Did some old V0-V3, and mostly projected a V4 with a traverse and two crux.
12/1
climbing 1 hour
Sent the V4! Tried it near the end of my session and despite being tired was able to make it through the 2nd crux and send the route. I don’t think I’m anywhere close to real V5-6 right now. This is when climbing volume and weight loss need to accumulate. Then maybe some coaching.
Sent a new V2 and some V0-1. Called workout short when I was doing a cave climb and made a static move onto a jug where my left arm had to take most of my weight in the transition. My shoulder didn't like this.
I think left arm dead hangs are out for now, and so are most cave climbs
Did pushups later and my upper back was shaking on the descent. I need to get back to some S&C work for therapeutic value. Don't think I'll be doing any heavy weightlifting again though
12/6
climbing 20 minutes
Gym was resetting routes so I ran through several routes without resting including re-climbing the last V4
Diet is finally going well. Pretty much fasting all day and having a protein based dinner and 1-2 things after such as a greek yogurt and prunes or some nuts. I'm currently on day 4 of this more extreme approach and expect results soon, though I hesitate to weigh myself until I make noticeable physical progress. I'm only just starting to get hungry. Essentially I just do this and eat out reasonable meals a couple nights a week and should make whatever progress I want. This is almost identical to what I was doing in FL when I hit <170
Looking forward to some new routes today, maybe take a video if I can climb anything cool. I think I need to start bringing my chalk bag into the climb, I climb so slow now that there are points on longer boulders I can rest and chalk back up
1.5 hours bouldering, worked V1-2, discovered many of the 2's are being graded V3-4. Should make for an excellent challenge
12/16
2 hours bouldering
Sent two new V2 today and made a couple moves on V7. Have wiped out all the V0-1 since the gym reset routes. Time to start taking out the V2's
Diet going well, starting to get hungry. Eating one large meal and not a lot else. Goal is 175 (probably 20 more pounds) by March or so. I'll be a very happy man when I reach this goal. I have myself in part to blame for this 15+ pounds of weight gain, but a big part of it was a medicine I was put on. Losing the weight is inevitable. This has all happened before
Going to have a pretty large deficit this week between reductions in eating out and drinking and daytime food, aiming for 2+ pounds loss plus water weight. I need the scale to drop 5 pounds right now, it will be a big psychological boost, and I'm willing to sacrifice for it
12/14
Momentum PT 1 hour
Climbed V0-1
New momentum program is similar to the old one, with the only weightlifting I'm doing being 3x6 RDL. Lots of rows and single leg work, sled push, pushups, TRX, etc
One arm cable Row 35kg 3x10
RDL 135,155,185 3x6
Palloff Press 3x10
High Step up 3x10
One arm Cable Press 30,32.5,35 kg 3x10
leg raise plank 16 reps/raises
one arm press bar+25 2x8 hard on left
Sled push 250+sled 4x1 run
Horizontal abduction 10 reps 2x8 reps (harder band)
12/28
Good climb, climbed lower routes and practiced 3 second hand hovers on Vb-0. Basically you make every move using positioning so that you can hover your hand over the next hold before grabbing it. It requires a ton of core tension and lockoff strength, as well as body/technique awareness. I can't even do it on every Vb yet. Going to be doing these at least twice a week.
