Deep Fried

Tuesday i went in for abs and dips, etc, but i got roped into climbing, and honestly just tore it up there. Really much too good a day of climbing. Ended up working some spicy routage when i wasn't supposed to be climbing at all. I consider that ok, cuz there're only two weeks of endurance training on this season-- so i figure the denser the better, yeah?

Anyhow, climbed a while then hit the iron for a very flaccid sad session.

Hanging SLRs: Think i got 3 sets of 20 with much pain.

Dips: 3 x 15.

May have just left after this. Felt like poo. Bad workout, but at least it's on the books.

Was supposed to do ARC sesh # 2 on Wednesday, but i ended up working late and missed the chance. Might have worked out for the best, cuz i did yesterday (Thurs) instead, and i looked like Rocky after his first week of workouts. Two 35 min sets with 5 or 10 mins of rest between. First set went very well--felt strong. Second set i felt like i was dragging lead on a chain after about 10 minutes. And i guess i was: weighed in at 199 last night.

Gunna hafta get the diet under control, methinks.

ARC sesh 1 with iron

Interesting day of it yesterday. Did the first ARC session of the season, which was two 30min sets. Really didn't go badly. Think i actually felt stronger than usual on these, 'specially on the steep bits. Maybe last week's DB rows are paying off. Anyhow: markedly improved start compared to last season. Very encouraging.

Then (after a couple hours' rest babysitting) i hit the irongym for some back work. Had very low expectations for deads, mostly 'cuz i wasn't sure if i'd be able to hold the bar. But it went very well.

Deficit Deads: 21 floor touches, 21 with the bar, 12 x 145, 8 x 245, 5 x 345, 2 x 1 x 445. Locked out both singles without too much trouble.

Good Mornings: 12 x 95, 12 x 115, 12 x 135, 12 x 155. That last set was hard.

Pullups: 25 x BW. Last rep was everything in the tank. 2 x 8 x BW+25, 2 x 5 x BW+45. Also hard. These were affected by the climbing.

DB Rows: 12 x 80 ea arm, 2 x 8 x 90 ea arm.

Straight Arm Cable Presses: Think i got up to 80# for a few sets of 6 or 8. These are still experimental. Used an 18" swivel bar and it seemed to help to start with my feet way back so i was sorta leaning into the cable. These are weird, but they sure feel like they're working my lats all the way to my spine.

Overall very good workout considering the hour of climbing that went before.

Tack on: Sat i did a sprint workout-- 6 x 20 sprints on a 10 sec interval.

New Season

Fired up a new season of climbing yesterday. It was a start. It was not a good session.

S'posed to be "Outdoor Mileage", which should mock up the intensity and continuity of ARCing--except out of doors. But i couldn't get outside for the precip, so i did my 8 moderates in the gym. And i got my butt kicked. Everything in me felt tired, and i fell off of 5.9s and .10s.

For one, i didn't do a proper warmup, and just jumped on a route, and i got a mega-crazy flash pump that i couldn't seem to shake. But i also just felt .... i dunno .... stale. Arms felt dead, and i'm definitely not back to healed from the earlier workouts in the week. This has been the problem i've had in the past with trying to keep up the lifting whilst training to climb. They're both quite demanding on the muscle fiber front, and i find it demotivating to hit the iron for an intentionally sub-par workout. So i either go in and tear it down, and my climbing suffers, or i get tired of sucking and just stop lifting.

That's silly of course. There must be a happy medium. There must be because my climbing continues to suffer from my lack of discipline. So here's the plan: i'm gunna try to keep the heavy, gains-producing lifting up through the relatively shortened endurance period, and then through the strength phase this time 'round. The idea is that if i can coordinate 'em reasonably, my endurance form can suffer a li'l without seriously failing the goal (i.e. to build endurance), and the heavy lifting shouldn't affect the hangboarding at all. Then i can taper the lifting to a minimum during the power phase (when, hopefully, it'll have done me some good) and i won't have had a months-long lapse in lifting between ending and beginning. The trick here is to get set to kinda suck wind and feel a bit stale during my endurance workouts.

