Periodisation, Pyramids and Projects...

Below is a post a Toby sent to me in regards to training and some of the principles he uses... You can find more from the man himself by getting over to his blog here tobiasbucek.blogspot.com.au ==================>

Whilst he is a dirty trad climber, he is without doubt 'badass'!

Without going into too much details there are four principles to training:
SPECIFICITY: How and what you do is what you get better at
OVERLOAD: To get stronger you must place increasingly greater loads on your body
ADAPTION: After overload your body compensates and adapts to the new loads (but you gotta rest to let it do this)
REVERSIBILTY: aka 'detraining' stop doing stuff and you get weak again

I think that specificity is really the most important - assess your WEAKNESSES and train to improve those in a way that most reflects actually climbing situations in which those weaknesses hold you back.

ENDURANCE: Do lots and lots of climbing, try stay climbing for periods of 30 minutes or longer just below the threshold of getting pumped.
MAX STRENGTH: Overload overload overload, here you are trying to increase your muscle size ie hypertrophy a typical resistance routine would be 3 sets of 6-12 reps at 80% max.
POWER ENDURANCE: Try and get as hideously pumped as you possibly can
POWER: Quality over quantity here you are going for 1-3 reps of your absolute maximum, you should be 100% fresh and at this point feel like you are not training enough

'PERIODIZATION' Read up on Bompa but essentially rotate through what you train so you don't plateau and reduce the risk of injury.

Again assess your weaknesses and train to improve them, ask yourself what are my three best assets and three worst assets as a climber?

Ask the same question of training/climbing partners do they match up?

What are you training for?

What have you done already as a platform for that goal?

What can I do from this base to then reach that goal?

When I have tried hard problems what has held me back, was it a particular aspect of my strength? Which one? Fingers? Lock Off? Core?

All that said strength is probably not the issue, this last year I have been lucky enough to climb with the likes of Malcom Matherson, Mayan Golban-Smith, Dave Graham, Simon Young and plenty more who f---ing crush not one of them ever said anything about getting stronger on routes/problems they failed on (sure they used being 'tired' as a lame excuse for not doing some bloody thing or another) but the point is they always talked about moves, movement, body position, SO are you training to improve movement?

I noticed last night and we all do it, but I rarley get the chance to climb in gyms with others but when we are with other climbers we ALWAYS encourage them 'go for it' 'have it' 'allez' whatever you spray. It is of course fantastic to be in an encouraging environment and dig deep for that little extra bit that may help us send, but are you sending or training?

Think of another sport where our coaches/teammates would encourage us for just making that hold or desperately slapping something with awful technique. None, they would say that's shit, do it again PROPERLY this time. This is the attitude you should take into your training, you should be aiming yes to get stronger and go harder but not at the expense of good style and efficient movement on rock. So ask yourself and your training partners, how did that look, could I have been more efficient? Where were my feet? Where were my hips? Is this the best way of doing this problem? Why is this way better than that way?

I think your program looks good man, but think about specificity stick with it and you will definitely get stronger provided you focus on aspects that are weak. Make sure you stick with antagonist work personally I do push-ups, military press and external shoulder rotation with a stretch band 3-4 times a week and whatever rehab exercise for niggling injuries at the time usually elbows (you will get this if you keep campusing!) also the importance of a warm-up, cool-down and stretch don't think of them as seperate to your training/climbing they are an essential part of it, at the end of the day if you cool-down and stretch properly you will recover quicker, therefore train more and be stronger sooner. Keep riding your bike. But climbing isn't all in your muscles, the beauty that we all enjoy is the movement more akin to dancing perhaps, so think like a dancer and try get 10/10 on your score card OLE!

-Tobes
When looking at your 'base', we discussed putting it into a pyramid, which builds up to your project grade or problem, and analysing the styles and holds that they were. For example, my ticks are primarily overhanging or roofs, with only a few truly vertical blocs. They tend to be edge/pocket/sloper mixes, without all crimp or all slopers. Problems were the moves are hard, but the holds are good.

My grade pyramid (in the Grampians) looks like this:

V9 - 2
V8 - 2
V7 - 6
V6 - 16
V5 - 17
V4 - 18

I've only listed V4+ as below V3 is usually a warm up, or not something I pay attention to.

My project list posted below (in 8 weeks to V8) is almost an upside down pyramid = problem!

I've since adjusted my 'to-do list' to include a greater amount of V5, V6 and V7 problems which complement the style in which the harder projects lie (roof, thuggy) - kind how a marathon runner will run hundreds of kilometres in preparation for a 42km race.

Upon completion, the new pyramid looks like this:

V11 - 1 (+1)
V10 - 4 (+4)
V9 - 8 (+6)
V8 - 10 (+8)
V7 - 16 (+10)
V6 - 24 (+8)
V5 - 26 (+6)

Trust me, I don't think I'll be doing V10+ any time soon, but I certainly think I am capable of it. 8a or V11 has always been my 'career' goal for bouldering (same as 30 for routes) - that magic number that if I was to achieve that and have to then give up climbing, I could be satisfied with.

I've broken down my projects into smaller batches for the next 6 months...

My short term (next 4 weeks) goals are:

Platinum Flow V5
Transcience V6
Puppet Master V6
The Shield V6
Discovery V6
Rise of the Machines V7

Mid term goals (by end of June)

Affenschaukel V5
Captain Tonelli V5
Master Bates V5
808 State V5
Maple V5
Swedish Meatballs V5
Sick Nutter V5
Nice Max V5
Affenschaukel V5
I Feel So Holy V6
Fallen Cow V6
Drowning DiCaprio V6
Full Cream V6
Gay Hip Flexor V7
Grand Discovery V7
Mr Knox V7
Whipped Cream V7
Happy Camper Traverse V8/9
Cave Man V9

6 month goals (by start of September)
French Toast V7
Flash Gordon V7
Waiting in the Air V7
Attack of the Killer Drop Bears V6
Tim Tam Traverse V7
Aphrodite V7
Hot Henry V8
Left el Westwood V8
Da Lai Lahmung V8
Gourmet Cats V8
American Dream V8

Finally, I've decided to drop campusing for now from my training. With a mix of slopers, crimps and roofs, it serves my goals to focus on finger and core strength and antagonistic muscles.

Labour Day weekend it is on!!! =D If you have your own project list, post em up!

Jimbo