This was part of a slab video where I did all the slab problems in a row

My hardest Boulder ever:




(repost) Don't think the difficulty of that 7 is apparent in the video but the first move was a nightmare as was mounting the slopers, and the crux plus dyno at the top were pretty scary and took forever to work out. I couldn't do one move on this boulder when I first tried it and none of the beta I saw other people use was possible for me. The back step was also horribly hard, all the slopers were greasy and there was just nothing at the top as far as the useless slopers on the overhang

I know I posted this one before but I’m still quite proud of it lol. Definitely levels harder than anything else I’ve climbed, and also by far the longest I've spent on a boulder

Here’s the hardest Boulder I did prior to that



Basically these crimps were terrible but only the crux move was really hard. This boulder took a lot of work at the time though I think I’d get it done much quicker now. Totally silly that this was graded V7, in retrospect. Apart from the crux move none of the moves were harder than V4+, though none of the moves were easy. Could see this being a 5+ maybe

On the V4 cave climb any chance that’s a heel hook on the first hand hold you move to after the start.

On the V5 bad beta gotta imagine there’s either a heel or a knee bad the way they set those flat long pinches.

Think you’re moving fine for someone working on getting better at overhangs in the V4-V6 grade, I’d figure these out then work on perfect repeats for sure. No regripping and quiet feet.

I'll try that heel hook. The problem I'm having is that all of my weight is to the left, which makes crossing under seem impossible and any foot move to the right useless.

Not sure on the 5. Rather than go right foot way up to a chip once I hit the sloper, maybe I can try to lock in a left heel hook first

With your hip mobility and leg strength I’d be looking for any reason to heel or toe hook lol.

It definitely looks like you will be crossing over your right arm with your left. The higher left foot looks like it is probably necessary to do the crossing move, otherwise I am not sure why they placed the foot hold there. It to me like you were in the right position with the foot out right, you just need to twist your hip into the wall i.e left knee facing your right foot and reach through?

General comments: You clearly have spent more time practicing on slabs than any other type of terrain. Your movement is smoother and more fluid on the slab climbs. It has a flow that is lacking on the other wall angles.

You are thrutching at holds pretty often it seems. I assume this is causing some of the soft tissue and skin issues? I like Tx's suggestion of really focusing on repeating climbs perfectly. Aim for smooth and fluid movement and precise foot placements that you can press or pull hard on. You often bounce your feet on footholds. Look place them accurately on your first go and then use your feet to push and pull your COG into position.

Overall, I think you are definitely moving better than previously. Just stay healthy and focus on moving well and the progress will come quickly!

Damn never thought about skin issues being related to that but it totally makes sense.

Thanks. I'll give the cross over and higher foot a try next session

I knew I was bouncing my foot but wasn't trying hard enough to correct it. You make a great point about thrutching at holds possibly being related to skin issues. I will keep trying to work on this/not regripping so much.

5/23

Climb 2:00

Finally healthy and a good session. Unfortunately I badly needed to quit 15 mins sooner and got a really nasty flapper on my first pad. Plus two other mild tears. Damn

Repeated some V1-2 stuff. Tried out the wall with the newly set routes for over half the session. Flashed the new V2, 2 V3 (both V2) and one V4 (not sure). The 4 was big crimps and felt really easy except two miserably terrible micro pinches in the middle I got through with a toe hook and some static beta.

Tried a new 5 4 times but had trouble with a move on a pinch. Tried a new V6 crimp climb (V5 at best) and got it in 2 tries. Very happy with this. Tried the V5 with the flat pinches again and didn't have much success. Tried a slightly older crimp V7 the last 40 minutes or so of the session and was able to do all moves except a foot move, and send the last 2/3 of the route including basically skipping the crux by using very high feet, or turning it into a single move. This was a lot harder than any other crimp climb I've tried. The two crimps in the beginning portion are possibly the worst holds I've used of any kind on a climb, and the 2nd and 3rd move (which my friend had gotten through without much struggle before falling on the crux) felt like the most precise moves I've ever tried. Did not ever manage to do move 2 and the following foot move in sequence. If I can do that I can send for sure.

