Endurance, Strength, and Preventive Training

[montypiton]

no votes for plain old classic hatha yoga? -- ok, but at 60, with 40+ years comprising pretty much every kind of climbing, I've tried most of the programs that have come down the pike, and a "serious" yoga practice has produced greater results for me than any other training system.

 

what else is there to train other than balance, strength, flexibility, and breathing?

[Buckaroo]

 

""I suspect that the hardcore mtn athlete, gym jones and even crossfit is too much for a "aging" climbing athlete""

 

No doubt, I don't really train anymore. My training is climbing once a week more or less.

[el jefe]

'the "aging" climbing athlete' is a pretty vague concept in this thread: one poster mentioned he was 31 and another that he was 60.

[John Frieh]

With respect to the aging/too hardcore question the first rule for any trainer/coach is do no harm. More specifically if you make your athlete too sore for his sport specific workout the following day, you have failed. Working with NFL guys this summer it was critical to schedule certain workouts on certain day to ensure they were fresh for their sprinting workouts. You'll see the same thing in any sport where technical skill is critical to success... boxing, MMA, cycling, etc etc

 

Athletes of all sports (not just climbing) get all focused on the work but neglect or are ignorant of how important the recovery and nutrition pieces are to the overall program. Any coach worth his salt should be writing a program that comprehends workouts as well as recovery and nutrition needs.

 

Assuming the first rule is followed then anyone regardless of age should be able to build and follow a program. Do older guys need slightly longer to recovery or less volume? Very likely. But that doesn't mean you should sacrifice the intensity of a workout.

 

 

[AOK]

I have been a competitive athlete most of my life and at 30 years old it's obvious my body is starting to feel the pain. Opposition training isn't enough and if I want to continue building strength in this sport I need more...

 

I boulder and sport climb, so any training program geared around rock climbing will probably be the best, though I can't imagine alpine training to be too much different.

 

I am definitely going to start taking YOGA classes to improve breathing, flexibility, etc.

 

Being a full time student with a part time job only allows a small budget to work around. I need to try building a program on my own until I can graduate to a more expensive training regiment with a professional trainer.

 

I'm thinking literature, films, internet, etc. (Due to the low cost in comparison to seeing professional trainers.)

 

Thanks for all the help everyone... I will continue checking in and appreciate any additional advice in regards to this most recent post.

 

Respects.

Edited September 19, 2012 by AOK

[genepires]

@ 30 years old, you are a young pup. get after it!

 

when you said you were older, I assumed ........................

[layton]

my book wasn't supposed to be a training book - just wanted a consolidated chapter about training in it - but that's why people seem to buy it.

 

The 2nd ed. will be a lot different

[AOK]

I'll make sure to check everything out...

 

I am about to have an arthroscopy due to a major medial meniscus tare and am anxious to come back stronger than ever before. I thought months ago I could ignore the tare and heal naturally with physical therapy and rest, "rice," etc...

 

I WAS WRONG.

 

On the third day back in the gym for training I pushed too hard and sure enough-BAM-I was on the ground and calling a friend for a ride to the hospital.

 

I want to prevent this from happening again and want to come back even stronger then before. This being my first major injury, it has been rough sitting in limbo and waiting to get back to climbing. At this point I have missed most of the summer season and the comps I wanted to participate in... Bummed.

 

This is all a result of wanting to return and rehabilitate stronger, faster, etc.

Edited September 19, 2012 by AOK

[genepires]

knee injury? ACL?

[matt_warfield]

From tons of climbing I have nerve damage in my fingers and toes and 11 screws in my wrist, titanium plates in my ankle and Frankenstein scars to prove it. Living life large outdoors has its price. Every injury endured by an an outdoor athlete has been earned but is never appreciated.

Edited September 21, 2012 by matt_warfield

[akhalteke]

Hell Doug, training my 31 year old body is a lot different than my 21 year old body so I had beter pick this book up. I think the heavy loads and jumping out of airplanes is taking its toll on my ability to recover from extreme workouts/ climbs; maybe that's just the old age.

 

Great info so far guys. I wish there were more training dedicated climbers out here. It seems CO is more about getting stoned and just sending which is great and all, but as I get older, I can't just jump into the hard stuff anymore without paying for it.

 

Thanks again guys!

 

If you are near Boulder I highly recommend Connie at the Alpine Training Center. Great coach and great facility.

 

You might know some of the guys who write our programs. They seem pretty similar to the one's you do. If you know anyone working in Colorado, they might be the ones that work with us.

 

So far, I have seen a marked increase in the mileage that I am able to put in on them thar hills without nagging little injuries and I can fight a whole lot better and finally am climbing some 12's, so I think the stuff you "cults" preach might be alright after all.

 

Only caveat is you need a good coach as you stated earlier. You have to know their goals and work around their operational issues which is particularly hard for us.

 

 

[John Frieh]

10th Mountain?

[Rad]

The reality is that some injuries are life altering. This is a hard pill to swallow, but once you choke it down you realize the goal is not to come back being stronger than ever before but to be as strong and active as your new body (and pain threshold) will allow. Sometimes that means 100% of pre-injury strength. Sometimes not. Sometimes it means 100% on certain motions but other motions are hazardous and should simply be avoided (my case in certain shoulder movements).

 

We will all eventually fall apart. The question is how to make the most of what you have for as long as you can.

 

Edit to add that it's worth doing what we can to prevent life altering injuries and promote maximal healing from the ones we do incur.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Rad

[akhalteke]

The reality is that some injuries are life altering. This is a hard pill to swallow, but once you choke it down you realize the goal is not to come back being stronger than ever before but to be as strong and active as your new body (and pain threshold) will allow. Sometimes that means 100% of pre-injury strength. Sometimes not. Sometimes it means 100% on certain motions but other motions are hazardous and should simply be avoided (my case in certain shoulder movements).

 

We will all eventually fall apart. The question is how to make the most of what you have for as long as you can.

 

Edit to add that it's worth doing what we can to prevent life altering injuries and promote maximal healing from the ones we do incur.

 

The weirdest thing is that some things should debilitate you and dont and also vice a versa.

 

I got shot in the leg and got a spiral fracture with no sequelae. I had a bad parachute landing and lightly hit a tree and got a SLAP tear and now cannot do military press (or any overhead lifting). Life can be a weird bitch sometimes.

[AOK]

knee injury? ACL?

 

A major tare of the medial meniscus which has somehow folded under the patellar bone causing it to dislocate.

 

I have surgery to cut out the folded meniscus, bone fragments, and to reset the knee cap on October 4th.

 

SUCH A BUMMER!

 

The worst thing is not only have I been unable to work and climb for almost two months now while awaiting surgery, but school starts on Monday and trucking around my computer and books on crutches is going to be a BITCH!

Edited September 22, 2012 by AOK