Incline Bias

Fridays are usually quiet in the Gym around 15:00 but I arrived a little later and found it ram packed full of Taxi-Drivers who seem to work out daily before starting their evening shift. Naturally, both smith machines were taken. I managed to scavenge a bench and decided to start out with Incline Dumbell Press, originally a weakness that I targeted. On all other push/chest days I've been doing something that causes the upper chest pre-fatigue but on Friday it was its time to shine after all of the hard work on the flat bench (where gains are coming thick and fast, strength wise anyway).

I started with a few light sets making sure not to press too high in order to keep the stabilizer muscles (triceps in this case) from collapsing before my chest in the latter sets. Then it was time. I picked up the 22's, which are large and unwieldy and slumped onto the bench wrenching them up onto my knees (I need to kick them back with my knees to avoid injury). The first set feels easy, the second was a bit of a tussle, the third, well that was hard. An acquaintance rushed over to spot me and urged me on in exactly the same manner that you do to someone trying hard on a problem (Today Ned, nice one btw). The weights crashed to the floor, exhausted I carried on with the rest of the workout. The rest of the workout followed in a similar manner. PSYCHED.
On another note it seems like I've been going to the gym long enough and consistently enough to be considered a regular. The sometimes hostile feeling free weights area is now a lot more friendly, the positive thing about all of this is that I can now benefit from a wealth of experience.
I spoke to Dylan on Friday as well, he's building a board, not to far away from here which could be great, he didn't entertain the idea that I still wasn't really climbing, but honestly I'm not, not in the same way at least. I go out now and again but I'm putting in about 90% less effort than for the previous few years that's for sure.
Nat dragged me to Cliffhanger today so that she could see the standard of the women's final, I was really impressed my Mina, bit of a dark horse there and she obviously thrived in front of a crowd as at the works she hasn't ever seemed to climb that well, or not when I've seen her anyway. Ned won the men's which is a monumental effort.

The PUMP!

Not the pump that climbers experience, No! This is a completely different kind of pump. After working hard in the gym blood is trapped within muscles due to contractions and small tears. This gives the muscle a large pumped like look and its size increases massively (for 15 mins of hard earned mirror time).
Last week after a days worth of climbing I ended up round at a mates house for Steak and Broccoli which had been hastily purchased about 15 minutes before. After devouring that we started discussing Crossfit, Bodybuilding etc. before upsetting the female members of the house by trying to perfect a Frank Zane vacuum pose.
Anyway to the point: Some people have scoffed at the fact that i've made any muscle gains and today I was severely tempted to take a piccie to prove my gains before realising just how much stick i'd get for it. I think i've posted this before but here's Arnold's opinion on the pump:


My 'Push' (Chest, Shoulders, Tri's) Workout has now been perfected and delivers every time:

Flat Bench
15 Deg Incline Dumbell Press
Gironda Dips
Seated Arnold Press (A modified shoulder/military press for those who haven't heard of it)
Seated Lateral Raises (tilt at top to ensure rear-delt is fully engaged, like pouring a jug)
Tricep Split Pushdown

Although its taken me a while to get that workout sorted i'm considering changing to two superset workouts, the main problem being that its much harder to fit climbing in as a clear rest day would be needed the day before rather than being able to get away with a Chest workout etc.

Two posts in one evening...I must be bored.

Last Week in Review...

Lazy Post:

Mon
Went out to Rubicon with Jon to aid in the re-bolting of The Dangerous Bro's and Hot Fun.

Tues
Semi rest day, Chest session thrown in for good measure.

