The Big Three

So. . .

Chain didn't quite go for me last. I repeatedly fell off the final dyno. However, I have had some success out at the Rat Cave with quite a few low and mid 5.12 ascents. I'm hoping the power endurance intensive climbing I have been doing at the RC and in the Gym will give me that little push I need to reach an inch higher and stick the finishing jug of Chain. After next weekend, send or not, it'll be time for me to get down to business and start training for the Bishop trip that I'll be taking in late December.

The basic idea of this training plan is to eek as much strength gain as possible into the first 4 weeks and then have some fun cutting loose with a bit of power and recruitment training for the last 2 weeks before the trip. It is important that the differences between the entities of strength, power and recruitment are fully understood before one can understand the methods that are used to train them. First, lets examine strength. When I say my climbing strength, I am referring to the absolute maximum amount of force that my forearm muscles can channel into my fingers. Simple as that.  Whether it takes me a half second or 10 seconds to produce this maximum force is irrelevant. Power on the other hand has everything to do with time. When I say Power, I am referring to the amount of time it takes me to achieve my maximum force. Essentially, the amount of time it takes me to recruit all the muscle fibers I can and put maximum force into whatever climbing hold I'm grabbing. This brings me to the final entity; recruitment. Recruitment refers to the percentage of muscular fibers that are activated when gripping a hold. For example, if I look at 100 total muscle fibers, and 10 fire, I have a recruitment of 10%.

Now that we have these entities defined, let's figure out what factors influence their development. To me, it's a simple matter of training and genetics. Some people are born with great tendon insertion causing naturally strong fingers. No matter what your thoughts are regarding nature vs. nurture, it is inarguable that each person has a set genetic maximum for any activity. There is a maximum level of physical adaptation that each person's body will make. The good news, I believe most all climbers (professionals excluded) are quite far away from this genetic maximum. Most people climb and train in a haphazard way with little focus or direction. They boulder one day without resting enough to regain full strength and power between burns.The next day they go sport climbing. The next they traverse and call it training. Certain people respond well to this sort of "training" and become strong climbers regardless. I'd say that's about 1 percent of people. The rest of us will quickly plateau and gains will become slow or non-existent. Frustration then ensues as people cannot understand why they stopped improving like they did in there first year or so of climbing. Beyond genetics, the only way to quickly improve and break plateaus is through focused and intelligent training.


In the coming week or so, I will post training schedules and plans and explain how they relate to the big three training principles.

Eric

Gettin back to it!

So. . .

It's been a while since I lasted posted and I didn't even write a wrap up post to the Ten Sleep trip. Long story shot, I repeatedly fell from the last move to the chains of a 13a for the final four days of the trip. In the end, I feel that not sending was not the worst thing that could have happened. I came back to Portland with more psych to train and get strong than I have ever had. I had a  plan to get a quick training cycle in to prepare for a hopefully succesful fall break at Smith. It's now fall break and I feel that I made some critical errors in training that I need to fix for my next cycle. I started out strong with hangboard sessions on the homemade hockey stick hangboard to gain some strength (felt much stronger than ever before). However, after my planned 2 weeks of fingerboard hypertrophy training, I somewhat lost focus as I tried to transfer into a maximum recruitment campusing based phase. I ended up simply bouldering at the gym with only a session or two of campusing. I was climbing in the same style much too frequently and not allowing myself to recover. As my artistic and atheletic outlet, it is difficult for me to go a day without climbing. It has become my way of relaxing after a long day of class and work. With a schedule of 5 to 6 days at the bouldering gym a week, however, I felt as though I was entering a slow spiral into exhaustion and sub-par performance. I was not providing enough time for recovery or varying my routine at all. I simply pulled down on plastic boulder problems all the time. Two weeks before fall break, I finally came to my senses and busted out five or so sessions of pumpy, intense traverses all over the climbing gym and anaerobic endurance intensive weekend rat cave sessions. Not quite enough to feel fully fit, but better than nothin I guess. Even so, after a week off, I feel as strong as ever from all the bouldering, but not super ready for pumpy routes.

I'm currently sitting in a Redmond coffee shop, typing away on my phone and waiting for jessi's flight to come in. I spent the last two days onsiting a bunch of Smith 5.10s and 11s (which somehow never seem to get easier and always keep me on my toes) and working on Chain Reaction. After two days of effort and 4 goes, Chain will go any time. I one hung it 3rd go with a bumble in between the two cruxes and feel like I have all the sequences down and merely need to execute. To my surprise, Chain is actually one of my favorite routes I have touched at Smith. Maybe it's the substantial history of the route, the atheletic and bouldery sequences, or it's contrast in style to the standard Smith vertical techfests, but I feel that even after sending, I will continue to climb the route for years!

After Smith I plan on taking a couple days off then returning to training with renewed motivation and focus. I currently have an 8 week training cycle planned out. It is planned around a winter bouldering trip to Bishop and will therefore have an abbreviated Aenerobic Endurance training phase. I will force myself take more rest days during Max Recruitment and Hypertrophy phases. I will accomplish this either by jogging or super low intensity ARC traversing on rest days if I cannot stand not climbing. I also plan on posting on this blog much more frenquently and will continuously provide updates as to my progress and more specifics on my training practices. This is as mostly to provide a record for myself and stay on track as I do not believe anyone reads this blog.

