Prioritize continuous movement or max reach while campusing

[erick]

I just did my first campus workout in over a year. In the past I have never been very fluid while campusing. My max ladders carried no momentum between the reaches and my double dynos would sometimes have a sec or two between them. So when I did my last workout I tried to be very strict about carrying momentum and this meant I was VERY far off my PRs. I plan to keep working at it this way but I wondered for things like max ladders and double dynos do you all prioritize maximum movement at the expense of getting the plyometric effects of doing them with a continuous movement?

Eric

[tsh]

I'm trying to focus on both maximum movement and carrying momentum but, for me, using momentum seems to help do bigger max ladders rather than limit them. I have to start sitting and I tend to swing a bit after the first move as I'm transitioning from an "L" position. I sort of wait a second for my legs to swing around so that I can use that lateral momentum for my second move. Didn't even realize I was doing that until I filmed myself. I'm not recommending that as good technique, especially if you don't have to start sitting, but using that momentum seems to really help my second move when I time it well. I'm sure I'd find a better way to use momentum if I started standing.

For me this all sort of begs the question as to what it means to carry momentum on max ladders. Sometimes I read comments from people that seem to suggest that the reason max ladder moves should be done in quick succession is to have continuous upward momentum. But I don't think I've seen a max ladder video where the climber actually carries UPWARD momentum in between moves. Maybe it's there but I don't see it. I would think that as soon as your body stops moving up, even for a split second, that momentum is either lost or transferred into another direction (i.e. swing). In the videos, it looks like they are utilizing momentum from their swing (what I would call lateral momentum) and/or they lift up their legs at the start of (or before) the move and then kick down at the last instant before latching the rung, which suppose is also a way to use or generate momentum. But I'm no expert on campusing, so somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

So I guess my answer/suggestion is to film yourself trying for max movement and again trying to carry momentum as you have been. Look and compare what's happening and maybe you'll see whats causing you to do worse. Maybe you actually were carrying some momentum before without realizing it?

[erick]

Mar 1, 2018 11:04:50 GMT -7 tsh said:

I'm trying to focus on both maximum movement and carrying momentum but, for me, using momentum seems to help do bigger max ladders rather than limit them.

This is not my situation. I certainly do better when I stop, there is 0 continuous movement if you don't count my legs. I have videoed myself and can see downward movement before I make the second reach. That's what has me confused. If the goal is to make the biggest reach possible I can get a more explosive pull off of a static hanging position, but if the goal is to train continuous powerful movements and carrying moment (which I can see as being useful in real climbing) then I need to relearn how to campus.

[scojo]

Can you post the video?

The downward movement makes sense to me. It sounds similar to how you can jump higher if you sink down and rebound rather than just starting from a squatting position.

[erick]

I did another campus session last night. While doing Max Ladders when I allowed myself to pause after the first reach and reset before jumping into my second latch I could easily match my PR. But if I try to do this without allowing my upward momentum to stop I was not even close. I'll try and record myself next time next time to show you what I mean. So that goes back to the question...

Should I try to reach a new PR by any means necessary OR focus on changing my technique even if that means I'm not getting as close to my past PRs?

[scojo]

I just searched youtube for various pro climbers campusing. When they do max ladders, they seem to pause after each latch to allow their legs to swing to the other side.

[RobF]

Sounds that relatively you are strong compared to powerful.

There's plenty of speed related drills that you can do to work on the velocity side of the power equation. Try foot on: start with 2 hands into one hand catch. The movement on the starting hold should be like a tick i.e. very small movement downwards immediately into max effort upwards. Another is alternate hands: say left on 1 and right on 3 as a starting position then jump left to 3 and right to 1 simultaneously and so forth. Lots of dynos will help too but non of this winding up and down 10x business. A simple sink down to store elastic energy then up at max speed. In the past I have just jumped to a blank bit of wall aiming to beat my height each time (chalky hand print). Looks daft but helped my dynos and campusing no end...

[tetrault]

Mar 10, 2018 17:07:05 GMT -7 RobF said:

Sounds that relatively you are strong compared to powerful.

I was thinking that it is just much more technically challenging to coordinate the body in a way that allows for one continuous motion up the board, but maybe with tons of power, not much skill would be required.

[RobF]

I was thinking along the lines of Olympic weight lifting wherebys your deadlift : clean & jerk : snatch ratios should optimally be around 70% for each. i.e.: clean & jerk should be 70% deadlift and snatch should be 70% clean & jerk.

Making up numbers here for easy maths but suppose deadlift is 200 kg with a clean and jerk of 100 kg and a snatch of 50 kg. Both power lifts are at 50% and therefore this is where training focus should be. There is little point in gaining more max strength.

Of course with the power movements comes a high technical element and the loss of form should be the key training parameter. If you watch the weightlifters in the Olympics they will lift a certain weight then add one kg and form breaks down / they miss the lift.

Have a look at your bodyweight vs max pullup weight on a similar sized edge to the campus rungs. Is the percentage: body weight / (body weight + added weight) appropriate for body weight to be utilised as a power movement (power should roughly be trained at between 50-70% 1rm).

There's other things to factor in as well- is your form good on big rungs and different on not so big rungs- implicating finger strength over arm strength.

Don't forget tricep strength as well for bigger moves (ring dips are good for this +/- feet on a platform or a gymball).

Lots of things to consider...