tiago
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Post by tiago on Mar 15, 2016 9:26:56 GMT -7
After reading this very interesting post on rockclimberstrainingmanual.com/2016/02/09/the-anatomy-of-a-limit-boulder-problem, I would like to pose a question: Where I live, the climbing gyms change their setup every two or three months. Although it makes it interesting to find and do some boulder problems near your limit, it is impossible to work on a boulder problem for more than one cycle, which means it's impossible to train on your limit. Also, this feels like the actual trend for many clymbing gyms. As such, I'd like to hear from all you guys how do you deal with this problem during your power phase. Cheers |
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Post by daustin on Mar 15, 2016 14:09:47 GMT -7
It doesn't mean it's impossible to train to your limit -- it just means you're unlikely to ever "succeed" on a limit boulder problem if you can't complete it in a cycle. And if you CAN complete it in a cycle, maybe it wasn't really a "limit" problem to begin with.
IMO this is mostly a problem of motivation -- if you're constantly working different/new limit problems every cycle, basically you're just going to be falling (or flailing) on moves that seem really hard, over and over. I can have a hard time getting psyched for this, and there's a temptation to try problems that are not quite at your limit because then you can at least see tangible progress and I think hard bouldering is just generally more fun than limit bouldering.
Limit bouldering takes a lot of willpower and commitment, and probably even more so if you're trying it in a commercial gym. I think you constantly have to remind yourself of this if you're trying to limit boulder in a commercial gym; if you're not hyper-vigilant and self-aware it's too easy to get lulled into hard bouldering. Climbing with friends, particularly friends who aren't training nerds, is a great way to get lulled into hard bouldering, so you might want to take a lone-wolf approach to limit bouldering at the commercial gym.
The other thing to consider is that a lot of commercial gyms can be pretty receptive to members' requests, within reason. If your gym has suitable terrain/space, it could be worth suggesting a training/systems wall that just has a bunch of holds that are rarely (if ever) changed. This seems to be a growing trend at a lot of "nice" gyms I've been to recently (Dogpatch in SF, Movement in Denver, Salt Pump in Maine). Maybe your gym can't/won't listen to such a request, but you'll never know if you don't ask!
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Post by MarkAnderson on Mar 15, 2016 18:35:35 GMT -7
Ya, I think the way to go would be to create your own problems on your gym's System Board (hopefully they have one). Generally systems boards stay fixed until the gym gets new management or a remodel or something drastic.
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Post by Lundy on Mar 15, 2016 18:38:32 GMT -7
The other thing to consider is that a lot of commercial gyms can be pretty receptive to members' requests, within reason. If your gym has suitable terrain/space, it could be worth suggesting a training/systems wall that just has a bunch of holds that are rarely (if ever) changed. This seems to be a growing trend at a lot of "nice" gyms I've been to recently (Dogpatch in SF, Movement in Denver, Salt Pump in Maine). Maybe your gym can't/won't listen to such a request, but you'll never know if you don't ask! I think this is a great suggestion, but for another reason that I think is key to true limit bouldering. I find that on my home wall, I end up trying MUCH harder moves because they're not graded and therefore I have no idea if they're doable or not when I'm first dreaming them up. When I'm at the gym for the occasional limit boulder session (gotta mix it up sometimes), I find that I limit myself to problems that I think are my limit in my mind. In reality, the problems I end up doing at home after a season or two are probably 2ish V grades harder than anything I'll get on at the gym, even though I'm convinced I'm "limit bouldering". |
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tiago
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Post by tiago on Mar 16, 2016 4:11:47 GMT -7
Hi all,
Unfortunately I've exhausted those avenues. I suggested that a fraction of the wall could stay unchanged. The reply I got was that it's not what customers are after... looks like this is the new paradigm for climbing gyms in Portugal...
The system board was a nice idea but they decided to get rid of it.
Considering these limitations, how should I adapt my training in regard to limit bouldering?
T.
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Post by joev9 on Mar 16, 2016 6:50:05 GMT -7
I don't think you need to adapt your training, I think you need to adjust your mindset to the fact that you will have to be constantly changing up your limit boulder problems to whatever is available in the gym. The fact that you never get to succeed on a limit problem doesn't mean your training isn't working or that it isn't being done properly. The send of a limit problem is pretty much irrelevant and really just a stepping stone that indicates you now need harder problems, it isn't really the ultimate goal of the limit bouldering training (though as said previously it is a nice confidence boost). The goal is to be pushing yourself on moves that are just of reach, which you should be able to find with each reset at the gym.
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tiago
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Posts: 32
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Post by tiago on Mar 16, 2016 8:07:00 GMT -7
So you would suggest that I'd try a boulder problem that I will not be able to do?
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Post by joev9 on Mar 17, 2016 7:14:36 GMT -7
So you would suggest that I'd try a boulder problem that I will not be able to do? Yes, or at least few moves of one. Limit bouldering should only be 2 or 3 moves that are just brick hard for you. Ignore the set problems and look for moves (1 to 4) that are similar to your goal routes or boulder problems. |
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Post by jcm on Mar 17, 2016 13:54:56 GMT -7
So you would suggest that I'd try a boulder problem that I will not be able to do? Yes, or at least few moves of one. Limit bouldering should only be 2 or 3 moves that are just brick hard for you. Ignore the set problems and look for moves (1 to 4) that are similar to your goal routes or boulder problems. A few additional notes:
- On a wall with set boulder problems, you can create limit boulder problems either by choosing a couple moves to work on a very difficult problem, or by making up problems using holds from various different problems.
- As everyone else has said, it is irrelevant whether you ever actually send the problems; it is more about trying really hard to do moves that are a bit beyond what you can do now. That said, it is a good idea to work the same problems over multiple sessions throughout your power phase. Don't get distracted trying different problems each session.
- There's nothing wrong with sending one or two of your limit problems. If you have a problem that you work really hard on through a 3-week power phase, and you send it after three weeks of effort, I'd definitely call that a limit problem...but there should also be some problems that you work and don't send. If you send all of your "limit" problems on the third session, they are too easy.
- This isn't relevant to the OP, since he doesn't have a systems board, but for those that do, another nice advantage of those is that you can work mirror image limit problems simultaneously. So if your limit boulder has a really hard to use pinch for the right hand, you also work the mirror image and train the same type of power for the left.
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tiago
New Member
Posts: 32
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Post by tiago on Mar 23, 2016 5:29:19 GMT -7
Ok, I will do as you recommend.
Thank you all for your input!
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Post by solwertkin on Mar 28, 2016 19:45:05 GMT -7
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