Till next time

Eric

Photos taken by Toby. Thanks!

Sequence of the top dynoish move and the lower crux

Breaking New Ground

For rest day numero dos we find ourselves in another quaint coffee shop in the town of Worland, WY where Eric and I have snagged the comfy recliners in the corner. After waging war on some viscous assailants, ie. mosquitos, for the past couple of days we are both enjoying some iced coffee and reprieve from a losing battle. According to a few people we have talked to there was a flood earlier in the season that made for prime mosquito conditions the rest of the summer. Luckily we came armed with Bushman's 80% deet and pants.

Happy Campers . . .

After a full week in Tensleep Canyon, it is looking like two weeks is not going to be enough with the overwhelming amount of quality routes that are still yet ticked, but holy toledo we have been climbing as much as we can and enjoying every second of it. A trip chock-full of exploration, maybe some climbing, and new scenery were my only expectations as we headed out of Portland, but what we have found here in Tensleep seriously gets no better than this. After putting our time in at Smith Rock all summer we were somewhat prepared for the technical climbing in Tensleep and have excelled quickly in our short time here. Even with all of these slabby and techy routes I tend to be drawn to, I have really enjoyed trying some of the overhung and juggy routes Tensleep has to offer with massive pockets that go up some pretty significant bulges. It seems every time one of us is lowering off another route there is a theme following, "that was so fun!!!", or "seriously that was SO quality!!!!", or "I HAVE NEVER CLIMBED ANYTHING THAT GOOD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!! Did I mention how fun it was?"

This trip has been so much more than quality climbing though, including improved pots-O-stuff for dinner, absolutely breathtaking stars in the arvo, and late night fires with new friends. I am confident I would be able to eloquently recall every move on every route we have climbed in the canyon since we last checked in, but I think I'll leave that for Eric.. take it away!

-Jessi

The climbing in Ten Sleep has continued to impress us with its quality and overwhelming quantity. Just when I think it can't get any better, it really does. Each day we have been exploring new areas in hot pursuit of challenging routes. For me, I have been on a search for a fine 13a. Jessi has been sampling the canyons offerings in the 11 to 12- range. On Saturday, we decided to check out a new (to us) area called the French Cattle Ranch. The stone in this area is astounding. It is composed of bullet hard stone with alternating tan and blue streaks. The holds in the FCR  tend to be small, positive crimp edges, rather than the sinker pockets that define most the other routes in Ten Sleep. After warming up on a fun 11a, Jessi and I started our day at the Ranch with an onsight and flash of a techy and quality route called Wyoming Flower Child 5.11d/12a (Probably 11b at Smith). Next, I threw myself at a 5.13a/b called Blue Light Special. The movement was fantastic, but the holds a little small for my taste. I clipped the chains with many hangs and sore finger tips. Jessi attempted a 12b called Center El Shinto and made it to the top with a few hangs and rests. It was a pumpy affair with some long lockoffs and little relief until the chains are clipped. This seemed to be the route she was looking for. We'll be returning to that one!

What was my beta? . . .

The next day, I really wanted to check out an area called the Cigar Pillar. I had heard rumors of a supposed 5 star 5.13a called Name of the Game taking plum line up the center of the pillar. We quickly knocked out the uphill approach to the Cigar and looked with awe at the four bolt lines up the back side of the pillar. The Cigar is a rare feature in the climbing world as it basically always facilitates hard climbing with perfect temps. The back side of the pillar (where the 4 classic lines are) has a constant breeze and never sees the sun. The breeze continuously blows the moisture from your fingertips and allows for cool and comfortable climbing. I quickly warmed up and jumped on a 12a on the left side of the Cigar. It was a bouldery line with a low crux and fantastic climbing up the exposed upper arete. A perfect warm-up for my main interest: Name of the Game. I took a 3 burns on Name of the Game and figured out good sequences all the way through. The route consists of 8 bolts of quality 5.12 pocket pullin', with a harsh and fingery crux right at the end. A true heartbreaker. In between burns on Name of the Game, Jessi ran up a bunch of fun and recently bolted 5.10s and 11s surrounding the Cigar. I will be returning to the Cigar tomorrow to see if I can walk away with my first 5.13 send! Hope I didn't bore you with all the painful details about these slabs of stone in which we take so much interest.

Inspecting the cigar from the opposing warm-up. . .

Till then . . .

Eric

Gettin Rowdy in Cowboy country!

The trip is off to a killer start! I can't believe how many fantastic routes exist in this Bighorn Dolomite (Basically Limestone) wonderland. The most difficult part of this trip has been trying choose which of the limitless number of killer 5.11 and 12 sport routes to go after. . .