Wed
WCJ Cornice with Dobbin, warmed up on Brachiation Dance and made a right hash of the start, didn't feel totally warmed up so had a quick blast on Rumble, I was quite annoyed to find the in-situ draws were on a bolt I can't reach near a cruxy move, I climbed down and grabbed the last draw and then swung around getting it in and clipped. Fell off 2 moves further on. Pulled on and went to the end falling again after hitting the hold on the dyno. Clobbered my Knee.
After this I got re-involved with Monsterosity. I made progress on the dog and went for a few trial redpoints throughout the day, the first of which was foiled by an in-situ draw sticking open mid crux, the second by a badly placed heel. Damn. Dobbin went up and down Freemonster but was having a less than brave day and didn't manage to tick it despite looking cool as a cucumber.

Thur
Rubicon, Hot Fun, tired/skin sore. I didn't do too well to be honest and the upper section seems stretched, I found a good way for taller people but it seemed a little goey with my sequence. Rob said that when he did it it was very cold which helped on the poor holds. Must try harder.

Fri
Absolutely knackered.

Sat
Supersetted my two workouts together, it felt awesome and the pump generated was incredible.

Sun



Grand Prix! What an amazing sound...We were lucky enough to be at the end of Hangar straight just before cops so plenty of overtaking action and plenty of people getting out of shape.



The outcome couldn't have been better, Kubica spinning off and L.Hamilton winning with over 60 seconds between him and No. 2. The drivers championship looks like it will be very interesting during the final phase of the season. The tennis was really good as well a British Junior Champ and a legendary battle between Federer and Nadal.

Gym Rant #2

Well where as over on Doyle's blog you get Sunday sermons I'm going to continue in my tradition of ranting:

I've now spent quite a lot of time reading about various aspects of lifting weights, diet etc. Due to my slightly obsessional nature, thinking that if I can extract one piece of useful information (i.e. relevant to climbing) then the amount of time (wasted?) is completely justified.

So here it is, things that bug me when in the gym:

1. Cardio Bunnies - Do yourself a favour, jump off the treadmill and do something else. You run for hours and hours on end burning massive amounts of calories but somehow your ass is still a little saggy when you get in the pool. Look up the definition of skinny fat and see why. Look at marathon runners vs. sprinters which has more definition?

2. The buzz words "Toning up" - There is no such thing as Toned, the word you're looking for is muscular and its governed by one simple factor; bodyfat percentage.For people who wish to achieve this ifting weights in the higher rep range is no good ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A WOMAN! You have 10x less Testosterone than the average man. Muscle gains are slow so that "Toned" look is a long way off.

3. Chrome Weights - Why on earth does anyone think that its sensible to use the same 2lb shiny dumbell for chest, biceps, tricpes etc. it's just not logical is it?

4. Disco Muscles - Why do people do endless sets for their chest and biceps but nothing else? I guess so that their T-shirts bulge in all of the right places. Get out more.

5. Abs - Everyone has ab's the fact is that the vast majority of the population have a tyre covering them. Doing crunches will not give you visible abs. Loose bodyfat and hey presto superman abs.

6. Personal Trainers - Now some are clued up so I won't be too swooping but some blatantly aren't. Would you take financial advice from someone who is broke? Of course not, so why take fitness advice from someone who is clearly unfit and not at all muscular. I see people at the gym every time with a PT who costs £40/hour. I once heard him tell somebody that Bench was really hitting his Biceps...maybe on a 400kg lift your stabilizers will be struggling like mad but 40kg? I think not. Spend your money more wisely: Buy a book, or just read all of the free articles on various fitness forums. Ignore articles in the general press (see number 7).

7. If it feels too easy or too good to be true then it probably is. You will not change your physique by standing on a vibrating plate, nor will you get rid of the 100 curries worth of fat hanging from your outer thighs by walking gently more than likely you won't make any gains unless you make dietary changes or even more importantly lifestyle changes despite what you read in Hello magazine. PT's, don't help in this matter and more than likely will tell you what you want to hear, after all if the sessions are too grueling then people won't come back.

