Long Tall Sally, Knight's Move and White Wall

With Weather being so nice, I couldn't resist getting out. Me and Andy left Walsall about 9.00am and headed to Burbage. After writing the blog post about using your head to climb harder, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to put a few of the strategies in to practice. In Particular - separating outcome and happiness; today I was going to be happy with just being out, it didn't matter what I climbed.  I still had the desire to do a couple of specific routes, but if I didn't it wasn't going to affect if I had a good day or not.

On our arrival we walked over to Knight's Move and and gave it a whirl. I was certainly feeling the pressure on the lead, this route (as well as many others) have been routes on my tick list (list of routes which you want to complete, ticking them off once you have) for years. I had to keep telling myself I was OK, I can do this, it's well within my grasp (no pun intended). Allow positive self talk to be in control, this will allow you to be successful. I topped out, not pumped and feeling pretty cool.  After Andy being in Oz for the last few months, this was his first trip out this year climbing but he held his own and seconded the route. He had a moment on the crux where he tried the move, but didn't make it. Eventually after a few minutes, he got past the crux.  He knew what to do, just didn't want to do it. With trad, this can be very much in our mindset. With each move we make, we move further away from out gear and safety into the unknown. This is why trad climbing, and onsight climbing, can leave you felling very mentally exhausted. By going out and continually putting ourselves in these situations, we get used to the pressure and can therefore cope more easily with it. This then allows us to move forward, increasing our leading grade.

 Topping out on Knights Move, HVS 5a, Burbage North.

After some refreshments (we had only brought half a litre of water between us - not good) we headed down to Long Tall Sally. Again, another route I've wanted to do for a number of years. When we arrived, a few lads were already trying it. They decided to let us have a go as their leader couldn't figure out the start moves.  After making the bottom unnecessarily difficult for myself, I got into a good rest position before trying the crux.  After trying the moves a few times, I eventually got through it. The guide book description of 'requires faith in friction' was certainly correct.  Andy then seconded, again with minimal fuss. He also found the crux moves committing. It's an unusual feeling achieving a goal which you've had for years.It's very rewarding as you've done it, but a little sobering. You ask yourself the question 'Why did I wait so long to do that?'. There is no time like the present, stop saving routes (or other specific goals) for a certain time. Instead get on with it and accept that failure may be an outcome, however you will then know what you need to do to succeed. 

Through the crux moves of Long Tall Sally, E1 5b.

I decided I want a go at the Sentinal (E2 5c). I got to the crux and with failing strength and sweaty fingers I down climbed for a rest. I then decided I didn't fancy it so stripped the route. After making the obligatory excuses (the rock is too hot, I'm tired, I haven't had much water today...) It came down to not feeling that I was strong enough to hold on and chalk up through the crux moves.  I was happy about down climbing it to a point of rest. This can be very important in onsight climbing, making the difference between completing a route and totally blowing it.

Satrting the big, powerful moves at the top of The Sentinal, E2 5c.

Realising I was getting burnt ( in March!) and the lack of fluids, we headed to Hathersage to resupply and decide what to do next.  An ice-cream and J20 later, we were on our way back up the hill to millstone. I was keen for putting a rope down White Wall (E5 6b). I managed the bottom section OK, and worked out the initial moves. The crux is pretty baffling though. You come into two pretty good, if a little slopey, pockets and then make a big move to a crack which is about 3 or feet above your head. I have a move for it but it's really powerful. I'll be back soon to try it again, so watch this space.

Lancashire Limestone

Yesterday me and Hannah made a little trip up Trowbarrow. We got there late afternoon and decided that Jean Jeaine would be the order of the day.  Firstly it's just a quality route, and secondly Hannah didn't have the chance to do it last time. It's certainly a classic VS and I can't recommend it enough. 5 minute walk from the car park as well. Although the route is polished you can't really ask for much more (if you're coming back from the lakes make sure you stop off to tick this one: I promise you wont be disappointed!).

As I'd done it before I knew I'd be fine with it. Felt a lot easier than last time, although I probably should have taken some bigger gear.

Hannah getting a cheeky no hands rest just before the crux.

At the top, easy peasy.

Hannah seconded the route with total ease. You wouldn't think she hadn't been climbing for a while. It's great having her on the other end of the rope, she's really positive and encouraging while I'm leading and I know she'll keep going no mater what! Looking forward to our Dolomites trip together. We decided to call it a day after this as food was awaiting us (Hannah's Mum had kindly offered to cook us Sunday Dinner).  There were a couple of other guys climbing in the same area. The second was unable to get past the crux of A Touch of Class E2 5c.  The leader, Henry, called down and asked if I fancied a go. Of course I said yes. This was a win win situation; it meant he didn't have to abseil to retrieve his gear (abseiling is scary and dangerous despite what many people think) and I got to have a crack at the route. I managed the route and can say it's definitely 5c at the crux (wide overhang crack) but about 4c either side of it. Again another quality route.  Plus it's a lovely place to climb with views out over estuary.

Few photos of the crux moves and the easier slab above. 

Physiotherapy and Climbing while Injured

On Monday I climbed with Joe at MCC. The idea was to get some mileage (lots of routes) in. We only had about an hour and half after the warm up. The target was 10 routes. Quickly upping the grades: 6a, 6b, 6c, 7a, I found that my for arms became very painful. Each time I reached up for a hold a stabbing pain would shoot down my forearm. On my return to terraferma, picking up my t-shirt was extremely painful. Joe wasn't fairing much better, his tendonitis flaring up as well.

I knew straight away that I needed to stop, so we called it a day after 4 routes, not even 50% of what I wanted to get done. This was the perfect time to put some of the mental training that I've written about into practice. Rather than seeing this a negative outcome, I had to look at the positive. Firstly, I'm now at a stage that 6b and 6c feel fairly easy and can certainly onsight at the 6b/6c boundary for sure.  Also it means that once I'm fixed up a little better, it will really give me make me want to push myself to catch up on the training I've missed.  The other aspect which gave me a positive feeling is Dave Macleod blog post.