Really shouldn't be too hard, 'cuz i'm switching to the "intermediate" training plan for this season. That amounts to a shortened enduro phase and a lengthened strength and power phase. I'm super amped about experimenting with that, but it also (i'm hoping) suits my goal route for the coming season. Gunna get Three Roofs at Golf. Solid .12a. Yessiree Bob.

Off Season

Nearing (read: crawling) to the end of a two-week "off season". That kinda amuses me: a two week off-season. But i wanna climb...kinda tweakin' here. Li'l hard to stay offa the walls. I'm trying to use the time constructively. Did--i think-- my third back workout on Monday, and finally got in some pushers and abs yesterday.

Mon 12/1/14

Deficit Deads: 21 x bar, 12 x 145, 8 x 245, 5 x 345, 2 x 1 x 445. Second single with 445 i didn't quite lock, cuz the bar was unraveling. Something useful 'bout a bar with knurls.

Good Mornings: 12 x 95, 12 x 115, 12 x 135, 12 x 155. Really not that bad.

Pullups: 25 x BW, 10 x BW +25, 2 x 5 x BW +45. Got a li'l spicy on the last set.

DB Rows: 2 x 10 (ea arm) x 80, 2 x 6 x 90. Felt just fine.

Straight Arm Presses: Some weight for several sets. Experimenting with these-- i wanna get better control for Campusing. We'll see if these translate well.

Tues 12/2/14

Hanging SLRs: 4 x 20 no added weight. Actually made it through these, which was pleasantly surprising.

Dips: 4 x 15 BW: These got kinda hard. Very outta shape in the ol' triceps.

Decline Crunches: I dunno...several.

Cable Presses: Kindof a warmup set-ish or two, then 10 x 100, then 5 x 120, then 2 x 3ish x 130. Again, these are experimental for future Campusing, and i had a high enough rack to work with, so i took these to almost full forward flexion before each rep-- so they were really more like a pull-through, or a cable muscle-up or some such. Tried also to keep the bar out on my finger tips. Again, we'll see how these translate.

Abs are sore today. Hopefully will get to fire up the climbing prog again on Saturday. Vamos a ver.

Back

Yesterday i did some back work. Still keeping it fairly basic. Did deficit deads, good mornings, and weighted pullups.

Deficit Deads (all with 25# plates): 21 toe touches, 21 with the bar, 12 x 145 (SL), 8 x 245 (SL), 5 x 345 (not SL), 3 x 395 (These were hard), then 1 x 445 (strapped the Inzer on for this un). Very pleased to lock 445. That was my basic warmup for real lifting 4 or 5 months ago, but after limping through last week barely above paraplegia, i was a li'l nervous about hanging 445 off'n me spine. Surely am sore today, but not like last week.

Might just keep 'er simple and stick with deficits through the season. I know i lost a bit of strength in my back, but i can't say it's noticeably affected my climbing in any wise whatever. On the other hand, i can't say that having shed the mass and glycogen, etc, saw me divested of a net gram. So if i'm gunna stay the same basic weight whether i'm strong or weak, i'll take strong, thankyouverymuch. And something that remains a question mark is whether i'd have found it easier to shed some ballast with the sprinting, dieting, etc, if i'd'a' had the extra metabolism in my backstraps revved to the redline. Not sure. I am hanging around the 195 mark, which is about 5 lbs of loss from the beginning of the season.

Insgesamt

Ok... This time i'm really (seriously (fer totally reals)) calling it a season. And i can do so with a smile and a goal. Saturday i went climbing with a friend and we put some serious effort in on a Golf Wall .12a. Didn't clip the chains, but it felt very doable. Golf tends to be sandbagged, and they say of it it's the biggest holds you can't hold onto. And by "they" i mean absolutely everyone. You get on these heinously overhanging problems and eventually you find yourself saying This is so huge...it's all there...Why am i so friggin' pumped??!

