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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Aug 12, 2011 - 02:14pm PT
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^^^and don't forget the bits about conserving skin. nothing more frustrating than a good rp blown by a flapper.
ed, you should also look at the bib in self-coached climber, esp. the messenger anthology. that stuff is also a bit dated now, but i found it pretty interesting.
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MH2
climber
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Aug 12, 2011 - 04:30pm PT
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I think rgold and ElCap's partner share more than they differ, but rgold is at a different point in his climbing career. To contrast the two might be seen as irony.
OTOH, ElCap provides an excellent non-scientific look at how to do well at climbing.
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jstan
climber
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Aug 12, 2011 - 05:17pm PT
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A story to compare with ECinyo's story about his climbing.. A few of us were bouldering with Goldstone back in the early 70's. Rich did the problem very statically even pausing for a split second before accessing each new hold.
When one of us desperately lunged to get one of the holds Rich had pressed out to reach, Rich rolled his eyes and said,
"Doesn't anyone climb anymore?"
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Aug 12, 2011 - 05:29pm PT
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Ed,
i love your passion, for the stone, and the rest.
Hats off.
still thinking you type much faster than i do,
just another Ed in the wall
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Aug 13, 2011 - 01:05am PT
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MH2: If sport-climbing existed back when I could do hard climbs and if the prevailing ethic "allowed" the techniques ElCap described, I'm sure I would have been totally into it. That being the case, it would hardly be appropriate to cast aspersions now from the comfort of my rocker.
Jstan: I've stuck around long enough for the joke to be on me. In my dotage, I have had many occasions to embrace dynamic techniques, the ability to lock off having long since departed. But I also have to be very careful, because a catch with the arm fully extended or awkwardly out to the side would almost certainly result in a nasty injury to my already scar-tissue-laced shoulders. And I am mindful of Gill's torn bicep, incurred when he was much younger than I am now, during the clamping action at the end of a dyno.
So: I have drawn the line at deadpoints. If the move requires (for me) something more aggressive than a deadpoint, then I'm coming down, pulling on a draw, taking, or maybe all three in the reverse order.
And so it seems, by my own definition, that I am no longer climbing, a conclusion that a number of my partners have, no doubt, reached independently. Of course, like any old fart, I have found a rationalization for my hypocrisy, and that is that I have earned the right to climb badly, and now glory in the dufferdom so accurately if unempathically identified by ElCap.
This actually fits into the aging-climber injury and training discussion, because it means thinking specifically, while climbing, about moving in a way that will reduce the injury potential, and to the extent that it is possible, restraining oneself from moves that are likely to be harmful.
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jstan
climber
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Aug 13, 2011 - 11:07am PT
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"Jstan: I've stuck around long enough for the joke to be on me. In my dotage,"
Well, once again I have been very lucky. I had a chance to see problems done in the way, anyone who could, would want to do them.
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Aug 13, 2011 - 12:52pm PT
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General aerobic fitness and careful strengthening of the non-climbing muscles and tendons that work in opposition to those muscles and tendons actively used in climbing should be part of a climbing fitness program. Aside from the psychological aspects training for climbing is not much different than training for other sports. The methods used must match the individual, the particular weaknesses and strengths, version of the sport, and realistic time available for training.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 13, 2011 - 01:12pm PT
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I'll keep looking for One Move Too Many by Thomas Hochholzer & Volker Schoeffl, there don't seem to be any copies out there at all.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Aug 13, 2011 - 01:29pm PT
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ed, you can borrow my copy if you like. just scan it-- who knows when the next edition will appear
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jstan
climber
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Aug 13, 2011 - 02:08pm PT
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Amazon.com: One Move Too Many: How to Understand the Injuries and ...
Amazon.com: One Move Too Many: How to Understand the Injuries and Overuse Syndroms of Rock ... Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . ...
http://www.amazon.com › ... › Mountaineering › Rock Climbing - Cached - Similar
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em kn0t
Trad climber
isle of wyde
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Aug 13, 2011 - 05:39pm PT
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Climbing is our mediation- our art-I have no regular climbing here in Texas and I am lost and in withdrawal and it sucks.
