peter puget, billcoe & the rest of you old farts..

[111]

Who cares? Build muscles like that and you'll be able to do what you want. I got beaucoup respect for people who remain active and outdo youngsters!!!

Big

 

Seriously! I love seeing old guys ripping up the slopes during ski season too. I always have to make the comment that "I wanna be like that when I am 60" to whoever is closest to me.

 

to all those who dont let old age get them down!

[TimL]

Hey Ken. When training, think about what you are doing for training. Two or thre hours bouldering is good, but what are you doing. I've trained for a long time in the gym by climbing. But climbing in the gym is just that, climbing. I've read a couple books about specific training programs and totally altered the way I go about "training" in the gym. After about 6 weeks or so I've noticed a huge difference when I'm climbing outside. I second what Rudy said. Find a route, one that you like a lot and you think is worthy, and keep at it untill you get it.

 

Also, build your training periods around when you'll be climbing more. Here in Spain there is always rock to climb, except right now cause its friggin raining everywhere. Usually in the spring and the fall I find myself cragging more and in the summer and winter climbing more alpine routes. So I build my spring training periods to get strong on crag routes to do harder alpine routes.

[syudla]

 

I do have 7 years before I hit 50

 

Funny, of course, we all assumed you were older than me when you, Syudla, Crazy JZ, and I met on the King's porch at Bluff Lake, what...almost three years ago?

 

 

 

And now its just months before I hit 5.0

[Rafael_H]

Then start doing http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/001921.html

 

I bet my entire rack many lack certain, basic, strengths that few like Tim take for granted (yo, Tim, how's life?), perhaps w/out even recognizing. Easy to find though if you start looking seriously. Once I learned (a tiny bit) it is so interesting to observe others and being able to read their "fitness map".

 

ok, gotta go...

[sexual_chocolate]

Definetly my weight hold me back, I am bordering Clydesdale weighing in at 195. Even when I was 15 less I still couldn't break into the 11's fully.

 

this could definitely be a factor. i wonder how tall you are....

 

if you really want to climb 5.12, i think you can do it. just cuz you're bouldering a few hours even consistently doesn't mean that it's necessarily helping your climbing very much, though. there's something about learning how to pull hard; there's definitely a mental aspect, being able to try really hard. i'd check out some books on climbing. one that comes to mind is Performance Rock Climbing, written by udo neumann and dale goddard. if you follow the recommendations in that book, and maybe develop some stuff on your own, and really STICK TO IT for a few months, i betcha you might surprise yourself.

 

the thing about picking a hard route above your head that i'd be cautious about is the potential for frustration. if you get on something that's just too hard, it might just fuck with your motivation. if you want to break into 5.12's, i'd recommend starting on Rainy Day Women! i bet you could get it, especially if someone is there to give you beta, and it would psych you for your next 5.12.

[richard_noggin]

Im was wonder'n how many of you young'ns think you will still be climbing after 50, when the morgages payments , collage bills, outback payments, are overwellming, your old fat and your think'n is it really worth it, especialy now that my ability is falling instead of going to the next grade.If you climb for the next objective like some it will be tough, if you actually climb for FUN you just won't be able to give it up.I have noticed that climbers climbing at higher grades have the most trouble finding partners,They are tooo driven and not a whole lot of fun.

DICK

[archenemy]

Damn straight.

[sk]

Im was wonder'n how many of you young'ns think you will still be climbing after 50, when the morgages payments , collage bills, outback payments, are overwellming, your old fat and your think'n is it really worth it, especialy now that my ability is falling instead of going to the next grade.If you climb for the next objective like some it will be tough, if you actually climb for FUN you just won't be able to give it up.I have noticed that climbers climbing at higher grades have the most trouble finding partners,They are tooo driven and not a whole lot of fun.

DICK

 

i didn't start to climb until after both boys were born and i was in my late 20's. so i don't have any idea what it's like to climb when it doesn't hurt and it isn't really hard. I am in now way an athletic woman. I climb because nothing else in the world makes me so happy and fills me so to the brim with goodness good memories and i have met great people to climb with. i have tried to stop climbing. i tried to give it up and i just can't. i have diversified my interests in the past couple of years but i always get back to wanting to climb. i hope when i am 80 i am thrutching my way up some 5.easy somewhere.