At any rate, it was a fabulous way to stop climbing for a coupla weeks; and i'll come back into next season with a serious and (i think) very realistic goal. Three Roofs felt like the sort of problem that'd fit just very neatly after a solid month of hangboarding. I will (GOD allowing) get that one. Very psyched, and very impatient to start a new season.

Over the last few weeks i've squeezed in several sessions in the gym--some good and some very bad. That's all i'll say about that: Definitely time to take a couple o' weeks off climbing.

Saturday before last i finally got back in to the irongym. Did deficit deads... First time since maybe end of June. Only did a "warmup": think i worked up to 345 for 5. Then did some Good Mornings. And then i walked like a very old man for the following week. Did also get in some weighted pullup a coupla days later.

Really want to get some general strength back to start a new season. Gunna try to keep the full-body strength training up and better integrated this next go-round.

a few more

Seems like i climbed (like poo) Monday and Tuesday. I think sometime o'er the weekend i did a sprint workout. Yesterday i did nothing whatever. My forearms feel frayed and aged. Thinkin' i'm 'bout at the end o' the season. Think i might try one more day of it tomorrow if i get the chance.

Actually kinda looking forward to starting over with a new season. Have some things i wanna improve.

Comp #2 this week

Climbed another comp last night. I could have won it, but Tuesday's session destroyed me. Failed on climbs and moves i've done many times and tired. Very good workout, but very sad comp. Planned that one way wrong. Ah well: it was still pretty fun.

End of the season is nigh.

Heavy Ketchup

Look like it been ten day since i posted up in yah. See if i can 'member what i done.

That monday (woulda been 10/13) i went back in and did manage to send that problem that'd been stumpin' me. It seems like i went back in about once more--probably Thurs-- for some climbing before YnY, but kept it reasonably low-volume what so's i might make a showing at el comp. Do believe i did a sprint workout somewhere in there.

Yank 'n' Yard!!: Really awesome problems. Didn't do too badly all things considered. Got 6th in my age group, but i was one harder problem off of third. Pretty tight grouping there. And i got to the silly thing half an hour late cuz the geniuses in NM DOT had I-25 completely shut down and let us know about that a hundred meters before it happened. So my warmup consisted of a v3 dyno problem. So: i do believe i could've performed better, but i ain't complainin'. And it was a blasty blast to do some creative problems. And the pro comp was the coolest i've seen yet.

Monday i think i climbed for a while in a largely humdrum, non-committal state. Then yesterday i went back in for a "warmup" just to get the mitts moving, and ended up having a stellar day of it. Sent some pretty hard problems after all was said and done.

Today i sprinted. Did 6 or 7 intervals of 20 secs. Didn't feel too hot. Li'l stressed. But it felt good to move.

Tomorrow there's a comp at the college. Ends up being a funny comp style, cuz all of us that actually compete have pretty much already done all the hard climbs, and have 'em wired-- 'cuz they put the routes up in some cases weeks ahead of time. So it ends up being more of a speed-endurance comp than a redpoint comp. You got like an hour and a half to do as many climbs as you can, so the goal is to do all of 'em in the time. Not a necessarily-bad setup, but it's definitely slanted to the locals. It pretty much comes down to who fell the fewest times. It might be a better format if it were timed. Anyhow, we'll see.

Bould'rin'--you know, for endurance

Bouldered on Thurs and Fri as well, to make three days of it in a row. (Didn't honestly figure i'd get to climb over the weekend, and that's proving a good bet). Really spent almost the whole of both sessions (after warming up) on a single problem one of the setters put up as a stumper. As it worked out, i'd hurt my triceps a few days before, and couldn't work the sequence he'd obviously intended. So i found a much easier work around, and worked out all the moves on Thurs. But i was too spent to link. The finish match is the crux move for me; and although i did manage it, it comes after a really pretty long problem. So getting there with the Send Guns primed is gunna take a fresh day and some pixie dust.

