Who's guilty of not doing this? I know I have been in the past, though it doesn't happen as much now (I'm getting too old not to)
My examples:-
Jumping on that V6 boulder problem
Starting a run with a sub-4min km (switching the targetting computer on too early to run people down)
Warming up is as it says, raising the body temperature to get it ready for exercise. There are a few benefits to this. It gradually increases the heart rate and stops a shock to the system. Increases the blood flow to the muscles to increase the oxygen getting to them and the exchange of waste products, makes the muscles more pliable and flexible.
The best way to do this is gentle cardio, that increases in intensity, and doing movements that mimic the activity you are about to carry out - dynamic mobilisation.
And now to the point...
My main gripe is people at the climbing wall who spend 20 mins + doing static stretching and think this is warming up. It isn't.
1) It doesn't do the things mentioned above.
2) You are stretching cold muscles that are not as pliable, this can cause injury in itself, but can produce micro tears in the muscle that can then be made worse by exercise.
3) It can lead to a loss in strength and power because the muscles have been lengthen.
If you do want to do static stretching as your routine then warm up first and then rewarm as your body will get cooler as you stretch and are inactive.
The other thing is watching people doing a load of 'sun salutations' to warm up. A bit better as it is dynamic but it is mostly in one plane and doesn't mimic the activity that you are going to be doing. What about some trunk rotation, lateral flexion, shoulder rotation, abduction/adduction of the joints.
The question is - what have you come to the climbing wall to do? What is better? 20 mins of stretching or yoga or 20 mins of gently climbing/traversing increasing in difficult, actually doing what you came to do? Within 3 visits you could get an extra hours climbing in and maybe improve.
So my tips: -
Gentle cardio warm up 40%-60% of perceived exertion level
Dynamic mobility
Easy climbing
Save the stretching til the end of your session to lengthen the muscles you have shortened doing the activity, or go to yoga.
For more information check out Gaz Parry's articles in Climber magazine and I'll leave you with a quote of his - "You are always warming up until you do your hardest bloc"
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Periodisation
As I said yesterday, I have started to follow non-linear periodisation programme for my strength training. This is to run alongside my climbing and running, and hopefully not impinge on either.
NB in this blog a microcycle is a week, mesocycle is a 4 week block, macro cycle is the whole block, normally 3/4 mesocycles
There are two types of periodisation - linear and non-linear.
The linear model is the classic one, that reaches a peak just before a competition. In the world of recreational climbing, this could be the build up before a big trip, with that being when you would want to peak. The intensity of the training gradually increases over microcycles. It is normally structured like so:-
Hypertrophy/endurance phase
Low sets, high reps, low weight (65-75% 1RM), low rest
Strength phase
Med sets, med reps, med weight (75-85% 1RM), med rest
Strength/power phase
High sets, low reps, high weight (85-93% 1RM), high rest
also with power exercises power clean, push press, deadlift - explosive
Competition phase
High sets, very low reps, very high weight (>=95%, lighter for power), very high rest
Active rest
Competition time
The non-linear model varies the intensity and volume throughout the microcycle:-
'Heavy' day - high sets, low reps, high weight (85-93% 1RM), high rest
'Light' day - low sets, high reps, low weight (65-75% 1RM), low rest
'Power' day - high sets, low reps, varied weight (30-60% 1RM), high rest
'Moderate' day - med sets, med reps, (75-85% 1RM), med rest
eg 3 day non-linear
1) 5 sets, 3 reps 'Heavy'
2) 3 sets, 10 reps 'Light'
3) 4 sets, 6 reps 'Moderate'
The mesocycles can vary the load, eg 'Heavy' -
1 - 85% 1 RM
2 - 90% 1RM
3 - 93% 1 RM
The main reason I am using a non-linear programme is that the systematic variation in training can give adequate recovery from the training. With my job as a route setter and my climbing training this is something that I need. In the latter phases of the linear periodisation, it can put extra strain on the body and recovery time has to increase. It would be difficult to do 4 heavy workouts in a week!
According to studies non-linear could be more effective at promoting strength gains than linear as:-
1) the athlete is not exposed to continually greater training intensity
2) it applies less training stress and therefore less accumulated neural fatigue.
So there you go. I'll post my own programme soon.
Also today, did a 5km run with 5x 200m hill sprints, a 2 hr boulder session and my light weights session micro 1 :)
NB in this blog a microcycle is a week, mesocycle is a 4 week block, macro cycle is the whole block, normally 3/4 mesocycles
There are two types of periodisation - linear and non-linear.
