I've just read the incredibly sad news that Tomaz Humar has died on a solo attempt of Langtang Lirung's South Face in Nepal. Details of which are in this news link on uk climbing, here. The news is saddened further with the stories of delays due to the Nepalese authorities not clearing the Air-Zermatt rescue pilot to fly a Nepalese Helicopter.
Tomaz Humar - double hard bastard and incredible alpinist, February 18, 1969 c. November 10, 2009.
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Weights a plenty.
Training has slowed somewhat but I've been getting on the weights thing. Lots of wrist curls, complexes and something called Tabata. Throwing in the odd chinup for good measure as well of course.
Complexes seem to be exactly what I was after, I don't think they'll result in me bulking up but they do seem to be good for strength (this is complete speculation though as I've not been doing them long enough to give detailed feedback).
This is the one I've been doing, the Istvan Javorek Complex, with 10kg each hand. I've no real idea about what weights to use but these feel comfortable and after a few sets they get a good burn going.
The other thing I was pointed towards was Tabata style workouts. These are when you do 20 seconds on, 10 off, 20 on etc for eight rounds and then rest for 2-3 minutes and repeat. The one I tried out was this workout I found on youtube.
nb, you can also find tabata style timers on youtube so you don't have to faff around with a stopwatch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RSWwrx6NqA
The workout felt good on the upper body, especially after doing the complexes but it was a bit lacking on the legs for me so I might try and incorporate some weights into the leg stuff or just make my own 8 round workout aiming at the legs.
Finally I finished up with wrist curls. I've been doing them to varying levels of success but last night it went really well. I found that if I use the maximum weight I can put on the dumbbell (14kg I think) it's more strenuous but it's difficult to get a good pump but if I use 10kg each hand at the same time it works a lot better. I was doing a mixture of slow and controlled curls with some fast and powerful ones, pushing until you can barely hold onto the weight, resting and then doing the same for the reverse curls. While actually doing the exercise it feels like more of a burn rather than a pump but as you work through the sets the pump works its way in for sure! I think it'll be good because you can work past the point when you'd usually have to stop climbing because the pump is too bad and really push it till your fingers give up. Making sure to roll the weights to the very finger tips and holding it there gives a good pump as does holding it at the top of the curl (on both normal and reverse curls). They're also great because you can easily do it in front of the computer or telly and still get a great pump on (although typing with stupidly pumped forearms is somewhat difficult!).
Now all I need to do is actually get back to the climbing wall!
Complexes seem to be exactly what I was after, I don't think they'll result in me bulking up but they do seem to be good for strength (this is complete speculation though as I've not been doing them long enough to give detailed feedback).
This is the one I've been doing, the Istvan Javorek Complex, with 10kg each hand. I've no real idea about what weights to use but these feel comfortable and after a few sets they get a good burn going.
The other thing I was pointed towards was Tabata style workouts. These are when you do 20 seconds on, 10 off, 20 on etc for eight rounds and then rest for 2-3 minutes and repeat. The one I tried out was this workout I found on youtube.
nb, you can also find tabata style timers on youtube so you don't have to faff around with a stopwatch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RSWwrx6NqA
The workout felt good on the upper body, especially after doing the complexes but it was a bit lacking on the legs for me so I might try and incorporate some weights into the leg stuff or just make my own 8 round workout aiming at the legs.
Finally I finished up with wrist curls. I've been doing them to varying levels of success but last night it went really well. I found that if I use the maximum weight I can put on the dumbbell (14kg I think) it's more strenuous but it's difficult to get a good pump but if I use 10kg each hand at the same time it works a lot better. I was doing a mixture of slow and controlled curls with some fast and powerful ones, pushing until you can barely hold onto the weight, resting and then doing the same for the reverse curls. While actually doing the exercise it feels like more of a burn rather than a pump but as you work through the sets the pump works its way in for sure! I think it'll be good because you can work past the point when you'd usually have to stop climbing because the pump is too bad and really push it till your fingers give up. Making sure to roll the weights to the very finger tips and holding it there gives a good pump as does holding it at the top of the curl (on both normal and reverse curls). They're also great because you can easily do it in front of the computer or telly and still get a great pump on (although typing with stupidly pumped forearms is somewhat difficult!).
Now all I need to do is actually get back to the climbing wall!
Sunday, 25 October 2009
quick post
Managed a quick run before work on Saturday, 6 minutes quicker than last time and no chunder - a great success all round. So that was 4.7 miles in 40 minutes, the aim is to cut 10 minutes off that.
There's a Mixed Martial Arts gym round the corner that I've been told about so I'm thinking of venturing over there sometime next week to see if I can fit it into my training. I also going to start recording my weight just too see if I do manage to actually shift any.
13 stone 8 and a half pounds. Ok, i really do need to think about shifting some of it.
There's a Mixed Martial Arts gym round the corner that I've been told about so I'm thinking of venturing over there sometime next week to see if I can fit it into my training. I also going to start recording my weight just too see if I do manage to actually shift any.
13 stone 8 and a half pounds. Ok, i really do need to think about shifting some of it.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
It has begun.
Today was the true start of my winter training. Setting off at 7.30 in damp drizzly weather I proceeded to demonstrate to myself several things: a)why I need to be in training, b)how much smoking really isn't good for you and c)what the contents of my stomach looks like. I can at least console myself knowing that chundering seems like a good indicator of effort (and terrible fitness i hasten to add). So that's it, running every second day come rain or shine.
I have to admit I'm pretty polar with my training - its all or nothing - and today was very much a demonstration of the effect of the nothing side of the agreement on the everything side. Over the next few months I'm looking to really give training a proper shot - running, climbing, weights and any other other training methods I stumble upon.
The books will be coming out of storage - Mark Twight's Extreme Alpinism, The Rock Warrior's Way, Geoff Lowe's Ice World and any other tome that I will study extensively then ignore in my usual fashion.
This is all pretty incoherant but I hope over the coming weeks that the blog forms some sort of training diary and that I will be able to come up with results. So here are my aims for Scottish winter 09/10 season. Climb a proper grade IV mixed route and a V on ice (point five or the like) - it can't be that hard, can it?
I have to admit I'm pretty polar with my training - its all or nothing - and today was very much a demonstration of the effect of the nothing side of the agreement on the everything side. Over the next few months I'm looking to really give training a proper shot - running, climbing, weights and any other other training methods I stumble upon.
The books will be coming out of storage - Mark Twight's Extreme Alpinism, The Rock Warrior's Way, Geoff Lowe's Ice World and any other tome that I will study extensively then ignore in my usual fashion.
This is all pretty incoherant but I hope over the coming weeks that the blog forms some sort of training diary and that I will be able to come up with results. So here are my aims for Scottish winter 09/10 season. Climb a proper grade IV mixed route and a V on ice (point five or the like) - it can't be that hard, can it?
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