arrgy
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Post by arrgy on May 9, 2017 3:38:12 GMT -7
New member (but long time prowler of the website) here, and I'd love to get some advice from anyone who feels so inclined to pass on their wisdom and experiences...
I'll be going off to medical school pretty soon with the nearest gym being 1.5 hours' drive one way, and the nearest crag at ~2.5 hours' drive. I don't foresee being able to make it to either locations more than once a week since any such trip will require giving up a full day of necessary studying (I'm a slow learner). I fully intend on taking advantage of my now closer location to nearby crags whenever possible, but I worry about not having proper access to any training facilities and tools other than my hangboard. I currently rely on a treadwall and bouldering gym along with my hangboard for all of my training and spend the majority of my training time ARCing on the treadwall.
Is there anyone out there who manages to complete all of their training phases and still make progress (or at least stave off regression) by solely using a hangboard?
I'd be really interested to hear any thoughts anyone might have regarding this topic.
And for others who have gone through medical/nursing/PA school or anyone with an otherwise crazy schedule, what do you do to keep your motivation up for training?
Thanks!
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Post by aikibujin on May 9, 2017 7:01:33 GMT -7
Is there anyone out there who manages to complete all of their training phases and still make progress (or at least stave off regression) by solely using a hangboard? I spent three months training exclusively on my hangboard earlier this year and sent a (hard for me) 5.12b project. I think it's possible to maintain and maybe even progress a little on the hangboard, but not advisable, which is why I haven’t posted anything about how I trained on my hangboard. I think it was Steve Bechtel who said that climbers should spent 75% of their time doing movement practice, and 25% of the time doing specific strength training (like hangboard). I think if you can climb a little bit, even just on a small woodie, will have a tremendous amount of benefits to your climbing. Do you have the space to build a small woodie? |
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Post by jonfrisby on May 9, 2017 9:36:43 GMT -7
Mike did a ton of hangboarding while abroad for the military. I think the biggest thing is getting used to moving again, but I believe he sent a hard route really quick on returning. Maybe he'll post here (jk). MarkAnderson if you see this, any comment on how your brother managed that period? |
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Post by MarkAnderson on May 9, 2017 19:38:24 GMT -7
Ya, I know he ARCed on the hangboard, and did the usual Strength HB workouts. He also had a ghetto campus board he strapped to a pull-up bar. He sent Scarface a couple weeks after getting home, which equaled his hardest send at the time. So it's definitely possible, just boring. You will want to make a Kick Plate if you plan to ARC on your hangboard.
But, why not build a woody?
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Post by jlarson on May 10, 2017 8:26:08 GMT -7
Yeah second on the woody idea. I built a board at my house and it's one of the better investments I've made. I've been surprised at how much a steep board has improved my fingers, core, footwork and technique. It translates extremely well to outdoor climbing even on lower angles.
I'm going to start PA school and will be under similar restrictions as the OP this fall. I'm currently building a woody at my new place no questions asked.
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arrgy
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Posts: 5
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Post by arrgy on May 15, 2017 9:31:41 GMT -7
Thanks everyone for the input! I hadn't really considered building a woody since I'll very likely be living in a small apartment unless I can find a house and roommate for cheaper. Sounds like the general consensus is to avoid hangboard only though... I might try the Kick Plate and hangboard method. Sounds like it'll require intense motivation and mental fortitude but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.
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arrgy
New Member
Posts: 5
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Post by arrgy on May 15, 2017 9:42:43 GMT -7
I'm going to start PA school and will be under similar restrictions as the OP this fall. I'm currently building a woody at my new place no questions asked. Not going to be living anywhere near Middlesboro, KY by any chance are you? ;P |
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Post by jlarson on May 17, 2017 10:05:55 GMT -7
Hah, no I'll be in northern california.
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Post by vjsingh on May 17, 2017 10:57:14 GMT -7
Hi all,
Sorry to hijack the thread here, but I actually had the same question.
I'm going to be living in the Dominican Republic for about 6-7 months later this year (October to April or so). I won't be near a climbing gym, and hope to get outdoors a little bit, but probably won't be doing it regularly.