Riley -- hang in there, you're too good to let go. Maybe it's PWD (Post-Wall Depression). Talk to Gary or Zander or Scuffy about how to build a woodie OW. Start planning the next trip. Keep on keepin' on
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 13, 2011 - 06:43pm PT
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Summary based on referenced literature.
1) Performance
There are six articles that have tested a group of rock climbers of varying ability and attempted to discover what attributes distinguish "elite" climbers from the others. [Grant 1998] characterized: anthropometry, finger strength, flexibility, arm strength, arm endurance, abdominal endurance. The attributes which were found to be superior in the "elite" climbers were: finger strength, shoulder girdle strength and endurance, hip flexibility. [Mermier 2000] took a similar but different set of attributes: anthropometric, demographic, physiological which were reduced to 3 components: training, anthropometric, flexibility. This study found that training was the discriminating attribute. [Grant 2001] measured: anthropometry, strength, endurance, flexibility. In this study, finger strength was the discriminating factor. [Watts 2004] summarizes the attributes of "elite" climbers: small stature, low body fat, high strength-to-body-mass. The recommended training regime emphasizes: high aerobic power, specific muscular strength and endurance, ATP-PC and anaerobic glycosis system power and capacity, some minimum range of motion. Finally [Magiera 2007] in a difficult to read paper characterizes: anthropometry, strength and endurance, technique, psychological profile. The conclusions are somewhat murky, but the top 3 attributes were found to be: technique, oxygen consumption on anaerobic threshold, maximum finger strength.
While it may be difficult to conclude much from this, it seems that in general, climbing has not yet evolved to a difficulty where the "elite" climbers are determined by subtle anthropometric factors (as in other well developed sports). Training specific climbing skills remains the dominant factor in determining an "elite" performance.
[Giles 2006] summarizes:
"In general, elite climbers have been characterised as small in stature, with low percentage body fat and body mass. Currently, there are mixed conclusions surrounding body mass and composition, potentially because of variable subject ability, method of assessment and calculation. Muscular strength and endurance in rock climbers have been primarily measured on the forearm, hand and fingers via dynamometry. When absolute hand strength was assessed, there was little difference between climbers and the general population. When expressed in relation to body mass, elite-level climbers scored significantly higher, highlighting the potential importance of low body mass.
Rock climbing is characterised by repeated bouts of isometric contractions. Hand grip endurance has been measured by both repeated isometric contractions and sustained contractions, at a percentage of maximum voluntary contraction. Exercise times to fatigue during repeated isometric contractions have been found to be significantly better in climbers when compared with sedentary individuals. However, during sustained contractions until exhaustion, climbers did not differ from the normal population, emphasising the importance of the ability to perform repeated isometric forearm contractions without fatigue becoming detrimental to performance.
A decrease in handgrip strength and endurance has been related to an increase in blood lactate, with lactate levels increasing with the angle of climbing. Active recovery has been shown to provide a better rate of recovery and allows the body to return to its pre-exercised state quicker. It could be suggested that an increased ability to tolerate and remove lactic acid during climbing may be beneficial.
Because of increased demand placed upon the upper body during climbing of increased difficulty, possessing greater strength and endurance in the arms and shoulders could be advantageous.
Flexibility has not been identified as a necessary determinant of climbing success, although climbing-specific flexibility could be valuable to climbing performance.
As the difficulty of climbing increases, so does oxygen uptake (V-dotO2), energy expenditure and heart rate per metre of climb, with a disproportionate rise in heart rate compared with V-dotO2. It was suggested that these may be due to a metaboreflex causing a sympathetically mediated pressor response. In addition, climbers had an attenuated blood pressure response to isometric handgrip exercises when compared with non-climbers, potentially because of reduced metabolite build-up causing less stimulation of the muscle metaboreflex.
Training has been emphasised as an important component in climbing success, although there is little literature reviewing the influence of specific training components upon climbing performance.
In summary, it appears that success in climbing is not related to individual physiological variables but is the result of a complex interaction of physiological and psychological factors."