The meat of the post is about changing ideas about taking a lay-off from climbing while being injured, and that an extended lay-off may cause more damage than good. The injury may require a few days to calm down, but by taking extended periods off we allow the tissue to deteriorate to state which is worse than before.  By allowing an injury to 'sort it self out' we risk having an injury that heals in a very non-uniform manner. This can cause more problems when we start training again. The training we were undertaking has got us to that point so why stop?   Instead we should analyse the reason why we obtained the injury in the first place. This may well come down to some instability or susceptibility which requires training to being out body in to equilibrium.   In order to remedy these problems we should consult someone who know's their stuff: a coach or physio.  Perhaps the key quote which made me get up off my arse and sort it was this

'Be clear that despite it’s psychological challenge for keen sports people, lay-off is in fact the easy option compared to the work and discipline of recovering from an injury without lay-off. '

For once I was going to be proactive in getting this sorted, rather than the usual 'I'll have a week off and see how it is then'. This usually results in the problem going away for a few days then returning when increasing the training volume. Tuesday I phoned SportMed and arranged an appointment with Rich. I've been to SportMed before, and Rich, and they really know their stuff. They actually understand how climbing affects the body and can help (plus MCC members get a discount!).

Yesterday I went for a consultation, the outcome being that I have a closed dysfunction in my neck. Due to some areas in my shoulders being under constant tension (a.k.a. knots in the muscle) some of the vertebra in my neck are under compression. This is compounded when climbing, due to the types of move you make (head up and reaching up high with the hands).  The compression leads to pinching of the nerve and this is why my forearms are so painful.

After some massaging (the type where you come out with bruises afterwards), traction and taping my shoulder to reduce the compression - I was done.  I've been given some exercises to perform to strengthen my posture as well as this won't be helping the situation.

Tried to complete a fingerboard session last night but it was only partially successful. I felt pretty beat up after the physio and got through half the workout. Plus my arms started to hurt again so thought I better ease off.

Climbing this weekend with Hannah. Think we are headed up to hers (lives close to the lakes and has loads of Lancashire limestone on her doorstep)  to see some friends. Thinking we will nip to Trowbarrow and bosh out a few routes I've had my eye on for a while. Hopefully get some pictures up, but a post for sure.

Using Your Head to Climb Harder (Part 1)

Climbing can be broken down into 3 main areas: Technical, Physical and Mental. Most climbers understand that in order to climb at their maximum, they have to train all 3 of these areas. Many climbers place an over importance on the technical and physical training, leaving the mental aspect to its own devices.

By not training the mental aspect of climbing, we are leaving ourselves open to the possibility of continually underachieving. By tackling this facet of climbing with the same determination and time we spend on training to get stronger, for example, we will see a very quick enhancement in our performance. It also allows us to make the most of the technical and physical abilities which we have. Hopefully the rest of this post will give a little insight into how we can start to improve our mental performance and ultimately improve our climbing.

10 Strategies for Improving Performance

As I've mentioned previously, many of these ideas discussed in this blog are not special to climbing. The following 10 strategies are a prime example of this. By using these not only in our climbing, but also in every day life we can start to become more successful.

1. Separation of Performance and Self Image

If a person perceives themselves with a certain self image (e.g. I'm a climber) and they place great importance on that role, then it can begin to have a negative impact on performance. By having this strong tie to a single role or belief, we can start to feel an overwhelming sense that we must perform perfectly every time in order to prove we are worth being in that role and ultimately our own self worth as a person.

An increase in a person’s performance is seen for processes orientated environment as opposed to outcome oriented. By separating self image and climbing performance we can begin to enjoy climbing irrelevant of the outcome. It also reduces the mental pressure and anxiety associated with climbing. This reduces the mental load, giving us more mental capacity to try new ideas or ways of climbing. This is an advantage as it can give us that small edge we may need to work out a crux sequence while climbing for example.

2. A Positive Environment

Each person has the ability to influence their surroundings. The type of influence we have on those surroundings is based upon our personality, mental attitude towards life and our previous life experiences. Those around you are affected by your thoughts and actions and vice versa. The fallout for climbing is that we should try to surround ourselves with buoyant and positive people, as opposed to those with a cynical and negative attitude, or climb alone. Climbing with people who have a downbeat attitude will have negative implications for our climbing, even if we realise it or not. If pushing the envelope of your climbing success is your main goal, take maximum advantage of the collaboration which can be gained by having creative, motivated and positive people around you.

3. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

In order to improve, our goals must exceed our current ability. We must also be willing to push ourselves to new heights of achievement to meet our goals. With-in the climbing framework, this requires us to push past the physical and mental pain we might be in; we must continually confront our fears and continue attempting what may seem impossible given the current situation or set of circumstances. This will cause our perceptions to continually evolve and the impossible will become possibly.

4. Take a Proactive Role in Risk Management

Climbing is inherently risky, this one of the reasons many of us climb. In order to push our grade it will require us to take on more risk. These risks can come from the obvious physical danger, taking a ground fall for example, or the less obvious mental risks such as failure, criticism or embarrassment.

To overcome these risks we must objectively assess the level of risk associated with a certain climb. By doing this with time on our side, we can have strategies in place to lower or cope with the risk (taking more gear for a route to reduce the likelihood of injury). To lower the mental risks we can use separation of performance and self image as mentioned above.

5. Increase Your Level of Self-Confidence

Our level of self-confidence is determined by our self-image and the thoughts which are continually running through our minds. Thoughts relating back to a previous poor performance or negatively loaded self talk such as I can’t, don’t, impossible and try lower our self-confidence and are the offspring of failure. By focussing on previous positive outcomes and successes we can increase our level of self confidence. Actually try visualizing the success - how did it feel to succeed and the empowerment of positive action. By reliving successes, both climbing and non-climbing, on a day to day basis we can start to reshape and reinforce our own self-confidence.