I have a paper to write by sunday night and this tear is pretty bad so I will probably be taking a few days off once again.

Some of the climbs from this session. All with copious amounts of regripping and foot bouncing, of course

Here is my "V6" you can enjoy watching without seeing the foot chip on the slab or three crimps on the far left. Probably just don't watch, lol.



Here's one of the 2 times I did the 2nd move on this climb, and then somehow couldn't use my core and make the foot move/beat the barn door



send through the crux:



You can see at the top I decided to jump for no particular reason, when it seems all I needed to do was cut the left foot and stand a little on the right. I also seemed to way over do the jump, lol

Going to have to focus a bit more next session and try to eliminate this stuff. + more overhang

One last Boulder. I appear to just give up here once my right foot cuts. Possibly if I do a higher right foot this won’t happen. Or just let the foot cut and do the next move anyway. I could also get my hands further left on the pinch



Gotta get the diet back on track. Last few days have been good again, at least. Have 7-10 more pounds to lose

Idk if anything I think you're victim to too high feet there because you're bent armed on that slopery pinch.

Can you get your left foot on one of the starting hand holds? You can then sink down and not barn door on the next move.

I tried once and couldn't but it might be worth another shot

Are all those feet out left part of the problem? If so, it looks like you need to move your left foot further left before you try and match on the pinch.

The direction your hips move when you fall is a huge clue. Notice how your hips move pretty forcefully to the left when you are trying the match. Your COG is reorienting itself in space, which means you likely aren't in optimal position prior to the hand move. I suspect if you could move your left foot to a hold out wide this would allow you to move your COG left before you release the right hand.

Your self-critique is spot on. I have a terrible habit of re-gripping holds myself. It has been hard to break!

I'd try and do these two drills as part of your warm-up every single session:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYlaFzuotoE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPVv...jhyY0Y&index=2

The CoG stuff is so important yet I’m having a hard time finding the right drill for me.

Guess the best bet is some type of hover/pause drill but I can’t seem to find the right difficulty problem wise to do them on.

One of the local OG's once showed me a neat trick on figuring out body positions. Basically, you pull onto the next move and find the optimal position. Then you work backwards and try to figure out how to move your CoG into that spot.

It is a bit easier to explain via video. I'll be back in the gym on Sunday. If I remember I try and take a few videos showing how it was explained to me.

This is a solid link as well: http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot....ion-means.html

Had a final paper and then managed to get stung by a wasp on the bottom of my foot several times and could barely walk. Can’t keep having these 4 day breaks but lol

5/28

flashed everything for 40 mins V1-V4. Was all repeats and one new cave climb. Cold fingers were a problem

Tried the crimp V7 again and couldn’t do the foot move, then invented some alternate beta with a big right hand gaston move to a tiny greasy crimp and a cross under that felt like the hardest move I’ve ever done. Sent this after an hour of work and a lot of taping

All of the worst holds on the climb were greasy due to this being part of the oldest set in the gym and these holds being closest to the ground, making tiny feet very hard and the worst crimps in the climb even worse. This took all of my finger strength.

Nice! Whatever it takes lol. Doesnt seem to downgrade it either, your static crimp strength is pretty nuts imo, probably outpacing your skin and tendons by a fair bit. No clue how to shrink that gap other than time.

Thanks man. I don't really know how hard it was but I know the crimps were terrible and the hardest parts felt as hard as anything else I've climbed.

My skin doesn't seem to progress in any way at all lol. I just get better at managing it. such as getting this steroid cream from my dermatologist...crossing my fingers it helps

Probably just climbing more is the solution

I tried this with my project and did find it useful, though I was still unable to do the move that would create the body position i needed

thanks for the link

5/30

2:00

Was taped up and tired so I went slow and easy

Repeated some old routes. Sent a new longer V4 with a bunch of weird holds in 2 attempts. Flashed a crimp flat wall problem that felt hard. Didn’t help that I was basically thinking through every move. This was satisfying

