Mark Rippetoe Interview

General Summary: 

Strength is the most usual adaption. 

To elicit that adaption, stress appropriately. 

Mark Rippetoe is one of the clearest thinkers in fitness. The program he advocates (e.g., linear progression in basic barbell movements) is simply the best exercise program for novices. The principles he outlines are applicable to any athletic goal, including climbing.

"Why Didn't I Send?"

I ask that question every time I am end up dangling at the end of a rope or grounded out on a crashpad.

The answer reveals limiters that might take 1 moment or 1 lifetime to eliminate.

The constant and never-ending improvement process keeps me obsessed with climbing (even after I have put in more than 10,000 hours of deliberate practice).

Saturday Syke

Dave MacLeod loves climbing. All flavors - mountains, pebbles, and all styles between. His first ascents, love of training, and understanding the climbing process (frequent failing with success in mind) are a constance source of inspiration.

The Climbing Lab loves Dave MacLeod.

Bouldering Doubles

Doubles (i.e., ascending 2 climbs back-to-back) is a staple of training for routes. Stacking indoor climbs better simulates the length of outdoor climbs. Personally, I prefer climbing an easier route on the 1st lap and stepping up the difficulty on the 2nd lap. Thus, better treating one of my biggest personal limiters - executing consistently difficult moves in a prefatiged state.

Lately, I have been applying the same techniques to bouldering. I climb a problem, rest, and then climb the same problem again. During the rest period, I focus on improving the 2nd lap. My second ascent of a boulder is always more efficient.

This rapid, self-generated feedback has been catalyst for improving the quality of my climbing.

The mental pressure of getting to the top is lessen during the 2nd lap. I trick myself into putting the process before the outcome.

Since the primary goal is technique improvement, I stay as fresh as possible by resting almost completely, but not long (less than 2 minutes). I choose problems at my flash level or below.

Bouldering Doubles enable me to get a large volume, high quality movement in a session. The foundation for improvement in a skill-based sport.

Improper Campus Boarding

There is nothing incorrect in the video. However, there are several suboptimal elements.

Flannery Shay-Nemirow outlines the following campus board progression - deadhang, long move, ladder, bump, and double bump (at 2:45). There are many intermediate steps between each of those stages. For example, I advocate shrugs after hangs. Shrugs activate the prime movers for campusing. After shrugs, I do staggered matches. I start with one hand one rung higher than other hand then move the lower hand up to match the upper hand. This is the easiest campus board move I have found. Shrugs and staggered matches is a safer progression, especially for one and two finger campusing, then moving directly from hangs into long moves.

Secondarily, this video confounds a lifestyle portrait with practical instruction. There is very little practical information in the video. I value practical information as the foundation of Crowd Accelerated Innovation. Entertainment is added bonus after a pragmatic threshold is meet.

Footnote: Don't get me started about using thumbs on a campus board (at 2:54).

Saturday Syke

The above climbs are not listed in the current guidebook to Coopers Rock, West Virginia. They could be first ascents. There is potential for neo-classics around every corner in that forest.

Reenforcing my personal climbing mantra - My Golden Era is Now.

Saturday Syke

Part of what attracts me to climbing is the diversity - Different people ascent different climbs for different reasons. Everyone can contribute to climbing if they choose.

Bonus Video (for my posting tardiness):

My 1-hour-from-my-home project hitlist grows smaller every weekend. 

Operation Weekend Warrior is accomplishing mission goals.

Fall Pyramids

A climb pyramid (i.e., 4 climbs at one level, 3 climbs at one level higher, ...) is a proven method for improvement. The next logic step is creating separate pyramids for specific subgoals, anything from crimp-style climbs to dynos.

One of my biggest limiters is a fear of falling into space. Long whippers on vertical climbs are no problem, but the smallest fall into space causes my sympathetic nervous system to start shrieking.

Lately, I have been working my way through a "falling into space" pyramid. The first level is hanging on bolts in space. The second level is letting go near a clip. The third level is intentionally falling above a clip. The fourth level is falling while going for it above a clip.

I'm not to the point of taking a victory winger at the anchors, but in my constant and never ending quest for improvement, this is my next step.

Saturday Syke

Courtesy of SYKEsville, MD

(Currently the focus of my syke)

Persistent Pursuit of Perfection

I'm always seeking impeccable climbing while training. In performance, the goal is the send. In training, the goal is improvement.

Perfect doesn't always happen. If a training ascent deviates too far from my definition of perfection, I will repeat the climb until it is as close to perfect as possible for today.

Training is getting better one conscious movement at a time.