6. Get into ‘The Zone’

The Zone is the mental state whereby everything comes together and everything feels effortless. The skill comes in being able to achieve this state of mind like the flick of a switch. Again the way to achieve this is to use a previous experience where you were in the zone. This experience can be anything; it doesn’t need to be climbing related. For me there are certain songs which I have mentally anchored to specific events. On hearing the song, it transports be back to that event and I can be there again. If you have been climbing for a number of years, there will no doubt be at least 1 day where you had this feeling of being in zone. Visualize this moment and make a short mental movie of the stand out points from that day; ensure the movie is crisp and clear. To enter the zone replay that movie with those highlights, allowing the feelings of total calm to wash over you as you felt that day. You are now in ‘The Zone’. Experiment with different mental images and anchors until you find one which suits you best.


7. Ritulise Your Climbing

The rituals we go through before a climbing can greatly effect the outcome of a climb.  If we have poor foundations we can expect a poor performance.  The type of foundation you lay (soft or hard) is a result of your pre-climb rituals.  These include all the things which we do to prepare for a climb such as warming up, scoping the route out, visulizing the sequence, the order we tie in and put our shoes on. Every little detial can effect the outcome. Again by thinking back to prvious events and the rituals we performed on that day, we can repeat these and increase our chance of sucess. By performing these rituals everytime we climb, they will be come engrained and we will be in a positive mental state, ready to succeed at the climb.

8. Stress and Tensions - Take back Control

This is a key strategy as tensions leads to failure. Tension and stress bore away from the inside and are shown in the emotions and actions which we display. Everyone has seen a tense and stressed out climber, with their high levels of emotion being clearly displayed. Trying to use negative emotion as a fuel for success is highly likely to lead to failure. Taking a step back and few deep breaths, along with a positive mental mantra will greatly improve your chance of success.


In order to reduce tension and stress, we must continually listen to our bodies. By feeling the small increases in stress and tension levels, we can stop them becoming a limiting factor in our climbing and in our lives - this is a 24/7 battle and we can win. Here are 6 Easy steps to help in this continual fight against stress and tension

1. Attempt to have an awareness of small rises in the level of rising tension, controlling them before they gambol out of control.

2. Take a few deep breaths to calm your breathing, and then allow your subconscious to take control.

3. Be observant of any areas of muscular tension, on feeling this relax and allow the tension to escape like air from a balloon.

4. Allow a wave of relaxation to wash over you from head to toe.

5. Remove all thoughts of the past or future; these thoughts will sabotage your mental and physical excellence. Now refocus on the present and climbing.

6. Adjust your posture, smile and crush your route like the Zen Master you are!

9. Make Use of Positive Self-Talk


An individuals self-talk can greatly affect the outcome of a certain situation.  We can think about having two voices inside our heads, critical and proactive, which are in constant chatter to one another. Certain situations require that we listen to the critical voice (evaluation of performance and weaknesses), but the proactive voice is the voice of change. It keeps us moving forward in a positive manner and as a result will allow us to produce our best performance.  By having control over this self talk, we can control our attitude and ultimately our climbing.
The question is which train of thought do you follow? It may be difficult to know this, as the level of self talk may be so intense that it may not be easily discernible.  Despite this difficulty, by listening to yourself for a few days you will soon come to realise which voice is leading your mind - especially while your climbing.
Your current style of self-talk will be based upon your upbringing and those around you. Those who grew up with complaining parents will most likely be complainers themselves and as such, will gravitate towards complainers.  By becoming aware of your self-talk, you can start to control it and use it to turn the negative into the positive. When the critical voice steps forward with 'this route is impossible', adjust it to something positive 'this route is really challenging'. Change 'this is scary' to this is 'exciting'. By having a handle on your self-talk, both while climbing and not, you will become one step closer to being a master achiever.

10. The Independence of Happiness.


Being happy should not be based upon situations or outcomes. True winners have great levels of fortitude with respect to bad results and criticism. They truly believe that they will attain success provided with enough time, effort and patience. By having fun (the reason we first started to climb), we can overcome the barriers which face us, such as poor technique or a lack of strength. By removing the conditional aspect we place on climbing (I'm only happy if I'm winning) we can start to have fun no matter the outcome, we will then find the outcome we desire comes much quicker.

The above ideas are covered in Eric Horst's Book Training for Climbing. They are also talked about in various other books and articles online. If your looking for a more general approach to these ideas about mental training, I find the framework of NLP very good. Joseph O'Conner's book, Coaching with NLP: How to be a Master Coach gives a great account of using NLP techniques to start achieving those things you always thought impossible.


Don't forget, we need to train our minds just as much we do our fingers!
             

Climbing Explained

A little bit of side note for those reading this blog who aren't climbers, I've realised that I'm using a fair few technical terms and describing things from a climbers viewpoint so it might not make much sense - sorry about that! The idea of the blog is to give both climbers and non-climbers an idea of what it takes to improve in climbing, what it feels like to succeed and fail, and how you move on from these points. Although all these ideas are wrapped up in a climbing framework I know they can be applied to any aspect of our lives and will give some success!

So before I go any further a few things I should probably explain.

Trad (traditional climbing): This type of climbing involves at least two climbers - leader and second. The leader will be the climber who attempts to climb the route/pitch first, the second will belay the leader (feed rope out, hold a fall, shout encouragement, moan that it's taking the leader too long and they are getting cold,...) then follow after the leader has got to the top.  In order to make the climb safe, the leader has to place protection (bits of metal generally) into the rock, using the natural shape and features (such as cracks) of the rock.  Should the leader then fall at any point, the last piece of protection will protect him against falling to ground (hopefully). Once the leader has got to the top of the climb, the second will come up the route (the leader now belays the second), taking out the protection.The second is protected by virtue of having a rope above them.  This process can then be repeated numerous times to finish a climb. The length between two belays is known as a pitch and repeating this process many times up a wall or face is known as a multi-pitch.

