2013 Off Season Training for Climbing

Following the 2012 climbing season in New Brunswick, I took about a month before I started to pull plastic.  In that period, I followed a general resistance training programme and participated in a variety of sporting activities to keep the blood flowing.  In the new year, my off-season training began.

When I designed the off season programme, I was planning on taking a 2-week climbing trip sometime in March.  Though this fell through, preparing myself handle a high volume of  climbing at a reasonably high level in a couple months (The trip was to include bouldering, sport and multi-pitch trad.) was as much a consideration as getting better for the local 2013 season –whenever that may start.

This programme was designed for me. (Short male in his 30’s, climber of 15 years, formal resistance training history of >10 years for power/speed sports, but only one year for climbing.  Very good flexibility, strength and joint stability {including the region that you think of as “core strength”}, low percent body fat. Ability to squat 2x body weight, bench presses 1.5x body weight and pull-down 1.75x body weight.  Access to climbing gyms is limited, but with excellent resistance training facilities available.  Preferred discipline is bouldering.  Primary weakness is sticking and pulling trough long, off-balance moves between side-pulls on overhangs.)  You can likely benefit from incorporating some of these training ideas into your programme, though something tailored to you and your specific needs will be superior.  Of course how you do things is more important than what you do, so seek out a professional who will work with you.

The resistance training protocols were inspired by the recent work of Villanueva, et al.  (Though I did manage to train for my own goals, I was still guinea pigging some new research ideas to see how it feels and measure how well it works.  Ultimately, I wanted to know if it would be beneficial to apply it in the future when working with my athletes.)

Though it included just 4 exercises, the hypertrophy protocol was typical in all other respects: each exercise performed for three sets of ten repetitions at 70% of the 1RM load, and rest between sets and exercises was 60 seconds.  Engaging large muscle masses to move significant loads through big ranges of motion was key.  As such, the work:rest ratio (1:3) results in a hard 16 minute workout, which is taxing metabolically and only for advanced lifters.  The hormonal response was felt approaching the end of nearly each workout, so loads were barely progressed, if at all.

The exercises on day one (Mon) were Squats, Bench Press, Inspiratory/extension Pull Downs, Lateral Glides (a hip mobility and trunk stability exercise).  Day two exercises (Friday) were Front Squats, Incline Bench Press, Expiratory/flexion Pull Downs, and Lateral Glides.

The strength protocol is a bit more novel.  Four major exercises were performed, and the rest periods remained at 60 seconds.  The difference form month two being that each was performed for 8 sets of 3 repetitions at 85% 1RM (the same volume-load as the hypertrophy protocol).  The same exercises were used with one exception: Lateral Glides were replaced with Walking Lunges, as performing the former with heavy loads is not advisable.  It was possible to increase all loads at least once throughout the 4 week training block.

My on-the-wall time was comprised of two portions: climbing practice and resistance training.  Depending on time and interest level, climbing practice lasted anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes.  Early on this entailed setting long off-balance moves to work my weakness, then on stringing 5-8 of these together into problems.  Later, as I became more proficient, I’d work through the circuit in various sequences, do a few problems back-to-back, or try some new hard moves, but kept rest periods brief.  Immediately following the climbing practice, I performed the resistance training portion.  Having done major lifts the day before, it was time for the assistance exercises, namely deltoid, triceps, biceps, and abdominals.  Historically I would do these standing.  That is the functional approach.  Ground based sports performance responds best to ground based training.  However unlike the vast majority of sports, climbing is done on a vertical or overhanging surface.  (Notice, I did not say that climbing is a sport.)  Performing lifts while on the climbing wall would be more sport-specific. (OK, I’m just came really close to calling climbing a sport there, but I refer to sport-specific in the global sense of specificity of training.  Climbing is not a sport.)

So that’s what I did: Dumbbell press (deltoid) like reaching high, overhead elbow extension (triceps) like swinging an ice axe, biceps curls like pulling up slack before clipping, and hanging targets (abs) like lifting feet to high holds after cutting loose.  The first month was a hypertrophy protocol (3x10, 60 seconds rest).  The second month used a conventional strength protocol (3x5, >120 seconds rest).  Each set began from a different rest or clipping stance, with an attempt made to ensure a certain level of right and left symmetry.  The intention was to finish each set with enough reserve to complete one more rep of the exercise and hang on for 2 more reps, though this was not how things always transpired!

Biceps curls on the wall

Triceps extensions on the wall

The results:
I didn’t bother monitoring body composition for any changes, as I got sick for a bit not long before and again during the programme.  Recovery from those would have tainted any results, since they were not drastic.

Basic strength in the three major lifts increased a respectable 4.6 - 8.8%, so that part of the programme was effective.  I don’t really have a standard to compare climbing ability pre- and post training.  The outdoor season hasn’t begun, so I can’t get on any projects or test pieces.  Everything on Kermit is obviously easier, as I’ve been working on them for as much as 2 months now.  Subjectively, I feel very strong when climbing, at least as strong as I’ve been at my best.  I’ve managed to skip holds on all of the problems at home, and felt comfortable on the routes I got on at the crappy wall the other day.

