Vegan Climbing

[Dave Noisy]

Wow - the new gym sounds AMAZING!!!!!

Climbing here has been good, i've just about cleaned my first 11a, i'm finding a big difference between 10c's and 11a's is that there is less and less room for bad form, and the movements become VERY specific.

While on a 10c i can see a few ways to do some spots, it seems the 11's have ONE way, unless you want to suffer. ;)

I've figured out a neat trick for figuring out tough spots: climb it backwards (ie, "down") if you're having trouble figuring out how to get up it the 'right' way. On one climb, this made it obvious what i was missing.

Another tip: use ALL the footholds!! At the 11 level, there aren't any superfluous ones! On the same 11a as above, i discovered that using the two footholds i was skipping made ALL the difference in making it climbable. =)

Most of you prolly already know all this, but i just made these discoveries.

[tyson]

What goes on at a competition? I don't think i really want to ever go to one, but curious how it goes.. Time-based? Obviously no falls?

dave,
here are a couple links for comps. first one is the usaclimbing website. it has a bunch of info about the different series here in the usa. also a link to the rule book which will give you a better idea of different formats for different events. we are trying to make it more consistent with the IFSC rules for each event but really it is hard to do when you are dealing with so many youth events. http://usaclimbing.net/home.cfm
and here is a link to the different rulebooks and organizer books. http://usaclimbing.net/rockcomps/resources/downloads.cfm
also here is a link to the IFSC site which deals with all the international events like youth world champs and world cups and such.
http://www.ifsc-climbing.org/?page_name=home
IFSC rules http://www.ifsc-climbing.org/?category_id=11
pictures from IFSC events http://www.ifsc-climbing.org/?page_name=gallery

[Dave Noisy]

heh - okay, not THAT curious!! =P

Hands have been a bit sore, so took off Wed.

Anyone take any supplements to help tendons and ligaments heal/grow faster...?

[remixrobot]

I think rest and a balanced diet is the best supplement for your tendons/joints.

I also hear about a few climbing specific supplements out there now..kind of like sportlegs for runners/cyclists/log rollers.

Sharma even endorses one....go figure....

Usually though, when I am climbing hard and focusing more on sending stuff than getting strong I usually just climb one or two days a week..the rest seems to be really good...I can really only keep that up for about a month though before I start getting weak again.

[chriss]

Thanks for all the NY info. V12- I wish!!!!!!!!! Anyone managed to do much outside?
I had a better day out in the Peaks Tuesday, but still not 100% form yet.

[revolushuneyz]

I second Remix, rest, rest, rest. For skin, I love the Joshua Tree Climbing Salve. Remix, you probably know about it. I got a free sample from a friend and found it helped heal the skin a ton. But I just found its gonna cost about $15 CDN for 2 oz, so I'm super over it for the moment (or until I can hook up another free sample).

Remix, do you know of any other salves that are vegan and work? Not necessarily climbing-specific (and thus not super expensive).

Haven't been outside yet, darned rain, but in Ottawa we're all tracking the weather within a 6-hour drive radius daily. So hopefully soon.

[chriss]

Revo I like your attitude, we look at the weather each day hoping for some dryness somewhere within a day trip distance, hopefully you will get out & shread soon enough.
Rest is good. I try to climb 3/4 times a week, but always listen to my body & mix up what i'm doing ie, crimps, lock off etc. I also do lots of running & mountainbiking to keep fit.

[remixrobot]

Rev:I dont use any kind of balm on my hands...I just make sure to wash them thoroughly after climbing to get all the chalk out and sand them when needed...

I went to the doctor to get Xrays today due to some back/neck pain I have been experiencing. Turns out I have 3 compression fractures on my vertibrae and my neck is perfectly straight...it should have a slight curve in it. Basically I am really f'ed and am heading into 10 weeks of physical therapy. They say that It is probably from an accident a few years ago and has spiraled downward because it went unnoticed.

