Single move power

Does anyone have beta for increasing single move power and contact strength? When bouldering, I often find my weak noodle body on the ground after attempting big, powerful throws like those often found on the moonboard. I know bouldering and moonboarding is supposed to help, but is there anything I can do that is better, or at least a little more interesting than just throwing myself at the same problem over and over? 

I'm not that strong, I climb about V4 and have been plateaued there a long time, mostly for lack of power.

Learning to train with intention is one of the best ways to begin to specialize your climbing. For example many climbers do pull-ups as an after climbing exercise but few think about what speed or intensity to do them at to work on specific moves. Try adding some speed and power to your pullups during a training session, if you struggle to pullups at all feel free to add some assistance either with some bands or a pulley system to make it easier on your body. Try to go for somewhere between 3-7 pullups with as much power on the concentric motion (the up) and as much control as you can muster on the eccentric (the down). Feel free to respond if you have any more questions.

campus

P Degnerwrote:

I know bouldering and moonboarding is supposed to help, but is there anything I can do that is better, or at least a little more interesting than just throwing myself at the same problem over and over? 

If you don't enjoy trying the same problem over and over, what about instead climbing a bunch of slightly easier problems that you can do in a few tries? I've found that pretty effective for increasing power as long as the problems I'm climbing are steep, dynamic, and only a few moves and I take sufficient rest between tries.

P.S. How sure are you that your problem is with single move power and contact strength rather than dynamic coordination? If your default style is pretty static, I would guess that your dynamic coordination is what's actually holding you back.

On the boards, if there is a single move I can't do, I try to do the same move, but with easier holds. For example moving the hand closer, or a better foot, etc. Once I master the easier version then I make it harder until I can do the actual move. Sometimes a little positive reinforcement is all my brain needs.

If you have an adjustable board then you can also work the move at a less steep angle then steepen it.

The other thing I do is go into the target position then work backwards. Oftentimes this will reveal that once I have latched the hold, one of my feet can no longer reach back to its original position, so I need to accept that foot coming off when I do the move (desire to keep both feet on has prevented me from committing properly to many dynamic moves). 

Getting power spotted a few times also can help unlock otherwise impossible power moves

If the answer is that you are actually short on power then campusing and one rep max weight pullups will get you off the plateau... I'd suspect that it's more of a technical issue at the V4 level on a board? learning how to apply the power you have and how to pogo might get you up a couple of levels really fast, I find that I lose a V grade or two just by not being consistent on the boards, it only takes a session or so to get back in the groove but it's definitely a specific technique that requires practice.

Mint files advice above seems like a great way to train strength and technique simoultaneously. Without knowing more about why you are falling it’s hard to give training advice.

Are you failing to hit the target hold? Hitting but failing to latch? Latching but unable to keep your feet on? Unable to control the swing when you aren’t planning on keeping your feet on?

These failure modes would all indicate deficits in different types of strength which could be targeted and trained. Since you reference your noodle body it sounds like maybe you feel lack of core tension is what’s holding you back? If that is the case I would work your core, paying particular attention to your posterior chain. Ring training is great for this: Superman’s, rollouts etc. deadlifts, little bell swings. Pilates is also great for this kind of strength.

Mnt File's advice is gold.

Here is a video from Will Anglin of Tension showing how to use intermediates on a board to work up to hard moves. Thought it was pretty helpful.

https://youtu.be/Y4V0M3JEDgk

Prav Cwrote:

On the boards, if there is a single move I can't do, I try to do the same move, but with easier holds. For example moving the hand closer, or a better foot, etc. Once I master the easier version then I make it harder until I can do the actual move. Sometimes a little positive reinforcement fis all my brain needs.

I'm a big fan of the method of working a hard move by using the same handholds, but adding in a better foothold or two. Either larger feet, or more comfortably positioned, or both. Once you can do the move repeatedly off the good feet, go back to the worse feet. This works well on a spray wall or board, but you can do it on normal gym problems too if there are reasonable foot options on adjacent problems.

There are of course many other great methods, as described by folks above. But the better feet method to me is one of the simplest and easiest to implement.

JCMwrote:

I'm a big fan of the method of working a hard move by using the same handholds, but adding in a better foothold or two. Either larger feet, more comfortably positioned of both. Once you can do the move repeatedly off the good feet, go back to the worse feet. This works well on a spray wall or board, but you can do it on normal gym problems too if there are reasonable foot options on adjacent problems.

There are of course many other great methods, as described by folks above. But the better feet method to me is one of the simplest and easiest to implement.

i have used this method quite a bit, and it is very effective.  if you really pay attention you can learn WHY a certain move is hard (hint: it is often not the size of the foothold, but rather the location of the foothold that fucks with you).

I'm a fellow noodle armed climber and feel your pain. I'm also a V4 boulderer, altho in hueco I tried sign of the cross for 3 weeks (John Sherman apparently used this problem as the benchmark for V3 when he invented the scale) and never managed to send, so maybe I'm not even a V3 boulderer. 

On the other hand, I have sent multiple 5.13s that are techy, crimpy, and vert because I climb at Smith and you can trick your way up many routes with zero power. I know it doesn't directly translate but based on my route grade, I should boulder way harder but... noodle arms and zero power. 

I just started deadlifting and campusing and it's made a huge difference. 6 weeks into a training cycle and I easily sent a couple of benchmark v4s on the moonboard where I couldn't even leave the ground before.