Rolling into Ten Sleep canyon is an awesome and almost overwhelming experience that instantly builds psyche for pulling pockets and clippin bolts. The flat fields of Wyoming slowly transition into sheer rock walls of some unknown red stone as you drop into the canyon where the small town of Ten Sleep rests. As you enter town, you are greeted by a road sign claiming a population of 304 and an elevation of 4,206 feet. A small bakery and coffee shop (where I am currently sitting), two bars and an ice cream shop soon follow. Pass a Connoco station and you are on your way up into the hills where the shear pocketed faces of Ten Sleep canyon reside. The red and crumbly stone that is prevalent near town slowly gives way to pocketed faces of Dolomite as you wind your way upwards.

Jessi and I made this journey into the hills on Tuesday after our 5 hour drive from Bozeman and a wild goose chase to acquire Aaron Huey's Ten Sleep Climbing guidebook (which is awesome, mostly informative, and artsy all at the same time). In almost all cases, presentation and creativity takes precedent over information in this guide! This makes it a little fun to find the crags at first, but once you gather  your bearings, the route finding is mostly simple. A bizarre array of symbols indicate the quality of routes. A picture of a kitten means 3 stars, a Porn Star means 4, and an American Flag or other patriotic symbol means 5 stars. After reading through the book and getting a few laughs, our first order of business was to find camping. There are a few paid campgrounds managed by the National Forest Service off the main road. But at 13 dollars as night, Jessi and I decided it might be better to set up camp in the expansive and boundless free camping area down the road and fill up our water jugs at the paid campgrounds when necessary. We blindly drove around the old road for a bit until we found a suitable spot to set up camp. Most spots were vacant and we eventually decided on a nice shady spot a ways back from the road. (We later found out from some new friends that this was one of the most desired spots in the free camping area). After hurrying to set up camp, we decided to run up into the hills across the way and see if we could get some climbing in (even though it was after 6). After a nice 20 minute hike to the Mondo Beyondo area, we were greeted by absolutely perfect climbing temps and shade. With a little bit of exploring, we decided to run up a classic 5.10b called Beer Bong (a five star American flag route). It involved some simple and fun face climbing leading to an airy and exposed stemming section. It was my first experience with Limestone and I must say it was love at first sight. We decided to call it a night after this route as it was starting to get dark.

Beer Bong . . .

The next two days involved a flurry of climbing and a fair bit of sending for Jessi and I. Climbing days start at noon in Ten Sleep and don't end  until after 8:00. These are the hours in which perfect sending temps can be consistently found.  The first full day climbing involved an awesome 10d and 11a warm-up to start things off. Next, I managed to send a short, steep, and bouldery (not at all the style I excel at) 5.12a. Jessi managed an onsight of a 5.11b (her first onsight at this grade) of a fantastic pocketed route called White Buffalo. A successful first day!

The hike in to Mondo. . .

The next day went even better. I warmed up on a sweet overhanging 5.11b/c and Jessi managed to send it second go. I then went on to onsight one of the most fantastic 5.12 pitches I have touched. It is a 95 foot long, 15 bolt route called Cocaine Rodeo that involves sequential and strenuous pocket pulling and many rests. Next we traveled down the cliff line a ways to a gigantic free standing chunk of white stone called the Superattic Pillar. Jessi wanted to try a 12a called Tricks for You that she thought could be a potential project. It was a less than vertical, slabby affair, with heinously technical movement and holds that are invisibly small from the ground. Just Jessi's style! Jessi confidently hopped on, and what followed was some of the best climbing I have ever had the privilege of watching. She climbed confidently and well. 15 minutes of concentrated effort later, and she was clipping the chains on her first ever 5.12 send. A pure onsight! We couldn't have been more excited! We walked to the other side of the pillar and I was able to pull my way to send of a fantastic 5.12b called Great White Behemoth. It was truly one of the best routes I have climbed. Probably even better than Cocaine Rodeo. 65 feet of athletic movement through overhanging two finger pockets and even a mono pull on flawless white stone! What more could you ever want? We returned to camp tired but buzzing with excitement. What a wonderful day.

Today, rest and Ice cream at Dirty Sally's are in order.

Until next time,

Eric

First Post

So here it goes . . . My first encounter with blogging is underway. . .

 I'm sure not many will read this; but it is as much a journal to keep up with my own climbing adventures and progress as it is for others' perusing. Entries will be about various things in my climbing life; from training methods to trip reports. 

A little background on myself: I have been climbing for about two years and absolutely love it. I am no mutant climber and was not able to pull V9s after a month of climbing. However, through borderline obsessive training and a whole lot of clippin bolts outside, I have been able to manage a route or two that has at least some degree of difficulty. I climb at the Circuit bouldering gym during the 9 months of depressing Portland rain each year and outdoors whenever it's nice.

Today, Jessi and I have departed on the 11 hour drive from Portland to Bozeman Montana. As of now, we have made it as far as the Hyundai dealership in Gresham. We are waiting for the mechanic to finish changing the oil in our vehicle so the trip can finally get started for real. The final destination is Ten Sleep Wyoming with the aim of pulling on some supposed great limestone pockets. I'll check back in with updates whenever service is available.

Here's a pretty picture to look at  compliments of Greg K