 

i so have my stoke on this season

Edited April 13, 2007 by Muffy_The_Wanker_Sprayer

[archenemy]

What is that quote about age? The one that says something like "I held up a handful of sand and asked that I have as many years as grains of dust. But foolishly I did not ask that they be years of youth."

 

I was also no youngster when I started climbing. Thank goodness b/c when I was younger I would have never had the patience to stick with something that I have no natural ability at and I'll never get very good at. Stubborness is a virtue.

[Bug]

I climbed at an early age and am still climbing at 48. But not as hard as when I was 18 and 28, or even 38. But that 37 to 45 mark is a hard one. The metabolism slows down, the joints slow down cartiledge production, and ALL the old injuries remind you of the past. Interesting that none of them were climbing related. Even though my body takes more care to keep it in shape, I enjoy the activity and cannot get tired of climbing some huge alpine ridge or face, or of rapping to the base just as it gets dark.

That is a full, meaningful day.

[JosephH]

My experience has been that somewhere on one side of each decade or the other my body has changed, and like Bug says, it can be difficult during that change. But, if you do the work to get used to the new you then you're good for about 8-9 years before you have to go through that wringer again. You basically have two choices for dealing with it - easiest: never stop climbing like my partner Tangen-Foster or, more difficult: deal with it each decade like I have. I've been in and out of shape a lot of times over the years when work or family have taken priority. That has it's downsides, but the upside is I don't worry about my ability to come back from the abyss because I've done it a few times before. It would interesting to know how high the attrition rate is at each decade; I suspect it's very high at 30 and 40. In raw numbers, I'd say those of us who are in our 50's or older have shown some significant depth of resiliency, addiction, and/or appreciation for climbing to still be at it.

[ken4ord]

Definetly my weight hold me back, I am bordering Clydesdale weighing in at 195. Even when I was 15 less I still couldn't break into the 11's fully.

 

this could definitely be a factor. i wonder how tall you are....

 

if you really want to climb 5.12, i think you can do it. just cuz you're bouldering a few hours even consistently doesn't mean that it's necessarily helping your climbing very much, though. there's something about learning how to pull hard; there's definitely a mental aspect, being able to try really hard. i'd check out some books on climbing. one that comes to mind is Performance Rock Climbing, written by udo neumann and dale goddard. if you follow the recommendations in that book, and maybe develop some stuff on your own, and really STICK TO IT for a few months, i betcha you might surprise yourself.

 

the thing about picking a hard route above your head that i'd be cautious about is the potential for frustration. if you get on something that's just too hard, it might just fuck with your motivation. if you want to break into 5.12's, i'd recommend starting on Rainy Day Women! i bet you could get it, especially if someone is there to give you beta, and it would psych you for your next 5.12.

 

Well I am 5'10", so there and there is room drop drop some weight. I have made a commitment to myself to see about dropping some weight and work harder at it just to see where it takes me. I feel like I am still getting stronger, but it is hard to tell when I don't have easy access to crags and climbing, nor people around who can push me. Last night though I was stoked to send a problem that I have been working on for a month and half.

 

This going to be my regimine: boulder monday and thursdays hard, easy bouldering on the weekend one day. Road ride weds. Mountain bike hard one day on the weekend. I am also limiting my alcohol intake, normally I like a beer or two or three a night, I have decided to drink soda water instead, not as fun or tasty, but a lot less empty calories. I don't know where Rainy Day Women is, but I am sure it is not near me, instead there has been 2 lines that I have felt I can not do, so I haven't tried them, so I am going to start working them, bummer part is I can't get there every weekend it is too far. We'll see what happen, the true tell tale will be when I get back to Seattle this Aug/Sept and see what this has done for my climbing on terrain that I am familar with.

