6 Simple Rules

Once again, it is training time. Leo is about to start up the adult training night (adult as in old people not bumping uglies in harnesses) and the indoor 'season' is to start in earnest. For what ever reason, I end up trying to develop a training schedule to complement what Leo is going to do.

There are some basic rules to follow when taking on such an enterprise. Some are just stupid easy and other are a little more convoluted.

Stupid Rules:

1. Climb More Some people can't figure out why they can't break a plateau. They have been climbing 5.9 for a year and can't get beyond it. The problem is that they climb once or twice per week. That is enough to maintain but not improve. Most of us should be training 3-4 times per week.
2. De-Chub I know it is ugly, not politically correct or whatever, but weight and gravity don't mix. You ever try doing pull-ups with added weight maybe 10 or 20 pounds. It makes a huge difference. You can only get 3 or 4 when you could usually get 10 to 15. It works in the opposite direction! Plus it is a hell of a lot easier to loose weight than gain strength. Not all of you can de-chub because you are already too damn skinny. If you can pinch more than an inch, think about weight loss strategies.
3. Try Harder Obvious?...or not. Most people at the gym go in and warm up on some easy stuff. Jump on their project after chatting awhile. Lay down on the mats while watching some one try to send then maybe another route. Pretty half-assed. Time is precious, use your climbing session as a work out not a social networking opportunity. Go in with a plan and come out sweating and burning.

Convoluted Rules

1. Rest Better What the f....? What is resting better? When you are training hard, you are physically breaking down tissues and using up energy stores. If you don't allow time for repair and replenishment, you begin to push a starved body. That when you get injured or stop seeing training gains. Your body rebuilds itself as you sleep, repairing muscle strains, restoring glycogen and a bunch of other things your body needs. So...rest at least 24 hours between training sessions longer if it was an intense session or you are working power. Get 8 hours of sleep a night (don't burn the candle at both ends). Have protein before going to bed. All that repair and restoration is done much better if the nutrients are readily available.
2. Train Smarter Learn about periodization training. I will not try to explain this now. I have in the past and it is documented in many places. But it does make you have a schedule and a plan to follow. If you have a half-assed approach to training you get half-assed results.
3. Paradigm Shift It is time to change your whole word, or at least the way you think about it. The power of the mind is incredible and frequently under-estimated. The mental game in climbing is huge but it is also big with training. You ever jump on a climb for a possible flash ascent. It is hard and crimpy, stiffer than what you expected but do-able. You might have even fallen once or twice but you come down thinking next time it is mine. Then you check the board...oh shit! You tried the wrong route and the one you almost flashed is 2 grades harder than your usual redpoint. AWESOME. This happened because you thought you should be able to climb this, it is within your range, when it actually is the hardest thing you ever jumped on. Your mind set was that you were going to climb well, so you did. To train harder, we all need to loose the paradigm we have of ourselves and jump on everything. Having a positive attitude is important as well. The Rock Warriors Way is a great read into the mental working of rock climbing.

Wholly Shit! Talk about a tangent. I was going to post what I developed for a training schedule and all I did was go on about some rules. Well that 'OK' the real training starts on Sunday. See ya there!