RRC Archives

Climbers tell me of renascences that they experienced and why they think that they had them. These will often be a burp in their routine planned or serendipitous that results in a one-or-sometimes-more grade improvement in their climbing.

Me, never really had one. I have seen hard won increments in finger / lockoff strength, body placement skill, advancements in the head game and climb drive. I pushed myself exercising to the point of finger injury once which robbed me about 6 months of hard sending. The rest of the time was steady working out and climbing. That is my brief no-frills climbing history from my perspective.

A friend at the crag very recently told me that he planned the following steps: 1) Weight train hard, run, take protein supplements and maintain a frequent climbing schedule. He focused on developing muscle mass. 2) Stop cross training and decrease caloric intake—one protein shake a day instead of 3+. Body mass dropped at least 10 lbs. He is now sending more than a grade harder than before step one. I was impressed by the experiment. I don’t think my current schedule will permit this level of focus however.

One woman told me that she just started climbing harder after ~10 years. She plateaued for years and then a shift occurred in her climbing that she has a hard time attributing to anything in particular.

Share your own experience about your climbing renascence, be it workout diet whatever. I realize that peoples’ experiences are going to vary because we were all at a different place in life when it happened. Of course it is easier to go in the other direction, food rots and so do the dead.

stop trying so hard Art, that should help. or stop climbing with wuss bags who don't want to climb anything harder than 11

Something that has been and continues to be key for me is learning to / refining resting. I went up two letter grades last season because of it. It takes practice, and I'm not that good at it yet, but getting better.

I took 5 months off from climbing when I started a new job back in May. I'm just getting my strength back so we'll see if I can get back to 100%.

Edit: To be clear, I'm talking about resting on a route, not taking 5 months off to rest.

I find most people have einough strengh to climb a few letter grades over what the currently climb...but what holds them back is between their two ears.

tutugirl wrote:I find most people have einough strengh to climb a few letter grades over what the currently climb...but what holds them back is between their two ears.

that's true of me for sure.

It seems like when I first started climbing I was always out with people more afraid to lead than I was or else I was out with people a lot better and gawking in awe at their "freakish" strength when they pulled a move on a 5.11 or something that I couldn't even touch. So I got stuck in this "no way i can climb that" mindset for a while. That attitude got tamed a bit after I started climbing with people more near my own "true" skill level who weren't afraid to lead and fall, who struggled like I struggled, etc. To that I attribute an increase in my own determination and challenge-seeking which bumped me up about a number grade pretty quickly. ahab and dronez, I think I owe you guys a beer! krampus, you still suck, and i'm still gonna save your ass a bail biner one of these days, right after i find me a weight vest! 8)

Doesn't anybody just go out for a fun, relaxing day of cruise routes anymore? Just to be there, enjoying the weather and scenery revitalizes me for sure.

Brent, Im glad to have contributed to your renascence and would be obliged to accept your offer sir.

Yeah . . . I was looking for items in neighborhood of Brad and Brent's comments. Philip, I am not sure what the hell you are talking about. When we are out I get your ass on 12's. and you climb them. I am Locutus of the Borg; you too will be assimilated; resistance is futile. There is no light without the burning.

Woodchuck, I think a lot of folks cruise routes. I do. But climbing harder really gets the endorphins hitting the brain. I enjoy climbing harder more and it is more memorable. Sometimes I get on somebody's definition of 11b and think, man that rocked!! It is because I wasn't cruising, it is because I needed to think and work it out and manage my resources under stress.

Climbing is definitely an unnecessary resistance of a universal force. We go out of our way to do this. In our resistance we find strength, and courage and we look within. The resistance is the hook. If you turn down the resistance and boil climbing down to cruising, many or us (sorry if I am speaking for you without authority) unhook and go do something challenging like sudoku.

I guess I was misunderstood. I really like to push it sometimes, new areas, new routes, new gear, new people, etc. But the a-b-cd- letters and 5.13R numbers have never been my goal. Not into the comp ; I would rather enjoy some days of nice repeat favorites more than a new route every day out.