 

I am not sure what you mean by learning to pull hard, but I feel like that is what I am trying to work on, in my sessions lately I have been really focused on warm up first doing easy lap or two and streching. Then I have hard problems up that I know I can do to continue the warm up, doing 2-4 of them. Then my main session (1-1.5 hours) is working things that I can't even hold onto or stick, trying to really focus on holds and moves that I can't do, which can be frustrating especially after 2-3 sessions where I can't hold onto the hold or even move from it or even get my butt off the ground. Basically working on training on things that I can't do so that I can do them eventually. Maybe I will check out these books, but most of the time I have a hard time reading that type of stuff.

[JosephH]

I'm somewhere between 5'10"-11" and am currently at 184 after coming off an injury and coding relentlessly for four months. I won't be able to touch what I have in mind for later this year if I'm not at 172 max - preferrably 168. Anything less and I'll just be climbing and not putting up the routes I have my eye on. That wouldn't be a tragedy, but like I said, I still have things in mind. Aside from the requisiste shutting of the cake hole, I absolutely have to make aerobic activities the priority for the next two months. For me that mainly means running despite the fact I find it incredibly unpleasant for the first 3-4 weeks. Any focus on climbing is a secondary consideration given I have no concerns about that coming back if I keep my eye on my overall fitness. I'm about a week into it right now and working on starting the process of ramping my running up from 12 miles / week to 24-36 miles / week. Somewhere around 18 miles / week I'll throw in swimming. Whatever climbing I do always follows a run and I only do what I can with the surplus from the run; sometimes that's nothing at all, sometimes a little bouldering, and once or twice I've even gotten on a rope.

[richard_noggin]

I'm somewhere between 5'10"-11" and am currently at 184 after coming off an injury and coding relentlessly for four months. I won't be able to touch what I have in mind for later this year if I'm not at 172 max - preferrably 168. Anything less and I'll just be climbing and not putting up the routes I have my eye on. That wouldn't be a tragedy, but like I said, I still have things in mind. Aside from the requisiste shutting of the cake hole, I absolutely have to make aerobic activities the priority for the next two months. For me that mainly means running despite the fact I find it incredibly unpleasant for the first 3-4 weeks. Any focus on climbing is a secondary consideration given I have no concerns about that coming back if I keep my eye on my overall fitness. I'm about a week into it right now and working on starting the process of ramping my running up from 12 miles / week to 24-36 miles / week. Somewhere around 18 miles / week I'll throw in swimming. Whatever climbing I do always follows a run and I only do what I can with the surplus from the run; sometimes that's nothing at all, sometimes a little bouldering, and once or twice I've even gotten on a rope.

 

AAHHH!!! YES!!!!! here be the driven one with the objectives.

Go get'm Joe

 

I know a oldster that at age 60 sent multi 12's he is lite and small and can pull down hard for an old man

 

It's just not for me,I'm just not that driven or want to be that small.More likely if i let my mind fool me I would be look'n at continual visits to the doc.

 

My objective after 50 is to climb as much as allways and have as much fun as I can before it's over.

 

I have used this quote before,I tend to go to it when I want to put things in perspective.

 

I agree with those who say that climbing is not life. It is much better than that. In climbing you get nothing other than what you absolutely deserve. It has no skin color, no gender, no rules that matter, and no lawyers, referees, or pushy parents .You can’t get any more than exactly what you put into it. There are no dead ends in climbing, no barriers other than the ones we impose upon ourselves .the blend of skill, boldness, and the desire of each route is unique unto itself and yet connected to every other route as is if within one long and contiguous passage. Life is hard on dreams, and even harder on dreamers. Climbing was built for them. For in climbing success and failure both lead to the same place, to new resolves and new possibilities. Life should be so good.

From Stone Palaces by Geof Childs

 

 

Edited April 13, 2007 by richard_noggin

[billcoe]

This thread is like a kickintthenuts nightmare. You dudes are saying that 50 is old, I'm 52 but not old. Check my pic over to the left if you are a doubter.

 

It feels like a very difficult and tenuous position. I wonder when old really is? I think Fred is old. I'm not.

 

Old is.....old is....well, it's somewhere else isn't it? So there

[ken4ord]

Yeah I tend to think 50 not old either, the way I would prefer to look at it is when I reach 50 I am hopefully only at the half-way mark.

 

Climbing might not be life, but for me it is part of my life, I can say since I started climbing there really hasn't been a day I have not thought about it at the very least.

