Climb A Grade Harder: Week 5 - The Double "Rest" Week

So I went on vacation with the full intention of taking the first week off to rest and then keeping up with the program the following week to stay on track.......well that didn't quite happen. I am, however, impressed that I did actually stick to climbing while I was on vacation. I had 2 days at Vertical Rock in Manassas, VA and the bouldering was fun, although the climbing grades were sporadic and confusing. The route climbing was cool because the walls were about 10 - 15 feet taller than my home gym but they were also a little confusing at spots. I suppose each new gym you climb at will have their own way of grading and setting routes and that is part of what makes climbing so exciting and challenging. The fact that I spent 2 days of my vacation doing this for fun and bringing more people into the sport tells me one thing.......it truly is love and I'll never leave climbing!

Back to work next week for the ass kicker portion of the program! I'm ready and rested! Let's go!

Climb A Grade Harder Program: Week 6 - I Should've Rested

So this is actually Week 5, which was supposed to be a rest week, but I'm on vacation next week so I figured another hard week of training wouldn't be too bad......I totally needed the rest week, lol.

The week started off and I was packed at work so I had planned to split the workouts into 5 days this week instead of 4 but my body had other plans. Got the cardio in great but after climbing Tuesday, I couldn't tell if I tweaked something in my shoulder or just slept on it wrong so instead of working out Wednesday, I skipped the conditioning circuit and rested in hopes of climbing Thursday. Mission accomplished, climbed pretty well on Thursday despite the fact that my shoulder was still a little sore and my left forearm felt like something was stabbing it (not a great idea, I know, but sometimes I'm still just a stubborn athlete).

The long V4 route from last week went a lot smoother this week and I was able to complete it in 2 segments instead of 3-4 like last week. I also had time to try one of the new black V4 routes that was significantly harder due to it mostly being finger pockets...... I got about 3/4 of the way up this route but should be able to get it without a problem once I'm rested. The new purple V4 is going to be one of my new favorite routes. I was able to get it in 2 segments but definitely can get it in 1 shot next time. Tuesday I also got through one of the hardest sport routes I've ever done. Not sure what it is rated yet but I was excited that I was able to push through even through it took a good 10 minutes to get through the whole thing.

All in all it was a good week of climbing but not a great week of training. Lesson of the week: when you're supposed to take a rest week, TAKE THE REST WEEK!!!! On to vacation........

Climb A Grade Harder Program: Week 4 - PROJECTING!!!!!!

This week we got to focus on finger strength with some hangboarding which, I must say, I was kind of impressed with myself! When I started climbing last July I could barely do 1 pull up and Tuesday I was able to do 3 sets of holds on the hangboard with no issues at all. I mean it was challenging, but I still have moments when I shock myself that my shoulder can do these things again with such ease!

Now onto my favorite part of climbing.......projecting! I got to sit down this week and not only stare at some of the new routes that have been set since starting this program, but I got to get my hands on them and give them a shot! One of the V4 routes is the longest bouldering route I've seen to this point so of course I wanted to jump right into that one......and I did! The first attempt, I got it pieced together in 4 parts and by the end of projecting time on that route I was able to get it down to 3 pieces. A big part of this issue is the endurance to get through the route all in one shot but I'm not one to back down, I'll keep trying til I make it! The second route I projected on was one of the routes that beat me at the last competition I did! I was shocked when I was able to get past the point I was stuck on at the comp and make it all the way to the final hold with one hand. Finger strength is going to be the sticking point for this route but super excited that I made it as far as I did!

Next week is supposed to be a rest week but since I'm on vacation the following week, I switched it up so I could get another hard week of training in before my "rest" week! So far I am incredibly pleased with my progress and am more excited for each new week of training to come. Is it climbing day yet?