2) Energy Use
A number of articles explore the energy use of climbers, largely the uptake of oxygen and the generation of lactic acid. A very early study [Williams 1978] concludes that "These results are interpreted as suggesting that this popular sport represents more an anxiety-type of psychological stress than a physical stress and as such is likely to increase moral fibre rather than muscle fibre." Which initiates a puzzle regarding the nature of energy use in climbers. [Mermier 1997] finds that "rock climbing does not elicit the traditional linear HR-VO2 relationship characteristic of treadmill and cycle ergometry exercise." Further refinements of this in [Watts 1998] "Despite similar RPE [rating of perceived exertion] and BL [blood lactate], the relative exercise intensity elicited from simulated rock climbing is lower than that of running at the same HR [heart rate]."
This puzzle starts to be understood in [Booth 1999] which undertook a study assessing oxygen uptake (VO2), blood lactate concentration ([La(b)]), and heart rate (HR) response. The find that "outdoor sport rock climbs of five to 10 minutes' duration and moderate difficulty require a significant portion of the VO2climb-peak. The higher HR and VO2 for outdoor climbing and the increased [La(b)] could be the result of repeated isometric contractions, particularly from the arm and forearm muscles." Blood lactate is pursued in the following studies. [Watts 2000] in a study of "recovery strategies" finds that "Low intensity active recovery appears to significantly reduce accumulated blood lactate within 20 minutes following difficult climbing, however further research is required to establish whether this strategy is advantageous for subsequent climbing performance." [Sheel 2003] also finds that "With increasing levels of climbing difficulty, there is a rise in both heart rate and V̇O2. However, there is a disproportional rise in heart rate compared with V̇O2, which we attribute to the fact that climbing requires the use of intermittent isometric contractions of the arm musculature and the reliance of both anaerobic and aerobic metabolism." More detailed work in [Magalhaes 2007] concludes that their "Data demonstrate that indoor climbing induces plasma oxidative stress. Moreover, results suggest that an ischemia-reperfusion prooxidant-based mechanism related to climbers' sustained and intermittent isometric forearm muscle contractions might have significantly contributed to observed plasma oxidative stress." Which supports the prior conclusion of [Schöffl 2006] that "The anaerobic strength endurance of the forearm flexor muscles represents the main limiting factor in modern sports climbing."
A parallel set of studies found the importance of "economy" in climbing to be a factor. [Bertuzzi 2007] measured climbers' attributes: anthropometry, upper body aerobic power, and upper body Wingate test. This paper finds that "the main energy systems required during indoor rock climbing are the aerobic and anaerobic alactic systems" and that "elite" performance was highly correlated to "climbing economy." This may also be inferred from the [España-Romero 2009] study that "suggest that, among climbers with a high level of performance, as those analysed in this study, climbing time to exhaustion is a major determinant of climbing performance."
Climbing was found to be an aerobic exercise in [Rodio 2008]. Their conclusion was: "The aerobic profile [for climbing] was classified from excellent to superior in accordance with the standards of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The exercise intensity (V̇o2 during rock climbing expressed as a percentage of V̇o2peak) was 70 ± 6% in men and 72 ± 8% in women. Moreover, the energy expenditure was 1000-1500 kcal per week. In conclusion, noncompetitive rock climbing has proved to be a typical aerobic activity. The intensity of exercise is comparable to that recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine to maintain good cardiorespiratory fitness."
3) Strength
Aside from hand strength, "elite" climbers aren't distinguished from other climbers as found in section 1) above. Grip strength has been studied by and there are four reports on it in the literature cited above. [Cutts 1993] found that climbers got stronger as they practiced the sport. "Although pinch grip strength increased with the length of climbing experience, there was no evidence that strength in the hands alone guarantees success in competition climbing." Mixed in with this strength is the issue of endurance. [Grant 2001] finds suggestions "that elite climbers have greater finger strength than recreational climbers and non-climbers." And climbers have stronger hands than non-climbers [Quaine 2003] "The results clearly indicate that expert climbers performed significantly greater fingertip force than sedentary subjects... This force was maintained during twelve repetitions in sedentary subjects, whereas the climbers maintained the force during nineteen repetitions."
Measurements of hand grip strength in a non-climbing setting were tested to determine if it was well correlated with the strength used by climbers. [Watts 2003] reported a study that was "designed to examine the reliability of peak finger force during 4-finger curling in a sample of expert level young competitive rock climbers...Peak force measurement during maximal finger curls using this protocol and population was judged to be reliable."
