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dufas
Trad climber
san francisco
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 23, 2004 - 01:48pm PT
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what do you all oldtimers do to keep in shape to climb those hard 5.11 cracks?
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Donny Quijote
Boulder climber
Boulder F'n CO
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Nov 23, 2004 - 01:49pm PT
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Buy aiders.
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Wade Icey
Social climber
the EPC
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Nov 23, 2004 - 01:50pm PT
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aid climb
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Mill Valley
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Nov 23, 2004 - 01:57pm PT
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How about climbing them?
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dufas
Trad climber
san francisco
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2004 - 02:14pm PT
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ask a stupid question . . .
[wtf was I thinking, dohhh]
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euphoria
Trad climber
Slippery Rock, PA
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Nov 23, 2004 - 02:16pm PT
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Maybe you could go to the 'Women of rc.com' forum and get one of them to don a sports bra and lead it for you. If you're lucky, she might even do a little yoga first.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Nov 23, 2004 - 02:22pm PT
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The secret is to let yourself get out of shape but not too bad. Then the hard 5.10 cracks are just as exciting as the 5.11 cracks.
If the climb happens to have some 5.11 cracks on it, you just apply a little creative gear management or experienced technique, whichever seems like the best idea at the time
Peace
Karl
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Ca
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Nov 23, 2004 - 02:52pm PT
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As sad as it sounds, I climb in the gym twice a week after work. Actually, if there is daylight (april - october) I boulder twice a week but in the winter it is into the gym for me. I boulder on Tuesday and do routes on Thursday. When I am cooling down on Thursday I try to link lots of routes in a row to get ready for doing climbs that are longer than 45 feet. I also hike (knees too old to run) and sail. On my off days I stretch, do pushups and drink margaritas. I am 53 and in pretty damn good shape. If only I could lose that last 10 pounds of fat though....
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Mountain Man
Trad climber
Outer Space
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Nov 23, 2004 - 04:01pm PT
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A nifty strategy is to become so impossible when you're around that they want you to go climbing.
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Southern Man
climber
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Nov 23, 2004 - 04:02pm PT
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Conrad Anker once said that the best way to get into shape is to never get out of shape. To that end, I recommend getting Eric Horst's book, "Training for Climbing". He goes in depth about developing a training protocol that fits your age and climbing goals. I've used some of his training tips and can honestly say that they have worked for me. It's really a well thought out book. I would also recommend Arno Ilgners book "The Rock Warrior's Way". Eric's book targets the body (mainly) and, to a lesser extent, the mind, while Arno's book deals totally with the mind and our willingness to accept risk. Arno's articles appear in Rock and Ice as well as Climbing. For me, being in shape (and staying that way) is a life style. As I've gotten older, it's takes more effort to stay in shape and once I stop working out, I loose what conditioning I had a lot quicker than I use to. Lastly, read what the 83 year old climber (the one in the Patagonia ad.) has to say about conditioning, climbing, and age. An interview with him was in a recent climbing mag. (R&I or Climbing). With age comes wisdom. But sometimes age just comes by itself.
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Doug Hemken
climber
Madison, WI
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Nov 23, 2004 - 04:05pm PT
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You have several options:
-"strategery"
-train
-cunning
-go to Red Rocks
I'm an idiot, I train. Most 40+ers I know that climb hard either train or are otherwise very active.
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Doug Hemken
climber
Madison, WI
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Nov 23, 2004 - 04:07pm PT
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Oh yeah, my wife loves it when I go climbing ... because I'm a much happier person, and relatively pleasant to be around.
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Melissa
Big Wall climber
oakland, ca
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Nov 23, 2004 - 04:09pm PT
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Don't any of your wives or kids climb?
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dufas
Trad climber
san francisco
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2004 - 04:16pm PT
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no, none of my wives climb.
Doug/Southern Man, I've looked at Horst's book and took some of the tips. To some extent, I feel like I'm doing as much as I can without hitting the crags 3 weekends a month, and have managed to stay fit. just wondering if there were any other secrets. probably not.
I think increased recovery time is the one I always forget. That old muscle just don't bounce back as quick anymore. [I'll leave that one wide open]
euphoria, a great suggestion, yoga girls in sport bras. then when I come home, my wife can ensure that I am both metaphorically and literally sackless
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Southern Man
climber
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Nov 23, 2004 - 04:50pm PT
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Dufus:
A few year back there was an article in Climbing where they interviewed about 8 climbers (Ed Barry was one)(male and female)that were over 40. Each person explained their "secrets" to climbing "hard". From my feeble memory, I seem to recall that almost all ate a balanced diet high in fiber, green veggies, fruit, etc.; got plenty of rest, listened to their bodies (backed off at the first hint of injury). It was a pretty interesting read. Also, about the same time, there was an article in Rock and Ice that had a list of physical parameters (anerobic endurance, VO2-Max, etc.), beside each parameter was listed how age affected the parameter, and beside this section was steps/exercises that the over 40 climber could undertake to improve the physical parameter. Again, a pretty interesting read. The Rock and Ice article had some guy named Herman ? climbing a 5.13 at 50 years old and one year after shoulder surgery. The Climbing mag. article had Ed Barry in some Yosemite squeeze-chimney. Hope this helps.
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Mill Valley
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Nov 23, 2004 - 04:59pm PT
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I met a guy from CO a couple months ago who had climbed a new (for him) 5.13a at age 57.
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Mountain Man
Trad climber
Outer Space
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Nov 23, 2004 - 05:14pm PT
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dufas,
go to rockclimbing.com and check out women of rc.com.
I think your prayers will be answered.
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Mill Valley
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Nov 23, 2004 - 05:47pm PT
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I checked that thread and found page after page of tedious yapping,
with an astonishing lack of pics. I mean, I should have expected as much...
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Roger Breedlove
Trad climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Nov 23, 2004 - 06:13pm PT
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I am nervous that some of my brethren are going to tell me that they dance 5.11--I don't mind feeling old (54) as much as I mind being the only old guy who is too heavy, weak, and stiff to crank.
For the past three years I have been getting into shape. I maintained good heart rate numbers and endurance over the years. But I did not climb for 20+ years—Kids, Ohio, creeping respectability, life insurance restrictions. I look thin in my business suits, but I weigh 35 lbs more than I did in 1980. (That works out to 0.59 beers per week too many.)
My main undoing has been nerve and tendon injuries in my arms and hands when I pull hard. I never had these problems years ago, so I still have not figured out how to pull hard enough to get stronger yet not risk injury. Frustrating.
Interestingly, most of the places I climb have standard face climbing, and I feel awkward—staring for hours for some after the fact obvious foothold or edge. On the few occasions when I have had a pure crack to climb, all of the old muscle memory came back, and I could get into the flow.
But 5.11?? Even when I knew what to do and could do it, 5.11 was really hard.
PS: In response to the slender beauties at rc.com, should we post pictures of the crowd on ST? Ok, ok, ugly thought.
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