The routes are then graded based on the following: the amount of protection, how good that protection is (likely hood of holding a fall or stopping you hitting the floor) and the difficultly of the hardest move/set of moves. The grades have two parts in British trad climbing. The adjectival grade (overall danger of the climb) and the technical grade (difficulty of the hardest move, or sequence of moves without consideration of the danger or the stamina needed if there are several such sequences in a row). 


The technical grades are open ended but generally only start at 3c/4a. These go 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c, 5a,.....7b.
The adjectival grades are:

• Easy (rarely used)
• Moderate (M, or "Mod")
• Difficult (D, or "Diff")
• Hard Difficult (HD, or "Hard Diff" - sometimes omitted)
• Very Difficult (VD, or "V Diff")
• Hard Very Difficult (HVD, or "Hard V Diff" - sometimes omitted)
• Mild Severe (MS)
• Severe (S)
• Hard Severe (HS)
• Mild Very Severe (MVS)
• Very Severe (VS)
• Hard Very Severe (HVS)
• Extremely Severe (E1, E2, E3, ...E11)

Sport climbing: In this type of rock climbing the climber is not required to place protection. The protection comes in the form of large expansion bolts, or ring bolts, which the climber places a quickdraw in.  Although this type of climbing is seen as 'safe' there are still some dangers, but these are greatly reduced when compared to trad. Sport climbs in the UK are graded using the French grading system. This grade, often prefixed with the letter F, gives the overall technical difficulty and strenuousness of a particular route. The grading system starts at 1 and currently goes up to 9b+. Most climbs in in the UK start around 4 and continue as such: 4+, 5, 5+, 6a, 6a+, 6b....8c+/9a.  

There are numerous grading systems for other climbing areas around the world and other aspects of climbing (e.g bouldering, big wall or aid). Some idea of how they compare can be taken from the Rock Fax guide

Trad vs Sport. Trad climbing is very demanding mentally, it requires a calm approach in order to rationalise the danger that the climber is faced with. Usually the climber knows that small sections of the climb will be hard (crux sections) but will be interspersed with easier sections having larger holds (jugs) where some form of rest can be gained. Sport climbing on the other hand is very physical, routes tend not to have so many easy sections and are physically demanding from the bottom to the top. The mental aspect comes from staying focused on a redpoint attempt and not get frustrated if you fail or cannot work out a sequence (easier said than done).     

The grades given to a trad climb are for the onsight style of ascent.  There are varying styles of ascent for any given climb these are:

Onsight: climber has no prior knowledge of the climb other than the guidebook description (gives a description of the climb and the grade of the climb) and what can be seen from the bottom. 

Ground up: A climber attempts the onsight but fails. They return to the ground and pull the rope through (so they are no longer protected by their previous highest point of protection). They then start again, reclipping any protection.

Flash/Beta-flash: If a climber has prior knowledge of the route (Beata: moves, sequence, protection) and then climbs the route. This information may be due to seeing someone else climb the route or having been given beta about the route, but not having themselves climbed the route before.

Redpoint: In sport climbing a climber may work a route with aid of top rope (see the image below). This allows the climber to practice the moves and sequence of the route until they know them very well. Once the sequence of moves has been determined and memorised, they will attempt the route from the ground clipping in the quickdraws as they go without the aid of a top rope.

      

Here we see a climber climbing a route using a top rope. The rope is attached to the top of the climbing, using a carabiner, and the climber attaches themselves to the one end. The other end is attached to a belayer. They then use a 'belay device' to pull the rope through the attachment point at the top of the climb. This allows the climber to practice without the risk of falling very far. 

Head-pointing: a mix of trad climbing and sport climbing techniques. The climber will work (practice) the moves on a trad climb in order to determine the sequence of moves. Once all the moves have been practiced and done in one consecutive go from the bottom (linked), then the climber attempts to climb the route without the aid of a top rope.  Climbers may wish to place protection either before leading the route with the aid of top rope, or place the protection whilst on the lead.  

So what does this 'gear' look like? Image on the left is of a 'nut' placement in a crack. The wire which loops through 'nut' can then be clipped with a quick draw, shown in the image on the right. The rope is then clipped through this quick-draw and this offers the leader protection.

The protection for sport routes is shown below. The climber places the quick draw through the bolt, these have been drilled in to the wall and glued in, and then clips the rope through the quickdraw.

Hopefully that will clear up some of the technical stuff I talk about. I'll try and add some more posts about various aspects of climbing, training techniques, and the hold types which I talk about along with pictures or videos. They do say a picture paints a thousand words! I'll also add a post about belaying as this is an important part of any climbing team.

Consenting Adults.

A distinct lack of posting has been due to work becoming the main focus for a few days with a submission deadline looming.  So I didn't get any more training in at the wall after Tuesdays session either.  That being said, I was still mentally training, every moment I had free I was running through the moves on consenting, each time thinking what it was going to feel like on Sunday.

Again I made sure I had an early night, giving myself the best chance of success. Picked Joe, Tom and Chi up (minus his lunch for the day - numpty!). The weather was pretty awesome and I felt pretty relaxed. I knew the moves I just needed to do it.

Unlike last week we weren't the first at the crag (we weren't even the second) despite the early arrival.  Not surprising considering it was a Sunday and the weather looked half decent.  It turned out to be a pretty warm day; the down jackets and numerous layers we'd all brought certainly being overkill.

After some warming up the theraband we got in the queue for consenting. I felt pretty nervous at this point. With so many people wanting to get on it what if I couldn't do it, people would be getting pissed with me hanging about trying to get up the thing. The doubts started to creep in, maybe I should let these other folks go, they were just using it as a warm up route. I could wait for them, and the others then get on it. What about if I did get up it but I didn't look solid - they'd know I wasn't really a 7a climber....Fuck that actually, I've rested for the last 4 days, I've slept well, I've been going over the moves all week. I can do this, I'm strong enough, I can do this. And so what if I blow it, they can wait - I have just as much right to be here as them. So what if I wobble my way up it, the key to success is failure, if I don't do it now I never will! Stop thinking so much about them and focus on what you want!

