Tearing Down, Climbing at Night with Lizards, and Shooting the Moon

I meant to update this blog more promptly, but life has been happening (and I put it off, anyway).  I've been training as usual and have been wondering how to optimize diet, training and rest.

I will be trying a weight-lifting approach of building muscle: climbing to exhaustion then intaking protein and doing some light-climbing to develop rebuilt muscle fiber.  I'm still trying to devise something more optimal for my lifestyle, which currently has a good amount of free time.  My weight has been low this summer, around 145 pounds. (I was getting close to 160 early this year!)

Now here's something we hope you'll really enjoy! Bryan and I got out the head-lamps to hit the dumpster boulders last Wednesday night!

Swatting bugs away in this one.

Bryan showed me better beta.

This one's backwards. Beautiful rock.

Hidden crimps...

Not too bad...

Happy arms...

And we begin. Yes, that toe feels awesome.

Here's Bryan.

I guess he's just doing whatever here...

And here's Bryan if he were a lizard! Yay!

Now, to conclude, here's video of a problem I set called "Shoot the Moon." Hint: it comes from a movie from the late '70s.

Campusing in the Rain

Today, I'd planned on doing a little night bouldering with a couple friends, but then this happened:

Rain is not to be trusted.

So, instead of crying like the clouds, I headed straight for the gym.  I did my best to project harder problems, and I enjoyed the results.  Afterwards, I hit the campus board for the first time in awhile with the literal formal advice of Giddy Ambassador Michael Durenleau.  (He told me about proper form, if that wasn't obvious.)

Not that hard...

Keeping my elbows in...

Even though my plans to climb on real rocks fell through (and after I'd spent the time renting out a pair of shoes for one friend), the day ended beneficially.  I'm now more psyched for training and climbing in general, and I left the gym wishing my mind got tired as quickly as my body and fingers.

Also, at the tender age of 21, I found out today how useful a blender can be!

The gnats were all over this (that's spinach flecks you see, though).

When I got home, I also realized that my ring-finger on my right hand hurt a bit whenever I used it, but Metolius's marvelous crimp oil (It is essential!) alleviated the soreness immediately!  Of course, it needs rest more than anything, which I plan on giving the little one.

And now, to work my core before I go to bed.

5 Days in a Row...No Mercy

Not much to say this time, but I've consistently climbed and trained for the past 5 days, either outside on Tuesday, the ARC setting or at TBA.  Unfortunately, I've been restricted on time overall which is why I feel comfortable being so many days in a row on.

Here are two problems I set, a V5 and maybe a V6: The Krusty Krab Pizza! and Objects in space, respectively.

And for no reason,here's a naughty boulder. 

Mountain Brook Apartments Climbing

Today (and by today, I mean yesterday because I got too busy yesterday) was a special day as it was the first day in many that I found time and friend to climb outside! Sure, the temperature was in the 80s during the 3-6 bouldering session at the Mountain Brook Apartments (which I refer to as "The Dumpster Boulders"), but I am so grateful I got to get out at all and have a good friend along with me.  Now, I'll try to not get too sappy from now on.

Though it was already warm outside, it seemed common procedure to warm up.
Now heeeeere's Bryan!

Brayn being.a neeeerd!

Mmff...

Yeah!

And here I am crushing in my Cookie Monster shirt.

This place is only between the V0-6 range, but it's great for a couple of dumb kids in the summer! And, it's one of the closest places to downtown!

I was considering losing the pants, too.

I'm flexin'.

Traverse this, son.

We got a few sends and ended on this one overhanging motha. 

Good juggy pockets...yes sir.

I'm so into myself.

With the heel hook.

I make my own beta.

Calf powers...activate!

Donezo!

At the end of the day, I only had to swat one tick off of Brayn, and I give him respect for going with me and taking pictures.  I now have to decide whether to sweat my clothes off again tomorrow or hit the gym (in which I will also sweat a ton).

Until next time!

The Cost of Doing Projects

Since the last post, two game-changing things have happened to improve my climbing strength: I bought a membership to TBA (Tennessee Bouldering Authority, Chattanooga's bouldering-concentrated gym, and I got a Metolius Simulator hangboard, as seen below.

Mmm, greeeen.

There is already a hangboard in my room that a friend of mine, Nate Draughn, gave me, but it doesn't cut it for developing the contact strength I crave.

Thoughtful but limited.