[Dechristo]

For me, in part, climbing has been about performing and enjoying a form of skilled savagery. It is a realm where the world will not have it's way in civilizing or taming the beast within.

[tvashtarkatena]

Old is.....old is....well, it's somewhere else isn't it? So there

 

Old is between not old and dead.

[richard_noggin]

Old is in the mirror, you might want to take your glasses

DICK

[sexual_chocolate]

Well I am 5'10", so there and there is room drop drop some weight. I have made a commitment to myself to see about dropping some weight and work harder at it just to see where it takes me. I feel like I am still getting stronger, but it is hard to tell when I don't have easy access to crags and climbing, nor people around who can push me. Last night though I was stoked to send a problem that I have been working on for a month and half.

 

This going to be my regimine: boulder monday and thursdays hard, easy bouldering on the weekend one day. Road ride weds. Mountain bike hard one day on the weekend. I am also limiting my alcohol intake, normally I like a beer or two or three a night, I have decided to drink soda water instead, not as fun or tasty, but a lot less empty calories. I don't know where Rainy Day Women is, but I am sure it is not near me, instead there has been 2 lines that I have felt I can not do, so I haven't tried them, so I am going to start working them, bummer part is I can't get there every weekend it is too far. We'll see what happen, the true tell tale will be when I get back to Seattle this Aug/Sept and see what this has done for my climbing on terrain that I am familar with.

 

I am not sure what you mean by learning to pull hard, but I feel like that is what I am trying to work on, in my sessions lately I have been really focused on warm up first doing easy lap or two and streching. Then I have hard problems up that I know I can do to continue the warm up, doing 2-4 of them. Then my main session (1-1.5 hours) is working things that I can't even hold onto or stick, trying to really focus on holds and moves that I can't do, which can be frustrating especially after 2-3 sessions where I can't hold onto the hold or even move from it or even get my butt off the ground. Basically working on training on things that I can't do so that I can do them eventually. Maybe I will check out these books, but most of the time I have a hard time reading that type of stuff.

 

yeah climbing training books can be a turn off, but there can be some decent info too.

 

i'm wondering though if you are doing an easy warm up, then working on boulder problems that you can't do moves on, maybe you aren't getting any serious training stimulus? i think of andre segovia of all people: 70% of his practice time was spent doing etudes and scales (easy stuff). or power-lifters who do way more reps or sets at 70% to 80% than near their max at 95% or 100%. if you climb v4 max, then maybe do lots and lots of v2's and maybe some v3's, but in good control, and get 'em wired and do them over and over again for a few weeks. volume i think would help more than pounding away at something where the moves are nearly undoable. it's kinda like trying to bench a certain weight: you don't try that weight over and over again, having it fall on to your chest and not move; it might be better and more fun to do lots of benches at a weight you can do at least a few times, then rest and do it again, with future workouts then using a higher weight, as fitness and strength improve, finally leading to the ability to do the max weight.

 

oh and rainy day women is a sport climb at little si. the grade's a little controversial at 12a, with some thinking it's a bit soft, but whatever. it's a fun climb and a lot of the local's entry into the 5.12 region. nothing harder than v2 or v3 and good rests. you should get on it when you're in seattle in the fall.

[JosephH]

For me, in part, climbing has been about performing and enjoying a form of skilled savagery...

 

I'm guessing you do a lot more alpine than me...

[JosephH]

I climb hard vicariously each week simply by saying, "where is Jim Anglin today?"

[Knottygirl]

50 is the new 20....so i hear

at least thats what some people were saying in the grocery line the other day!

Edited April 13, 2007 by Knottygirl

[JosephH]

50 is what you make it. My 50 was so pathetic and I got my ass handed to me so thoroughly by someone even older to the point where I had to remake my reality or quit altogether. Aging gracefully is simply a matter choosing wisely which humiliations you are prepared to suffer at any given point in time.

[richard_noggin]

YO JOE

with all the time you spend spraying on this site and training

When do you have time to get laid? That rumor about a limp noodle isn't true is it? that would explain a lot about your attitude.

DICK HEAD