The linear model is the classic one, that reaches a peak just before a competition. In the world of recreational climbing, this could be the build up before a big trip, with that being when you would want to peak. The intensity of the training gradually increases over microcycles. It is normally structured like so:-
Hypertrophy/endurance phase
Low sets, high reps, low weight (65-75% 1RM), low rest
Strength phase
Med sets, med reps, med weight (75-85% 1RM), med rest
Strength/power phase
High sets, low reps, high weight (85-93% 1RM), high rest
also with power exercises power clean, push press, deadlift - explosive
Competition phase
High sets, very low reps, very high weight (>=95%, lighter for power), very high rest
Active rest
Competition time
The non-linear model varies the intensity and volume throughout the microcycle:-
'Heavy' day - high sets, low reps, high weight (85-93% 1RM), high rest
'Light' day - low sets, high reps, low weight (65-75% 1RM), low rest
'Power' day - high sets, low reps, varied weight (30-60% 1RM), high rest
'Moderate' day - med sets, med reps, (75-85% 1RM), med rest
eg 3 day non-linear
1) 5 sets, 3 reps 'Heavy'
2) 3 sets, 10 reps 'Light'
3) 4 sets, 6 reps 'Moderate'
The mesocycles can vary the load, eg 'Heavy' -
1 - 85% 1 RM
2 - 90% 1RM
3 - 93% 1 RM
The main reason I am using a non-linear programme is that the systematic variation in training can give adequate recovery from the training. With my job as a route setter and my climbing training this is something that I need. In the latter phases of the linear periodisation, it can put extra strain on the body and recovery time has to increase. It would be difficult to do 4 heavy workouts in a week!
According to studies non-linear could be more effective at promoting strength gains than linear as:-
1) the athlete is not exposed to continually greater training intensity
2) it applies less training stress and therefore less accumulated neural fatigue.
So there you go. I'll post my own programme soon.
Also today, did a 5km run with 5x 200m hill sprints, a 2 hr boulder session and my light weights session micro 1 :)
Saturday, 16 June 2012
A long time since I've been on this ...
I've been on a creatine loading phase and now into the maintenance. Was taking 3g a day over 30 days, to try and minimise the water retention in the muscles. I've probably put on just an extra 2 kg, not the 6kg that I did last time. The maintenance stage is 3g a day when I'm training heavy and 2g when I'm resting or having a light training day. Let's see how that goes. I have definitely seen a strength gain, above my normal level and recovery period has improved. The climbing has not deteriorated any; it did last year, but I put that down to the weight gain.
If anything, I've been climbing better. I did a couple of font 7a's and a 7a+ a couple of weeks ago and last week flashed a 7a. For you indoor Castle climbers 7a=V6, 7a+=V7 ish (if there is a proper comparison)
The thing that has destroyed me a bit this week was 5-a-side football on Monday night. The week before I ran my first sub-20 min 5k for a while and felt ok after. However, post football I was destroyed, legs in tatters. I put it down to the stopping and starting, different planes of movement and changes in direction. Also, my anterior tibialis in both legs is still aching. Kicking footballs, eh?
Had a good couple of days at the Reach in Woolwich setting there with Gaz and a session in the roof at the Arch 1, London Bridge, which also annihilated me. Not used to long climbing in the roof.
Nevermind, a rest day yesterday seemed to do the trick though the run this morning was mentally draining, I left my head in bed I reckon and it only caught up after 5k. The 'heavy' session in the castle gym was good though. Feeling strong with the new structure to the workout, but that's another blog ... maybe I won't wait as long.
Saturday, 4 February 2012
3 titled blog
Rest day postponed AKA Back in at the deep end AKA Revisting an old friend
I woke at 6.50 am this morning on my rest day to get the train to Derbyshire to see my family. The Victoria line was down so it was the Tourist line (Piccadilly) to St Pancras. I'd paid a little extra for some 1st class tickets, so then I could do some work on the train. Sending emails and stuff to do with New Heights Fitness. The first leg was uneventful, but at Derby that changed, The connecting train was first going to be 10 mins late, then 15, 25, 35, back down to 20 and then finally 15. So at 10.05 am instead of 9.50, I was on the way.
My bro picked me up and we went to his family home. I had my running stuff with me, as I had planned to run tomorrow and have this for a rest day, though taking heed of the forthcoming weather, I decided that it had to be postponed til tomorrow and it was time to pound the ground.