From an invested effort perspective, I credit the on-the-wall resistance exercises with the biggest bang for the buck in terms of improved climbing performance.  These were the most novel to me, so it stands to reason that would be the case.  I like the tenacity required to maintain balance, stability, and grip while focusing on the dynamic portion of the exercise, so will keep these in future training phases.

The Esquilax, Part 1

Yesterday I went snowshoeing to Bald Peak.  Aside from enjoying the fresh air and the activity itself, I wanted to see how much snow had accumulated on the few boulders near the summit.  My hope was “very little” so that we could head back on some warm day soon and climb.

The boulder whose name I can’t remember could be topped out, but there’s a fair bit piled up at the base.  The Esquilax had some snow in the off-width, but the crack itself was dry (despite melting temps and full sun).  The other problems on it were not climbable as there was at least 10cm of snow right to the lip.  With this week’s forecast, the chances of early March bouldering are favourable.

One of the Lodge/Smith problems, on the back side of the Esquilax.

For those who are interested, here’s a bit of a history lesson on the area:  The southern tip the Mount Douglas summit plateau is exposed granite, which rolls off southward to form 10 to 20 meters of near vertical cliff.  Climbers, who have been coming there for many decades, appropriately dubbed the area Bald Peak.  Some Nerepis Valley residents, refer to it as Devil’s Rock.

Most of the visitors are hikers.  The face probably sees more ascents on one Saturday in September (a UNB Rock & Ice event) than the other 364 days combined.  Over the years many people have explored nearby and scrambled up some short cliffs or one-move boulders, but there’s not much there.  I know of only twice when people ventured to the top, specifically with the intention to boulder (and find more).

The first party was made up of Jon Lodge and Derrick Smith, who walked much of the South and West slopes of Mount Douglas.  In the process they established a couple of boulder problems just below Bald Peak, dozens at the Ski Hill (adjacent to the cliff known as Mount Doug), and came across the cliff that became Sunnyside.  The specifics of their ascents have mostly been forgotten.  Hopefully one of them will read this and pass along some details.

A few years later, Jeff Hum and I tried to follow their steps.  It was a sweltering and humid day.  Hum was hung over.  We had to stop for a rest and to re-hydrate before reaching the summit.  I had some lunch.  He fell asleep.  I wandered off and discovered a few things.  1) We were one turn, and less than 100 paces away from the summit.  2) Derrick had left his toque beside a boulder and it was only partially decayed. 3) Esquilax exist!

After finding the hat, I went to the base of the steep overhang (that matched their description and whose sharp crystals still had some chalk on them), squeezed onto the exposed slab and hopped down the back side.  There, I came face to face with dark eyes, massive buck teeth, long whiskers, and a pair of 25 cm ears on a head the size of a volleyball.  We stared at each other in disbelief for a few seconds, then it slowly turned it’s grey body away and hopped a couple times.  It’s  white rump was at least 30cm wide.  Just before takeoff, with thick legs extended, it’s little tail was almost half a metre from the ground.  It stopped, looked back at me long enough for me to confirm it had the head of a rabbit and not a lynx, then turned again and in three slow graceful bounds disappeared into the woods.

Reeling from this experience, I looked up at the boulder.  Nearly a 2 metre roof split by a crack.  It’s spectacular! How could they have missed this?

I went to wake Hum.  On our way to the boulder we got turned around in the thicket and emerged at another boulder that looked worthwhile.  We immediately went to work on it.  Once we got some shrubs and branches cleared out, we realized we were just a few metres from the Lodge/Smith boulder problems.  No wonder they missed the roof crack!

J Hum back in the early 2000's on the boulder we didn't name.

After a blown out shoe and a few FA’s, the heat had taken it’s toll on us and we packed up to leave.  Passing the roof crack, we stopped in awe.  I couldn’t resist. I had to do this thing.  Easy face moves lead to the crack.  I started at fingers, then a hand jam, a fist for the next move.  I remember cutting my feet loose and swinging from an arm bar to do a heel-toe near the lip, then an off-with top-out.  I dubbed it The Esquilax and I remember it as being the nicest boulder problem I’ve ever done.  The rock, the moves, the setting, the exposure, everything.

The roof is not quite 3m off the ground, and just left of the frame, the flat landing drops of pretty far, making for some exhilarating exposure!

Isn't it gorgeous? Hopefully a real photographer will come for the next ascent and get some better shots.

I couldn't back up any further, but enough to show the snow in the off-width.

I plan to climb it again this spring.  It will be interesting to see if it holds up to the high status my memory has instilled upon it.  I’ve climbed hundreds of problems in the years since the first (and only) ascent, so for the past while I feared it may not.  Revisiting it yesterday though, it looks exactly as I remembered.  Stay tuned...