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Post by Trevor Hartman on Aug 11, 2015 13:13:34 GMT -7
I'm going through the book and just did my first campus training session last night. It was very hard, which made me think: 1) Wow I suck at campusing 2) If I can stop sucking at campusing, I'm going to climb way harder! I can typically flash V4 and .11a. A couple questions: 1) The book mentions using the "Large" rungs for beginners. Here's a photo from my gym: I used the sandpapery rungs on the right since it was so hard. I did 2 matching ladders then 3 basic ladders in 15 minutes. What are the sandpapery rungs called, and do I need to get off them ASAP? There's another wall with the medium and small sized rungs, but even the large wood rungs left of the sandpaper felt near-impossible. 2) I looked in the book for any mention of rest between sets but didn't find it or must have missed it. When it says to campus for 15 minutes, does that just mean do as much as you possibly can within 15 minutes? I found that I had to rest for at least 30-60 seconds between sets, but I did feel like I was getting better as time went on, probably in part because it was my first time using campus rings. Thanks.
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Post by rob on Aug 11, 2015 13:33:13 GMT -7
Hey Trevor,
Those grip tape style rungs look like typical campus sloper rungs, I would try and stick to the large standard rungs where possible as this will train your fingers on more realistic grips, but if you cant do the large rungs at all then maybe its worth sticking with these for a session or 2 before moving on.
Not sure where you read that about 15 minutes, but you definitely should NOT be trying to squeeze as much campusing in to that time. 30-60 seconds between sets is very insufficient for a power workout!! What you're doing currently is more like an endurance / power endurance workout. You should be resting anywhere between 2-5 minutes between sets, but 3 is a good standard rest time to aim for. This will feel like you're resting for ages, but you need to in order to train pure power. Every campus exercise you should be fresh and giving it all. I rest 2 minutes between basic ladders (only to save time as I can do them pretty easily) and at least 3 minutes between all other exercises. Your campus workout should last around 30-45 minutes I would estimate. And a substantial proportion if that should be on max ladders - when you're ready/ able to do them.
You'll probably find you got better as the session went on as your coordination and recruitment increased. I find the same, especially in the first campus workout or 2 of each season. You can make big gains in laddering by simply improving your coordination and use of momentum.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
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Post by rob on Aug 11, 2015 13:47:20 GMT -7
Also, it has to be said, that set up with the 2 normal rungs at the start and then slopers after that is pretty stupid! Do gyms not think when they set these things up of the real training implications.
Hopefully you're not good friends with the person who set it up now I've said that!
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 11, 2015 13:53:30 GMT -7
Trevor,
Welcome to the program! Check out the "Frequency and Rest" discussion on page 146. At a minimum, rest at least 90 seconds between sets. For Max Ladders (which take less than 5 seconds for me to complete) I rest 2 minutes between sets, and I know many people, like Rob, who rest much more than that. I should probably rest longer, but I do a lot of sets and I have the attention span of a ferret.
Regarding the slopers, as Rob said, the standard wood rungs are generally more specific to rock climbing, targeting finger strength/power, whereas those jug rails require relatively little finger strength, and so target upper arm and back strength/power. If you can use the wooden rungs, then use them. If not, you can use the slopers to learn the basic coordination and aggression required for campusing in general. Transition to the wooden rungs as soon as you can. That might mean warming up on the slopers, then doing a few sets on the large rungs once you're warm, or doing some exercises on each set of rungs.
Good luck Mark
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Post by Trevor Hartman on Aug 11, 2015 13:54:53 GMT -7
Hey Rob, thanks for the reply. 15 minutes comes from the book's Novice Seasonal Training Plan. The very first Power workout is WBL 60m and Campus 15 min. Looks like the novice power phase only includes 3 campus training sessions at increasing duration: 15 min, 20 min, 25 min. Surprisingly, the experienced plan only includes 5 sessions. I guess it's not a very major part of training? I'm a bit confused on why the novice plan would only recommend 3 short sessions. I didn't use the two normal rungs at the bottom, but yeah that doesn't make sense, and I don't know who set it that way I'll try the large rungs next time and see how it goes.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 11, 2015 14:00:20 GMT -7
Also, it has to be said, that set up with the 2 normal rungs at the start and then slopers after that is pretty stupid! Do gyms not think when they set these things up of the real training implications. Hopefully you're not good friends with the person who set it up now I've said that! It looks like nobody's thought much at all about that board in at least a decade
It's well-loved look reminds me of the board at the famed Boulder Rock Club. It's been beaten to the point that scraps of plywood are flaking off above each rung. It's super nasty. I could easily see getting a sliver under your fingernail* on that thing.
