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Help with (unconventional) training!

Original Post
O. Van Horn · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 60

Hey folks.



I am looking to get a bit of advice on a training ‘program.’ I’m currently living at college; thus my resources are limited. I have access to a rad climbing gym, but it is about 15-20 miles away and I cannot always make the trip out there with my class schedule, etc. When I climb at the gym, it is mostly for fun; that is, I am simply climbing in order to get stronger and not following any sort of programmatic training schedule.



I am wondering what I can do with this stair-set outside my apartment. It is all that I have access to at my place of residence (and I am unable to acquire a hangboard, rock rings, or any other training device). 

What exercises could I do with the underside of this stair set in order to, in general, become stronger? Hopefully this isn't an absurd request; I'm just trying to make-do with that which is available to me. I am looking for some sort of 5-30min workout that I could do when I am unable to get to the gym.

Stair-set for a potential training 'device.'



If it helps to know, I have climbed for about two years, but only semi-seriously for about a year. I climb 2-4 times per week at the gym depending on my schedule, and try to get a day in outdoors on the weekend if my studying allows the time. I am sending 5.11 sport routes, for the most part, and am on the cusp of sending 5.12. I've led hard 5.10 trad, as well.

Thanks for the help!

Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974
KevinCO · · Loveland, CO · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 60

Perfect! A Bachar Ladder!

You can climb it with your feet to start out and work up to free hanging. Also, vary your grip to focus on fingers.

Alex Bury · · Ojai, CA · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 2,376

Steps like that can be great to help build core strength, which is the foundation of athletic movement. But don't worry about changing your grip, use the same bomber grip and focus on using your core. Build your contact strength (grip strength) bouldering in the gym you mentioned.
-ab

Dan Austin · · San Francisco, CA · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 0
O'neil Van Horn wrote:I climb 2-4 times per week at the gym depending on my schedule, and try to get a day in outdoors on the weekend if my studying allows the time.
tbh that sounds like a pretty good amount of climbing already. are you expecting that to decrease in the near future? if you can keep up that schedule, i wouldn't worry about trying to find a way to do supplemental exercises on those stairs. sure, the stairs would be better than nothing, but you don't have nothing.

imo you'd probably be best off by just being more thoughtful about your time in the gym. not necessarily going all the way to a programmatic training regimen, but having a little more structure than just climbing for fun. think about what you want to improve, whether it's a type of fitness (endurance, power, strength, etc.) or a style of climbing (techy vertical, steep jugs, etc) or something else, and try to tailor your workouts accordingly. i don't think that you have to make a tradeoff between climbing for fun and climbing thoughtfully at the gym -- to me, the latter guarantees the former b/c it makes my gym sessions feel like i'm actually accomplishing rather than just tooling around and trying to actually send "projects" at the gym. ymmv of course, but if you can get to the gym 2-4 times a week + 1 day of outdoor climbing, i think any additional climbing training/exercise is probably overkill
O. Van Horn · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 60
Dan Austin wrote: tbh that sounds like a pretty good amount of climbing already. are you expecting that to decrease in the near future? if you can keep up that schedule, i wouldn't worry about trying to find a way to do supplemental exercises on those stairs. sure, the stairs would be better than nothing, but you don't have nothing. imo you'd probably be best off by just being more thoughtful about your time in the gym. not necessarily going all the way to a programmatic training regimen, but having a little more structure than just climbing for fun. think about what you want to improve, whether it's a type of fitness (endurance, power, strength, etc.) or a style of climbing (techy vertical, steep jugs, etc) or something else, and try to tailor your workouts accordingly. i don't think that you have to make a tradeoff between climbing for fun and climbing thoughtfully at the gym -- to me, the latter guarantees the former b/c it makes my gym sessions feel like i'm actually accomplishing rather than just tooling around and trying to actually send "projects" at the gym. ymmv of course, but if you can get to the gym 2-4 times a week + 1 day of outdoor climbing, i think any additional climbing training/exercise is probably overkill
I anticipate not being to get the gym nearly as often. I would guess that I might be limited to the gym twice or maybe three times a week and not being able to get outdoors at all. Thus, the stairs.
caribouman1052 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 5

I'll basically +1 what everyone else wrote.

I had a set of stairs like that at an apartment building. Sounds like you have the movement pretty wired, so skip refinments. I used the stairs for endurance workouts, until I could do a boringly long block of laps, and then I added a pack with some weight. Nowadays, I work add "functional work" like slinging the ends of a tread with webbing, and clip a biner chain to it. Get in position, lock off, and unclip the biners one by one, or some variation of a functional climbing movement.

What about your college? They probably have a weight room, and maybe other facilities (track, pool) that would keep you in shape.

caribouman1052 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 5

I'll basically +1 what everyone else wrote.

I had a set of stairs like that at an apartment building. Sounds like you have the movement pretty wired, so skip refinments. I used the stairs for endurance workouts, until I could do a boringly long block of laps, and then I added a pack with some weight. Nowadays, I work add "functional work" like slinging the ends of a tread with webbing, and clip a biner chain to it. Get in position, lock off, and unclip the biners one by one, or some variation of a functional climbing movement.

What about your college? They probably have a weight room, and maybe other facilities (track, pool) that would keep you in shape.

caribouman1052 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 5

I'll basically +1 what everyone else wrote.

I had a set of stairs like that at an apartment building. Sounds like you have the movement pretty wired, so skip refinments. I used the stairs for endurance workouts, until I could do a boringly long block of laps, and then I added a pack with some weight. Nowadays, I work add "functional work" like slinging the ends of a tread with webbing, and clip a biner chain to it. Get in position, lock off, and unclip the biners one by one, or some variation of a functional climbing movement.

What about your college? They probably have a weight room, and maybe other facilities (track, pool) that would keep you in shape.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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