The specific use of hand holds was subject to the study by [Fuss 2008] where the holds were instrumented to provide acceleration information. The study found that "The more experienced a climber is, the smaller the contact force, the shorter the contact time, the smaller the impulse, the better the smoothness factor, the higher the friction coefficient, the more continuous the movement of the center of pressure (in specific holds), and the smaller the Hausdorff dimension (less chaotic force time graph)." Suggesting technique and training is an important consideration in hand strength, too.
4) Flexibility
Only one study is found, [Draper 2009]. The performed four flexibility tests: "adapted Grant foot raise, climbing-specific foot raise, lateral foot reach and the foot-loading flexibility test," where the adaptations where to climbing situations. The two that seemed to be attributes of "elite" performance were: "the lateral foot reach and the adapted Grant foot raise," with the latter being the strongest correlating attribute. There conclusion was "that flexibility is a key performance component for the sport when a climbing-specific test is used."
5) Injuries
Injuries provide a window into the practice of climbing, indicating what breaks when pushed to extreme in climbing situations. This seems to be an active area of reporting and research. Apparently this started in the late 1980s when [Bollen 1988] observed "Regular training is now almost mandatory for the aspiring climber, but little has been published about the patterns of soft tissue injury to which climbers are susceptible." Perhaps this is the dividing line in climbers, those who don't believe in training and those that do. A year later [Bollen 1990] did an examination of "All 67 of the competitors at the first British Open climbing competition" finding "26 per cent of the climbers had signs of previous injury to the A2 pulley of the ring finger, and that fixed flexion deformity of the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers was present in 24 per cent." This starts the focus on fingers.
By [Cole 1990] there was enough intense training that the standards were pushed up. "This increase in standards has led to injuries associated with more extreme use and training." Here training is found to cause problems, here in finger tip pads and skin.
A survey of climbers, [Shea 1992], found "Three fourths of the climbers reported a climbing-related injury; of these injured climbers, almost one half reported a hand or wrist injury. More than half of the injured climbers had been treated by a physician for their injury. More than half of all climbers reported distal interphalangeal or proximal interphalangeal joint pain while climbing." Other surveys followed,[Largiadèr 1993] "Of the 332 climbers participating in the study, 114 (34.4%) had suffered from at least one overstrain injury. The degree of climbing skill proved to be the main risk factor; with increasing climbing skills of the observed persons the percentage of injuries increased very substantially." "Warming up was unable to prevent most overstrain injuries. A total of 237 injuries were described. 34.6% of these were long-term defects such as foot deformations and nail dystrophies of the toes. 65.4% were overstrain injuries; 90.3% of these cases concerned the upper part of the body and the upper extremities including the thoracic girdle, areas which are particularly strained in climbs of high degrees of difficulty. The areas affected were almost exclusively tendons, joint capsules and ligaments. By far the most frequent injury of the upper extremity was the proximal interphalangeal joint injury, followed by injuries to the proximal phalanx, the flexor tendons of the forearm and the distal interphalangeal joint. With regard to training injuries, finger injuries occurred most frequently in addition to elbow injuries. 51% of the overstrain injuries were severe, with healing times of months to years. Only 30% of the injured persons consulted a physician."
Additional surveys [Rooks 1997] "Three-quarters of elite and recreational sport climbers will suffer upper extremity injuries." The observe that "in up to 50% of elite climbers will involve the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) region" and recommend "changes in climbing schedules, stretching and exercise habits, and protective digital taping are necessary to protect and rehabilitate these athletes." [Paige 1998] reenforces this, "Ninety-four climbers reported sustaining an injury while rope-protected climbing on rock. Most injuries occurred while leading and involved the upper extremity, especially the fingers. Falling was the predominant mechanism of injury on traditional climbs, and stress over a joint while attempting a difficult move was the most common mechanism on sport climbs. Potential for injury prevention lies in teaching climbers to recognize the limitations of the fingers as weight-bearing structures."