12/27
Good climb, sent V0-1, flashed a new flat wall V2
12/23
Bad climb, sent some V1, some maybe V2, struggled despite my old climbing partner/coach being in town
One missed session log
Diet going very well, lifestyle changes making a big difference. weight unknown
All recent climbs have been with short to no rest between boulders
next session all V0-2 and then see if I have anything left. There are 3 V2 I cannot yet climb which are all getting graded V3-4
Pretty much treating my climbing as if it were a power endurance workout with bw+25 added, trying to build work capacity and improve technique as I get lighter. Ideally I'll send the rest of the V3 before they reset the routes
1/5 climb
1/3 momentum PT
Mobility and activation work
One arm cable Row 40kg 3x8
RDL 135,175, 205 3x6
double overhand deadlift 235, 275 1x1
Palloff Press 3x10
Bulgarian Split Squat bw+40 3x8
One arm Cable Press 40 kg 3x10
leg raise plank 16 reps/raises (45-60 seconds)
one arm press bar+25 3x8
Sled push 280+sled 3x1 run
Horizontal band abduction 10 reps 3x8 reps (harder band)
1/2 climb
45 mins. Worked my V5. Can do most of the traverse up to the first crux and every move but 1 on the 2nd crux
1/1 climb
12/31
Climb 30 minutes
12/30
Climb 1.5 hours
Down 3-4 pounds since XMas. Diet/no drinking making a big difference. I was 178 on 9/3. I would like to get back there (175) by Spring break
Goals for this year are to climb V5 and V6, maybe V7 by the end of the year. I'd also like to get back down to my previous weight of 178 and potentially take it as low as 170. I've been training for 11 years now, climbing over 1 year. My motivation has shifted from wanting to be lean and really strong in the weight room to being as strong as possible in the climbing gym without losing excessive muscle. Injury prevention and my neck and back health are also very important to me, having been previously injured. Ideally I'll lose another 20 pounds these next 3-4 months and be climbing V5's by summertime
Climbing. Sent 2 new V3 and worked the crux of my V5 problem. Will attack some other V3 in future sessions.
Feeling totally psyched about weight loss. Have had several good days of diet. Anticipating this to continue for a while now, I seem to have adherence/ the psychological aspects dialed in
School starting tomorrow. Taking on a light load this semester, should be lots of time for training between momentum and climbing
1/20
Climbing
1/19
Climbing 2 hours. V0-2
BW: 197 (not a great last week or week and a half for diet)
Sent some new V2, still suck on a move in Orange V3. not a lot of grip strength this session
I'm supposed to DB Bench this week but after it crushing my shoulders and making my neck sore last week, maybe I'm not ready for this exercise. If my shoulders feel ok I think I'm gonna do 3x8 one arm db bench with 50,60,70 and see if that creates too much fatigue
1/29
Momentum
another easy day
Palloff Press 3x10
Overhead reachers 3x10
Bulgarian Split Squat 3x10
Cable Band Row 3x20
plank w leg raises 3x16 reps
med ball overhead taps 3x20
Went to momentum and could barely do anything, then decided to make up for my lazy session with a 1x2 of sled push and gassed so hard at the end of the second run that I called it a session, headed to my car gasping for air, and was throwing up by the time I was in the parking lot
foam rolling, mobility, activation
DB Bench 55,60,70 3x8 75's 1x6
Cable Band Row 5x10
squats 3x20
med ball overhead taps 4x20
Overhead reachers 1x10
Sled push 280 1x2 quit
think I’m quitting coffee for a bit, I feel having 4 cups today contributed to this.
Not sure what happened today, calorie restriction has been minimal the last 4-5 days but I was really low energy. Maybe the DB bench took a lot out of me?
Shoulders were shaking after this workout. I felt a little stress and tightness during the overhead reachers. Landmine press may be overkill at this point. Will cut those and the reachers out and keep the PT gym work to once a week for now
The BW fluctuation is annoying but not unsurprising: I've had one cheat day and added several servings a day of fruits and veggies to my diet this week, I had pizza 2 nights ago, and I moderately overate 3 days ago.
Last edited by ActionJeff; 02-02-2018 at 08:34 PM.