At any rate, i worked all the moves on Thurs, but couldn't link. So i went back on Fri set on sending, and i started out working the finish move to wire it; but i couldn't manage it at all. I was getting a li'l withered and grey of mood until i tried the problem from the start and couldn't get the wonky middle roof bit at all either-- which i'd done 3 or 4 times in a row the day before. Interestingly, that satisfied me that i was simply too tired to climb, and not (as i was starting to accept) too weak. I think it'll go tomorrow.

Gunna try to keep this week light on the climbing, especially toward the end, 'cuz Yank 'n' Yard is next Sat. Be fun to pull down some numbers at that.

I'm'a try to squeeze a run in today if i get the chance.

[Aaaand did squeeze that run in. Brisk out, but still got the ol' HR up. 12 x 20sec sprint intervals with 10secs of rest between. 'Bout 18 mins total. ]

Divested of purpose

Climbed yesterday. It was not (as it perhaps should have been) a "power endurance" day. I bouldered. And it was fun. Got a couple o' good problems. First was the proj i was working on monday: an eliminate, direct of what's probably a v3. Seems like it'd go at about v5. Hard problem to me; and i've had some feedback from other folks that it's hard. Little bit amped to tag that one.

Also got a thin, crimpy problem-- prolly beta v3 or 4. Very sequence-dependent. Also a good 'un.

Then i did a bunch of other problems. Good workout and my tips are shredded, but no real injuries.

New week

Worked all day friday and saturday, so i got basically nuthin' done on the fitness front. Yesterday (monday) i got in a 12 min ARC warmup, and then worked a flippin' hard boulder problem for a good long while. Don't know quite what it'd go at--didn't manage the link; but the individual moves are hard. Did get 'em all, but i pulled a triceps muscle on a link burn, and that was pretty much the end. Neat route though.

Weighed in at 193.6 this morning. That's encouraging, but i think i can get to 190 or below before send time if i get a bit stricter on ye olde diet. Sprinted today. Same deal: 12 intervals of 20 secs hard with 10 secs' rest. Pretty day for it. i diggy October. But the coolness makes it harder to get my HR into range. I'll take it though.

Tomorrow's up in the air: wanna climb again if my humerus allows me to, but i might do something different so's to be rested for thursday. And that wouldn't be bad cuz i've no flesh left on my finger tips. Wanna do the Yank 'n' Yard on the 18th, and i need to be in good form for that. Plus that'll be the end of my first week of the Sending Phase. :)

Mish Mash

[Addendum: i think i originally wrote the following on Wednesday, but i didn't manage to finish it till yesterday (thursday), after which i also did a sprint workout, that (obviously) i didn't post. So posting that bit up will thoroughly muck up the dates and tenses without this note.

Anyhow, sprinted yesterday. 7 min warmup HR in the 140s, then 12 intervals of 20 sec sprinting with 10 sec rests between. Nice cool weather.

Shoulda been 10/2/14.]

Guess i have a catchup to do. Monday i did, indeed, go back to the gym. Worked on that problem again, and tried it on lead after i'd worked out a sequence. But my first time up i was in a precarious hand swap, and made the mistake of looking down at my belayer who was staring into space. Yelled to get his attention, but got no eye contact. So i just dropped rather than risk blowing a clip. Li'l miffed. Next burn i was just too tired. Really not a good session, even though i got a decent workout outta it.

Today i went back to do some boulder circuits. 12 min ARC warmup. Then i got sidetracked for a good long while working a new boulder problem. Good time, and a crimpy powerful problem to be sure, but i didn't exactly get the correct "power endurance" training stimulus.

