A small update, before it all happens…</h1> <article> <h1>A small update, before it all happens…</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 22:35:14 +0000</p> Readers, basically – I am ever so sorry for not keeping this site updated. So much has been going on lately and majority of my time has been taken up in teaching adult rock climbing classes and as well as that, just training myself and other work. Quite slack if you ask me, i know. But I’m about to make some crazy changes around here, where you can get some extremely helpful information about Rock Climbing, Training Tips and so much more that I am planning right now. On top of that, there is a possibility of a brand new design in the future. I designed this site myself and am still very happy with it, so may just end up making some small changes. Will have to see later. Any suggestions would be a great help! But besides that, i’ll be focusing on working on new content and publishing that as soon as possible for you all. So if you would please all gather round, wait just a little longer, I’ll soon give you lot’s to read about </article> <article> <h1>A rock climbing progress update</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:58:58 +0000</p> We are now in May so it has been about 3-4 months since getting back in the game. After the first few days of rock climbing, I figured out that my climbing grade had dropped significantly and had seen myself go no further than 6b indoor, and that’s top-rope, not even leading! So throughout my extensive training / mostly simply rock climbing, I’ve just managed to reach the 7b grade top rope, currently 6c leading / sport. In a way, that’s quite a big jump in only a few months, so my own training plan has worked so far. However, I’m not finished yet. The goal is to get back, to 8a grade, sport climbing. So there’s a lot more work to be done. Pull-ups are becoming easier every day now, so I need something that will give me that extra bit of strength. Let’s think about pull ups for a moment. What are we doing exactly. Either using full hand grip or finger tips, to pull our whole body weight up until our chin reaches ‘above’ the hands position, meaning that our arms can’t bend or go up any further. As well as doing some locking off methods, and … <a href="http://google.com/2012/05/04/a-rock-climbing-progress-update/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a> </article> <article> <h1>Rock Climbing Holidays, a great way to progress as a rock climber</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:10:55 +0000</p> If you’re a climber, you know that there is no better way to spend your vacations than clambering up an unfamiliar rock face in the midst of some fabulous scenery. Rock climbing holidays are your chance to have fun, discover new places, and progress as a climber. What to Expect from a Rock Climbing Holiday If you go on an organized rock climbing holiday, you will benefit from the attention of an expert instructor who will teach you new techniques, suggest routes, and look after your safety. Talk to your instructor to discuss what you want to get out of the trip, and he or she will devise a training program to suit your needs. A couple of years ago, a large group of us went to Mallorca for a climbing holiday, and we organised everything ourselves. Going through a company with a guide can be a good option for your first trip, but if there are several of you going, you should consider putting the tip together yourself. It is important to plan before too. Read more about my holiday, Rock Climbing in Mallorca. Where to Go on a Rock Climbing Holiday As a rock climber, you clearly have … <a href="http://google.com/2012/04/01/rock-climbing-holidays/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a> </article> <article> <h1>Should I wear climbing tape whilst training?</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:08:23 +0000</p> Whether or not to use climbing tape whilst training, and by training, actually climbing or bouldering at a gym. This is something myself and my friends often debate about. After some research in to the matter, here’s what I found. Pullies are small straps of tissue which loop over the tendons and hold them close to the bone. Taping to give strength to an injured pullie, and hence continuing to climb, is an exercise in futility. There are only two reasons to tape a pullie injury: firstly, to limit potentially damaging finger motion; and secondly, to remind yourself that you have an injury. Don’t underestimate the latter as a rehabilitation tool. Tape accordingly with climbing tape! Injury recovery is about letting an acute injury settle and stabilize, and avoiding aggravating activity whilst it is healing. Following this you can begin to strengthen the pullie back to its original capacity, plus more if the injury was a result of weakness rather than an abnormal shock load. It is during this phase that taping can be useful. Common Problems using Climbing Tape Dermatitis Contact dermatitis is probably the most common. This is a local skin reaction in response to the tapes adhesives. … <a href="http://google.com/2012/03/27/should-i-wear-climbing-tape-whilst-training/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a> </article> <article> <h1>DRASTICALLY and QUICKLY Improve Your Core Strength with these 13 Core Exercises!</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:13:37 +0000</p> Just would like to update everyone on a couple additions to my blog. After finding a little bit of time each week on top of my training and work, I thought I should try to make at least 1 post each week. I know i’ve not posted in a short while, mostly because i’ve been putting together some videos with a friend of mine Barry, for you. In the right hand side of my site, you might sometimes see this image; If not, you can go ahead and click that. What is it about? It is 13 instructional videos that show and instruct exercises to help you develop your core strength. Core strength is necessary in Rock Climbing if you want to increase your climbing ability and climbing grade like I do. After Barry helped me and gave me more information on the exercises I can do to build my core strength, I went ahead and put it to practice. After about a week and a half, maybe a little less, I could feel a difference when I went back to the bouldering gym. The odd couple of problems that I found to