Training by pull-up caused problems too. [Koukoubis 1995] attempted to shed light on the biomechanics of finger-tip pull-ups. "Upper extremity muscle injuries from rock climbing are common. Knowledge of the activity of specific muscles during climbing may allow the development of training programs to reduce these injuries. This study evaluated the electrical activity of the first interosseous (IN), brachioradialis (BR), flexor digitorum superficialis (FD), and biceps brachii (BB) muscles in seven climbers by integrated electromyography (IEMG) during finger-tip pull-ups." "BR and BB showed an abrupt peak in EMG during pull-up and lowering, as opposed to FD which remained constantly highly activated, which suggests that FD does not contribute to elbow flexion even though it crosses the elbow joint. The high activation of FD and BR may explain their elevated incidence of injury during climbing. Thus, a reduction in climbing-related muscle injuries may be achieved by a training program that emphasizes conditioning of the BR and FD muscles."
Later surveys find the same trends in injuries. [Peters 2001] "Sport climbing is associated with unique upper- and lower-limb injuries involving predominantly the hand, elbow, and shoulder, and to a lesser extent the foot." [Gerdes 2006] "Sprains and overuse were the most commonly described injuries, whereas fingers, ankles, elbows, and shoulders were the most commonly injured body parts." "Sprains and overuse were common climbing injuries, with the upper extremity being the most frequently injured body part. Rock climbers who participated in traditional or solo climbing, or who have climbed while under the influence or drugs or alcohol, reported more injuries."
Emergency room visits and their causes was surveyed by [Nelson 2009]. "An estimated 40,282 patients were treated in emergency departments for rock climbing– related injuries in the U.S. over the 18-year period. Patients aged 20–39 years accounted for more than half of all injuries. Fractures, sprains, and strains accounted for the largest portion of injuries (29.0% and 28.6%, respectively). The lower extremities were the most frequently injured body part, accounting for 46.3% of all injuries; ankle injuries accounted for 19.2%. Men were more likely to sustain lacerations (OR1.65; 95% CI1.03, 2.67) and fractures (OR1.54; 95% CI1.10, 2.17), whereas women were more likely to sustain a sprain or strain (OR1.68; 95% CI1.13, 2.51). Overexertion injuries were more likely to occur to the upper extremities (OR5.32; 95% CI1.99, 14.23). Falls were responsible for three quarters of all injuries (77.5%). Overall, 11.3% of patients were hospitalized." Basically finding the same injury trends.
Fingers were a focus of clinical investigation. [Rohrbough 2000] By this study, "Closed rupture of the flexor tendon sheath has been known to occur in the elite rock climbing population." They found that "11 subjects (26%) had evidence of flexor pulley rupture or attenuation, as manifested by clinical bowstringing. Injury to the PIP collateral ligament had occurred in 17 subjects (40%). Other commonly occurring injury syndromes are described. Conclusion: Our results and others suggest that closed traumatic pulley rupture occurs with significant frequency in this population. In addition, all subjects with this injury continued to climb at a high standard and reported no functional disability." In a study with testing the mechanical properties of these tendons using cadavers [Warme 2000] found that "Based on our findings we do not support taping the base of the fingers as a prophylactic measure against flexor tendon sheath injury in the climbing athlete."
The use of crimp holds was noted in the report of [Schweizer 2001] "Rock climbers are often using the unique crimp grip position to hold small ledges." Crimping technique was investigated in [Quaine 2003]. "The great force applied by the middle finger and the great relative involvement of the ring finger in the curved posture seem to be the main factors of injuries of these fingers." The notorious "mono" described in [Schweizer 2003] "the interphalangeal joints remain in 20–40° flexion." Which the thought could result in the rupture of the associated forearm muscles. "Holding a 'one-finger-pocket' with the ring or small finger leads to a shift of the deep flexor tendons which increases the distance between the two adjacent origins of either the third or the fourth lumbrical. This may cause disruption and tear of that muscle. An organized haematoma in the third lumbrical was visible by ultrasonography in one of the three cases described."
Body adaptations were the subject of [Sylvester 2006]. The study focused on bone growth. "Climbers, however, do have greater cross-sectional area as well as second moment of area. Greater total width, but not meduallary width, indicates that additional bone is deposited subperiosteally. The strength of the finger and hand bones are correlated with styles of climbing that emphasize athletic difficulty. Significant predictors include the highest levels achieved in bouldering and sport climbing."
