climb the world

[JVJVJV]

Climbing is a sport of strength, finesse, and intelligence.

The necessary strength extends beyond conventional weightlifting definitions of strength. As someone who clean and jerked 120+ kg in high school, I was inexplicably humbled on my first day of climbing as I struggled through a beginner level climb, and afterwards while watching someone with a much more unathletic physique breeze through that same climb. Strength in the fingers, joints, and core is crucial. Being able to apply that strength is equally important.

Finesse refers to an advanced level of intricate and delicate skill – but can also mean to swindle. As much as climbing is a sport, it is also a game. Skill is required to excel at games; that skill is just as physical (delicate foot placement, deliberate commitment to dynamic movement) as it is mental (confidence in movement, conviction through tiring sequences). Learning to use your leverages and strengths helps you beat or swindle the game through creative movement.

Climbers love this Wolfgang Güllich quote – “The brain is the most important muscle for climbing”. Consider two possible situations: the first, you are trying to ascend a climb, but are gated by a difficult move(s). The second, you are also trying to ascend a climb, but are completely stumped as to how you should even approach the climb. In the first scenario, you may be gated physically by strength, dynamism, or balance. But it may very well be the case that you already possess the ability to perform the move; you just keep choking for whatever reason. In the second case, there are two unknowns – the knowledge to perform the climb, and the knowledge as to whether you possess the physical capability to ascend. Knowledge delivers you from both situations. It allows you to assess your strength and finesse, and enables you to conserve energy by prioritizing efficient movement. I’ll refer to an effective processing of knowledge as intelligence.

Okay, cool. Hi! Writing helps me clear my mind and tackle my problems. I’ll be writing this log to improve at climbing and see how much I can learn about movement, strength, finesse, and intelligence along the way.

My background: Olympic weightlifting/powerlifting style training in high school, minimalist training the past few years, fell off during early pandemic, made the decision to clean up diet and restart training in December 2020. Began climbing in February 2022. I was never a very good athlete, and always considered myself mediocre or slightly below average as a weightlifter or rower. Climbing and submission grappling are the first sports where I felt confidence in my ability to grow and achieve results as a function of the effort I put in.

DEXA Scan results (August 2022):






CURRENT STRENGTH/ATHLETICISM GOALS:

2x weighted bodyweight pullup
2.25x weighted dip
One arm pullup
Ability to dunk
Planche
Front lever
Baki pose
Human flag

I’m told that a muscle-up is something of a party trick that anyone with decent pullup strength can achieve, so I'll omit it from "goals" and just see if I can secure the trick with minimal effort.

CURRENT STRENGTH LEVELS (NOV 2022):

Weighted dips: 1.4x bodyweight for 5
Weighted pullups: 1.45 x bodyweight for 3
Standing vertical leap: 27 inches


SOME RELEVANT CLIMBING TERMS:

Beta refers to information about how to climb a certain route. Completing a route using a sequence that is unintended or then unknown, it is referred to as a beta break.

A jug is a large handhold that is very easy to hold.

A pocket is a handhold with a hole which can typically fit 1-3 fingers.

A sloper is a rounded, smooth hold that must be held with balance and precise body position rather than raw strength

An undercling is a hold that is inverted such that you must grab it with your hand supinated to be effectively used, and is held more so with the core than the bicep.

A crimp is a thin edge handhold, typically <14mm. The word also refers to a grip type.

A volume is typically a larger hold that is either smooth or flat, often resembling a sloper, and very popular in competition climbing.

A pinch is a hold that is held with the thumb and fingers opposing, and can be physically pinched. Often a tricky handhold but a decent foothold.

A jib is a small foothold, footholds are typically either described as “good” (positive) or “bad” – I’d described jibs as good, and bad footholds as ones that are very smooth and difficult to place your weight on, or just microscopic. Small pieces of rock are often called chips.

A dual-tex is a hold that has a smooth and rough portion. These are setup such that you really cannot place any limb on the smooth portion – it’ll slide right off. The idea is that you can only rely on the rough portion which is often tactically placed to increase route difficulty.


DIFFICULTY GRADE CHARTS:



Grades are a useful approximation, but at the end of the day, they’re somewhat arbitrary and an illusion.