In terms of training, I have two goals:
1. Prepare for a month long climbing trip in the middle of this, in February, probably in El Potrero Chico
2. Keep making finger strength gains during this time
I'd rather not bring a lot of equipment down there. Considering I won't be able to climb much, is it reasonable to go with a portable hangboard setup, and get on that a few times a week? I won't be able to build a woody or anything like that.
I found Pocket Rocks, Royal Edge, and Cliff Board online, which all seem like decently portable options
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Post by daustin on May 17, 2017 10:57:21 GMT -7
Hah, no I'll be in northern california. If you don't mind me asking, where in NorCal? I'm in the Bay Area and always interested in finding climbing partners. |
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Post by scojo on May 17, 2017 13:10:12 GMT -7
Hi all, Sorry to hijack the thread here, but I actually had the same question. I'm going to be living in the Dominican Republic for about 6-7 months later this year (October to April or so). I won't be near a climbing gym, and hope to get outdoors a little bit, but probably won't be doing it regularly. In terms of training, I have two goals: 1. Prepare for a month long climbing trip in the middle of this, in February, probably in El Potrero Chico 2. Keep making finger strength gains during this time I'd rather not bring a lot of equipment down there. Considering I won't be able to climb much, is it reasonable to go with a portable hangboard setup, and get on that a few times a week? I won't be able to build a woody or anything like that. I found Pocket Rocks, Royal Edge, and Cliff Board online, which all seem like decently portable options You might also take a look at the Flash Board by Tension climbing. I bought one, and it seems really nice. Although I haven't actually used it yet (I hurt a pulley before the trip), I did test it out a bit, and I really liked the feel of the holds and the scheme for hanging it. |
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Post by climbnkev on May 17, 2017 19:45:43 GMT -7
Building a small freestanding woodie is pretty basic and not that expensive. I have used a spare bedroom, a walk in closet, and the under side of my stairs for different walls over the years. The hardest part about training with only a hangboard is the warm-up. Not only is it boring, but usually unless you are incredibly patient you tend to be 1/2 way through your workout before you are really warmed up.
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Post by vjsingh on May 22, 2017 8:56:44 GMT -7
climbnkev I don't really see myself building a woodie, since I'll only be there for about 6-7 months. Mostly because I'd have to bring all of the holds with me, as I'm not sure about shipping out there. Do you think it would be reasonable to warm up with general cardio (jump rope, running), and some pullups and hangs? Or is it dangerous to do a hangboard routine without really warming up the fingers? scojo , thanks, I'll check out the flash board
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arrgy
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Posts: 5
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Post by arrgy on May 27, 2017 8:38:19 GMT -7
So, I'll be going with the hangboard ARCing method. I've been playing around with doing hangboard pyramids as per Eric Hörst's protocol- nicros.com/training/training-articles/fingerboard-pyramid-training/ - but while adding 55lbs and using a 2 pads flat edge for 10 sets. I feel as though I'm getting a forearm pump similar to what I experience with a half hour treadwall session (solid pump but not quite enough to pump off the wall). I don't currently feel any extra strain in my joints and fingers seem fine (limiting factor is definitely forearm endurance) but I'm really missing the body movement. What do y'all think about this? Are there any obvious pitfalls I'm overlooking by doing this? |
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arrgy
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Post by arrgy on May 27, 2017 8:48:16 GMT -7
Do you think it would be reasonable to warm up with general cardio (jump rope, running), and some pullups and hangs? Or is it dangerous to do a hangboard routine without really warming up the fingers? Not the most experienced out there with training, but I'd strongly recommend against doing a hangboard routine without warming up your fingers specifically. Though I think it's beneficial to get blood pumping in general with some cardio, light push-ups, pull-ups and stretching, I think that before any dedicated hangboard session, you should progressively warm up your fingers by hanging on big but incrementally smaller holds for a few seconds at a time with adequate rest periods in between. And I'd err on the side of caution when deciding if your fingers are warmed up enough before starting the training. Just my 2cents and best of luck in your training! |
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