Supine Chin Tuck 1x10
Cable Band Row 1x10
Cable Band Press 1x10
Cable Band Abduction 1x10
Arm slides to wall, front, back 1x10
Pushups 1x10 progress in reps to 20
one leg RDL 1x10 progress in technique, eventually add weight and barbell
Hip Abductor Rock 1x10
Squat 1x20
Reverse Lunge 1x10
Lateral Lunge 1x10
one leg glute bridge 1x10
Supersets:
DB Bench 2x8 1x7-10 1x4-6 (2 work sets)
Cable Band Row 3x10 progress in reps
TRX Hamstring Curl 3x10
Bulgarian split squat 3x10 progress in reps to 25+
Plank with leg raise 3x20 reps
Palloff Press 3x10
TRX Body Row 3x10
Sled Push 3x1 progress to 500+
Horizontal cable band abduction 3x10
Will look to introduce RDL at home on another day for 1 work set of 6-12 reps, double overhand
Will get the coaches input ofc
I might start DB Bench at Umass gym some sessions and do a cable press or pushups at momentum. Pretty easy to do 1-2 work sets without breaking much of a sweat between classes
Last edited by ActionJeff; 02-02-2018 at 08:48 PM.
the V6 is going to be my project. It's a route that emphasizes reach, power, lot of pulling strength, and most of all it's not too fingery. There's one hard pinch early in the route and no crimps or slopers whatsoever after that. I think I can climb it basically. The crux move seems ridiculous though. My concern is that its deceptive and the move is just too hard. We'll see
There are a few new V3 standouts in my gym I’d like to work on along with the V6, and one V4-5 campusing problem with a hard first move followed by a V3 finish
I tried the crux move on the V6 10-15 times with no success but got pretty close to clamping onto the left hold. The next move to the jug is unclear but there are a ton of different ways to make it real. I think the route is probably a V4-5 move to the pinch, followed by V6-7 swinging move to a good hold, followed by V4-5 move to jug and easy finish. If the dyno to the jug doesn't work then the move to it is probably also V6-7
Last week was bad for diet with 2 birthdays, lots of smoking and junk food in the house. The previous Sunday I weighed in at 191.5, down from as high as 201. I pulled it together and this week has been near perfect. Not gonna weigh myself until the end of the month but I anticipate high 180's, ideally 185. About 194 right now but rapidly dropping off the weight from previous week and see no reason this won't continue. Considering my weight I'm happy with the last few months of climbing progress. I think once I get back down to 178 like last September the results will be big, and 170 will be right around the corner
Last edited by ActionJeff; 02-10-2018 at 10:56 AM.
Should mention I've been working the V6 but it's been upgraded to V7. Making a dynamic move off the crux is impossible, but I can probably make the reach if I break the kneebar and can get just a little extension off my heel hook. There are now 2 moves in the route I can't do, the dynamic move to the crux hold, and the crux move to the jug. My friend suggested I switch to a hard undercling before making the crux move, which would add another V5 move to the route, but might make the crux possible, maybe even statically without breaking the kneebar.
Two more likely V5 at the gym are going to be projects I put more effort into
Tear isn't as bad as it seemed yesterday, should be able to climb soon
Sent some new V2-3 projects, still a few stubborn V3 in the gym I can't climb. Haven't really even bothered project any V4.
Worked on two 5.10 routes, one 5.10+, around V4 boulder problems in the crux for both and a horrific sloper on the +, could be a V5. None of the climbing is easy. Both are like 30 foot routes, nothing too pumpy
Back to momentum tomorrow to work one leg squats and stuff.
Locked out of my other account, possibly permanently. I was never able to reset the password in the past because I didn't have access to email and now I'm logged out and can't get back on
2/24
Climbing 2 hours
Minimal warmup through some V0-2, then worked on V3-V5. Sent a V4 from the 2nd move onward. Ofc first move is a strength based overhanging crimp move that intersects with a V8 route and uses the same holds. Come on
Campused V0
Sent a new 5.8 at end of the session. Worked on a new 5.9 but was too tired.
Will start climbing more 5.8 and projecting 5.9 and then the 2 5.10 I originally worked on. May even take a short break from focusing on bouldering
There is not a single V3 in my gym I can send. There’s always at least one move I can’t do. Weighing 195 ****ing sucks. So does half the V3 really being V4. The worst part is most of it is just strength.
