Training Plan Help

[boyboss]

I'm 31 5'11 weight is 160-165 about 8-10% body fat. I have been climbing for 3.5 years with periods of high and lows taking breaks for injuries and vacations. I TR in the gym up to 11c on the first go and get V4 usually first go. Outside I can OS sport routes up to 11a/b occasionally and mid 10s on gear. I seem to always hit a plateau at around these levels tho every time I start climbing consistently.

I tried having an actually training regiment for the first time at the end of last year having completed one season of the rock prodigy. The workout seemed to have help but I had elbow issues at the end (recurring injury) and then decided to take 8 weeks off. The problem I had with periodisation was the unexpected interruptions I had (or are those okay?) I would pick up where I left off. Currently i am doing linear training I find it works for my schedule.

I get to the gym about 4-5 times a week. I don't do set work outs on set days because scheduling but my training regiment for me looks like this:

1day of hang board
1day of arc, Boulder limit and campus
1day of arc, Boulder hard and 4x4
1day TR (up to limit with one hang) or arc
1day of weights bicep back
1 day of weights chest and tricep

I do these work outs in a linear method.

I climb outside when I can and just adjust the week accordingly. I rest as needed. I run 1-3 times and do abs 2-3 times a week. Should I go back to periodisation? Or change my current regiment? Any advice is appreciated. My goal is to just get stronger overall. I'd like to climb 5.12 outside.

[keller]

In my experience, your average gumby can generally get to the 5.11/v4 level relying on technique and general fitness. Looks like you are limited by finger strength. According to your schedule, it looks like you have at least some time most days of the week to devote to training. You should do some finger training. Do a month of hang boarding (10 sessions) and tell me your fingers are not stronger at the end of it. About a year ago I was at a plateau for about 6 years and was tired of it so I bought the book (RCTM), read the articles online, and dedicated myself to a training program. I told myself I would see it through and see what the results were. If they were not good I could try something else in the future. However, the results really blew me away and I am climbing better than I ever have.

As to missing sessions, I find that planning your season out in advance definitely helps. If you have life events you know about before hand do your best to schedule around them. If things come up and you miss a session, do it the next day. However, by installing a hang board in your house I find that my "excuses" for missing sessions due to other things are really limited. Get up at 5am and do your hang board session or do it late at night even though you are tired.

Just my piece of mind. I hope this helps.

[jessebruni]

Keller makes a good point but it's really impossible to say that your weakness is finger strength based on the information you gave. IF you are able to determine that finger strength is your problem then hangboarding will certainly help you to break past that plateau.

May 3, 2015 22:37:44 GMT -7 boyboss said:

I TR in the gym up to 11c on the first go and get V4 usually first go. Outside I can OS sport routes up to 11a/b occasionally and mid 10s on gear...I'd like to climb 5.12 outside.

This is important. You can toprope 11c first go (onsight?) in the gym, but only 11a/b outside occasionally? Why is this? If it's a just a grading discrepancy between the gym and outdoors you can probably ignore it, but it might be for other reasons. For instance, maybe you are climbing harder because you're on top rope? If that's the case you probably have some fear of falling issues you need to work out. If you're climbing harder because it's easier to read the beta indoors then maybe you need to get more mileage outside so you can read the routes better. If you can onsight 11c you ought to be able to project and send a 12a without much work, but only if you identify the right thing to work on.

My advice would be ditch the toprope on sport routes...forever. It's a crutch and the only valid reasons to toprope sport routes are because you are in a gym that doesn't allow leading, or you're on autobelay to get mileage. Otherwise you should always be leading.

If you're able to boulder V4 on the first go then you can certainly climb 12a from a strength perspective. Most 12a's will not have V4 moves on them, and even a very short 12a is basically a V4 boulder problem. Get on some 12a's and assess why you're falling. Can you do the crux moves off the hangdog? If so strength is not the issue. It might be technique, endurance, or mental game.

Anyway, that's my advice. Before you go about designing a training plan try to figure out why you're plateauing, then work on your weakness. If you have trouble finding out on your own what your weakness is try asking some climbers in your gym that can actually see you climb, and who are better climbers than you are to help you identify your weakness. I can typically identify the weakness of most of the climbers in my gym by watching them or talking with them but I don't mention it if they aren't asking for my advice. There are probably folks at your gym who know exactly what you need to work on but aren't saying anything because they don't want to come offer you unsolicited advice. 

[boyboss]

I'll take up your advice and lead more in the gym. I also think I need to project more. I generally never project routes. After a hangdog I can finish the moves so I guess strength isnt the issue. The issue is probably one of the other three and I'm leaning towards a mixture of all three. I recently moved so I have had a hard time finding new partners I am comfortable falling with. I started doing practice falls with one of them in the gym. I think I could use more power endurance, because after a really crimpy route my fingers will be sore or I don't normally feel a forearm pump at the end of the day I feel more of a lack of finger strength left.

[MarkAnderson]

Based on the training schedule you provided I would say you are training waaay too much. You should have at least one rest day between each of your training days, and in many cases two rest days. When it comes to climbing, less is more.

[boyboss]

May 5, 2015 19:34:40 GMT -7 MarkAnderson said:

Based on the training schedule you provided I would say you are training waaay too much. You should have at least one rest day between each of your training days, and in many cases two rest days. When it comes to climbing, less is more.

Usually I spend 3-4 days a week in the gym. I'll take more rest days. I'm starting to think its not a strength issue but maybe more endurance and technique. Mental cruxes come and go but I continue to work on that.

[dan]

I quit my route setting job in the gym about 3 years ago. My elbows are now almost completely healed.