I had in mind a familiar foe, Potters Hill. It was the hill I started running up when I was 19 to get me fit during university holidays. I remembered the old days when it kicked my arse, and my progression to eventually conquering it and doing it faster. I was still wary of the hill as I tried it a few years ago, with a hangover, and didn't treat it with respect. It didn't destory me but I did have to stop at the top for a while to check I wasn't dead!!
The run today was made a little harder due to adding another 1k of incline before my old run and I decided to keep going and link another old run to it instead of the small loop. It's basically 3k of incline straight off and with an extra 1k on this before on the new route from my bro's house. The main hill starts at about 2.5k and is 1.5k long. I started the run not too slowly or quickly at about 5min/k and carried on upward. It was cold and hard to catch my breath at the start but once warm it was fine.The running was good, on my toes, in my new NB trail shoes, a mistake in hindsight, it was either tarmac or frozen trail. I got to the start of the main incline, knowing that there was 1.5k to go and it was unrelenting. I meet some horses coming down the hill about halfway up. What winds me up about horse riders is I give them a lot of room when in a car and on a bike, but they were almost ontop of me and gave me very little room at all.
Anyway, I kept plodding away up the hill, feeling good and in control and had a lot more to give, but this was about getting up and around a good distance, at a good pace, without getting too knackered.
Soon it was done and it felt good. I didn't have to rest at the top and carried on around the loop, past the farm where the dog with half a jaw used to come out and try to bite cars (I wonder why it had half a jaw, hmmmm). Then linked it to the end of the other run I sometimes do, past Wingfield Manor. This is the manor house where Mary, Queen of Scots, was kept in custody by the Duke of Shrewsbury, before Elizabeth had her head cut off. It is a ruin now due to Cromwell (spit!!!!).
I got to 11k and was about 500m from the start of the run, when I decided I hadn't quite had enough and wanted a little bit more. So I went through the churchyard and then along the River Amber.
It was time for the last incline of the run and the final leg home. Banana and a cheeky theft of my niece's strawberry milk to finish off. Tomorrow I will rest. I'll have to. There is at the moment, 21.24, about 4-5" of snow :)
I woke at 6.50 am this morning on my rest day to get the train to Derbyshire to see my family. The Victoria line was down so it was the Tourist line (Piccadilly) to St Pancras. I'd paid a little extra for some 1st class tickets, so then I could do some work on the train. Sending emails and stuff to do with New Heights Fitness. The first leg was uneventful, but at Derby that changed, The connecting train was first going to be 10 mins late, then 15, 25, 35, back down to 20 and then finally 15. So at 10.05 am instead of 9.50, I was on the way.
My bro picked me up and we went to his family home. I had my running stuff with me, as I had planned to run tomorrow and have this for a rest day, though taking heed of the forthcoming weather, I decided that it had to be postponed til tomorrow and it was time to pound the ground.
I had in mind a familiar foe, Potters Hill. It was the hill I started running up when I was 19 to get me fit during university holidays. I remembered the old days when it kicked my arse, and my progression to eventually conquering it and doing it faster. I was still wary of the hill as I tried it a few years ago, with a hangover, and didn't treat it with respect. It didn't destory me but I did have to stop at the top for a while to check I wasn't dead!!
The run today was made a little harder due to adding another 1k of incline before my old run and I decided to keep going and link another old run to it instead of the small loop. It's basically 3k of incline straight off and with an extra 1k on this before on the new route from my bro's house. The main hill starts at about 2.5k and is 1.5k long. I started the run not too slowly or quickly at about 5min/k and carried on upward. It was cold and hard to catch my breath at the start but once warm it was fine.The running was good, on my toes, in my new NB trail shoes, a mistake in hindsight, it was either tarmac or frozen trail. I got to the start of the main incline, knowing that there was 1.5k to go and it was unrelenting. I meet some horses coming down the hill about halfway up. What winds me up about horse riders is I give them a lot of room when in a car and on a bike, but they were almost ontop of me and gave me very little room at all.
Anyway, I kept plodding away up the hill, feeling good and in control and had a lot more to give, but this was about getting up and around a good distance, at a good pace, without getting too knackered.
 | |
| The route |
I got to 11k and was about 500m from the start of the run, when I decided I hadn't quite had enough and wanted a little bit more. So I went through the churchyard and then along the River Amber.
It was time for the last incline of the run and the final leg home. Banana and a cheeky theft of my niece's strawberry milk to finish off. Tomorrow I will rest. I'll have to. There is at the moment, 21.24, about 4-5" of snow :)
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