Recovery: What am I missing?

[SCIN]

Hey Lee, I think the best thing to do for keeping your seasons strong and remaining healthy is to sacrifice quick gains for longevity. My injuries right now are the result of a desperate attempt at a quick power boost through first campusing then a few days later an extreme fingerboard workout with tendonitis already flaring from the campusing session. I was trying to regain strength after losing left arm lockoff strength through a bad back pull on the Madness. It was a freakin trainwreck in the making but I just had to do anything I could do to regain my strength and I knew in the back of my head that campusing would destroy me. Sometimes I feel like I'm addicted to trying to get stronger just like a junkie is addicted to heroine. It's unhealthy. But I saw the season closing in and needed to SEND! So now here I am, 11 days without climbing, doing ice, heat, and therapy shit.

Anyway, not trying to turn it into a "me" discussion but more like an "AA" meeting for strength junkies. I think we both have plenty of strong seasons left and will always be improving and getting stronger because better climbing involves many more variables than just hanging onto a small hold. You'll be building on this past session's training with the present session's training also so the sustainable volume of intensity will increase. It's not like you're starting at ground zero each time. So don't kill yourself man!

I used to buy into the whole "downhill at 40" thing but now, as I approach 40, I'm pretty sure I'm going to continue getting stronger and becoming a better climber for years to come. It's just going to require being smarter with my training. Same with you. Last season was NOT your best season. You have plenty of great seasons coming.

[JR]

Hi.....My name is Justin...I am a strength junkie. It has been 20 hours since my last weighted pull up. I wish this wasn't true. My love of climbing has turned me into a nut. I can't stop ruminating about training. It hasn't always been this way. I used to be satisfied. How does that Guns and Roses song go..

"I used to do a little but a little wouldn't do it
So a little got more and more
I just keep trying to get a little better
Said a little better than before"

Mr. Brownstone. Climbing or Heroin. You pick.

What is the title of this thread?

[Jeff]

Nowhere near you're level Lee, but I think if you worked 4 days a week, it would all fall in line.

[der uber]

Hey Lee, .... plenty of strong seasons left and will always be improving and getting stronger... You'll be building on this past session's training with the present session's training also so the sustainable volume of intensity will increase. It's not like you're starting at ground zero each time. So don't kill yourself man!

... You have plenty of great seasons coming.

Yes Lee, remember that you're steadily improving over the long haul, improving on the gains you made last season, even if it doesn't always feel like linear progress.

[One-Fall]

I like the idea of addiction to training. Maybe its true. Maybe we could all congregate at a meeting place with little name tags.

Ray: Anyway, not trying to turn it into a "me" discussion but more like an "AA" meeting for strength junkies.
- Thats what I am looking for. Each individual persons struggle, and hopefully success with improvement.
JR: Hi.....My name is Justin...I am a strength junkie. It has been 20 hours since my last weighted pull up. I wish this wasn't true. My love of climbing has turned me into a nut. I can't stop ruminating about training. It hasn't always been this way. I used to be satisfied.
- Ditto.

[rjackson]

Take the long road and you will enjoy the journey a lot more. I'm not even close to your league, but I think if you can bring yourself to train as if you were 'not' a sport climber for a portion of your week that you will see the same gains 'and' get to continue pushing yourself.

...as I approach 40, I'm pretty sure I'm going to continue getting stronger and becoming a better climber for years to come.

Life starts at 40...

[climb2core]

^ +1

Turned 40 this year and I feel like I have years ahead to continue pushing my grade.

[JR]

Take the long road and you will enjoy the journey a lot more. I'm not even close to your league, but I think if you can bring yourself to train as if you were 'not' a sport climber for a portion of your week that you will see the same gains 'and' get to continue pushing yourself.

I do like the "journey is the destination" sentiment, but your training advice makes no sense to me.

[ted]

Try this www.mountainathlete.com
the programing is geared toward climbing for the long run to prevent injuries and continually make gains. pretty good stuff with a few days training in different areas and a couple days of sport specific training with the method of periodization. I enjoy it.

[Shamis]

You really can't train power 4 days a week.

If you want to train more than 3 days a week I think you need to mix up endurance and power workouts. Just like a runner can't do speed workouts every day without getting injured climbers (particularly over 30) can't expect to boulder hard or climb near their limit every day.

If you're climbing 4 days a week and not seeing results I'd focus on ways to improve your workouts rather than adding more. And if you want to work out more than 4 days a week you should probably just do something non-climbing related, like a good aerobic workout. When I was playing basketball twice a week I saw roughly a 20% increase in my climbing endurance without actually changing my climbing workout at all.