For intents/purposes here, I'd described 5.0-5.11 as generally beginner, 5.11-5.12 as beginner-intermediate, 5.13 as intermediate, and beyond 5.13 as advanced. Others will make different distinctions, but if I ever want to climb the world's most beautiful and difficult routes, I can't be intimidated by an indoor 5.12. That's not to say I haven't fallen off a 5.10 before (which I certainly have).

What matters most is identifying fundamental movement patterns. Those patterns form the basis for what we refer to as "intuition". I'm making this distinction because I don't have the luxury of relying on intuition from years of climbing. I came to this sport late in life, and if I want to be the best I can be, I need to actively build that intuition. Strength, finesse, intelligence. That’s how I currently choose to conceptualize climbing. I look forward to how that understanding grows with time.

I’m going to explore every reasonable avenue to improve at climbing faster. That includes: watching strong climbers’ beta, analyzing my own climbing, and exploring different disciplines of strength training (Climbing specific, principles from weightlifting, calisthenics, etc).

This forum overall seems pretty dead compared to ten years ago, but I love the layout and the fact that I get to use it and YouTube basically as free storage drives. But if you’re reading this and have suggestions for training, I’d love to hear them.

Climb on.

[JVJVJV]

3 September 2022

I got my first V6 at my home gym!! It was rated V6- with an orange tag. My gym has this system of applying three metrics to estimate grade difficult: The v-scale, tag color, and triangles. Green tags are typically V2-V4, yellow tags V4-V6, orange tags V7-8, and red/pink tags V9-V10+. The # of triangles also indicates relative difficulty, more triangles more difficult for that given grade.



This slab problem was super scary. If my right foot slips, there's a giant yellow rock beneath that could bang against my foot. Took about ten tries before I was able to load my weight into my right foot. This problem taught me to trust my feet, even if the foothold is "bad" (I need to recondition myself into believing that type of foothold is good, and be confident placing my weight on it).

I recently got covid and felt super weak a few sessions ago. was NOT expecting to PR. a good reminder that climbing is hugely mental and that I need to have confidence in all of my climbs in order to reproducibly send.

4 September 2022

Hangboarding!

I've started running 7-53 by Horst on the fingerboard for sets of three repetitions.
I hang on a fingerboard for 7 seconds, rest for 53, and repeat that two more times for a total of three hangs per set. Sometimes I hang a little longer than 7 seconds, sometimes I rest a little longer than 53. There are apps that are more helpful than the apple stopwatch which I may look into using.

7-53: 3x3, 16 mm edge, half crimp.

I then worked on my three finger drag (3FD).

1x3 7-53, 20 mm edge, 3FD.
1x3 7-53, 20 mm edge, 3FD, FAILED on last rep, only hung four seconds.
1x3 7-53, 22 mm edge, 3FD.

And I finished off with some max hangs!

12 mm, half crimp: 12 seconds.
20 mm, half crimp: 21 seconds.

Damn, my three finger drag is weak! I need start training that and back two more. I think I could've run 7-53 with 12 mm edge, but I wanted to slowly introduce the hanging volume into my program since tendons are sensitive and I'm already doing a lot of climbing and cross training. I think I'll hang on Wednesday again, and I'll try this protocol on the 14 mm edge or for more reps!

[JVJVJV]

5 September 2022

Strength training!

Bench 3x5
RDL 2x8
Plate flies 3x5: 20
Reverse squats 3x8: 110
Cable pancakes 3x4: 110
Weighted pullups 3x4: + 35 lbs
Pinch block repeaters 2x7x6: 25 lbs
Reverse wrist curls: 3x20

The bench and RDLs are pretty fundamental, squats and pancakes are exercises Ben Patrick has done videos on for hip flexors and are great at preventing joint pain, and the pullups/pinch block repeaters/curls are all climbing specific. I have a commercial gym and a climbing gym; my commercial gym has a hamstring curl machine and my climbing gym has a bench for nordic curls. That's another movement I'd like to incorporate in training since it mimics the heel hook, but my legs are usually so trashed from climbing that I shy away from training them further.

Speaking of heel hooks, here's a dynamic heel hook catch from a boulder in rome from earlier this summer!

[JVJVJV]

6 September 2022

Climbed today!! woohoo!!!!

