours with mixed in assistance work
Wednesday - VO2 max protocol with mental training before and additional weakness work
Thurs - lots of Z
Fri - Reactive climbing training - campusing mixed in assistance work
Sat - high volume easy-ish climbing - and add'l weakness work
Sun - lots of Z
If i remember correctly a la westside, reactive training is best done the day before max effort work but I'm going to try this method first because I feel I need more rest to get the most out of my high effort at least it works that way mentally for me. The goal is to build up the volume while addressing weakness both physical and mental. Eventually I'll get back to the a 4 day a week climbing split but that won't happen until sept assuming all goes well.
2 comments:
awesome post. As a climber and a follower of KB, PTTP, Z, FMS, etc. I really believe there is a better way to train and even ways to make progress when not on the rock. But as you mention, this is tough to discuss with climbers, especially those climbing higher grades than I do. Glad to see you are getting the info out there. I look forward to reading about your overall training and climbing specific training.
Thanks for the comment. I'm probably not going to be horribly specific due mainly to the fact that to right out my entire training in depth would take more time than i have to spend on blogging. But if there are ever any specific questions from my general rambling please ask and I'll do my best to expound. Hopefully this season of climbing will add some credence to my thoughts on training and climbing.
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