6) Conclusions
Based on this literature we find that the state of climbing, as represented by the populations studied, is such that elite performance is largely governed by training. Further, that sport-specific training is effective because of the unique characteristics of climbing. In particular, aerobic and anaerobic capacity are limiting metabolic factors having to do with lactic acid build up from isometric contraction of the muscles, especially the forearms.
While general strength is necessary, a premium on strength-to-weight ratio seems to be advantageous.
Some climbing specific flexibility could be an important factor, though this topic is understudied.
Training and climbing injuries are predominantly finger, hand, shoulder, ankle. Finger injuries seem to be most frequently caused by crimp-like holds where forces can exceed the material strength of the tendons.
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em kn0t
Trad climber
isle of wyde
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Aug 13, 2011 - 11:12pm PT
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how long can post wall depression last?
um...I believe it generally lasts until the next wall.
(gotcha! you're hooked)
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blackbird
Trad climber
the flat water trails...
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Aug 14, 2011 - 12:33am PT
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Ed, you're awesome!
BB
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Aug 14, 2011 - 02:18am PT
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Ed, good work. This is basic training information and expected coming from studies of "elite" climbers. The real challenge will be to find, extrapolate, or generate information about or applicable to hobbyists and/or weekend warriors (Taco readers). It is this group that has the least time, often greatest drive, and least physical attributes, forming the perfect cocktail for bad injuries. The cultural predisposition of many climbers to not insert aerobic fitness into a routine with climbing specific fun like gym climbing and bouldering is likely an issue in injuries among older climbers.
I suggest that in general, a lack of base fitness, high expectations, and following the training protocols based on younger more fit climbers (perhaps even their former selves) is the road to frustrating injuries and disappointing climbing experiences.
I think you are on the right track now but perhaps you have, in your mind, enough information about this subject, to draw some sharp conclusions. What the quasi-scientific studies you have listed demonstrate is that, fit people climb better than less fit people, grip strength is important, climbing is essentially an aerobic activity that at maximum effort requires a high lactic threshold with max-vo2 being less important, and elite climbers are kind of scrawny. Nothing groundbreaking there. You have likely already made those observations through your years of climbing.
Regarding injuries, tendon injuries should be examined as a function of when someone began climbing. From my understanding, the strong specific development of connective tissues occurs in the early and middle teens. Finger strength depends on strong connective tissue. While muscle strength is relatively easy to develop, connective tissue takes far longer, and without specific training at a young enough age, might be an ongoing problem for some climbers. For climbers starting later, as in their 20s, remember that the tendons will need lots of less than maximal effort before they can keep up with the muscles. It is primarily a matter of blood supply and muscles get far more than tendons for stimulation and repair.
Keep in mind that specific training, whether for strength or endurance, involves boosting hormone and enzyme levels in a systematic way so the results go in the intended direction. Too much... ya tank, too little... no improvements. High end specific training for any sport must be very carefully monitored. Of course doping is easier and cheaper...
Sorry about the initial snark, keep up the pondering!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 14, 2011 - 02:45am PT
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So in terms of training, first start with body weight, or at least BMI... for the elite climbers in these studies the average BMI for males is 20.9 (5.1) and for females 18.2 (3.2). For me to get to BMI of 21 would mean I would have to get my weight down to 136 lbs, no way that is happening.
These climbers also have around 5.4% body fat (females more like 12%).
The best I could do is probably a BMI of 25.45 at 165lbs... and that would be a huge effort.
I think that not talking about body weight in the context of overall training is important. I'm hoping we can have that discussion without obsessing about weight one way or the other.
For climbers its a ratio, we want to have a good weight-to-strength ratio. Obviously, for me to get to some sort of very low weight would be a dominant effort for a training program.
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Aug 14, 2011 - 03:14am PT
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You're right on, weight is only part of the equation. Muscle to fat ratio can be fixed through proper training. Weight is only useful when measured over time on a single subject. Age and fat surrounding internal organs can also be a factor...
Even elite athletes in sports like XC skiing get serious issues with injuries and illness when body fat drops below 6%. Do not go down the path of "light is right." That is a flashback to Boulder in the early-1990s. You have to have enough energy integrity to ensure proper hormone and enzyme levels.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Aug 14, 2011 - 04:45pm PT
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I’ve been following this thread and I am enjoying it.