I did a 5.8 while mock leading - I was belayed top rope with a lead rope tied to my heart loop so I could practice clipping in. I then did a 5.10-, a 5.10, struggled on a 5.12 with an opening sequence that felt like a V4 , and then went up a pretty slopey 5.9 which I think was more like 5.10. Thats about 200 feet of top roping!

I then bouldered for two hours. I've been trying a V7! The sequence is super difficult and I hope to post a video of me sending it soon

But until then, here's a fun problem I almost got in Chicago!

[JVJVJV]

7 Sep 2022

I planned on hangboarding today, but my fingers are still sensitive from yesterday. I need to take a break today! I am going to foam roll the legs and and arms and use my VR set - thing gives a surprisingly decent pump!

Here's an indoor 5.11+ from earlier this summer!

[JVJVJV]

8 Sep 2022

Oh MAN, I had a great session !! I got this ungraded orange tag problem!! Video incoming the next few days when I do it again Orange tags are in the range of V6-V8, but I'd be lying and inflaing the grade if I thought it was an 8. It was like a V6- I think, just a one move crux. But it looked cool and i am happy i did it !!

Bouldered around 4.5 hours, by the time it was the end I couldn't even hold a start. But there's a V7- that's pretty tough but there's a way to cheat through the problem. That "way" is probably V5~, but the fact that if you break the beta the difficulty drops so much just helps to remind me that grades don't really matter. It's more about finding difficult problems that piss you off, no matter what the grade is, and learning movement patterns that transfer to other problems. If I want to become the best climber I can be, I shouldn't care what the grade is. I should just look for problems I am not good at, and do those, and learn the movement patterns. What a fun game this is lol

I'll post a climbing vid soon; here's one of my favorite songs

[JVJVJV]

9 September 2022

I woke up at around 2 AM with what felt like a sore hamstring. I know the feeling - it's overuse. I had poor sleep the night before yesterday's climbing session, and that combined with going to exhaustion = overuse. Taped the hammy so I could walk and did upper body strength training only.

OHP: 3x8
Plate flies 2x8, 1x5: 20 lbs
Weighted pullups 2x5: + 35 lbs, 1x3 + 1x2: + 35 lbs. I also did some accessory work mimicing the campusing motion of pullups.
Pinch block repeaters 2x7x6: 27.5 lbs
Reverse wrist curls: 2x15 @ 15 lbs, 2 x 25 @ 12 lbs.

On Tuesday, I practiced the motion of a front lever which I still can't fully perform yet. I had abdominal DOMS through Friday and couldn't even try any ab work today. I will attempt front levers again soon.

For diet, I eat roughly 2300~ calories once in the morning. Once every 5-8 days, I will eat 4000 calories. I suspect my maintenance is somewhere around 2600-2700. I like the depletion/refeeding style of diet and believe it has significantly improved my body composition (I have DEXA scans to support that claim? kind of), but might try either shifting more calories in daily or eating less processed foods on my refeed day.

10 September 2022

The hamstring pain is 15-20% of what it was yesterday. Definitely was overuse. As much as I'd like to go train lower body resistance today, I should back off and do active recovery with foam rolling and a lax ball. I could maybe throw in some tib raises but it's best to just save energy for my lead class tomorrow. I'm going to read for a bit, buy a necklace, head to work and then come home and roll/stretch for as long as I can.

[JVJVJV]

11 September 2022

Took a lead climbing class today, first of 2. Practiced clipping, did two lead climbs and took a lead fall. Need to work on pushing my heels into the wall when I fall and finding better rest positions. I am gripping jugs since we practice lead on very easy routes (5.7-5.9). I must not forget Rule #1 of climbing: grab every hold as lightly as you can and attempt to transduce as much force through the feet as possible. Rule #0, like all other sports, is never get injured.

I then had a quick boulder session but my right hamstring is still a bit sore. Reverse squats and stretching during strength training tomorrow should clear it up.

[JVJVJV]

12 September 2022

Bench 3x6
RDL 2x8
Plate flies 2x8: 20
Reverse squats 3x8: 110
Cable pancakes 3x4: 110
Weighted pullups 3x5: + 35 lbs
Weighted chins 1x8: + 25 lbs
Pinch block repeaters 2x7x6: 30 lbs
Reverse wrist curls: 2x20
Cable flies 3x12: 65 lbs

My right glute is still a bit sore. There's a really severe heel hook on another 7 in the gym which I want to try. Might hit the glute with a lax ball tonight if I get my work tonight; might also go for a PM hangboard session since I missed yesterday.

