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For the abs and lower back I do an exercise that hits both. You can buy a set of padded slings at Dicks. You hand them up and put your arms through them so that while hanging your not hanging from your hands but instead from your tricep area. Try doing hanging knee ups making sure to straighten your legs all the way and while your doing these your body will want to swing, by not letting yourself swing your lower back will get a great work-out. This simulates the same action as when your feet cut off of a steep route and you have to get them back on. Works for me.

I know you all hear this all the time, but just climb for fun and enjoy it. I didn't specifically train to achieve the levels of climbing I have... I just climb a lot and all kinds of stuff, b/c I enjoy it. I think that the people who go to Left Flank, Military & Torrent all the time will never really make any improvements b/c they aren't learning how to control there body on the rock. Wiring a dozen routes and climbing them over and over isn't helping you improve.

The one thing I can say for sure is that to climb really hard(read 12 &13) you have to have power! Spend this winter bouldering... force yourself if you have to! Boulder on plastic and get out when you can. I don't really like bouldering in and of itself, but when used a means to and end it can be fun. Trust me do this through the Winter and you'll have a suprising Spring. Just as Artsay.. I am sure she would say that bouldering is the reason she has made big improvements in her route climbing at the Red.

Of course push ups, sit ups etc . are helpful, but mainly as injury prevention as they help you balance your push and pull muscles.

And to address one last issue with climbing harder...certain grades are barriers, for example the jump from 11d to 12a is a tough one...partially for the mental aspect, but also because the graders want to make sure that there is a good delinitation between the grades at this level. 12d to 13a is the same way. Some times you've gotta just project routes to get through the grades. If you don't like this or can't stick with it long enough to get the job done certain levels will be unattainable unless you are a natural/mutant

I can't wait to boulder for the next two months and bump my route climbing up a notch this Spring. I can't wait to hear about everybody's successes this coming Spring

CLIMB ON

technique.

thats all i can say. i have bouldered and rope climbed pretty, not incredibly, hard (v9 and 13b) but i am weak as hell. honestly, before we go bouldering ppl will be snapping off one arms--i cant even start to do one, but once we get to the bouldering area i end up 'techniquing' my way through everything and sending before them. I really cant emphasize "using your feet like hands" enough. it sounds funny, i know, but if you practice pulling with your toes and squeezing your abs seemingly impossible moves will become easy.

on routes, try to onsite as much as possible. this teaches a wide variety of trick techniques. also read about all the random stuff you can, knee bars, hand jams etc. these tricks, especially knee bars, have helped me out onsite people who red point WAY harder than me. climbing is a lot more fun when people go nuts when you kick back into an sideways no hands rest knee bar, its just bad ass.

in the end, its going to come down to techniqe until you get to upper end 13's and up.

in terms of specific excercises once you reach this point---CAMPUS. campusing has increased my power incredibly over the course of the last month. also, for pure finger strength, do those repeater things that Horst talks about--strap as much weight on as you can and hang on crimps.

these are just the things that have worked for me.

-boulderguy

Wes wrote: And, 512OW, backlash? Why would there be backlash unless it was people saying you should at least be able to climb 5.12 sport in the red before posting a road map to get there.

Haha. I did my first 5.12 sport the same day Ray took me on my first trad climb. Never looked back....

Or never tried anything else / harder? Lots of very cool sport routes in the red, and to me, 5.12 is where it starts getting really cool.

And, if you get a few minutes, you should do a "road to 5.12 trad in the red" topic.

Wes wrote:Or never tried anything else / harder? Lots of very cool sport routes in the red, and to me, 5.12 is where it starts getting really cool.

And, if you get a few minutes, you should do a "road to 5.12 trad in the red" topic.

Yeah, I've done lots of sport since then...

I busted my ankle getting shortroped on Stain...which is the hardest I've been on. But I've done a few of the more fun looking easier 12's....nothin major.

I absolutely don't dislike sport climbing (Hell, I did it yesterday...Yellow Brick Road). I just have VERY limited time, and enjoy crack climbing way more than most sport routes. If every sport route was like Yellow Brick Road, or Electric Cowboy, or All Things Considered, I'd do em all the damn time...

I don't think the road to 5.12 trad in the Red would be much different...

Power Power Power. Boulder Boulder Boulder.

Keep a good lead head, and be confident in your belayer.

Get really good at pluggin gear quickly.

Other than that, I think you've covered it...

I am just wondering why you started this thread WEs? Did people pose this question to you or did you just feel inclined to share you experience?

I have had a couple people ask, and was kinda working up a program for someone. Just felt it would be cool to post what I had, and let others post up as well.

Power2U wrote:I didn't specifically train to achieve the levels of climbing I have... I just climb a lot and all kinds of stuff, b/c I enjoy it.

CLIMB ON

I had to reiterate this because I think this is the most important statement in this thread. Also, Wes' advice is very good, but in the end, I've learned that it's a mental thing.

Thanks for the tips on the low back. It seems that I'm injuring this a lot lately and I believe it's because of the weight I carry to the crag and my body position while seated for long periods of time (so I'm shopping for lumbar pillows).