I gave Joe a belay to put the draws in. I used this to watch Joe and see the moves again worried that I had been confusing the moves all week. I hadn't, which was a relief.

The adrenaline was pumping now. With an elevated heart rate and feeling a shaky I tied in . I get this with trad at times, but this is usually due to the scare factor (falling and the gear ripping and hitting the ground). With sport climbing this fear factor is reduced; the fear is now about blowing the redpoint having built myself up to this point all week.  One final look, and one final 'you can do this' and I was off.

Small crimp with the right hand, sidepull with the left, move up to the Jug and clip the first bolt.  Chalk up and chill out (don't over grip Jay - you'll pump out). Match the jug and make the second clip. Now go: gaston with the left, hight right foot, straight up to the pinch with the right. Get the next side pull, don't hang around here. Over the bulge with the right, straight arm and clip the next bolt. Go again to the next Jug. Chalk up and shake out again you've got this Jay, just take it easy and breath. Go again, sidepull with the right again, good footholds and all the way up to the spike and another rest. Make the clip, good side pull with the right, crappy sidepull with the left, another high foot into the massive under cut and clip the chains. Consenting done, BOOM! Warm-up, 1st route of the day, 1st 7a. And it felt good, I felt good, that's how it was supposed to feel.

I'd been thinking about the above sequence all week, and it had paid off.  Joe gave me loads of encouragement all the way so thanks to him as well! Also for asking me to Malham the week before and just generally being a good guy to climb with. Don't under estimate having someone with the right attitude about you when you want to achieve your goals!

It's hard to describe the relief and elation of ticking a goal which I've had for years. Climbing 7a always seemed so far off and yet here I was, at Malham, having ticked one after 1 session working it. It wasn't about being some extra special climber or having some secret. I had to stop making excuses about why I couldn't do it and just get out there and try one. Think of reasons why you can do something, not why you can't.

I had a go at Rose Coronary, another 7a, but couldn't figure out the crux sequence. Worked it for the rest of the day but didn't make much progress on it. I probably wasn't giving it my all if I'm being honest.  I could have got it as it's a little easier than consenting, just a few hard crux moves and it's done. I think I was still enjoying the fact I ticked one 7a to be to bothered about getting another. I was just enjoying the moment and not beating myself up that I couldn't get it.


Where next then? Well start consolidating 7a's so that I can say I'm a 7a climber.  Malham has plenty so I'll keep working those for time being. Kilnsey will soon be ready to climb at so there a more routes there at the 6c/7a grade range.

Weather permitting I'm going trad climbing next weekend so I've got a few routes in mind, will post with a list of what  soon! My shunt turned up last week so if I can't find anyone to climb with at the weekend I'm going to get out and start working some E5/6s

The main point of the last few weeks is this - get out there! Training is an important part of climbing, but don't forget that it's just that: training. The climbing wall is a great place to get strong and fit, but if you have dream routes or a tick list then get out there and try them! If they seem so far away that it's not worth trying then try other routes that will help you progress towards that goal.  I have made excuses and held myself back for years, yesterday I took one step towards pushing myself on and to achieving what I really want from climbing.

Although this blog is about climbing, all the ideas and concepts transfer to any aspect of our lives. If we allow our worries and fears to dictate play we will never achieve what we are truly capable of. If we instead understand that these fears are only normal (most people are worried about failing) and that we can use them to our advantage, then we can all achieve more than we thought possible.Just remember, failure is the key to success!





   

   

1 Day, 6 Problems, 76 V-Points - Woods you Beast.

Daniel Woods was at the Hueco Rock Rodeo recently and won by notching up a rather impressive 76 V-points.   In other words: two V14s (8B+), one V13 (8B), two V12s (8A+) and a V11 (8A) - impressive stuff!

       


Should be interesting now that he's decided to give sport climbing a serious go!

No climbing yesterday due to a communication breakdown with Steve. Finger board session tonight, psyched for a beasting!

Flash - a-ah - saviour of the universe!

Down at MCC again yesterday to climb with Danny. After the usual warm up routine, lead a 5+, 6a, and then onto a 7a. Not the best warm up I've ever done, feeling pretty boxed by the 4th clip. I then proceeded to take a few falls. This was the first time I'd climbed with Danny and it's always good to know your belayer has got you.

For the next few routes I eased it off, onsighting a new 6b which has just been put up.  MCC have recently started turning over routes at a rapid pace. This is really good as you don't get board but it also gives you a little bit of a kick up the arse to get your projects done!

Danny had a go at a new 7a; on his return to the ground he said what a really good route it was so I had a crack. Two thirds of the way up I hadn't fallen off, one more move to go and a jug to shake out on. Clipping from the wrong position, locked off with the left hand, I couldn't make the move and was off. After that I got the rest to the top.  Despite being tired from Monday's session I was still climbing OK and nearly got the flash! Not the saviour of the universe but, I feel like I'm improving. Did a few more routes and then called it a day as my elbows were starting to give me some real pain. Did a few more routes and then called it a day as my elbows were starting to give me some real pain.

Being more critical, I'm still over gripping and I need to think more about my breathing. I'm holding my breath too much; this feeds in to me over gripping as I'm getting all tense. I also need to practice on some easier climbs, or my warm ups, really getting my body position in the right place to made the most of a hold.

I think I've finally got over the mental barrier about 7a which I mentioned previously. I'm sure there are many out there who don't understand what that is, as they have just got on with it (the way it's supposed to be done), but I'm also sure there are just as many who have this same feeling. Either way, if you want to climb 7a (or any other grade) then get out there and try one! Don't worry if you fall off, keep working it, figuring out the moves and it will come.

Another aspect which I'm getting more used to is falling. I'm going to write a post about this later this week (Saturday) as it's a really important part of your climbing to train, which most people (me included) don't integrate enough into their training!

