Progress 35+ y/o

Hey Simpson, I started climbing with 39, in 2004. My time is pretty limted, I have only half of sunday for the rock and then 1 plastic session during the week. I hit pretty fast a plateau, after 1 1/2 years,  and stayed ther for almost 4 years. Lately I am doing some progress, but I can not call it jet a breaktrough. For me the most important points for improvement are: -Get to know your weak points and try to improve (systematically) -Get better understanding of "Training" - The blog of Dave McLeoad is highly recommended -Climb with stronger climbers -Stay motivated and have fun -Don't get injured Good luck  

Hi Simpson, maybe i am not the best to give advices but i tell you what is working for me. - improve my body condition...as i am a bit fat after losing some kilo (running/bike/etc) i really feel stronger when i climb - push the limit...i always have fun when i try something hard...if i fall it doesn't mean i have to stop...i search solution and i try again and again...work the f-king route...after a while when i re-try the route i feel the improvements...and after a day when i push my limits i really feel stronger ...on next days ;) - don't ignore boulder...your hand will became stronger...after a day outside to boulder i really feel stronger - avoid big breaks...if i don't climb a months (let's say)....after big breaks when i return on battle fields i have big problems...

I'm 37 and started climbing in 96. Then stopped in 2002, got fat (+20kg... :-S) .. .. started to train again in 2008 and now im in better shape then i was in 2001 (my previous "peak year" )  This is "my" formula for 35+ climbers with limited time:Sneak inn as many traning hours as possible. ..it's as simple as that..   Don't waste time watching TV and playing computergames.. (like I did...  ) Doing this I  manage to train almost every day. 2 or 3 days with climbing and 2 days with hangboard ( or campus) @home  and 2 or 3 days with antagonist-traning (benchpress etc) and cardio...@home.  I spend most climbing-time bouldering and i only do pump the last weeks before i try a redpoint.  Remember to have easy weeks and hard weeks. eg 4 hard and one easy..  And switch between bouldering and climbing to prevent stagnation.. (easy weeks -> mostly  routes , hard weeks-> mostly  bouldering).Learn your nutrition... and adapt weight lifting into climbing. I base my strength-program on the 5x5 linear program. And don't forget frontlevers..  Use hypergravity so shock your system (weight-west.. )  So this autumn i hope to do redpoint a 8b( or harder) project  i'm working on.. and to boulder 7C or 7C+

Thanks Ata, Cristi & Idar! Especially @Idar: You are really inspiring! @Ata: Actually I've got Dave McLeod's book at home (and read it ;-).  But it's always helpful to learn about the experiences from "average" climbers. What I take home so far, from watching others, reading books, and listening to your input, I'd say the answer to get really better isn't that difficult: Train as often as possible, i.e. use your limited time effectively, train as hard as possible. Both without injuring yourself and losing motivation. But the hard part is obviously to walk the talk :-( What I noticed for myself is that instead of pushing myself harder while climbing or doing a third training day in a row, I rather stop because I think I'm risking injury or overtraining. Most likely it's just an excuse... Would you recommend to just push through? Is my hesitation in order to avoid injury/overtraining justifiable or really just an excuse? What can a rather old body actually take? PS: Currently I roughly have 2 or 3 two-hour-sessions on the rock and 1 one-hour-session on a 45° plastic bouldering wall per week.

If you climb hard 3 days in a row you might get acute overtrained  and your performance will drop. If you train to much over a long time you also get overtrained. ( http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/overtraining/a/aa062499a.htm )   This summer i had to take a 3 week break , due to family holliday.That 3 week break only gave my body time to recover and i can now start the autumn season without injuries :) My absolute strength had increased during those 3 weeks as well , so I was probably at the limit for overtraining.  As important or even more important as training is recovery and rest, and the quality of this. If you have a stressfull job (negative stress) your body will be "filled up" with cortisol (stress-hormone ) , and this hormone is a catabolic hormone if my memory isn't tricking me.. :D (Alzheimer-light.. :p ) So if you have a stressfull period , train a bit lighter...    Enough sleep is also vital for a good recovery.  The aging male body has a peak human growth hormone hGH after 1  hour of getting to sleep and aproximately around midnight. So in the long run you will gain from getting enough sleep. People who work nightshift  might actually have a hGH-deficiency. As for training-released hGH , it seems that eating fat before and  fast carbs after training inhibit hGH. So instead I take 40 g of Whey and 2g with L-Glutamin within 30 minutes after training and it seems to work for me. Other proteins wil also do the trick (eggs, chicken).More in this article:  http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/human-growth-hormone.html A positive side-effect of increasing muscle-mass is that your "engine" gets bigger. And bigger engines tend to use more fuel. So you will loose bodyfat in the long run. Bottomline: if you are to tired to train you should probably  rest. Rest = building up, training = breaking down.. :)

Check out www.climbingtraining.it  by Roberto especially the http://climbingtraining.it/allenamento2-a.php page. I found this tied all the other training advice I had read together nicely. Like Idar said you need to rest regularily. Don't train hard every day. You need some volume but given the short amount of time we actually spend climbing when we go outdoors (I'm talking older family guys who don't get out much) you will find strength work outs more beneficial. They are shorter as well and easier to fit in. The main thing is you need to figure out why you can't climb harder stuff. Is it not being able to hang on long enough or you just don't physically have the stregth to do a move, even when fresh.

Nice link Sean. Tnx..