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TMarkert
Sport climber
Lansdale, PA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 20, 2009 - 11:24pm PT
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As a mechanic I have built the forearm and upper body strength needed to boulder for hours at a time, and now that my technique has improved things are great.
Recently I decided to give Top Rope a try and over come my fear of high places.
I have climbed a 7 clean, a few tougher 6's, fell two panels short on an 8+ and a 9 that I made it about half way up..
All sounds great for 8 weeks into climbing, right?
These are all after a quick stretch and maybe a warm up lap up a joke of a 4. Then I do my route (7 or what have you) and at this point I have the grip strength of a dead lizard. Just POOPED..
If I then relax 30 minutes, I might be able to repeat. The guys at the gym love it because I will belay all night..
What can I do to improve my endurance? Someone suggested doing the 4's and 5's for 3 laps each.. feet hit the ground, rechalk and "climb on"
Will this build me at a decent rate? Any other ideas?
Am 39 years young, diabetic with two sore elbows (on the inside of the joints) from wrenching for 20+ years..
thanks in advance, Tom
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Jun 20, 2009 - 11:27pm PT
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Rest days or troll some more.
Ken
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jun 20, 2009 - 11:29pm PT
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'Know the meaning of TROLL?
Not that you are such, but this would be a great one.
I have the same problem.
Absolutely nobody can figure it out.
But I think we can get some suggestions together here for you...
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 21, 2009 - 12:37am PT
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To add to the Saturday night nonsense, remember the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. (Sorry, Rokjox, the FEROCIOUS GIANT BLOODTHIRSTY CANADIAN WOLF™®.) Clearly it's necessary to use brick, if you're building endurance.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Jun 21, 2009 - 12:39am PT
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For real building endurance, I recommend stones....Big stones.
That place will be there awhile.
All that aside, laps on easy ground, build the core.
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Jun 21, 2009 - 02:25am PT
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Use both hands when masturbating.
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona, Spain
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Jun 21, 2009 - 02:30am PT
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Remember to breathe while climbing, or doing whatever.
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jstan
climber
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Jun 21, 2009 - 08:01am PT
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There is too much ancilliary information for this to be a troll.
Besides, this is how Pennsylvanians are.
First of all watch out for gyms. They can ruin your equipment if you repeatedly max out without first having built up your core. What you describe is what happens when you are doing seriously wrong things.
The body can develop unbelievable capabilities if you convince it that it has to do this if it is to survive. Do the training A LOT but limit the forces to eighty or ninety percent of the max you can do. Low stress reps on your wrists, forearms, and hands but above all else give your elbows a rest. At 39 begin avoiding sudden stresses particularly.
Also it is important to build cardiopulmonary function. I used to run every day but running is too high impact and, like inexpert bouldering, it can ruin your frame. Bicycling seems a better approach plus you get to see more countryside. Getting oxygen to the muscles and removing metabolic products is what fixes dead lizard.
Keep uppermost in your mind the fact you are no longer 18. You are going for the distance now, not the tape.
Stay out of gyms.
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Michelle
Trad climber
Damn Humid-as-f*#k Georgia
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Jun 21, 2009 - 10:00am PT
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But if it WAS a troll, it'd be a good one!
My contribution is that WHEN I was fit (and cared) I used to view almost everything I did as some sort of training, focusing on the muscle movement as I dud ordinary things. I used to carry one of those blue squeezy rings everywhere too and that actually helped with my finger strength (until the surgery!)
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jun 21, 2009 - 10:55am PT
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JStan: "There is too much ancilliary information for this to be a troll."
This was my observation.
Gotta go with the elders of the tribe on this one.
Not many people joking about being a diabetic.
I'm thinking diabetics present issues with the vascular system?
Also, this idea of using your hands intensively at work and then doing it for recreation is a mixed bag. For some of us, this means we are bringing the extra strength to the game, for others, it is a recipe for overuse syndromes.
The biggest piece I see here is going straight into the gym.
Sure a lot of young kids do this, but maybe being older, it is not such a good thing to go straight to steep ground.
Not many slabs in the rock gym environment, where one can really warm up softly: slowly training the sport specific muscles.
While the OP mentions climbing some fairly light-duty grades in the gym, yes, but my thought is that it's still straight up and the holds are rather angular. Then I didn't here anything about FOOTWORK.
Maybe you are over using your upper body; given to a reliance upon your prodigious grip strength.
FLASH PUMP.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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Jun 21, 2009 - 11:48am PT
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some freak made fun of my sugar problem, so i told him, i says, "i'm gonna diabeat you up!"
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TMarkert
Sport climber
Lansdale, PA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 21, 2009 - 12:28pm PT
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thanks to all,
Tarbuster, it's not so much that I use the arms at work and also at the Gym. I think it's more the problem of how I use them at work.
