Friday, July 30, 2010

Adventure Athlete Workout: Friday July 30 (updated)


Flashback: Tire-flips, March 2010 (I'll get back to these once I've rehabbed my lower back).

Wow, I don't think I've been out of the gym for this long in a while, apparently I haven't posted one of these since this past Monday. I haven't done anything else since then.



Well, not really. On Tuesday I ran hills with a pack until my legs started to give out. On Wednesday I put in a gym bouldering session (with a little bit of slackline work for the core). And yesterday I spent the afternoon at one of the local sport crags. Yesterday was especially killer, the crag is top-rope only (although there are plenty of places to place removable pro, definitely going to keep that in mind for future trad training with a mock lead set to the top-rope)with a some great crack systems (generally comfortable hand-jams, but with some finger cracks and off-width for character building)and a number of tricky chimneys and roofs.

I climbed on route that may have been flirting with 5.10a rating, and then a solid 5.9 with a nasty slab of a crux for the first twenty feet. And then did some practice rappels with my new figure-8 device.

I felt good about the climbing itself. Aside from one tricky crack system I was able to avoid hang-dogging almost entirely (a real temptation on top-roped routes)and I surprised myself in a few of the off-widths.

The crag itself however, left quite a bit to be desired. There are trees everywhere. There are trees at the bottom of the crag that rise over the top-out and drip pine-resin in your hair, there are nasty little survivors clinging to dirt on minuscule ledges that entangle your rope and block the belayer's view of the climber almost entirely. The trees are merely an inconvenience though, when compared to the smattering of roofs towards the top of the climbs that turn each fall into a potentially nasty pendulum (not to mention the rope-drag).

My lower back is pretty much shot after all of this climbing. So I'm about to go for a few days without and actual climbing, and focus on training cardiovascular endurance and flexibility.

Unacceptable, the body must be developed in balance, the legs must be prioritized, treat them mercilessly, volunteer to carry the rope and gear, sprint up steps, power-lift till you puke. Do whatever it takes to turn your legs into tree-trunks, the rest of your body will thank you.

Warmup:

  • 5 minutes dynamic stretching (emphasis on lower-back)
  • 5 minutes boxer's warm-up (50 hops jump-rope, 50 strikes heavy bag: maximum reps for time)

Workout:
  • Barbell Military Press 5x20*
  • Flat Bench-Press 5x20*
  • Bent-Over Lat Raise (on Bosu Ball) 5x20*
*Cut to sets of 3x20, anemia is forcing me to ration energy, and I needed to hit the finisher hard, so I cut back. Cheating? Maybe, but there's a line between dedication and stupidity. Right now I'm content to flirt along the borderlands.

Superset for time, work on speed, minimize rest periods.

Finisher:

Superset reps with countdown from twelve, no rest:
  • Push-press
  • Off-balance push-up

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