Climbing again today with Steve, going to attempt to repeat Mondays session, fingers crossed I'm not too tired!

Pyramid Session

Really good session at Manchester climbing centre (MCC) last night with Steve. Did a pyramid of routes (sort of)

Warm up - star jumps to increase HR and use theraband to warm up muscles. Finger flicks and gentle stretching. Still feeling sore from Saturday at Malham , certainly in the deltoids from all those side pulls.

Main Session: 6a, 6a+, 6b, 6c, 6b+, 6c, 6b+, 6b, 6a climb/down climb

Finished off with stretching.

Of the 8 routes climbed, 2x6c (onsighted 1, flashed the other) and 1x6b (onsighted) were new. My foot work seemed better and I'm now taking some falls. This means I'm now climbing until I'm too pumped to climb any more or when I've totally cocked up the sequence! 

Pleased with above session, climbed on walls which I usually shy away from. They are much shorter but a little more powerful, with more emphasis on your good footwork to get over the overhangs. 

Today's plan is to get as many different routes climbed as possible (length and angle of terrain). 

  

UKC Fit Club

Posted some goals to a UKC forum thread today, the aim of the thread is:

UKC Fit Club is not a substitute for a training diary but to use with ( or without ) it as a motivational tool for all.

For those wanting to find out more about training for climbing a number of physical training articles here:http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=274502
and here:http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,16421.msg287007/topicseen.html#new

A new thread is posted each week on Sunday for anyone to jot down their previous week's activity, noting goals, successes and failures and to swap ideas.

Anyone interested in starting is very welcome but you should aim to post each week, every week, however little or much you have done. By making such a regular public record of your activities and by restating your goals every week this new habit will hopefully improve your training habits to help achieve your goals whatever the level of your chosen activity.My goals are:

VSTG (1 week): Redpoint Consenting adults (7a), increase milage at wall (lead at least 10 routes persession, 3x6b,3x6b+, 2x6c, 2x6c+). Complete finger boad session

STG (3-6 weeks): consolidate HVS/E1 grade lead 20-30 routes. Tick at least 5x7a's while in El Chorro (10th-17th April)

MTG (6-12 weeks):     Headpoint 5xE4, onsight 20xE2/1, readpoint 4x7a/7a+.
LTG (12-24 weeks):   Onsight 20xE2/3, headpoint 10xE4 and 5xE5/6
VLTG (MAX 1 Year):  Onsight/Ground-up London Wall (E5 6b) at Milstone.

Hopefully by posting here, as well as writing the blog, it should help with both goal setting and achieveing those goals. Writing goals down, or making them public, can help to make them  more real. I've read some information on this from ideas based on NLP (neuro lingustic programming) as well as other areas so I'll try and put a post up about goal setting etc this week.

Not Quite Consenting Adults

Malham Cove: Consenting Adults F7a **  

12m. A popular route past the protruding lump. If you push on past two extra bolts above the lower-off, then you've done Thriller, 7c+. © ROCKFAX 

First trip to Malham yesterday. Me, Ste and Joe, made an early start getting to the crag for about 9.30am. An early night was had to ensure a fresh and fit feeling for the day. Walking in a huge limestone cove rears up before you, a natural amphitheatre where there are some of the most classic Bristish sport climbs.

The worry was that I just wasn't going to be able to touch consenting; was I just dreaming - 7a? 'Perhaps I should have given it a miss and gone out to the peak, I know I can climb there. Too late now, your here.'

Joe gets on to put the draws in, gets to 3rd bolt and he's off. Ste gets on, same place as Joe and lobs off. I'm thinking, well both these boys have done it before and they're climbing 7b's and 7b+'s indoors, this is going to be a waste of a day!  Then Joe gets back on romps through his previous high point to the next bolt, only for me to shout 'I think you've left you quick draws'. After some girly throwing from Ste, and a draw in the stream that runs below Malham, Joe clips the chains. Ste next, and with little effort and a lot of style, clips the chains as well.

Now it was my turn, but on a top rope. This was to be my first experience of Malham, and a day of red-pointing.  Red-pointing is where a climber top ropes a route (head-pointing if it's a trad route) until all the moves all linked and then the route is lead.  The term comes from the German Rotpunkt (point of red). Kurt Albert, a famous climber from the 1970s, used to place a red X below routes in the Frankenjura which he had yet to complete. After completeing the route he would place a red dot, or point, below the X to say he had complted it; hence redpoint.

First go, I can't even figure out the start.  I slowly, and thugishly, make my way to the first crux. From some jugs you make a big move out left to a good crimp. With you left hand on this go over the top with your right to a small 2 finger and thumb pinch.  Left hand up to a good side pull, move your feet up and lay off the side pull, go into a another good crimp with your right hand onto a bulge and match on a less positive crimp with your left. Then go up to some more jugs. After 20 minutes on this section I at least knew where the holds were. And so this process continuted until, after about 30 minutes, I got to the top.

On my return to the ground, I speak to Joe and Ste, get some more beta (information about the moves and sequence) and some areas where I might be going wrong. The obvious thing is my feet!  Unlike the grit you cant just stand anywhere, there are specific positions for your feet. I wasn't using these footholds to maximum advantage and as such, I was just pulling my way up the route. No wonder I was so pumped!

This process of top roping the route carried on all day, while Ste and Joe tried other routes. By the end of the day I had almost got it linked, falling off the top move again due to some poor footwork.  I was certainly beat, but I had made plenty of progress.  

On reflection what have I got out of the day?  Well firstly was that this sport stuff is pretty good fun. I've always been a little against, or apprehensive, of sport climbing as I thought it would make me less bold or less able to get on the lead of trad climb. I was also worried about being crap, sticking with what I knew and was able to do (climb on grit). In sport the possibility of a ground fall, or gear ripping, is greatly reduced in comparison to trad climbing. However, provided you keep going out and climbing trad routes then loosing your head shouldn't be a problem! Sport allows you to push yourself to your physical limit with the mental aspect coming down to controlling the pressure of the red-point attempt.