[JVJVJV]

12 September 2022, PM session.

7-53: 3x3, 14 mm edge, half crimp.

My 3x3 3FD was a mess. I was switching back and forth between 20, 22, and 24 mm edges, and going for the open hand when I didn't feel secure enough. We need to start at 24 and do 3x3 repeaters then work our way down the board

Max hangs:

20 mm, half crimp: 32.5 seconds. +11.5 seconds from last week
12 mm, half crimp: 13 seconds. +1 seconds from last week

My plan is to hangboard once a week ish, and maybe throw 5 pounds on my half crimp at 14 mm. Yeah, I like that idea. Let's just starting strength the fingerboard lmao (2.5 pounds is a lot smarter but im a dumbass (maybe we start with +5 then go into 2.5 then microplate it))

[JVJVJV]

13 Sep 22

Mock lead on some 50 feet walls. Hit a 5.8+, failed a 5.10, got a 5.10, failed near the top of a 5.9 (exhaustion), a 5.10-, and then sprinted up a 5.7. Lead is hard, cool, and fun. A friend of mine then showed me a V3+ which I flashed. Cool. We rest tomorrow, climb Thursday at a different gym, maybe climb Friday and definitely Saturday.

[JVJVJV]

14 Sep 22

My knees felt a bit wobbly, so I did some deep lunges at light weight for a few reps. I then practiced lead clipping for about 30-40 min. My next lead class is this Sunday; I really want to get lead certified as soon as possible, lead hella indoor routes, then go lead and top rope outside.

Excited to climb in Boston tomorrow.

[JVJVJV]

15 Sep 22

Bouldered in Boston today. Was fasted for a bit too long and didn't have the best session.

Also I'm in a hotel with no lights only the TV on to keep the room darker and Big Brother is on. show is one giant ?XD

[JVJVJV]

16 Sep 22

Hotel workout.

3x8 Chest Press
3x8 Weight neutral chins + 25 lbs. It was the absolute worst pullup belt I've ever used in my life, and a piece of leather got stuck. I think I was supposed to lock it with a carabiner which I guess I should've known because this is a climbing log LOL... um.... yeah. Got a decent forearm workout trying to untangle the belt, but then quietly left the gym after being told it was fine. i then got scared and left the gym

Walked 8 miles around the city. Eating hella calories tonight with some pals, hopefully I don't die after 5 seconds while top roping tomorrow lol

[JVJVJV]

17 Sep 22

Central rock gym sucks fat monkey balls. Was with someone who didnt know how to belay, did some 5.10-11s on autobelays and got 10 feet from topping a 5.12. Decent boulders, meh gym.

Lead class tomorrow. I'll try to sleep plenty, rest the fingers and then get some good hangboarding in.

[JVJVJV]

18 Sep 22

Took lead class, did a live lead belay, catch, and fall, then top roped a bit. Got scraped by a boulder, and made the mistake of eating corn meal trader joes cheetos ..... thats ok we learned not to do that again ! i seriously need to permanently scrape some things from my diet. i do like processed foods 1x every 7-8 days... might try to decrease that to 1x per 2-3 weeks or month, or just go cold turkey. might not hangboard till wednesday.

[JVJVJV]

12 September 2022

Bench 3x5
RDL 2x9
Plate flies 3x8: 20
Reverse squats 3x8: 110
Cable pancakes 3x4: 110
Weighted pullups 3x3: + 45 lbs
Pinch block repeaters 2x7x6: 32.5 lbs
Reverse wrist curls: 2x20
Cable flies 3x8: 75 lbs

I want to step load pullups from 3x3 -> 4x3 ... 3x4... 3x5-5x5 range and then add 10-20 lbs. Also sprinkle in some chins because I can do high volume/higher intensity. I think that'll work better than microloading. My pinch form might be suboptimal, might lower weight to get better form.

Surely I wait until Wednesday to hangboard !

