Length of Phase 3 problems in Limit Bouldering Routine

[mk]

The limit bouldering routine includes spending 25-30 minutes on 3 to 4 problems above flash level after warming up and before moving on to limit bouldering.  I climb at a good commercial gym and most of the boulder problems are 10-13 hand moves long.  Should I stick to shorter problems during the power phase entirely and just make up my own problems or do portions of the set climbs, or is it fine to do such long problems?

[MarkAnderson]

You'd be better off doing shorter problems. Are the problems super tall? I've noticed a trend lately in super tall (like 17 feet) indoor bouldering walls. If this is the case, I'd recommend building problems (or asking the staff to build problems) that end at a safe height (12' or so). This will allow you to push yourself on each move without fear of getting mangled on the landing. I like problems in the 5-7 hand-move range.

[slimshaky]

limit bouldering is probably the hardest thing for me to get rolling on in my training.  i climb at an excellent gym, but like mark points out, the problems are generally pretty tall.  also, a lot of times they have a nasty move at the top where you can come off in weird body positions.  i am kind of old and i have a lot of miles on me.  at this stage in the game it isn't really worth it for me to commit to these types of problems.

i have a really difficult time trying to find the right problems to use for limit bouldering.  by the time you try to combine the right grade, the hard moves at the bottom, and something that is readily applicable to the routes you are wanting to climb it really narrows down the options.  also, when limit bouldering there is such a fine line between too easy and too hard - you end up in the goldilocks scenario where the porridge is too hot or too cold.

one thing i have been trying to do is to just look at all of the holds not as individual problems, but rather a pool of holds to choose from to put something together.  i usually try to find a layout of holds that is similar to the crux on a project, or something i know is a general weakness.  one approach is to find a configuration that has difficult hands, start with open feet, and then keep switching the feet to worse options (not only size, but position as well).  same approach but with decent hands, but make the feet/positioning more brutal, and big long moves that stress accuracy and commitment to latching the hold like a pitbull (instead of a chihuahua .

one pitfall of this - it takes a LOT of effort to not just set up routes that work your strengths, or that have fun, aesthetic moves.  for this reason, if i set 3 of my own problems, i try to force myself to do one gym-set problem that i know i am really not going to like.

[mk]

Yes, some of the walls are so high (in the 15-17 foot range) that coming off the last move in anything but a vertical position could lead to injury. There are some shorter walls as well, but they tend to be vertical and have holds that are too big. Looks like I'll have to be creative and make my own short problems up. Thanks for the response.

[Greying on Granite]

Alternatively you could do harder problems but only to the 10-13 hand move mark. I am envious of your gyms..these are good problems to be having.

[mk]

Definitely a good problem to have - I love my gym and couldn't ask for anything better. It's my first time doing a structured training plan, so I want to do it the way it was intended, which apparently means only short problems during the power phase.

[MarkAnderson]

Jun 27, 2014 13:28:00 GMT -7 mk said:

... It's my first time doing a structured training plan, so I want to do it the way it was intended, which apparently means only short problems during the power phase.

I wouldn't say "only".  You can do longer problems during your Warmup Boulder Ladder and Hard Bouldering.  

During Limit Bouldering, its true that you should emphasize 1-2 really hard moves in a problem, but even then, as long as the crux moves are in the first 4-5 moves, you could tack on a bunch of fluff moves at the end if you really like to gain some altitude (but there wouldn't be much training value).  The idea is to work the hardest moves low to the ground while you're fresh, and not afraid to fall.

That said, I rarely do a Limit Boulder Problem with more than 6 moves, but my wall is only ~11' high or so.

[Ales]

I think commercial walls with set problems are difficult to use. I've got Moonboard and I think that's pretty cool to use. Coz you might already know what boulder problems/grades are at your flash level and then just pick whatever is two grades harder and work on it.

[jcm]

I agree with the sentiment that it can be suprisingly hard to properly train LB in a big nice modern gym. Actually, it often seems like the nicer and more modern the gym, the less suited to LB training it may be. In addition to the wall height and problem length concerns, there is also the climbing style issue (too much parkour on volumes, not enough small hold power), and the very low density of holds/problems in a modern gym (making it more difficult to make up your own problems). It is remarkable that in a very nice 15,000 SF bouldering gym, that there can only be a couple of problems suitable for realistic limit bouldering at a given level, and it is ironic that I often find myself thinking that I could do more with a 100 SF woody than with that 15,000 SF mega gym.

Fortunately, a lot of modern gyms are dealing with this issue by adding in a "woody" wall with a densely packed collection of small holds. If done well, these can be amazing for 2-5 move LB power problems. A good system wall (dense setup, lots of small holds) can serve the same purpose really well too. If you gym doesn't have one of these yet, maybe talk (i.e. beg) to the routesetters to take a small portion of bouldering walls and set it up in this manner. Really all you need is 100 SF of 30 degree wall with a bunch of small holds thrown on it.