He said my muscles are not working as the should and I am at best getting 60%of my power out. This makes a lot of sense to me given the way I have been climbing recently...I can still climb some hard stuff but I dont really have the resilliency (sp??) to do a bunch in a day....damn.

I dont have to stop climbing but he said it would be wise to take it easy for a month as my muscles begin to reshape themselves and act as they should...this means lots of laps and endurance and not much( if any) hard climbing.

I guess I need it.

[remixrobot]

Anybody around here anymore? We have had s ome great weather here in CA and I have been logging some miles on moderate trad routes...

My back/neck are really coming together well...woo hoo!

[chriss]

I'm here!!!
Glad to here your on the road to recovery, being injured is so shit....It's good you can still log the miles, by the sound of it your easy is most peoples hard I include myself in that bracket.
I have had a few good indoor sessions & one half ok outdoor session, but as usual the weather in the UK is rubbish!
I'm running lot's to keep the fat a bay & eating really well so when it dries out I can get out & crush. Lets all pray for cold dry weather.

[remixrobot]

Check out this link:http://www.mountainproject.com/v/training_forum/desperately_seeking_8a/106096965__1

It has some really good mental training stuff and training ideas in it. Really only the first two pages are worth anything.

I really jacked up my knee today riding a mountain bike around. Anyone have any tips on getting some motion back into this thing?

Pull hard!

[chriss]

A bad knee I think Dave N is your man for this as he is our 'man on a bike'.
The mental training link was a good read, as I posted the other week I read the Jerry Moffatt auto biography & it was his mental approach that made him a winner. From 1a-9a mental training is as important as being able to campus 1-5-9, if not more so in my humble opinion.

[remixrobot]

Yeah...I read the rock warrior way..it was cool but kinda cheesy in some parts.

The knee is still in a lot of pain. It has been 5 days. I did 2 hangboard workouts and lead in the gym this week...climbing feels okay on it, not great.

Hey rev, I saw some of your photos in the phwoar thread..where are those boulders at? I am coming up your way in a few months...shoot me a PM...

[Dave Noisy]

Thanks for the tips, i eat well, and i'm not pushing too hard (3 days on per week, ~3hr sessions). Fingers just seem to be not recovering quite as quickly, but i've been really stressing them, i warm up with an 8, 9, 10a, and maybe a 10b or c, and then spend the rest of the night working on 10ds and 11as, many are on overhangs as well, so hard not to rely on fingers, and of course these also end up using less finger too..haha..

For the knee, if it's mobile, light spinning on the bike is good. If it's not wanting to move at all, i dunno, sounds bad. Rest. Maybe some heat/cold to get the blood flowing. Eat foods that fight inflammation, like ginger, tumeric, flax oil. That help?

I've been out of the gym for a week, had an AWFUL flu hit me Sunday night. Going back in tonite, hopefully i'm recovered enough or it'll be a short session! They've been changing the routes a LOT the last couple weeks, so lots of new stuff to play on. =)

[remixrobot]

Hey Dave..thanks for the knee pointers...It is mobile, I went for a long hilly walk today with a knee brace on. It is still difficult to put very much pressure on it (I can't do a single bodyweight squat right now.)

I can lead in the gym as long as I keep my brace on it but running is out of the question...And I have been too scared to try to get on the bike again, but I think some easy, flat spinning would be good on it.

If I read your warmup correctly (1 5.8, 1 5.9 etc.) I would reccomend warming up a little slower than that. If I am working on routes that are near my limit, I usually like to do about 3 or 4 routes that are WELL below my limit...For you, I would suggest doing maybe 3 8's and a 9. I have found that doing the pyramid thing doesn't really help get you more warmed up (unlike cycling.)

I know that it might be different for everyone but if you are having recovery issues and are working at your limit, I would suggest giving it a try.

I DO think though that routes that are in the middle of your ability are still good to climb if you are going for endurance, PE or just trying to get some miles in...

Ok...for some reason I can't help but write the longests posts ever...maybe its the cabin fever...