[JVJVJV]

19 September 2022, PM session.

7-53: 3x3, 14 mm edge, half crimp +5 lbs

My 3x3 3FD was a mess again. It went something like

7-53 repeaters:
24 mm, 3FD 1x2, then open grip.
24 mm 1x3 open grip.
24 mm 3FD 1x3.

Max hangs:

20 mm, open grip: 17.8 seconds
12 mm, half crimp: 9.1 seconds. -3.9 seconds from last week

Crimp was pretty tired from the extra weight. Also, my right knuckle protrudes outwards more than my left. I think I'm pulling with it more versus my left arm, and that's likely due to a flexibility imbalance in my left pec/shoulder/lat. Need to think about this before I go much heavier.

[JVJVJV]

20 Sep 21

Bouldered in new shoes, can finally fit them without plastic bags lol. Projecting a crimpy V6. Hope to send soon and maybe climb outdoors this weekend! Also top roped a bit, but was too exhausted. Really need to spend today (21st) resting and active recovery. Will likely mock live lead tomorrow and maybe boulder a bit.

[JVJVJV]

21 Sep 22

Took a rest, nothing besides foam rolling.

22 Sep 22

AM: Mock lead and bouldered.

PM: Bouldered a little more. Struggling on a crimpy project. Really want it in the next few sesh's.



23 Sep 22

OHP: 2x8
Deep lunges: 2x5
Plate flies 3x8: 20 lbs
Reverse squats 3x8
Cable pancakes 3x4
Weighted pullups 3x4: + 45 lbs, chins 1x8: + 45 lbs.
TRX pulling motions: 2x15, assisted

Really liked the TRX bands... will incorporate this exercise more. Took a break from all that pinch and forearm training! Let's see how we can modulate and adjust the volume.

[JVJVJV]

24 Sep 22

I didn't do pinch training or forearm curls today, really just rested!! Felt good. Did use my VR set and that thing gives a decent workout with superhot + beat saber... dope

25 Sep 22

Only did about 4 top rope mock lead routes in 2 hours lol, spent a lot of time talking to other people. Did light bouldering as well. I think I'll go pretty hard tomorrow.

[JVJVJV]

26 Sep 22

Bench 3x7
RDL 2x10
Reverse squats, plate flies, cable pancakes, etc...

Weighted pullups + 45 : 3x4, 1x3: + 45, weights chins +45 : 2x4

Tibialis raises, TRX band foot drills.

Poor diet this weekend. Need to be more mindful of what, when, and why I eat. Need to stop being lazy.

27 Sep 22

AM Session: Mock leading, light bouldering, hard top roping.

PM Session: was originally going to hangboard, but there's a new comp wall in my gym. 30 min hangboard session turned into a 3 hour comp wall sesh on a coordination boulder. Stuck the crux, but was so sleep deprived and tired ( and i just suck lol) that i couldnt finish it that night. I will try to finish it tomorrow.

[JVJVJV]

29 Sep 22

Solid bouldering session, made progress on that grey V6 I posted a video of and another V6 I will post soon that I'm one move away from finishing. Top roped a baby bit.

30 Sep 22

Originally didn't lift in the morning because of the hurricane, but it got better later in the evening so I went and took the lead test and passed! The guy commenting is the guy who gave us our original lead test (on a 5.6), this is a 5.10 he recommended. He watched us after we got certified "no pressure", which I really appreciated. Also I promise I thanked him for the compliment at 1:50 I just couldn't hear him while I was there lol. So excited. The world is opened up now that we can lead climb. I plan on going outdoors with some veteran friends soon

[JVJVJV]

1 October 2022

OHP: 3x6
Deep lunges: 2x5
Plate flies 2x8, 1x5: 25 lbs
Weighted pullups 2x3: + 45 lbs, chins 3x6, 1x7: + 45 lbs.
TRX pulling motions: 2x15, unassisted

2 October 2022

Lead, light bouldering, light ab work.

[JVJVJV]

3 Oct 22

AM Session:

Bench 3x6
RDL 2x10
Reverse squats, plate flies, cable pancakes, etc...

No weighted chins! Arms were toast from friday-sunday.

Pinch training 2x6x7: + 27.5 lbs, cleaner form than before!

Forearm curls 2x25

PM Session:

Tried to do a mucsleup as a warmup lol... will probably have to learn it since my mantle is pretty bad on the rocks

Hangboarding:

7-53: 3x3, 14 mm edge, half crimp +10 lbs, +5 lbs from last session

3FD was a mess, 1x3 on maybe the 22 mm, but then I switched to max hangs.

