New and Experienced Climbers Over 50 #9

Had my best gym autobelay mock lead sequence yet. 90 minutes/11 doubles/twenty-two laps total/no falls. Had four minutes to spare. The hardest two laps were on a new 11c slab. Felt real solid. The Mundakas are a surprisingly effective slab shoe. Didn't even bother switching to the Tarifas or TC Pros. A hopeful sign for routes at HCR like Pilar of Despair (11b), Knob Creek (11a), and (the Good Lord help me) Spartacus (11c) at the Ranch next month. We'll see...

Mark O

Haven't had much luck with 11c outdoors.

I'm enjoying reading about everyone's training schedule and routines!  
My understanding of 'training' has changed a lot in the last few months.  

1) I've been working in cycles at the gym. Right now I'm at the end of 4-6 weeks of strength/power climbing at my absolute limit. I climb Mondays and Wednesdays (training sessions).  Monday's are the harder day, to my max.  Wednesdays dialed back just a little, still to my limit.  Right now, those are the harder 10d and 11a routes.
2) Then 4-6 weeks of endurance.  That is, laps on the wall, just under my limit.  Next Monday we will return to this endurance work... before I was climbing all the 10a and 10b's in the house. Now it will be climbing all the 10c's and d's.  So, there has been some upward progress in what I consider 'easy'.   
3) My warmups have changed.  I'm at the gym 45-60 minutes early.  We have a hydraulic wall where I start with some climbing on big jugs.  Then move to the 45 degree wall with feet on the ground, working the various holds/crimps.  Then to the hangboard for some very light hanging, 4 seconds at a time, through most of the slots.  Stretching.  
4) I decided to work on falling/dropping off of bouldering holds.  Falling into a bent knee squat... or rolling back... is a real challenge for me.  Apparently, it's that or no bouldering.  So, I've been practicing drops 3-4 feet off the ground, and it's still pretty jarring.

For the longest time I was warned away from any hangboarding.  Now it seems to be ok, in very measured doses.  I have noticed that my fingers are no longer swollen or painful from climbing, I think it's because the gentle stretching of the hangboard, and loading them carefully, helps.  And I can see that this hangboarding will help with outside crimps.

So, for strength and technique... the above is one set of possibilities.  It allows for some hard work in terms of strength, and then easier work for endurance and technique.  

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Funny, because I never thought gym climbing would mean anything to me other than a way to stay in touch with climbing off-season.  It has become its own thing now... I am sure I will continue when/if we move, even if it's just more casually.  Wendy... I know you only climb indoors now.  Is it mainly for exercise, or do you enjoy it as its own sport now?  I know you climbed outdoors for years.

A few other internal changes: I'm letting go of the wish that I would lose more weight.  We are here  now... working with what we have.  I'm sure I could jet up those walls if I were 20 pounds lighter.  As a diabetic, and with a few other health issues... it's probably not in the cards to lose much more weight.  (maybe this coming year, outside running with the coyotes in Josh!).  But for now, it is what it is.  We have to work with what we have... age, weight, whatever physical limits.  Maybe one of the best parts of training is to get to know your own body, assess it where it is, not where you wish it would be... and work with that structure.  Self-acceptance.      

And I've been back at my diet again... because this much working in the gym has been really fatiguing.  I had it down to a serving of beef liver a week, and a serving of sockeye salmon... and I'm back to that.  Don't love either of them, but I want to climb.  A plethora of vitamins/minerals, etc.  But really, there is no healing element like being outdoors... touching rock, water, sand, sky, day after day.  

I noticed each trip to Joshua Tree that my energy and strength increased with each day that I roamed out in the sun and climbed.  At the end of my last trip there, even in the snow and the blizzard conditions, I felt amazing strong and healthy.  I have wondered what would happen if I could do that every day... for a long, long time.  Maybe I'll get to find out.  

This route only got worse: the next move was right foot up, left arm way back to next orange hold.  and then flag on the wall to get upright.  

Dwain and Carl, All good advice, guys. Carl, I don't boulder so much because the landings seem too risky. Low traverses might help, though.

Mark Orsag wrote: Had my best gym autobelay mock lead sequence yet.

Mark, How are you mock leading on autobelay? I haven't seen this.

dragons wrote:

Mark, How are you mock leading on autobelay? I haven't seen this.

You can climb with the auto belay hooked to your belay loop, whole tying in regularly with a rope. As you go up, clip the draws as you might normally, but the auto belay is the real thing catching you (unless you have a mock lead belay, in which case the belayer is backed up by the auto belay)

Lori, it's both. Gym climbing is a challenge. I'm not trying to build endurance for beyond the gym, just seeing what I can still do on plastic in something resembling good style. Leading a little. TRing and autobelaying the hardest (for me) stuff. And occasionally leading something at or near my limit when the first few clips are good or I can pre-clip them. It's more interesting than weight training (which I used to do some of when I climbed outside). It's also a bit social. 

dragons wrote:Mark, How are you mock leading on autobelay? I haven't seen this.

Elias Passas                 ·         3 hours ago        ·                    Georgetown, CO                             · Joined Apr 2019            · Points: 1 You can climb with the auto belay hooked to your belay loop, whole tying in regularly with a rope. As you go up, clip the draws as you might normally, but the auto belay is the real thing catching you (unless you have a mock lead belay, in which case the belayer is backed up by the auto belay)

Not trying to be a jerk but what is the point of a mock lead in the gym?  you are only clipping bolts.  Mock leads are a good tool for beginning trad climbers.   However I don't see the connection for sport.