Then i switched to my boulder circuit problem. That's getting a li'l depressing. Still have never actually finished it. Notwithstanding, i made some tweaks to it, and it's way more doable and fully linked now. So i think i could do it a few times were i fresh. It's just bumming that it's taken me most of the PE phase to hone a workable route. Eh, well, i'll have a much better idea of what i need for next season; and i have definitely gotten some good PE workouts in on routes.

Next week calls for route intervals instead of the linked boulder circuit. This weekend i'm supposed to do some redpointing, but i work all day friday and saturday, so it's iffy.

Treading

Sprinted again today. Rained a bunch last night and today, so it was very muddy, but was also much cooler than heretofore. Kinda nice, really. Basically the same workout as a few days ago: 12 x 20 sec sprints with 10 secs rest between, although on the last few sets i skipped the rests. So a bit more'n 4 mins of sprinting. Seven mins warmup and a small cool down.

Not a great last few days on the diet front. Weighed in this morning at 195.0. Frowny face. But i'm still in the game.

Yesterday i clumb. Went to the gym with the Anne, and i tried to pull down a "12c" on toprope. I very much doubt the "c" part, although i can believe it's a 12. I've gotten it before on toprope, and've aaaaalmost scored it on lead; but the last clip is mighty sketchy. I was hoping to stroll in and walk it on TR after the season's training, and just didn't. Li'l discouraging-- but on the other hand, my hands felt arthritic yesterday. Also i had somewhere in the vicinity of no faith at all in my belayer, which didn't help. Think i woulda rather had Annie on the other end of the rope.

Anyhow, planning on sneaking back in tomorrow for another go.

And on the diet front, i think i need to totally cut nuts out. One of those easy "good-for-you" very high calorie snacks that i've a serious weakness for; and i think i could stay on track with this diet suffering if i could not have the mixed nuts available.

Sprint

Sprinted today. Ca. a 7 min warmup (although it was 1 beeellion degrees out and my HR shot up to about 170 on takeoff), then basically 12 intervals of 20 secs with 10 sec rests between for just over 4 mins of total sprinting. Not a bad go of it. I think i managed not to sleep too well the night. Li'l tired outta the chute.

Yesterday i did nothing whatever, being imprisoned, as it were, in my car for the day. I did, notwithstanding, weigh in at 193.0 lbs. first thing. That's encouraging. Makes me think i might actually dip below 190 for send time. That'd just be spiffy. And i will send 5.12.

My hands still feel thrashed. Whatever else i might be accomplishing with these workouts, they're breaking my widdle pingers down. Does seem like i didn't manage to get the prescribed amount of rest between the prior two, which should have some explanatory power. Hopefully Sunday'll show me some happy, wholesome hands.

4 x 4 fer real. Ish.

Actually came up with a real live linked boulder circuit today. Very hard. Probably a li'l too hard, cuz i never actually linked it. But i did it basically 4 times before i was fried.

Did a 20 min ARC sesh, then did some bouldering. Then up-climbed a v2ish thing, down-climbed a v1ish thing, up-climbed a 3+/4-ish deal, then down-climbed another v2- kind of thing. Just kept getting shut down on the 3rd problem, cuz there's a sloper i just couldn't stick without chalk.

But i felt like it's doable. And i was definitely not crisp and fresh. Still feeling beaten up from Sunday. So i think the circuit will work ok for future trainings. And i think it served its purpose for today.

On a separate note, i did a tabata workout yesterday-- same style i've been doing. Uninspired, but it went.

And what is it about me needing a decline bench for crunches on a timer that inexorably magnetizes the otherwise-dusty bench to elderly, slow people....?  "Hey that guy's eyeing the decline-- i suddenly feel like i need to stimulate my abdominal wall! YeeHaw!"

Linked Boulder Circuit. Ish.