I own and have read at least twice both Horst books, the Goddard book, One Move Too many, The Long/Leubben Advance Climbing book and a few books on mountaineering fitness and training. I have a limited time to train and climb. What follows is my take on a practical way how to put it all together. I suspect that a lot of weekend warriors are similar to me so I hope this will contribute to the discussion. I’m 51 and have been climbing for 12 years. I climb 5.9/10a outside.
I think most non elite climbers will not get that maximum benefit from the books mentioned in this thread so far. However that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t read these books and that good training lessons can’t be learned. You need to extrapolate to your own level.
First you need to have the motivation. If you don’t you’ve got to accept that and not get excited when you don’t climb as well as you would like. It helps to have goals to focus your motivation. Even if you are motivated you still have to fit your training into the time you have in your life. For many years I got off work at 5 and my wife at 7 or later so I had 1 1/2 to 2 hours to train during the week. Not that I always did because of motivational factors. It helps to train with other people. You are more likely to train if you have a regular session with a friend. Just showing up to train is half the battle.
For all types of climbing, training the mind is just as important as training the body.. I’m not very good at this. I was soccer referee for ten years. We worked on mental training all the time- staying focused under pressure, recovering from mistakes, power words, breathing visualizations, routine, etc. all the stuff the sports psych people have shown to work. Even for weekend types this stuff is gold. And fortunately in climbing you don’t have forty people yelling at you in a foreign language when you make a mistake.
Break the week up in training units to train different areas. I try for three days of climbing and three days of aerobics and one rest day.
For the upper body/climbing workout I do Tuesday and Thursday at the gym, and one or two days outside once or twice a month. For each session first I warm up on the exercise bike. I try to get my heart rate to double my resting heart rate, in my case 120 bpm. Then I do the core class from 5 to 5:45. I have to do this because I have a cracked vertebrae (Spondylolisthesis). The class has really helped my climbing as well. After that I climb for an hour to an hour and a half. For the climbing part I do what is suggested in the Long/Leubben book. Warm up on easy routes and as soon as you are warm get on the hardest thing you are working on. Do that a few times. As the fingers and arms start getting hammered back off and do endurance for the rest of the session.
For the aerobics part in the past I have played pick up soccer, carried a 50 lb pack in the local hills, did road bikes rides. You can fit a lot into 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I‘ve been ill off and on since the beginning of 2010 and have a hard time doing the hard aerobics I used to do but I still get in three two hour plus walks a week. Even just walking works.
I’ve had the same trouble with injuries that many have had. I start getting strong and move to harder stuff too quickly. It is hard to back off but if you are in your fifties you better learn to. Three times I have started climbing really well for me at the gym, into the mid 5.11s and then injured a tendon pulley. My problem is I start climbing really well and start pushing too hard. It seems this is common.
All the above has worked for me. I have consistently gotten better at all aspects of climbing, even as my aerobic training has fallen off.
Ed, you can borrow my copy of One Move To Many for as long as you like. I got it at REI.
Cheers,
Zander
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jstan
climber
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Aug 14, 2011 - 05:18pm PT
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I have no knowledge of nutrition. My envelope ends at boiling water.
At 5'8" or a bit more my best climbing weight was 147#. When I tried dropping it to 143# I did not do nearly as well.
For 10 non climbing years spent going to restaurants I was at 165# trying to avoid 175#. When I ran into a lovely assistant my weight came down to 155#. Then when I avoided all carbohydrates, sugars most specifically, it dropped to about 145 and would have continued lower had I allowed it. My triglyceride level dropped from a high of 182 to 25 and the various cholesterols have moved appropriately. Right now I eat sprouted wheat and butter as I please and the weight is at 149.8#. For me, carbs and sugar translate to weight. Beer consumption has never been significant.
Were I still concerned about weight I think I would next try going entirely carbless even during workouts till I got to maybe 140. Then load carbs starting just before climbing. Sticky bun power seems real, but taken over long periods and to excess I think it can kill you. In my experience carbohydrates become significant sources of calories in just a couple of hours. Unbelievable, but it seems that way.
Learning about nutrition and one's metabolism seems to be a necessary part of climbing. It would be great also to have a home testing kit for the blood.
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