8. Now this one is directed at climbers. You will NOT 'bulk up' simply by starting to do weights (unless you have awesome genetics, foley you're in the wrong sport). In order to gain mass/weight (preferably lean) you need to eat the right things at the right times. I know of very few climbers who would take their diet to a decent and clean level of commitment at which they would make noticeable mass gains and hence hinder their climbing performance. Personally despite being very commited to adding muscle to my chest (due to constant back pain since my car accident) I have only managed to make meagre gains. So climbers, if you've thought that your overdeveloped back warranted a slightly less than concave chest, jump to it!

9. Isolation exercises - Why oh why does everyone target isolation exercises and by that I mean things that hit one specific muscle. If you're a novice and want to see decent gains then go COMPOUND, Bench, Squat, Deadlift, Pendalay Row. That's it (Ripptoe's Starting Strength)

10. Last but not least - FORM IS OF THE HIGHEST IMPORTANCE. It may make you feel better to pick up the largest dumbbells for your bent over row or dumbbell press but if you're not using them throughout a full range of motion then you're just wasting your time (That is unless you're specifically busting through a plateau using half reps [the same applies to ballistic motion swinging weights]). Chances are by doing this you're not even hitting your target muscle groups, the standard being the standing barbell dumbbell curl, idiots end up doing a swing motion that involves their lower body, hips and upper back (this does not make it a good Compound exercise). If this is you and you doubt me then use a preacher bench or arm-blaster, I'll be impressed if you bust out one rep of the same weight.

Now this might all seem a bit rich coming from a skinny runt who has zero qualifications in this field. So be it, it certainly beats a whingey post.

Oh and one more very important point:

11. Please please do NOT wear running shorts into the sauna, I really don't like having to tell people that their c*ck is hanging out. It's not a comfortable situation for anyone.

The 'ripper

I've been umming and ahhing about what to post about yesterday, writing and then re-writing the post a few times until finally scrapping the previous version and starting from scratch.
The weather was fairly poor when we arrived but as per usual the journey, music and banter had all been great. After doing the usual suspects and belaying Ben on subculture it was time to make my mind up and pick whatever the hell it was that I wanted to do that day. Well I decided on Grooved Arete, unfortunately that decision came about a minute to late as Chris Sowden started off on the dog. Damn, I was going to finally try the Yorkshire Ripper then. My first dogging effort didn't go too well, I stuggled to find holds let alone sequences. The second, well that went a little better, and I worked out a decent sequence to just below the crux, I even did a few small but decent links. After that go I perked up a bit as it didn't seem as nails as I originally thought. The third dogging go went terribly. I set off from the ground hoping to race through the wet bit and soldier on up to my high point, I didn't however manage to clean the oozing slime from my boot and popped off not too long after leaving easy ground, again I dogged to the crux but I didn't have enough left in me to work out the next bit as by the time I realised that the line deviated right about a metre I was spent. Belayed Ben some more and right at the end he worked out two viable sequences one with the big flake one without (and more logical if you've got the necessary reach), i'm pretty sure it'll be on for him next time we're there. Fish supper!
Next time I visit Kilnsey i'm still not sure what i'll get on. Some of the moves on the route were really good but the holds are pretty grim and I can't see it being a quick tick, is it worth the effort its going to take? i'm really not sure.
Next week Nat is away in Glasgow for work so I have the little punto to go out climbing. I'm tempted to get back on Monsterosity at WCJ after reviewing my sequence for the top roof with Bonjoy...some trickery seems to have been missed/ignored and even though its hard its a hell of a lot closer to home.

