diet, mountaineering, and bogus rock climber?

[Jens]

Alpinism, mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and ice climbing are keeping me a bogus rock climber. Should I just eat WAY less to stay up with my sporto buddies that train year round on campus boards with weight belts and the like?

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One old friend of mine (a former world cup competitor) said she wouldn't do any approach longer than 30 minutes for fear her legs would get to big.

It's quite a curse for those of us that like to climb everything but suck at everything (like I do). Does it just come down to diet?

[layton]

One old friend of mine (a former world cup competitor) said she wouldn't do any approach longer than 30 minutes for fear her legs would get to big.

 

Lame!

 

Dude, eat healthy and train for the sport. It's not your diet. You probably are getting shitty at sport climbing b/c you're doing all that other stuff, not what you eat. Being strong and lean helps in every sport. Either commit or quit complaining.

[dmuja]

All I know is that for cold weather big mountain/slog stuff it really does seem to help stave off the cold if your thick and strong as opposed to ultra skinny. Also seems to be a store of enduro energy you can access if need be.

 

But then at the SG bouldering comp in Jan every top competitor was like 5'9 140lbs- and around 17 years old.

[smithisheaven]

I agree that if you are very lean (IE 5 to 6% body fat or less) it is tough to stay warm on ice climbs and mountaineering. I've been there done that.

I was getting real good at the sport climbs when I was that lean. Gettin into the low 12's, but it came at a price. Although the chicks dug the six-pack I was always hungry, a little grumpy, cold and no energy at other sports that required endurance. There is a power to wieght issue that cant be denined.

There is a compromise that can be had and still have unreal abilities. Try to eat healthy yet not to excess. Lift and train along with the food and it will build the muscle u need to perform.

Sonny Trotter has a great saying that goes something like this. I would rather climb 5.14a and eat what I want than climb 5.14d and have to wieght my food out. If all you want to do is crank for the numbers then wieght will be an issue. If you want to have fun in several sports and do well, you must eat to perform.

[Sherri]

One old friend of mine (a former world cup competitor) said she wouldn't do any approach longer than 30 minutes for fear her legs would get to big.

 

I don't want to rock climb if it's going to make my arms too big... Oops, too late. Carry on.

[archenemy]

One old friend of mine (a former world cup competitor) said she wouldn't do any approach longer than 30 minutes for fear her legs would get to big.

 

I don't want to rock climb if it's going to make my arms too big... Oops, too late. Carry on.

can I just say......

 

 

STUD!!!

[Sherri]

Thanks, Archenemy. Nice to flex a little "Girl Power" now and then.

 

 

 

I'm not proud of myself for this, but I admit I've had a little fun with women who worry aloud about "getting too big"--like it's going to happen accidentally if they pick up a weight --by telling them that I only started working out a week ago. Should see them run. Heh, heh.

 

 

I'm going to a very bad place, aren't I?

 

 

 

 

 

[Rafael_H]

...Should I just eat WAY less to stay up...

Just in case this is actually a question and not some rhetorical lamenting

 

How do you know it is just your weight? No doubt body weight matters in maxing out your grade, but among all of the contributing factors I'd put the weight close to the lowest end of priorities.

 

First and foremost, I hope you are not eyeing V6-V10 pulling ~20 year olds, trying to catch-up, especially if you are ~40.

If it is your peers that rock, then make some comparisons:

- How much worse are you on the campus board than they are?

- How long can you hold an L-sit comparing to your buddies?

- How heavy can you push-press (military press) in comparison?

- How many L-pullups can you do in comparison?

 

You can improve in all those 50% or (much) more w/o any weight management! And if you do everything else being equal you'll be much(!) closer to their grades.

If on the other hand your friends don't show any significant advantage over you then it is likely you are simply not spending enough time climbing in the gym (I know you are local so outside is out of question), or climbing in the gym for fun and not systematically training.

 

If everything else is equal then given your description you are overtraining/overdoing/underrecovering.

 

I started (after 6y in limbo) from trying to loose weight and finally learned to pursue strength gains instead, and in 8 mo have doubled my grade w/o any major injury or multi-month sickness, and am confident will be climbing this summer better than ever before, being 6y older.

 

Of course, if it is o n l y your weight that is different, then... you can't have it all, eh?

[archenemy]

Thanks, Archenemy. Nice to flex a little "Girl Power" now and then.

 

 

 

I'm not proud of myself for this, but I admit I've had a little fun with women who worry aloud about "getting too big"--like it's going to happen accidentally if they pick up a weight --by telling them that I only started working out a week ago. Should see them run. Heh, heh.

 

I'm going to a very bad place, aren't I?

 

If you do, I'll see you there...

 

I get this as well and it's irritating. I lift, and I hear gals say the "I don't want to get too big" whine line--as if it doesn't take daily hard work and devotion to put on muscle. As if all you have to do is waltz in and pick up your little five pounder, three times a week for twenty minutes and you are going to change your body composition. Frankly, I find it offensive that someone pretends it's that easy.

 

So cheers to ya'll for taking good care of yourselves and working hard. I think sometimes it is good to get the pat on the back you truly deserve.

[selkirk]

I've seen you putting up 11b leads in the gym, and just read your TR about 150 some indoor pitches in a day, so quit talking about suck

 

I on the other hand, I can talk about suck all day

[i_like_sun]

Balance = health and good performance.

