How to plan a training cycle while performing outside?

[rsmith]

Hey everyone! I've been reading these forums for a few weeks and wanted to post and ask a few questions:

A little backstory - I'm 33 and I've been climbing for 9 years. I completed one hangboard cycle of the rock prodigy back in 2013 or 2014 and had great success. After a few sub-par seasons, like this past fall and spring, where I spent most of this time campusing and hangboarding after recovering from 2 ankle injuries, I'm now back with a vengeance. I dropped close to 15 pounds in the past 3 months and have sent 2 12d and 2 13a at the New in the past month. My plan is to continue sport climbing and finish up a few more projects before jumping into bouldering when the weather allows. My MAIN goal is to take my bouldering to the next level (V9 and V10). I've sent at least a dozen V7 and one V8, but I've only tried a few different V8s so I need to project more.

What I have been doing for training is following Steve Maisch's training plan for the past 3 months (his workout structure). I warmup to flash level (30 minutes), perform a climbing workout (project/limit bouldering, campus workout, or occasionally PE - 1 hr to 1.5 hr), then hangboard for about 30 minutes using the 10 second hang x 5 rep w/ 2 minutes reset between reps utilizing 2-3 holds. This puts TUT at approximately 100 to 150 seconds. If I'm not feeling particularly great, I'll often repeat problems or volume boulder or ARC train on a treadwall. I've noticed a great improvement in strength and power from mainly losing 15 pounds, but also campusing and doing a few hangs at the end of almost every workout.

I've been the weekend warrior here lately, sport climbing on the weekends and performing climbing workouts on Tuesday and Thursday. I've been campusing on Tuesday with a few hangs like described above (going hard for the 2 hr workout), then taking it a little easier on Thursday so that I am well rested for the weekend. 

So my questions are as follows: 

I know the ins and outs of campusing, hang boarding, and training. I really enjoy it - I keep detailed notes of every workout. I read about climbing and training more than maybe anyone likely should, but I could definitely use some advice in prioritizing a training schedule a little better than how I am training now. I don't do any specific multi-week blocks of power or strength but rather train them both as much as I can.

As of right now, I want to perform on the weekends - how do you go about scheduling a more structured approach to training during a prime time to climb? If my goal is performing outside on the weekends, am I doing ok picking various workouts during the week that focus on strength and power?

Would I see more gains if I followed a more structured strength and power phase instead of currently campusing 1 time a week followed by hang boarding at least once sometimes twice for between 100-150 seconds TUT each time a week? Also if my primary focus is bouldering right now, I would assume the 10 sec hang by 2 minute rest x 5 is a better protocol than 7/3? Or should I try 7/3 to mix it up for new gains? 

Thanks for any and all advice!

[jonfrisby]

Check out Steve Bechtel's stuff on nonlinear periodization. It's quite similar to what you're doing, especially if you consider the weekend route climbing part of your training structure. Bechtel's new book, or more inexpensively, his podcast episodes on training beta and power company provides a bit more of a planned approach to what you are more or less doing now.

I've been hanging with little interruption since January after realizing I have a pretty big finger strength deficit. I prefer the year round approach, with some times of higher and lower frequency. So far, my gains have been bigger than with periodic hanging.

[rsmith]

Ok thanks Jon. I think I am going to buy his book and read up on it. I think the nonlinear periodization might be better for me since I've been climbing outside 1 sometimes 2 days a week. I might try a dedicated hangboard cycle over the summer when it's too miserable to climb outside.

[jonfrisby]

Sounds like you understand your body pretty well. Bechtel also is a fan of a more dedicated strength cycle in the off season as well.

[richb]

rsmith, any updates on how this is going? For my body, your approach of two mid-week workouts would not allow enough rest to be crushing on the weekends, and you and I are same age, same grades.

What's behind your assumption that the 10 sec hang is better than the 7/3 if your primary focus is bouldering? I have worked off the assumption that 7/3 more closely mimics the amount of time spent on a hold (during a limit boulder problem, you'd probably spend even less time on each hold). But mostly I've moved to 7/3 because it feels better and I can complete whole workouts with 6-8 grips, whereas 10 sec hangs wear me out after 2-3 grips.

[jonfrisby]

richb, while specificity is important to consider, it is also important to think about the energy system used. Most people think that 10 second (or similar) max hangs develop the top end strength/recruitment end of the spectrum whereas repeaters are closer to strength endurance and hypertrophy. Steve Maisch gets all sciency here: www.powercompanyclimbing.com/blog/2017/9/21/episode-58-comparing-hangboard-protocols-with-steve-maisch