Heriot Watt Coaching

So guys, I have recently been accepted as part of the heriot watt scholarship programme. Today was my first training seswoon with the heriot watt coach, Paul Gamble. It was actually really good! I'm working a lot on deep core muscles which apparently don't get worked that well normally and I was also doing a lot of leg work, nut not enough to build any real muscle mass of any kind. Doing squats and dips with your knees and all sort of crazy stuff really hits you hard! My legs where shaking ( literally) after the first set! Anyway, last night I had a good sesh on the beadymaker. I did 2 sets of repeaters, one on edges and the other on pockets. I'm really getting used to hanging back two and front two bur unfortunately I've had to cut back on the size of pocket for the back two as it wad tweaking a little. Usually I hit back 2 on the shallow pockets but it was feeling a little dodgy last night so instead i moved to the larger pockets but only using the first two pads of my fingers and not resting my middle finger under the roof of the beastmaker ( which should
make it a bit harder I think). Anyway, the front two seemed
to be in good shape and holding out well and my open hand crimp strength is getting better and better. I just need to keep
up the training and hopefully I'll be fulfilling my dreams of sending a board 8a very soon...

The Most S-H-I-T-E Endurance Session Ever!!!

So yeah... was well psyched to do some endurance training after a long day at Ratho. Met Eddie "The beastman" Barbour at the Boulder cave, warmed up on some of the new problems and got stuck into the routes (the wall was fully tilted). First set:

1) Blue 7c+
2) Purple 7b+
3) Salmon (1/2 an 8a?)(7b+ at half angle)

Psyched! Good set... But unfortunately, the rope we where using had to be used for work, so, not having our own ropes with us, we were screwed!!! A stamina session is meant to be doing long routes and laps... and all we could do now was boulder...

Peeved off, we went and crushed some boulders and went home... But on the way home we where discussing the best way to train Strength and Power. Up until now we have been only bouldering on "The Board" but we have come to realise that it isn't so structured and it does seem to leave a lot of questions in our training, "did i fall of that because I slipped?" "Are the feet holds too small?" "Should we have small moves or big moves?" "Small holds or big holds?", and it got us thinking to something we where going to do anyway (But it got us psyched!), a campus board!!! The perfect Power and Strength training tool! A session of that plus beastmaker in a day would be perfect!!! I'm psyched! We are going to look at plans over the next few days and hopefully we will get on the case soon enough! I think my house will become the greatest training facility for climbing known to man??? F***K the school room, its Robbie's Room now...



ARGGGHHHHHH!!!!

Setting and Sessions...

Recently as I said in my last post, i've been working hard at Ratho. It looks like i'm gonna be getting lots of route setting from now on which is gonna be awesome because its my favourite job by far!!! In the past week I have had only 1/2 a day of routesetting but have set a couple of sick new lines on the Justice wall at ratho and some crazy new problems in the cave too!!! But as well as working, i've also been training. Today I had a route session at Ratho to see how my strength is going. I was pretty surprised actually, for feeling very run down I climbed not that bad really... I flashed the new 8a up the Justice wall which I was fairly chuffed with, crimps and endurance on a slightly overhanging wall for 26m or so, choice... I did some easier stiff and mucked about on a new V9 I set a week ago, latching the final hold of the crux and then greasing off, D'oh! However, what really makes a session at Ratho nowadays is the new comp wall! You can't leave ratho not having climbed on it. So having that in my head, i set up for the men's 2nd qualifier (from the BLCC's). For anyone interested, its the yellow route going straight up the middle. For 8b it has to be at 1/2 the steepest angle, any lower and I can't even imagine how hard it will be? It sets of on quite easy moves into the steeper angle and comes out with some rather big lunges on positve pinches. Heading onto the final stage before the roof you have to manouver round some pretty small holds before a fair rest on two jugs. From the jugs you make a strenuous press onto a crimp in the first volume on the roof, hitting that you undercuit the next small crimp on the next volume and slap round onto a small sloping edge on top. Taking this, I slapped out onto a button with my left on the 3rd volume and flipping my legs round 180 degrees I heel hugged the volume with the button and thrashed wildly for the finger jug undercut with my left again before the final vertical section on small positve crimps with no feet HAHAHA

Pretty Hard! It will go for sure, but it might take a few sessions over the next few weeks? For me it is particluarly hard as I dont class myself as much of a boulderer to be honest, I reckon from the 7c+/8a start, the final boulder could be around V6ish maybe even V7 at a push? Anyway, I'll try and get some photos tomorrow and post them on!!!

Training next on Wednesday with Mr "Crush the holds to death" Barbour (POWER!!!)

Morning Sesh!!!

Well, for the next 2-3 weeks i'm gonna have my work cut out for me... I'm working everyday of the week par Saturday, i'm training for the Youth World Cup and i'm avoiding like the plague rock because of my fear that if I touch it I will become weak as sin (it has been known to happen to me). My original plan for after the World Cup was to head to ceuse to do some really cool projects but that has been put on the back burner as i have now become aware that the Munich and Edinburgh European Cup is literally only 2-3 weeks after the Worlds... Oh well!!! But after these comps i'm trying to arrange something. I have a few places in mind.....?



Anyway, in order to become fully fit for those places and the comps I have been training like a beast with my new pal and training partner Eddie. Today, Eddie came round for a nice early morning sesh!!! Around 11ish we started warming up in the usual manner, pull ups and stick game. I have found that the stick game is a wicked way to warm up if your training partner is switched on. It means you start to think like an onsighter and your mind as well as the body warms up. After a few easy stick game circuits we moved on to the real circuits!!!

We did 3 reps of our first circuit, the Board 7c (extension version) and then moved on to the Board 8a! The board 8a is a wicked test piece that has been eluding our attempts well up until now... Up until now only Eddie has managed to surpass the first crux, a powerful undercut cross through to a fairly positive right gaston crimp, however today I crusied the move and made it a further 9 moves!!! Well psyched, I got back on at the fall point and finished it until the final crux (the hardest moves on the route!). The final crux involves a big span to a small first pad pinch with your right, into a another small crimp with the left... From there you have to take a positive undercut (but hard to hit from the previous position) and span a massive reach to a poor crimp/pinch, moving up with a hig step on a good foot you finish the route off on small gaston crimps and the final jug!!!

I was well psyched that I had made such a good effort on the circuit. For 29 moves of fairly hardish moves the entire way through, I find it difficult to compare to anything I've done before? I definitely haven't climbed anything as hard outside or indoors and am really enjoying the process of completing this circuit (I know... I'm a bit of a loser... I am definitely a Gym Rat through and through!!!).

So we finished the morning off with an old Board 7c+ Circuit (unfortunately not completing it this time) but I feel the session was good enough to finish with that... Looks like I might be on my own for the next session as Eddie needs to work Monday, but i'm sure it will be a good one.

Think i'll have a beatsmaker sesh now...