Secondly that I'm stronger than I thought I was, the problem is that I'm wasting that strength. I'm over gripping, holding on as hard as I can. This isn't necessary, only do it on the small holds and through the crux.  Ste said he's seen me doing my fingerboard workouts and it's obvious I have plenty of strength I'm just not making the most of it through poor footwork and over gripping.

For a number of years, I've thought that 7a is some mystical number. That getting to 7a requires some magical formula or some super human strength, which I don't have and won't ever get.  Yesterday I found out that climbing 7a requires you to get out and try to climb a 7a, if you never get out and try one how will you know what it feels like. My initial concern slowly faded away as I made progress.   

I'm going back to Malham next weekend with Joe to get Consenting ticked! I think I might have been bitten by the sport bug?

As a side note. I actually ate and drank some fluids yesterday at the crag and it seemed to help. I could repeatedly try the moves and not feel totally battered after 1 go. I also had a big meal afterwards to replenish. Although I feel sore today I could go climbing again.  I think you can probably get away without eating while at the crag but fluids are essential. Also don't underestimate the importance of having a good nights sleep. 

More training next week; Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. I'm trying to get my body used to climbing on consecutive days in time for Spain. It's getting there but still plenty to be done before the 10th of April. My goal of ticking a 7a in El Chorro seems more than doable now so long as I keep up the good work! 

 

Stevie Hurricane Haston

Check out Stevie's blog for some invaluable advice, then get out there!

Warm Up You Wolly!

Going to cover a few things in the post, firstly what I did and then some interesting observations about training.

Bouldering session today. I arrived late, rushed my warm up to catch up with the rest of the guys and start cranking the problems they were making up.  Result: elbows screaming with pain with-in about 30 mins. Lesson: don't rush your warm up.  This may seem obvious but the number of people I see at the wall who turn up and jump straight on is unbelievable.

A warm up is just as essential as having strong fingers.  Other sports do it so why is climbing any differen? It's not; it may even be more import due to the small muscles and high levels of stress experienced on the joints and ligaments. I think there is a certain dogma associated with warming up - it seems to serious or focused for many but see how serious a torn pulley is - you'll wished you warmed up properly!

A General Warm-up: Firstly raise the heart rate; skipping, running, star jumps, etc. 5 mins is sufficient to raise the core body temperature and increase blood flow; 15 mins will do this and aid in your performance. To warm up the fingers I use finger curls - with arms relaxed by your sides, open and close the fingers going from a closed fist to fully stretched out fingers (get the rate right by imaging your are trying to flick water from your finger tips). 40-50 reps is enough.  Next  I use a thera-band and perform various exercises. These are great to give you a little resistance (they come in 8 levels of resistance) and isolate the larger muscles you use for climbing (trapezius, deltoids, triceps, biceps, etc.). Finally I perform some light stretching, both upper and lower body.

Next is the climbing specific part of the warm up. Again I see a number of people get on a route or problem and pull there way up not giving much consideration to the way they move.  "Who cares", I here you cry, "I just want to climb!".

There are some distinct advantages to a climbing specific warm up. It not only continues to get the muscles ready (increased blood flow) but allows you to practice moving with good technique. Many climbers realise the importance of having good technique, but there is no point practising it while your at your limit. During the warm up you can really focus on certain aspects of your climbing technique, allowing your full mental capacity to be used.  This builds up climbing specific schema's about the way your body moves and reacts. These are then embedded in to your sub-concious (similar to the programs that run in the back-ground on your PC).

For example, if your foot work is poor, then get on a problem with large foot and hand holds. Ensure you place your foot carefully on each foot hold, this can be done by hovering your foot over the hold for a few seconds before placing it. You'll know that your foot work is improving once you stop banging your feet.  You can make this more difficult by placing a specific part of your climbing shoe onto the hold.  All this should be done on problems or routes which are well with-in your grade. Your brain will then have a schema in place for accurate foot work. This allows you to focus on climbing hard as opposed to actively thinking about technique.

Side note. These types of drills can form the basis of an entire session and would recommend that are if your a beginner or know you have poor technique. It's all very well being strong but if your technique is poor you'll be wasting that strength!

Once I've increased my heart rate (5-15 mins), stretched, warmed up fingers, larger muscles groups and performed some climbing specific drills, I'm ready to start increasing the intensity.

Here endth the lesson.

With my elbows screaming I decided to stop bouldering and perform a finger board session instead.  I find it less stressful on my elbows and shoulders.  I've been using the beastmaker boys training plan (aimed at climbers around font 6c) along with a beastmaker 2000.  I've been doing this for about 2-3 weeks now ( I have a training diary which I jot down all my sessions in). The outcome of today is that over-all I can hold the smaller (not smallest) pockets and edges.

So what were there interesting points to note about this evening. Firstly the warm up - you get such peculiar looks. People are there to 'climb', what this warming up malarkey - leave that for the main stream sports. I'm not sure if that is the thought process but typically during a session I probably see about 10 people (around 60 or 70 there this evening) that do any kind of targeted warm up.

Next is, if your in pain stop what your doing, I'm all for the no pain, no gain adage but I think you need to listen to your body. The caveat to this is, don't use it as an excuse, there is a difference between being in serious physical pain and just stopping because something is hard, or your not great at it right now! Your subconcious will tend to find the easiest way out of a situation, one which is more likely to produce a positive outcome. Failure can be difficult to stomach, but continued failure is the road to success.

The final point of interest relates back to the first.  When I do my finger board sessions, I have a little table and each exercise written down and during the rest periods (I time everything on a stop watch) I put down what I could do and anything which I found hard, easy, couldn't even touch etc. A number of opinions were overheard the general 3 being: (1) what's the point, that's not climbing; (2) I'm not really in to all that training; (3)  He's a little serious isn't he?