(*the worst place known to man to get a sliver. Well, maybe not the worst, but the worst place that isn't protected during waking hours)
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Post by Trevor Hartman on Aug 11, 2015 14:02:22 GMT -7
Hey Mark. Thanks for the info. It says for the beginner routine, max 16 sets. With 90 seconds between sets and 10s/set that'd put me at 26 minutes: ((90 + 10) * 16) / 60 = 26.6. So I guess I'll only be approaching 16 sets on my last campus session, and only if I do the minimum amount of rest.
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Post by Trevor Hartman on Aug 11, 2015 14:04:10 GMT -7
Yeah the campus board is not in great shape The gym is very small, but luckily they started making changes to accommodate RCTM in the last few months.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 11, 2015 14:13:15 GMT -7
Hey Mark. Thanks for the info. It says for the beginner routine, max 16 sets. With 90 seconds between sets and 10s/set that'd put me at 26 minutes: ((90 + 10) * 16) / 60 = 26.6. So I guess I'll only be approaching 16 sets on my last campus session, and only if I do the minimum amount of rest. Your math is correct. But, those are guidelines/estimates. Focus more on the number of sets and less on the elapsed time, since it WILL vary depending on your preferred rest interval. And if you feel like you want to do more or less (sets), that's fine too.
Regarding the relatively small volume of campusing, I like to say campusing has the highest "Gab-to-Grab Ratio" of any training activity. That is, we talk an awful lot about something that we shouldn't do very much. It's very intense, so naturally it requires a lot of recovery time. It's also less specific than the alternative (bouldering), so it should only be used as a complement to more sport-specific training. This is even more true for beginner/novice trainees, who usually benefit the most from activities that incorporate skill development. Campusing is included in the Beginner/novice programs primarily for the skill and mental benefits (improving accuracy and aggressiveness), and partially to introduce the concept so that it's not a complete mystery once you progress to the intermediate or advanced programs. It's much less likely that someone at that level will need to massively improve their contact strength, whereas that can be a huge factor in more advanced climbers.
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Post by rob on Aug 11, 2015 14:24:42 GMT -7
Ah yeah forgot about the beginner time schedules - all I would say is you don't have to stick to the exact times suggested all the time... Everyone's schedule/ abilities/ facilities are different and I find certain parts of my workouts are much shorter than suggested and others are much longer. I didn't use the two normal rungs at the bottom, but yeah that doesn't make sense, and I don't know who set it that way . Good to know .
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Post by Chris W on Aug 12, 2015 4:56:32 GMT -7
I'm going through the book and just did my first campus training session last night. It was very hard, which made me think: 1) Wow I suck at campusing Welcome to the I suck at campusing club!
I'm the club president!
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Post by Trevor Hartman on Aug 31, 2015 10:49:57 GMT -7
LOL!
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Post by Lundy on Aug 31, 2015 11:03:01 GMT -7
Not to be confused with the "I suck at pinches club", where many of us are vying for the presidency.
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Post by Trevor Hartman on Aug 31, 2015 15:09:27 GMT -7
Happy to report I was able to get on the large wood rungs instead of the sandpaper rungs today (3rd campus workout). What it came down to was evoking a bit more tryhard. I warmed up on the sandpaper rungs with 5 basic ladders, then was surprised to find I could do a matching ladder (barely) on the large wood rungs, then even more surprised I could almost complete a basic ladder. Next time I completed the basic ladder, then did 3 more before finishing my workout. It kept getting easier. Feeling sore and tired in my upper back and my hands feel trashed. Rest time
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 31, 2015 17:09:20 GMT -7
Awesome! It's amazing what a little confidence can do.
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