2/23
Momentum
Pistol squat unassisted 2x2 on toes 2x2
Push-ups 3x10
TRX pistol squat (just for balance) 3x10
TRX Body Row 3x10
Med ball overhead taps 6x20 (spread out)
plank w leg raises 3x20reps
Palloff Press 3x12/side
Horizontal cable abduction 3x10
Side plank 2x
Bulgarian split squat 1x10
Couldn’t do the entire workout today, as legs were crushed by the time I got to the split squats and I realized I'd be facing massive soreness that would hamper weekend climbing. Left hamstring has already been sore for a few days from climbing.
Rather than do these pistols on TRX, might be better to do them at home holding an edge in front of me for balance, or just do them on the toes without assistance (in which case I can’t do many reps)
There's a move on a V4 I'm working on where I'm scrunched up with my heel on my ass and have to stand on my left leg in that position with essentially all of my weight. I can't do it but I'm quite close
After a highly successful January, this month has been a relative disaster. My weight is at least 5 pounds higher than my low point of 191.5 one month ago.
What went wrong:
-I found that even if I don't smoke, drinking can trigger eating (duh)
-at least little extra food at night most nights
-eating out frequency increased in recent weeks
-several birthdays and cheat days
-several high calorie days resulting from eating significant extra food following dinner undoubtedly resulting in weight gain
What improved:
-I stopped smoking green almost entirely the past 2 weeks, and found my vape pen doesn't trigger eating
-I increased climbing volume and my strength improved in some areas
-my back is no longer unstable and doesn't shake during pushups, I started campusing, and my pulling strength is excellent
-I got on a medicine which improves my energy and makes me more focused and generally feel better and more motivated than previously
-motivation is high despite a bad month
-I started eating 2-3x more fruits and vegetables than I have for years
What will change so March is amazing:
-I'll only smoke at night strategically when I know I need a little more food for the day and am already hungry, such as a carton of berries or a few oz of ham cold cuts, and only when there's no savory junk around to tempt me.
-Once again will cut back on wine, entirely because it fuels hunger
-I will start walking and/or biking to create a slightly higher deficit and fuel initial water weight loss (I'm sure a lot of the 5+ pounds regained is water)
-more fasting during the day will help a lot
-Cutting back on eating out to once a week, even if its sushi like recently, and keeping the meal size reasonable and selections healthy
-I'm willing to reduce protein intake slightly. As long as hunger doesn't suddenly get crazy (and I've barely been hungry this month) I think this will help keep calories way lower
diet has been perfect. Have an ungodly amount of energy. Probably gonna start swimming, seems ideal for the combo of being meditative and burning a ton of calories without being too demanding or exhausting. I could have swam an hour immediately after climbing tonight.
My skin and right big toe right now are the only things limiting my climbing volume.
Sent many new V0-2 in South Boston, flashing most. Sent one V3 and one V3+/4. Took a bad fall at the end of the session from the very top where I landed on my lower back and folded over. The pain wasn’t bad but my lower back hurts when I do stuff/move now. Pain is probably like 2-3/10 and slightly worse when arching. Gonna need a few days off, could afford to heal the big toe and inner hips anyway. Hoping very much that I don’t need longer. Diet time
BW was 196.5 on 2/26. Pulling for an 8lb+ March, potentially way more. I’m so close right now to hitting a stride with my diet and climbing. Patience
I think I was low on water but that’s still a crazy drop compared to 2/26
Totally optimizing diet now and trying to make everything perfect. Feeling very motivated. Looking forward to hunger
Back is improving. Seeing doctor today and going to Momentum for an easy therapeutic session
Hoping I can do an easy climb this weekend. Regardless I think i’ll go to Climbing gym to work on dead hangs and campusing asap. No reason to let my strength slide just because I can’t test my limit right now. Perhaps I can climb some Vb and V0 and do every move statically and Top out or downclimb rather than falling
Back hurts a tiny bit sitting and hurts like 2-3/10 when I get up from a seated position (or lying down). Slight pain on right side of lower back wen arching. No other symptoms