20+ years of grabbing a wrench, pulling like hell, the bold comes loose and then it's easy work from there.. So I have built up "burst strength" but nothing for long term..
Ahhh someone mentioned breathing.. This I learned on my first night of TR. The gym owner is a friend of mine and when I quit half way up a 3, he told me that I wasn't breathing AT ALL..
And your right, these walls are vertical and even inverse, nothing sloping away from you.. Should there be?
He has 3 routes in this gym set for kids.. he calls them 5-1 5-2 and 5-3, maybe I should do the 3 lap thing on these, and then work forearm and finger strength into my home work out?
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Steve
Social climber
Mill Valley, CA
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Jun 21, 2009 - 12:29pm PT
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warmup really good on easy terrain - take your time - dont rush it - up + downclimb easy routes - dont get off until you are bored not pumped - you must climb beyond the pump - do long traverses back and forth - learn better technique so you can flow and use your lower body as much as possible and so you can find rests - try not to hold your breath - always keep breathing as much as posssible but dont stress out about breathing - no huffing or puffing unless it is needed - just relaxed breathing - deep breaths at rests - stay calm - dont overgrip - enjoy being on the wall/rock for as long as you can - - and get out of the gym and go climb a rock!!
this is not from steve this is from drunkenmaster (wrong sign in)
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nature
climber
Tucson, AZ
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Jun 21, 2009 - 12:55pm PT
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yoga
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Jun 21, 2009 - 01:39pm PT
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To be honest if you're pumping out on 5.7 or 5.8 the problem isn't physical endurance unless you've spent the last year as an invalid. The problem is simply that you are holding on way way way way too hard and not using your feet nearly enough. Focus on your foot movements and try to relax your hands on every hold. Only hold on as hard as you need to to not fall off.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jun 21, 2009 - 02:06pm PT
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What HDDJ and the others are saying is spot on.
So YES: try doing those 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 using your hands as lightly as possible.
YES. Go up and down them, using primarily foot and leg strength.
Try only using your hands and arms to position your body over your feet.
Think of using your arms to index (sent into position) your torso weight over your feet so you can FEEL the push with your quadriceps/calves/hips as you stand up.
Don't pull at all on those warmups.
Repeat a half a dozen times.
Then see if this flash pump doesn't bother you so much on the harder lines in the gym.
(Flash Pump = hitting your muscles too early and somewhat rendering them useless)
Cheers,
Roy
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Porkchop_express
Trad climber
the base of the Shawangunk Ridge
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Jun 21, 2009 - 02:07pm PT
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I am a diabetic as well and I know only a little of the correct terminology and regarding ex-phys, but enough to describe what has helped me.
First off are you type 1 or 2? I am guessing type 1. If youre type two then there are likely vascular/weight issues which are going to present the more immediate difficulty.
Warming up and stretching will definitely help as well as learning not to over grip. Technique will go a long way towards helping this out as many have mentioned already and I agree. If your limit is 7s, then warm up nice and easy on 5s, but go slowly and move deliberately focusing on your footwork, balance and center of gravity.
You can always be practicing or improving something. I wouldnt recommend doing laps on anything right out of the gate till you do some nice easy stuff a few times (with short rests between) to get warm and stretch.
The biggest things that helped me were these-- learn to use open handed holds (slopers). As a beginner they may be anathema to you but they will greatly improve your hand and forearm strength and endurance. Also they will strengthen your tendons (or at least tax them much less) more than crimping, which is what most people tend to do instinctively.
Another similar training method that worked for me was getting a hangboard at home and simply hanging on the jugs and slopers, timing myself to keep track of my progress, alternating holds to really get a good burn going. I was not dead hanging with my feet off the ground, rather I set up some footholds to distribute my weight so I could focus on really pumping out my arms.
This all worked a lot for me- also climb a lot, and get outdoors. If you take insulin, try to take it after you work out (half hour or so) as it actually give you an advantage of absorbing more of the post workout hormones in your bloodstream-- just be careful for going hypo, but if you keep close tabs on your glucose it should be fine. When I used to lift I took a decent shot within an hour of eating and I got quite strong, in a short amount of time. Again, be very careful with the dosing, since that is never the same for any two diabetics.
Sorry for being so verbose.
Steve
Edit: these guys are a really nice group who can give a lot of diabetic specific climbing advice for anyone in that boat...
http://diabetic.friendsinhighplaces.org/
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jun 21, 2009 - 02:14pm PT
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So what is the muscle glycogen depletion scenario in a type 1 and type 2 diabetic?
Seems like it might be a distinct athletic issue.
(Nice link pork chop!)
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