,

,

I've got a set of rock rings and just the pull-ups are hard enough for me. It came with a little paper (8-pointfont I believe) that suggests all these workouts. One day I hope to advance to the technical workouts.
You can adapt the suggestions to the campus board.

http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/training_giude_rock_ring.html

if my link doesnt work, youtube ; "Tribute to Wolfgang Gullich"

youtube.com/watch?v=liU4kJ-…

If your profile is accurate, you really do not need to be doing campus workouts.

elena sera jose wrote:well I've got the strength and endurance allright but sometimes I find myself being "picky" on clipping holds, I am a static climber and desperately wishing to be a lil more dynamic in my style. I think improving contact strength will give me the confidence I need to start leading higher grades..im talking 11 pluses..maybe 12 minuses even

just boulder at least one day a week. you will be stronger and better at dynamic movement in no time.

elena sera jose wrote:can't push myself bouldering..falling off problems creates a potential for injury...looking for a more controlled training, more focused on contact strength developement

did someone say something about adding dynamic style to climbing? you can always down climb a bit before jumping off. sounds like you are more afraid of committing the dynamic move, hence your static style. you should just get on overhanging routes and try to make big swinging moves. then you don't have to worry about falling off and cause injury.

IMO, you are more likely to get injured campusing when you are not leading 11+/12- yet.

There is no reason for you to campus to climb those grades. If I were you, I would be working on my fear of falling. That is what sounds like it is holding you back the most.

"falling off problems creates a potential for injury"

I have found that falling off a campus board wrong can be a problem as well. Bouldering would be much more useful. If you can specify what potential injury you are worried about, there is probably a workaround.

The other posters are absolutely correct. You are not climbing at a level where campusing would help very much.

Castlewood, in our neighborhood, has a lot of power bouldering w/out getting too highball; cheaper than R&J II. Then, as you develop better contact strength, you can ease into more committing problems the old school way, which is to downclimb out of it if you're not 100%

Elena it really seems like you know what the issue is that you need to work on and it's nothing to do with physical training. With that said, here are a few more small thoughts.

Hangboarding is probably more about contact strength than campusing which I view as a power exercise. I lead gym 12's and can barely hang onto the campus rungs much less actually campus. You probably don't need to hangboard though, just specifically get on routes you know play to your weaknesses.

I have a tendency to climb more statically on routes at my limit and bouldering inside and outside has helped that. Static is good but it's not always the best or most efficient option.

You say you crimp a lot. If you're afraid of injury you might think about trying to revamp your grip into open hand as much as possible. I like to crimp stuff too but it puts a lot more stress on your fingers and can lead to injury. Plus training your open hand grip improves your crimp strength for when you really need it.

Movement in Boulder has the best bouldering floor around IMO. It's soft enough to take falls from the top of walls and there are not gaps or extra pads to twist an ankle on. Grab a friend to spot you and head up there. Sure it's a haul from Centennial but if it helps you work on your mental issue with falling and going for hard moves then it's worth it 10x over.

For sure you can boulder low (even only a few moves at a time) and get very strong without risking injury. Another tactic is to talk to a climbing/bouldering coach about how to fall safely when bouldering and get spotted correctly. I always go over this in my clinics. Feeling strong as a climber and confident in your safety system usually means huge gains in ability.

Bouldering is certainly the most effective way to put in the time and effort required to advance as a climber. Roped climbing is generally less efficient, especially compared with the options available on steep bouldering walls. I have an 8 foot wall at home that I find incredibly useful in working on focused strength workouts. Not likely to twist an ankle there.

one comment that i would add is to not waste time doing bouldering problems that aren't similar to the type of climbing you want to do. monster jugs in the cave aren't going to really help on vertical thin climbing. my experience bouldering in the gym is that it has had very little benefit to my climbing. in fact, i would probably say that it kind of throws off my footwork when i get back outside.

If you want to climb better outside, nothing beats being really strong for improving footwork. That's assuming you are paying attention to your feet to begin with. Lots of gym climbers don't.

Inside, you can set problems or find ones that use really poor feet to make the transition to outside climbing more fruitful.

Having just done the first campus workout of my current phase, I'll comment.

First, on "contact strength". I see this used in the wrong context all the time. The term is meant to convey not just "ability to hang on to holds" which is how people use it, but how quickly you can generate your max force. Work divided by time IS the definition of power. In hangboarding you can gradually "load-on" by how you leave your feet, so while a HB can radically improve your finger strength, it doesn't have much of a power component. Contact strength is about being able to hang a hold you have to throw for...you hit it and have to generate all the force you can, immediately, or not stick it.

Second, use campus workouts very sparingly. I'll do 3, total, in this training cycle (~3 mo cycle), with two days off between the first two and three off between 2 and 3. Any more and things start to unravel...elbows flare up, etc.

Third, it's no that easy to find a good board. The one in my gym looks nice, but functionally it's got problems. Either the angle isn't steep enough, or the bottom doesn't cut away at a nice angle (instead of a 90deg cutoff..probably a bit of both issues are the problem) and that bottom edge shreds my thighs. Tough to justify building your own since you'll only use it about <10 times per year.

Fourth, spacing varies from board to board. Trying to use a set routine from the net somewhere that specifies like "1-3-7" or something can be problematic. The exercises you'll find are good...ladders, touches, etc, but make your own routine/specifics.

Fifth, REST. Between sets and between workouts. Stop early, basically when you see the first signs of reduced power/snap. This might mean 10 sets, it might mean 4 sets.

Sixth, Warm up. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway...get throughoughly warmed up. I do 10min gen cardio (bike or elliptical) then 30min gradually increasing climbing... a little traversing, then a ladder of builder problems, trying to not get pumped but get loose and used to pulling hard.

Good luck, don't get injured.

one aspect of bouldering at the gym that will probably help your climbing is improving your 'timing'. you will get more accurate at throwing quickly to a hold. you can do this on a variety of problems and grades, and it might help you feel more confident on quick moves when you are climbing outside.

elena sera jose wrote:i decided against campusing but im gonna do some sessions on pinches, especially wide ones, and a few dyno repeats on open hand holds with feet on...bouldering? maybe...i prefer to rope up though

Do you climb at RnJ2? I don't think the routes there are great for improving power, they tend to be endurance oriented. I also prefer to climb routes but especially at that gym, I think adding some bouldering in can help with training. Ignore the kids campusing jugs and work on a variety of problems/angles/styles, focusing on good technique.

Sounds liek you want to work on two specific grips: open-hand and pinches. For open-hand, there isn't really a type of hold that will force you to use that grip position, you just have to consciously not pull into a crimp. As to pinches, if there aren't routes/problems with those holds, why not try the systems board?