Max hangs:

20 mm, open grip: 24.8 seconds, +7 seconds from last session

12 mm, half crimp: 20.33 seconds. +11.2 seconds from last session, ++7.3 seconds record

I'll start doing open grip repeaters till I can get down to a small edge (10 or 12 mm) then work my three inger drag. Or maybe I should 3 finger drag from 24 mm... might be an ego thing, but I genuinely think loading the open grip with smaller edges is better for faster progression. I'll also try the sloper holds on the campus board. Time to learn to tolerate these horendous holds

4 Oct 22

Flash test bouldering at secondary gym location. Flashed some 3s/kinda 4s, a few moves away on 5s. Want to get to the point where I flash all green tags (up to easier 4s) with ease, and flash a few 5s more frequently. I'll go back there soon. Got som eoverhanging problems I'm happy with, think I can project a compy one move wonder V6 there.

[JVJVJV]

6 Oct 22

Buldering session. Humbled by everything.

7 Oct 22
OHP 3x7
Deep lunges, reverse squats, cable pancakes
Weighted pullups: 2x4 + 45 lbs
Weighted chins 2x6, 1x7: + 55 lbs
stretching and sht

8 Oct 22

Lead climbing + light bouldering

10 Oct 22

Bench 3x5
RDL 2x8
Plate flies 3x5: 20
Reverse squats 3x8: 110
Cable pancakes 3x4: 110
Chest flies

We're lowering the frequency of chins+grip training.

11 Oct 22

Bouldering. Played a bit on the moonboard. Really want to get some 6A-7B problems in on that thing, teach me how to hold my body like I'm supposed to.

[JVJVJV]

12 Oct 22

Hangboarding:

7-53: 3x3, 14 mm edge, half crimp +15 lbs, +5 lbs from last session

3FD 1x3 on 24 mm edge, but there's a difference with how my right middle knuckle protrudes out than my left, so I need to address that before training the grip more.

Also, my 14 mm half crimp is kind of a semi-open grip. Not quite a quarter crimp but not quite half either.

Max hangs:

18 mm, open grip: 24.36 seconds, -2 mm edge from last session

12 mm, half crimp: 12.5 seconds +10 lbs

Some sloper holds, but my arms were throwed.

[JVJVJV]

13 Oct 22

Short bouldering session (80 min) so I can lead/lift tomorrow. Focused on overhangs and biggish moves. I will get my overhang grade to my vertical grade soon.

[JVJVJV]

14 Oct 22

Light lead, got a little pumped on a bouldering session afterwards. Leading sunday (today) in a few hours, excited.

[JVJVJV]

14 Oct 22

Oh, I also did some plate flies and stretching after climbing, but didn't go for the OHP or leg work.

16 Oct 22

Lead. Some 5.10 flashes, failed halfway through a 5.11 which feels like 5.10 on the overhanging parts (jugs with distance). However, the reason I failed on those moves was because I decided I'd fail. I've struggled with stamina on overhangs since I haven't trained them well. When I got to the second clip on the overhung portion, I told myself I was too tired and had to fall. Next time, I refuse to fall. I'll send it next attempt.

Also got halfway through a 5.12, but a hold was loose, so an employee threw us a wrench and I got to decide how to set the rock hahaha. I was climbing with people who climb slightly lower grade than me, but gave (and have given) good beta mid crux during climbs. When you're physically exerting yourself on a very difficult move, it's hard to tell yourself to calm down and figure out a sequence.

If I can't move my hands, move my feet. If I can't move my feet, move my hands. If I can't move anything, I've either immobilized myself and lost, or I must leap to another hold. You are simply walking vertically. Force through the feet, arms only as necessary. As long as I remember that, I can climb anything.

My climbing gym has three different locations, and I probably won't be at that one till next Sunday.

17 Oct 22

Bench 1x8, 2x6
RDL 2x8
Plate flies 3x8: 25 lbs
reverse squats, cable pancakes

Weighted pullups:
3x4 + 45 lbs
1x4: + 55 lbs

Weighted 45 degree chins:
1x4: + 55 lbs
1x4:+ 65 lbs