Did a few moves on a crimp V8 and got some beta and encouragement from one of the better climbers in the gym that I could send it. Seems it will be worth putting some more burns on. This route is in my head a little because it seems possible but I don’t want to waste too much time projecting. Unless I can make progress on it very quickly I will move on. Idk if it’s V8 but I do know it’s at least V7 and harder than the other 7’s I’ve tried

Should be in much better shape in a few days and can tackle the overhang and cave again

5/31

PT

Warmup

Trx decline body row 3x8
Med ball taps 1 leg 3x30
Prone shoulder raise 3x15

Cable band row 2x20
Cable band OHP 2x15
Shoulder external rotation 3x20

Trap Bar DL 155 1x8


Cut the workout short because of left shoulder being slightly painful. All the exercises I did felt productive. Possibly the bands I used and med ball were too high resistance. Also the cable row felt off after the 2nd set

Did the trap bars for fun since the bar was just sitting there. Not sure if I should keep doing a couple sets a few times a month or if it’s going to have a negative effect. Felt good in terms of my hips and retraction but gaining back and leg muscle is the opposite of what I want right now

If you’re losing bodyweight you don’t have to worry about back/leg muscle.

This is something I’ve been pondering lately. Working more in strength intensities and rep ranges vs hypertrophy for lower body lifts. Main issue is systemic fatigue, but maybe we should simply pursue a maintenance volume of lower body exercises.

Could be something as little as 4-6 sets with 2-3 RiR at ~75% 1rm per week. Would keep overall fatigue down and maintain lower body strength.

I think my plan is similar but even lower intensity and volume than yours. Basically doing a set of bodyweight squat plus some mobility work and maybe 3 sets of trap bar deadlifts feels more than sufficient. No way I add weight to squats any time soon

Possibly like:

1x8 (50%, warmup)
1x6 60%
1x3-6 70-80%

the percents would be based on my estimated max with perfect form, upper back retraction etc

So maybe next workout like 155, 175, 195 and build up from there. Possibly a 4th set as part of the warmup.

I've always made pretty easy progress with deadlifts without going too hard, besides the period I was seriously PL and doing everything I could to push up the 1RM.

I will add 2 more exercises to the above workout too. Just not totally sure what they should be. I remember cotton recommended some more TRX movements. Alternatively there are cable chops and core movements as well as cable pulldowns for reps. The only thing I'm definitely avoiding is pressing besides the cable OHP

I wouldn't mind losing a little leg muscle but it's not a priority. Even without losing it I can drop to 10% and be low 150's. Gaining would be the fear

6/3

climb 2:00

Repeated V0-V3's

Flashed a new V4- sloper problem. Flashed a new V5 (V4?) slab crimp problem.

Only watch this if you want to be really bored:



This was sort of fun to work through the problem, but not a climb I will repeat either due to just not being very interesting. I should probably have done some crossing moves to make the beginning traverse less shouldery

I have GOT to do better with foot bouncing

Tried the V8 again.

Crossover (moving too fast and hit the crimp in the wrong place, has to be top corner and a pinch):



Transition to right hand pinch and foot cut:



Top portion (bailed out due to knowing feet were gonna cut and worrying about right shoulder):



Made progress in 3 aspects:

(1) I can do the cut feet move pinching the tops of the flat sloper crimps (the only usable parts of the hold). Unsure if I should use the big crimp or the foot chip beneath it. A smaller but tall climber who is more flexible than me and crushes at a crazy level told me to do the high right foot on the big crimp and then right hand to undercling
(2) I can transition to the undercling to left hand over the top to the crimp on the volume
(3) I can do the foot swap after I get left hand on the sloper crimp (did once). These moves and the unwind before them look reasonable in the video but are possibly the hardest moves I've done

That being said this route feels over my head. Even with beta for the whole route, I can do at most half the moves. The top portion seems easiest but is still super challenging and also possibly dangerous, the beginning of the traverse is doable and then the sequence in the middle transitioning to the undercling I haven't been able to do a single move starting with the crossover unwind.

After this I tried a minicave pinch and crimp climb and had some success with several moves. Will post more of this one next session. Seems a lot more doable than the 8.

If I hadn't screwed around on diet/maintenance for 6 weeks I think I'd be light enough to have a real shot at this route

Skin is toast