be hard a couple of weeks ago, … <a href="http://google.com/2012/03/23/drastically-and-quickly-improve-your-core-strength-with-these-13%e2%80%b3-top-secret-core-exercises/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a> </article> <article> <h1>Improve your Climbing with Sling Training</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:45:08 +0000</p> Perhaps you are one of those climbers like I used to be, someone who has developed strong fingers, but still has a poor upper body strength. Every winter season I have been focusing on this area, doing lots of core, bouldering, weighted pullups, front levers and plyometrics, and I was keen to learn more about how sling training could help me improve. Sling training is a portable body weight training system, based around a set of suspended slings. The closest analogy to sling training is the Gymnastic rings. However the sheer difficulty of these exercises makes them inaccessible to those of who lack the power of a gymnast! Sling Training exercises overcome this by allowing the user to reduce the load by changing their body angle or exercise type. The equipment I used was the Liana Fly, the Pulley and the Bat, from Jungle Sports. The Liana Fly allows you to do most of the basic exercises. The Bat is excellent as it introduces instability into the exercises, forcing all your stabilising and core muscles to work harder and the pulley allows you to introduce rotational exercise into the program. Jungle Sports also provides a very good series of training … <a href="http://google.com/2012/03/23/improve-your-climbing-with-sling-training/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a> </article> <article> <h1>Pure Imagination</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:53:01 +0000</p> Recently one of my favourite videos, Sasha DiGiulian became the first American women to climb the grade 9a (5.14d). Filmed and Edited by: 3SM (Andy Mann & Keith Ladzinski) Music by: Emancipator (emancipatormusic.com) Filmed exclusively for adidas Outdoor. On October 15th 2011, adidas team athlete, Sasha DiGiulian became the first American women to climb the grade 9a (5.14d) with her historic ascent of “Pure Imagination” in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. We were there to capture her efforts and tell her story. </article> <article> <h1>Great home training for rock climbing</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:28:06 +0000</p> Recently I made a step back in to the rock climbing scene, why – because I love it, enjoy it and most of all I missed it when I took a year off. One night I realised how much strength I had actually lost in this time. So I was determined to get it back. Over the last 5 weeks, I have been training at home. And have only actually been climbing 3 times – each time, seeing a huge improvement. Here is what I did; Week 1 Monday – Wednesday – Friday 20 leg raised sit ups. (legs are at a 90 degree angle) 15 squats. 20 squat-thrusts. 15 push ups (wide span) – 15 push ups (close span) – 15 push ups (regular span) at a really slow speed. 10 pull ups (triceps – wide span) – 10 pull ups (triceps – regular span). Week 2 Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday – Thursday 20 leg raised sit ups. (legs are at a 90 degree angle) 15 squats. 20 squat-thrusts. 20 push ups (wide span) – 20 push ups (close span) – 20 push ups (regular span) at a really slow speed. 20 pull ups (triceps – wide span) … <a href="http://google.com/2012/02/17/great-home-training-for-rock-climbing/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a> </article> <article> <h1>Quick tip; increasing power endurance</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:55:10 +0000</p> So far this week I have spent around 6 hours, bouldering at the UK’s biggest bouldering centre, The Climbing Works. Whilst I was with a friend of mine, just going through the easiest set of problems to get warmed up before moving onto something a little harder, I was thrown upon a question. How does one increase their power endurance? Well, bouldering is considered a small number of moves set out in various difficulty but are generally harder moves that what you would not find on a route. If i was to climb routes, I would be getting that endurance, but I wouldn’t be getting the strength and endurance I need for all those hard moves. So I came up with a little trick and put it to the test. Bouldering will give you all the strength you need when you go regularly, it will make you more flexible as you increase your level of difficulty, increase in difficulty itself will increase your endurance, but only for a short time. So to make your muscles last even longer, try this; When bouldering at an indoor gym, you want to pick 2 problems that are next to each other and are … <a href="http://google.com/2012/02/09/quick-tip-increasing-power-endurance/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a> </article> <article> <h1>Bouldering – Life On Hold</h1> <p>Adam Roberts — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:24 +0000</p> Part of my journey to get back to 8a level will be training as a boulderer to quickly increase my strength so I can get back to tackling those hard problems and routes. Bouldering is the best way to obtain that extra little bit of power in your muscles and core, allowing you to attempt harder problems. Here’s a little video from Outcrop films, featuring some of the guys that I know who are regular members of The Climbing Works. Life On Hold – Trailer 2 from Outcrop Films on Vimeo. Life on Hold is a new UK bouldering film from Outcrop Films. It follows Britain’s top climbers and visiting stars around the UK, tackling some of the highest and hardest problems around. From the tough, mentally challenging highballs on the gritstone edges, to the short, powerful, esoteric testpieces of the limestone and everything in between. We’ve filmed the new emerging scene of strong boulderers and their tour around Britain’s finest. Featuring: Ned Feehally, Micky Page, Dan Varian, Chris Webb-Parsons, Michele Caminati, Shauna Coxsey, David Mason, Alex Puccio, Mina Leslie-Wujastyk, Jon Partridge, Martin Smith, Ryan Pasquill, Ben Thompson In association with Five Ten and Arc’teryx. With support from The Climbing … <a href="http://google.com/2012/02/02/bouldering-life-on-hold/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a> </article> </main></body></html>