The advantage to the Simulator is that it has 18 different holds present which multiplies when they are mixed, such as in doing offsets. With this, another benefit is that Metolius has hangboard workouts designed for this particular hangboard on their website. These 10-minute exercises are no joke! 

Now, for TBA. A membership there is around $40 monthly, and it also included a few perks, such as a guest pass each month and reduced prices on swag and consumables. I could go into the gym's history, but I'll save that for another time. 

The gym through the eyes of the Wave Wall.

There are a few different levels of overhang with the different walls, ranging from around 30 degrees to past 60! Problems can go past the V10 range here.

You'll tell your grandkids about this one.

Do the wave!

TBA offers other training equipment and services, such as yoga classes, weights, multiple campus boards and anything else you would need to send your next project (unless you need the power to levitate).

I hope these people are weirded out if they see this...

Also, to touch on the last post...

It rained SO much when I meant to climb Friday, so now Brayn and I are hoping for Tuesday. 

Workout, The Chatt Nasty Way

Today was another day to train, and I found a regimen used by Chatt Nasty, UTC's climbing team, in a previous year.  It started off (after getting warmed) with 5x3s, wherein the climber picks 5 climbs (s)he can do consistently with some effort, doing each back-to-back 3 times, resting 2 minutes between each of the 5.

Today, I decided to work upper-body and some antagonists and some raised-knee crunches and toe-touches (50 each) because why not?

Pull-up exercises:
10 pull-ups, 3 sets
30-second 90-degree lock-off, 3 sets
5 typewriters on each side SLOWLY, 3 sets
+Extra: one-arm lock-offs, 5-10 seconds,   until failure

My left was feeling a little weak, haha.

The workout also included 5 sets of 10 push-ups each, so I did (1) wide shoulders, (2) diamonds, (3) 45-degree incline below middle of one of those plastic-top, half-yoga ball things, (4) feet raised, and (5) arms raised. 

For further antagonist training, I did 2 sets of 15 reps of reversed wrist curls on each arm, then the same with a couple rotator cuff exercises, seen below. 

Well, hello there...

Not the craziest (in a good way) workout, but it definitely brings results!

Hopefully, later today (as I'm writing this the day after this workout), I'll be able to get to this spot on Signal Mountain, pending dry rocks!

*Props to Bryan "BRAYN" Bierly for photographs.

Another Day, Satara's Birthday

I have been seeing this girl for the past year or so now, and today is her birthday. (She's not old, but she doesn't want me to say which one it is.) So, as a portion of her present, I've dedicated a problem I set today to her.

I would grade this problem V5/6, and I grew to like the progression a lot.  Starting on a shallow pinch and 3-finger pocket, one moves to a set of pinches, then a crimp with the right. High feet are included with a hand-foot match seen below. 

After this move is the crux of the problem, where one must windmill their left pretty far right to a natural shelf that's pretty far right, which makes it pretty easy to barn-door out of.  The cool part is in treating it as a slab once you hit the shelf, which you can then match. The rest of the problem after that is pretty straightforward.

Me on the crux.

And taping the finish. Fun times!

Power Endurance and Tendonitis

After a great day at work with only two hours to climb before my evening class, I decided upon training my power endurance.  To train it, I decided to do every beginner problem to warm up, then do every intermediate. After every 5 problems or so, I would do 30 push-ups to work antagonist pushing muscles in my chest.

The circuit began strong with very little rest between problems, but a good friend of mine showed up and needed help getting inside the campus gym.  At first, I considered being selfish by not "wasting time" with my training to let him in, but that would be seriously lame of me, wouldn't it?  And though my "generosity" (which I put in quotes because I feel it was barely so in comparison to how this friend helped me) needed no compensation, this friend, former amazing surfer-dude Jared Lallatin, snapped the photo seen above of me on the one problem I have not sent yet, Tendonitis.

It ended being an overall good time with he, I, and another friend of ours.  I would only complain about how well I performed, holding myself to a high standard, of course, but it was one day of many to come in which I can find improvement as well as acceptance.

Cats on pizza...in space?

Today, I set my first advanced problem! It took me too long, and it's only V5, but I'll take it!

The name comes from the tank top I was wearing while setting it:

Thank you to Ian Strebek for letting me borrow this masterpiece.

Here, I'm tightening a bar for a dynamic start.

And here I am testing it out. Thanks to J. Poe (shown in the background) for help in grading it.

Though I've posted something climbing related the past three days, I don't think it sustainable to continue that pattern. However, I'm loving how things are going and hope to be setting open problems soon!