Lori I would suggest a high clearance 4x4 with decent tires.  If you don't put running boards on them you get to practice a heel hook lay back movement every time you get in them. 

Lon Harter wrote: dragons wrote:Mark, How are you mock leading on autobelay? I haven't seen this.
Not trying to be a jerk but what is the point of a mock lead in the gym?  you are only clipping bolts.  Mock leads are a good tool for beginning trad climbers.   However I don't see the connection for sport.

Hey Lon, body position for clipping and difficulty for clipping the draws can be different than just TRing.  Can add a letter grade or maybe two compared to toproping?  Also, for new climbers, there is a certain amount of fumbling with the rope just learning rope handling while clipping. I would guess an experienced climber like Mark is doing it to stay in the mental lead habit and because of the possible difficulty difference.

Dallas R wrote: Lori I would suggest a high clearance 4x4 with decent tires.  If you don't put running boards on them you get to practice a heel hook lay back movement every time you get in them.
 

I thinking someone moving to J-tree should just go all-in on the weirdness and drive one of these.

Dallas R wrote: Lori I would suggest a high clearance 4x4 with decent tires.  If you don't put running boards on them you get to practice a heel hook lay back movement every time you get in them.

Add a wench and a handyman jack you should be ready for the desert.

 

I don't think Lori really wants a wench for her truck. Or maybe she does.........???

Señor Arroz wrote:

I thinking someone moving to J-tree should just go all-in on the weirdness and drive one of these.

Is this some kind of assault vehicle?  They'll love me there!  

Lon Harter wrote: dragons wrote:Mark, How are you mock leading on autobelay? I haven't seen this.
Not trying to be a jerk but what is the point of a mock lead in the gym?  you are only clipping bolts.  Mock leads are a good tool for beginning trad climbers.   However I don't see the connection for sport.

"Mock" leading is good practice. Yes, the draws are hung, but all the rest is the same, especially if you use a full length rope, not just a piece. Getting quick and efficient at clipping, having that weight pulling behind you, figuring out the stances , etc. It can also be a way to really dial in something to climb, and honestly, if you are climbing a lot on autobelay, it helps with the boredom. Climb that sucker until it is absolutely perfect.

Another thing to consider, as mentioned above, you can also train a lead belayer ​if you have that "real" belay with the autobelay. The other way to do that is with two belayers. If you are "sneaky" about it, you can have that lead belay be for real, with a super sharp person on the top rope belay.

I've also done "lead" falls on top rope, getting noobs off their feet. Frowned on by staff, so I make sure to use my rope, and only do stuff like this when the place is empty.

Last, yes, you can, and should, be doing all this outside (and I have, including falls aimed at pulling up the belayer), but it is much easier to control inside. Usually, that also eliminates the odd random shit that can bite you outside.

Weirdly? Mock leading, I often forget about the top rope entirely, even looking at potential falls as lead falls.

Oh. One more last. Some gyms are pretty stiff for what grade you have to do for a lead test. This is a way around that!

Best, Helen

Dallas R wrote: Lori I would suggest a high clearance 4x4 with decent tires.  If you don't put running boards on them you get to practice a heel hook lay back movement every time you get in them.

Add a wench and a handyman jack you should be ready for the desert.

 

Oh gosh.  I've been pretty overwhelmed with all of this.  We drove around a lot last time we were in the desert... up to Todd's and to some other places off of dirt roads.  There were 'roads' we actually had to back out of, in reverse... because the chasms were just too deep to risk.  So, this truck looks ideal.  
But I was also hoping not to have another car payment.  And... I'll be driving up and down the state, likely, back and forth from Sacramento and into the Sierra to see my grandkids now and then.  This has to be multi-purpose, to say the least.  

Lori Milas wrote:

Is this some kind of assault vehicle?  They'll love me there!  

It's actually the ultimate offroad RV. Check it out Here

Señor Arroz wrote:

It's actually the ultimate offroad RV. Check it out Here

Senor.  It's perfect and you have selected the right vehicle for my new journey.  At $580,000 for starters... perhaps the MP people here would like to start a GoFundMe account so I can have one of these.  Seems the least everyone could do.    

Lon Harter wrote: dragons wrote:Mark, How are you mock leading on autobelay? I haven't seen this.
Not trying to be a jerk but what is the point of a mock lead in the gym?  you are only clipping bolts.  Mock leads are a good tool for beginning trad climbers.   However I don't see the connection for sport.

For people starting to get into sport climbing, or people trying to build endurance, the mock lead can help get over lead head and allow people to practice before getting "lead certified" if their gym requires that. It also let's someone fractice clipping by themself, or do exercises like ARCing while having to still thing about getting good positions to make clips. If you are an experienced sport climber, the factors like lead head and how to rest while clipping matter less than they might for others. Just another tool for people to get more comfortable and get more experience. 

dragons wrote: Dwain and Carl, All good advice, guys. Carl, I don't boulder so much because the landings seem too risky. Low traverses might help, though.

You can always boulder stuff you won't fall off, just choose the right problems...

Lori, talking about losing weight, I'm still trying myself. Trying to get to 65 kilos (143) even at 168cm (5' 6"), mainly because I hate my love handles but also because I don't need 'useless' fat (I only need 'useful' fat). Bread, Doritos and beer are my problems...
I don't really have any health problems other than slightly high blood pressure and I take no medications. Started taking a magnesium supplement again as well as zinc etc...