So then, Sunday Aeon and i went with some friendlies to a real live boulder. I haven't bouldered outside in many, many, many moons. That is 1) way fun, and 2) a total head trip. I have issues with topping out 20 feet off the ground. Just kept imagining my femurs buckling. Having gotten over parts of that, it was a ton of fun. Went out with the idea of Aeon doing some climbing (which he did in limited quantities... Watching my 9yo stepping across a yawning abyss 20' up is nerve-wracking); but also to pull off a linked boulder circuit, for which i'd need something like a few v3s, maybe something v2ish, and something v4ish. There was a v3, which i managed, but then we got sidetracked working a couple of v5ish things, one of which i managed to campus.

There is now no flesh left on my volar mitts. But we did some very hard, fun climbing. Can't call what we did any sort of circuit, so i can't say i accomplished my training goal for the session; but i'm at least nominally better equipped for route-sending as a result.

Next session is wednesday, and that'll hafta be at the gym-- so i should be able to keep it real and disciplined.

Today i did a sprint workout. Felt pretty good. Did 6 intervals of 20 secs with 10 secs of rest between, then decided to keep on, rested 10 secs, and did two 50 sec intervals with 10 secs between. Those hurt.

But i weighed in at 197 this morning-- i have somehow fallen off the wagon-- and that's unacceptable. I want to send 5.12 next month.

Enough power! On to PE

Finished out the last limit boulder session today. Was supposed to do this one on saturday (which technically it now is), but that couldn't happen; so i did on one day of rest. Frankly, not worth it-- not a good session, and i was noteably drained. Anyhow, that puts me back on schedule with the book.

Warmed up with a 20 min ARC go. Felt really tired there.

Otherwise did a crappy warmup, and basically skipped the boulder ladder.

Friend and i did take some burns on a few limit problems, but i can hardly say i managed to generate max effort. Very tired, and still a bit too worn down from campusing. Definitely got some sore nubbins out of it, but just didn't climb like i wanted.

I am looking forward to the linked boulder circuits and the just plain hard climbing of the power endurance phase.

Campus #3

Weighed in at 195 today with clothes on.

Had a very good, and interesting campus workout today. The trick all along with campusing has been getting a decent warmup up in before engaging the ol' board. There's no campus board at the gym, and i still don't have a proper wall up at home, so i've been stuck warming up, then generally finding a 2 or 3 hour gap 'til i get to campus.

Today i did a really very fine warmup on the hangboard. Worked out great. And while i'd still very much love to get the Moon wall up and going, that's one fewer thing to worry about for now.

Did an up-down-up on the oversized rungs for a warmup, basic ladder style.

The rest was on the XL rungs (2x4s).

Did a set of matching ladder with each hand leading.

Did a couple of sets of basic ladders to r6-- which is my highest rung on those, on Moon spacing-- with each hand leading.

Then i did several max ladders.

B2-R4-L5-match
B2-L4-R5-match: No problems

B2-R5-L6-match
B2-L5-R6-match: Did 2 sets of these each hand leading. No problems.

B2-R4-L6-match
B2-L4-R6-match: Failed (again) going to r6 with both hands on the first set. Then i thought about it, analyzed it, considered readjusting body position, turned the music up, and sent to the match with both hands leading for 2 more sets. Very important (and totally unnatural) to keep the trailing hand engaged, and that hip turned in toward the wall, so that you're pressing with triceps until the dead point. Once i talked my arms and butt into doing it, these felt relatively easy. And that's a nice feeling.

B1-R4-L6 then
B1-L4-R6:  Touched the r6 with both hands, but didn't get over the top of the rung with either hand. That's a big move. Gunna take more analyzin'; but i reckon that'll be for next seeason. At any rate, i tried two sets with each hand leading. Managed to tear a pretty flapper on my index finger on the last rep. Good workout.

That's the last campus sesh this time 'round. One more limit boulder session on saturday, then to power-endurance (and, hopefully, some sending).

Sprint

Did a short warmup, then some sprinting today. 6 intervals at 20 secs each with 10 sec's rest between. Getting easier.