 

eating less = [read the overtraining forum!]

 

buff legs = tough legs

[StreetBoss]

Alpinism, mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and ice climbing are keeping me a bogus rock climber. Should I just eat WAY less to stay up with my sporto buddies that train year round on campus boards with weight belts and the like?

-----------------

One old friend of mine (a former world cup competitor) said she wouldn't do any approach longer than 30 minutes for fear her legs would get to big.

It's quite a curse for those of us that like to climb everything but suck at everything (like I do). Does it just come down to diet?

 

Jens...it's way more than just diet. I eat ice cream evey freaking day. Long story I'll tell you about it sometime.

 

Anyway, train right - stay away from campus boards. Stop doing pull ups. Train your core, and dont miss your plastic workout.

[RuMR]

jens, i'm with h20guy and rafael on this one...just eat what you want, when you want too, but don't be a pig...do some seriously heavy lifting and work your core once or twice a week, spend one day bouldering (with young guys that are motivated) and do some longer stuff on another day...this is enough to "hold ground"...then when spring rolls around you'll be set to climb pretty well...

 

Oh, and for smithisheaven, you actually cut weight to climb low 12's??? WTF??? pick up some technique...one does not need to be strong for low 12's...

[Rafael_H]

Core: YES

Plastic: YES

No pullups, no grip dev? Bush-y :tdown: :tdown:

 

A young boy in the gym did an l-sit and went into a full handstand from there w/o touching ground but only see him climbing (hard!). Spectacular, but not at all typical!

[redboink]

L-sit to handstand is called a "press-handstand".

It's a gymnastics thing.

[billcoe]

Alpinism, mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and ice climbing are keeping me a bogus rock climber. Should I just eat WAY less to stay up with my sporto buddies that train year round on campus boards with weight belts and the like?

-----------------

One old friend of mine (a former world cup competitor) said she wouldn't do any approach longer than 30 minutes for fear her legs would get to big.

It's quite a curse for those of us that like to climb everything but suck at everything (like I do). Does it just come down to diet?

 

You seem to have gotten quite the mix of good and bad responses. You might be aware that Messner, who use to be a kick-assed rock climber, one of the best in Europe, totally gave it up to focus on big mountains. He felt that the muscles he worked in rock climbing hindered him in the Mt's.

 

But he didn't have a job, just climbing.

 

 

As far as those things keeping you a "bogus rock climber". I have a longer list than that and they involve being a committed business owner (2) and committed father (2) and everything in between. I would much rather be a shitty climber (but safe) and a great father than the reverse. So I prioritise and work at what are at the top of the list. Climbing isn't on the top or even near it.

 

So the result is I suck as a rockclimber? Don't care. I have MY priorities - for ME, straight. Thats speaking for me only. Sometimes it's a bit wistful walking past a difficult route and remembering leading it onsight, no hangs or falls: and knowing that I wouldn't have a chance in hell of getting on it now 25 years later. But those moments are rare (happened last weekend to me at Smith = Sunshine diheadral)

 

Maybe a self ascessment of what is important to you might first be in order? Then proceeding would be clearer for you? I don't think others can tell you this, it must come from within.

 

Good luck jens.

[dbb]

Jens loves approaches. give in to the dark side homie

 

[mtn_mouse]

Calories are not a huge issue, instead it is the quality of the food you eat.

 

But really, building muscle increases your metabolism, and burns fat. I work out lifing weights, lots of upper body workouts lifting to the max. I don't see that it has created excessive bulk, rather it burns fat and give me more anaerobic power.

 

So the moral is, WORKOUT, don't diet.

[cj001f]

Calories are not a huge issue, instead it is the quality of the food you eat.

 

thats another way of saying the same thing.

 

get a stomache virus. Easiest 20lbs I ever lost - sitting on a beach starring at topless cuties, eating whatever I could, and still dropping the pounds

[Weekend_Climberz]

Calories are not a huge issue, instead it is the quality of the food you eat.

 

thats another way of saying the same thing.

 

get a stomache virus. Easiest 20lbs I ever lost - sitting on a beach starring at topless cuties, eating whatever I could, and still dropping the pounds

 

I heard tapeworms work real well, too.

[Rafael_H]

So the result is I suck as a rockclimber?...Sunshine diheadral...

 

Amen to what billcoe said! Can't recall but isn't Sunshine Dihedral the one right next to "To Bolt..."? That's not suck to flash that, it's great, way to go! (not been to smith since 2001).

[sexual_chocolate]

Does it just come down to diet?

 

 

i know diet is important in my climbing (and life). if i eat like crap, and too much, i get sluggish. when i eat lighter (skipping dinner once in a while and eating just fruit and veggies for a a day here and there), i feel lighter stronger and more energized.

 

but there's a lot more to climbing harder than just diet though, although it's pretty self-evidential that if you're carrying around a bunch of extra fat, it's harder to get up climbs.

Edited March 17, 2007 by sexual_chocolate

[Mr_Phil]

Maybe you just suck.

[catbirdseat]

Damn, what a clever thing to say. Wish I'd thought of it.

[Jens]

Maybe you just suck.

Ouch man! Where's the love?

Whether a ski, crampon, rock shoe, etrier, or mt. boot is underfoot, you are outta your league dude.