Post by Charlie S on Apr 20, 2019 11:56:50 GMT -7
To be honest, I find it pretty hard to do only hangboard workouts and nothing else during the week as I enjoy climbing (and training in general). The climbing days were only for fun and I limited the grades so that I could work on technique while not compromising my recovery. Obviously, it did not go as planned.
Nevertheless, I still managed to increase my grip #1 by 12 lbs and grip #2 by 10 lbs during this current strength phase. In the next strength phase, I will do things differently based on my experience in this phase.
First, I do depart from the standard training model by climbing on "rest" days but it's very controlled.
Let's build a framework first:
My OS ability is about 5.11b/c. Unless it's granite trad/slab, in which case I'm about 5.9+ on a good day .
Highest redpoint is 5.12c/d. Projecting 13a still.
A typical hangboard season for me has me hanging Sundays and Wednesdays.
Sunday: hangboard after warmup. That's it! Nothing extra.
Monday: rest day. Maybe some light cardio.
Tuesday: regular weights, NO PULLING EXERCISES. Focus on core, shoulders, pushing exercises. Aside from the bench press (personal interest, it has no benefit to climbing), the rest of these workouts are maintenance and I am rarely trying to set PRs.
Wednesday: Hangboard after warmup.
Thursday: regular weights again, NO PULLING.
Friday: Maybe climb outside, top out around 5.11a that I have dialed. Not trying to push it. OR light cardio, OR full-on rest.
Saturday: Maybe climb outside if I didn't go on Friday. Again, I am never pushing it. Never getting pumped, and especially on Saturdays, don't do anything that will potentially throw off Sunday's hangboard workout. Otherwise, rest.
Note how I'm 2-3 number grades less than RP. In my local crags, this generally means more slab work, so it's a lot of focus on footwork. Your availability may be different. For instance, if all I had was a 5.10 jug haul through a roof, that would really screw up my recovery and/or the next day's workout!
Second, 10-12lb increase in strength tells me that your season starting weights are too high. You should be gaining on average about 5lbs of strength per workout/recovery, amounting to ~40lbs of strength over a given hangboard season (8 workouts). Apart from the hardest of holds for me (2 finger pocket and micro crimp, where I gain ~20lbs per season with 2.5lbs increments), this should be more of a goal.
As an example, let's say right now you max out on the LVDER at body weight (0lbs). Next season, you want this to be +5 by the end of your season. So, your first exercise of the next season would be -35lbs and you'd increase +5 each workout.
Somebody wrote about that on this forum within the past few years: experimenting with picking up where they left off on the next season or dropping back down. In summary, they experienced better strength gains by starting lower. By starting higher, they stagnated quickly.