Psych Spike

Well my psych spike seems to have been just that. The motivation has dipped for a full on return to climbing however I'm left looking forward to getting out with people on a regular basis without the feeling that I need to somehow apply my hard gotten training gains in some way shape or form.
Wednesday despite the rubbish forecast and damp predictions for WCJ Dobbin and I quested out. On arrival the Cornice looked in a poor state, dripping in places, running in others. Dob set off up Brachiaton Dance and pointed out that a lot of it was damp and the adjacent routes looked worse. I always worry at WCJ that a tight rope makes people slam into the rock in nasty ways so at the top slump I paid out plenty of rope, I think Dobbin enjoyed the air time and it set him in a braver mindset than usual.
It was then my turn. I remembered just how much I like this route as I cruised up it (quite pleased that I didn't feel tired in any way or struggle with any of the moves). We stripped it and moved over to Free Monster.
It was wet, too wet for Ben to even considering reminding himself of the moves. Disappointed we both sat, ate and discussed as I eyed up Rumble, I was keen to try and do it again but common sense won and we left to go to the works.
I wasn't best pleased to be there but after a bit of persuading I got involved with the training board, pushing myself to flash the new circuit thing there. I didn't do a great deal more of note as my pump just wouldn't subside and my baby soft skin wasn't reacting well to the purple holds that have been added on the easy circuit.
In the time between getting out I've still be relentlessly attending the gym where I continue to get stronger although a little slower. My bench press has improved markedly over the last few weeks with my 1RM now at 65Kg....I bumped into Andy Coish (sp?) and he promptly crushed that by saying he was currently trying for 130Kg but was stuck at 100...Monster.. I then proceeded to crush his notion of being strong by pointing him at an 18yr old who benched 2x190Kg @78kg recently.
Saturday came and despite having done a back workout the previous day I was once again persuaded to head out into the peak. I picked Dobbin up early and we set off for the Tor...in the rain. A good crowd was already there by the time we arrived and more familiar faces turned up later on. Maximum points to Vicky who set off for a run despite the blanket rain and also to Jo for the best Old Skool vest I've seen in a long time.
I got involved with Powerband, I've played before but never really put in any kind of concerted effort as I said I didn't like it. Truthfully it spanked me and plays to every weakness I have. This isn't the case any more and despite the polish and the less than inspiring setting I began to see why people spend so much time on these traversed: The moves are great. Anyway, I didn't bother trying to work any individual moves and started from beginning each time making it past the pillar but failing on the move after going down, 3 goes later I decided that this move needed a bit more attention, the low foot holds are well out of reach so it really is a bit of a hard move. In isolation I find away that basically revolves around my little finger being in instead of out (the way I HAVE to catch it). It then started to get a little bit busy at the right hand side so I decided to gauge my current level of strength on Ben's roof, for which I have the most inefficient sequence ever (not great when you're weak). My first go is better than a month or so ago. I fail on my stupid release from foot on the bar/pinch. Second go I blast past this and get my feet onto the sidewall but it feels like I might either slice my tip off or fire backwards at a high velocity. Instead I step off. The next go I get to the crux (for me) but place my foot badly and ignore it completely (why?), I flopped onto the mat half heatedly and decided to call it a day. No point in destroying myself.

Despite the fact nothing was ticked, I'm happy. I felt reasonably strong, I'd go as far to say damn strong considering I'm doing b*gger all climbing related. I'm not a total tor convert yet but I'd say after some consideration its starting...I think the moves on Stamina Band looks fantastic.

Work is going well, I'm plugging away slowly but it seems like progress is being Made. Two weeks today Nat and I will be at Silverstone to watch the Grand Prix, and a month after that it looks like we're off windsurfing for two weeks somewhere nice. I can't wait.

Man Flu and Literature Review

Not a lot to report really, Sunday evening I developed a sore throat, Monday it was blocked Sinuses, Tues I felt like utter sh*t and today I'm feeling a little better than Monday. Obviously due to Dobbin's Man Flu today's climbing was called off. Its a shame as I've got to work like a dog until Friday in order to produce a literature review in under a week. Its strange that you have to do things in a prescribed order, my project is very involved with understanding the CFD, meshing etc. the literature stems from first principles and is therefore not as relevant as in other areas. It has to be done though so tomorrow will be a hellish day/night, I can't really see a lack of sleep doing anything but harm so the weekend will probably be ruined.