(1) I agree that a fingerboard session isn't climbing, the best way to train for climbing is to climb. But it is a good way of increasing the training load and should be done in addition to climbing. It benefits people who are time constrained and those who have been climbing for a sufficient amount of time. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for a beginner as it's very intensive on your finger tendons and joints, which are not well developed in beginners.

(2) Fair enough if it's not your bag, but training can be great fun!  You can see yourself improve and start climbing some of those routes you never thought possible. If it's because your worried about failing then don't be, failure is your friend when it comes to training. Once your integrate failure into your routine you can systematically eradicate the errors you make - the outcome is improvement and success.

(3) Yes I am. I used to be embarrassed about training (and climbing in general), worried that people may think that I wasn't a good enough climber to be training; I wasn't onsighting 8a so why do I need to train? If you allow another persons limiting beliefs (beliefs they have about their ability to succeed) then you too will be doomed to long term failure. How to overcome it though? As with any fear you have to face it. Go and climb and get used to people making comments or trying to discourage you from climbing, either head-on or gradually.

If all that still sound's too serious then I think that's cool as well. Some people are genuinely happy just being comfortable where they are.  If any of the above strikes a cord in you then get out there! It certainly did with me, I've just tried to to tell myself that I'm happy being where I am - I'm not so it's time to start failing!

Climbing again tomorrow, will post outcomes (should be shorter!)

P.S. I'm not a coach and I'm not trained or qualified in climbing coaching. All the above information is what I've gleaned from reading over the years (books, DVDs, online articles) and my personal experience. I hope it's helpful, one way or another.  

Keen Bean

Quick update: Going to Malham this weekend with a few lads from the climbing wall, should be good, I'm keen to get on a 7a and see how the training is going. I'm off to El Chorro on April 10th and I want to tick at least one 7a, red-point or onsight. Onsighting it would be mega cool but I'm not putting to much on it, I'll just be pleased with getting one ticked.

Wall session this evening, break down is:

Warm up (15-30 mins): increase heart rate with star jumps ( look's silly but really helps with preventing flash pump) and thera-band work. Gentle stretching of forearms, neck shoulders and fingers.

Lead 10 routes ( 1.5 hrs): Lead 5+/6a, 6a+, 6b+, 6c (fell off), 6a, 6c ( 1/3 completed) finished on 6a, 6a+.
so that's only 7. Probably could have done 3 more around 6a.

I found that I'm fine if I have plenty of rest (know this from previous sessions), or if the climbing is not sustained then I can climb a few 6b+s. But if I just alternate with climbing partner (rest time of around 5 mins) then I'm boxed.

There are two options: 3x3s or do another 10 routes, 8 at 6b/+ and at least 2 at 6c.  The 3x3s are explained in Robbie Phillips' Article on UKC. Either way I'm getting about the same volume but I think the 3x3s are probably more beneficial, they're just really hard but - no pain no gain.

Although I'm just starting this blog I've been training on and off for the last couple of months (beastmaker board sessions, circuits and leading). Before that I'd had a lay off of around 3-4 months with a A4 pulley injury (there's a good review of pulley injuries on Dave MacLeod's blog ).  On my return to climbing, leading a 5+ was hard work both physically and mentally. After 2 months I'm at 6b+, knocking on 6c with my sights firmly set on 7a so I'm pretty pleased with progress but, I also know that if I want to achieve my goal then lots more needs to be done.

Climbing again tomorrow (circuits or finger board session) and Thursday (routing).  Will let you know how it goes and post the workout's I've done.

Any feedback is appreciated!
 
  

Millstone, London Wall, E5 6a.

Following on from yesterday - why is this route in particular the goal. On the 2nd January 2011 me a couple of mates headed up to a very cold Millstone, about -3 Deg. C. The main objective: to dispatch Great North Road (HVS 5a). After boasting that I would have no problem with the route I now had to put my money where my mouth was. I had wanted to tick the route for a number of years, endlessly looking at the guide book description and trying to imagine how it would feel. After a play about on Embankment 2 (VS 4c) we walked over.

That day, I was totally calm and relaxed and it showed in my climbing, cruising to the top and feeling pretty damn pleased with myself. After waiting a while for my second (standing still for 40 mins and cold rock make for slow progress), we called it a day due to the cold.

During the obligatory post climbing pint, I hinted that if I could cruise GNR like that then who knows, maybe London wall would be easy. In retort a friend said I was living in a dream world, I'd have to be 'really good' to bag that one. It was only a joke but I thought 'f**k you man - what's stopping me?". And so it began.

Since then I haven't really done very much about, until now - hence the blog! During that year I've had to change my mental attitude towards climbing and myself as a climber. I'll write some posts about this later on. So is it possible to go from HVS to E5 in 12 months whilst also trying to get a PhD, and generally doing all the stuff live throws at you? Well there is only one way to find out! Watch this space...

                                         London Wall E5 6a, Millstone Edge, Peak District
                                                             (Image taken from UKC User James Oswald)

What's It All About?

So a little background. I'm 25 and I've been climbing for about 7 years and over the next 12 months I'd really like to be able to on-sight at E5.  Possibly a crazy idea when you consider the fact that at moment that I'm only an HVS leader. A saying I keep in mind when I think that I'm just being over ambitious is 'Shoot for the stars, you might just land on the moon'.

So that's where I am and this blog is about where I want to be and what I'm doing to get there. Hopefully it will be useful to others out there that want to improve and it will help me keep myself accountable. It may even be a inspiration to a few people to get out there and really push themselves to their limit.

"So why E5" I hear you ask? As with any sport, or hobby, there are always certain goals which hold a special place in your mind. For games like football it's playing for a certain team, or your country.  For me that special goal is being able to walk up to the bottom of London Wall, at Millstone in the Peak District, and on-sight it with no dramas - or in climbing talk 'cruise it!'. I'll cover the reasons why at a later date, why that route and why it has made me want to take this path, but for now you know who I am and where I want to be.