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Poor college student workout program

Original Post
Christian Schrader · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 75

So I had to cancel my gym membership to pay for textbooks. I was hoping to discover a program that could help me continue to improve. At home i have pump rocks, a hangboard, perfect push up handles, and access to some outdoor bouldering and trad climbing once the weather here in CT gets a little warmer. I plan to focus on projecting single pitch trad climbs(5.12) this spring but have primarily been bouldering at the local gym this winter in the v7-8 range. Aside from the indoor bouldering I have not trained. Can anyone put together a good routine based on the equipment and outdoor climbing i have access to?

Thanks

Greg Gavin · · SLC, UT · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 888

Basic core workouts will go a long way mixed in with pull/push ups.

Something I do goes like this:

Warm up (Bike 10min then Run 10 min)

Stretch for 5 min to rest

Pull Ups (3 sets of 5 pull ups with weighted vest 'back pack in your case' 40lb's)

10 Push Up's

20 Russian Twists with 20+lb weight in hands (Sit on your sit bones knees bent at 45degr and leaning back at 45 degre)

Plank for 1 min

Repeat 3 times, and finish with stretching or whatever you like to cool down.

Christian Schrader · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 75

This sounds like a good cross training workout. Would i be doing the exercises in rapid succession like a super set or is there rests in between each movement? Also, while incorporating a workout like this, when would it be best to schedule hangboarding sessions....before?

Ali Jaffri · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jan 2005 · Points: 695

Hey man,
I would get my hands on this:

stevehouse.net/author.html

Took a 3 hour seminar with Steve House on training and he has it down to a science. I have been training for years trying what I thought would prepare me for the mountains back in Pakistan. Ive tried cross-fit, Ive done Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the past ten years, weight lifting, trail running, but nothing structured. Im in half-way decent shape, but not even close to where Id like to be.

In this book Steve House covers everything you can possible want to know about preparing yourself for climbing.

You can either order a copy through his website or wait till March when it will be on amazon. Good Luck!

Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,945
WiseOldMoon wrote:So I had to cancel my gym membership to pay for textbooks. I was hoping to discover a program that could help me continue to improve. At home i have pump rocks, a hangboard, perfect push up handles, and access to some outdoor bouldering and trad climbing once the weather here in CT gets a little warmer. I plan to focus on projecting single pitch trad climbs(5.12) this spring but have primarily been bouldering at the local gym this winter in the v7-8 range. Aside from the indoor bouldering I have not trained. Can anyone put together a good routine based on the equipment and outdoor climbing i have access to? Thanks
Why not just set in the gym to offset your membership fees? Or is this Carabiners in which case if you're qualified to set, you're not allowed?
Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,945
WiseOldMoon wrote:So I had to cancel my gym membership to pay for textbooks. I was hoping to discover a program that could help me continue to improve. At home i have pump rocks, a hangboard, perfect push up handles, and access to some outdoor bouldering and trad climbing once the weather here in CT gets a little warmer. I plan to focus on projecting single pitch trad climbs(5.12) this spring but have primarily been bouldering at the local gym this winter in the v7-8 range. Aside from the indoor bouldering I have not trained. Can anyone put together a good routine based on the equipment and outdoor climbing i have access to? Thanks
Why not just set in the gym to offset your membership fees? Or is this Carabiners in which case if you're qualified to set, you're not allowed?
Josh Villeneuve · · Granby, CT · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 1,814

Because CRG doesn't just let anyone set, unfortunately

Christian Schrader · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 75

Thanks for the book recommendation Ali, I've never heard of it. I'll have to check that out.

Morgan, I used to set at stone age for awhile till a large part of the crew became dissatisfied with management. I live just outside of Hartford and have been going to the new CRG in Glastonbury. They seem to think that having just two full time setters is enough and do not need additional perspectives or variety for that matter. I'm more interested in overall fitness (minus the bulky muscles) and contact strength to get ready for outdoor climbing at this point in the year.

5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40

How much does a year membership at your gym cost? It cant be more than 2-300 bucks right? So just borrow the money with your school loans (take a LITTLE bit extra).

I took out an extra 10k and did 6 month surf trip after my master's degree. You don't have to pay that shit back anyways. I havent paid a DIME on my loans and I've been out for 6 years now. Its easy to just keep deferring. 25 years and they will be forgiven and you will be taxed on the lump sum as income (so you have to pay back 20% then).

LOL

Dave Bn · · Boise, ID · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 10
5.samadhi wrote:I took out an extra 10k and did 6 month surf trip after my master's degree. You don't have to pay that shit back anyways. I havent paid a DIME on my loans and I've been out for 6 years now. Its easy to just keep deferring. 25 years and they will be forgiven and you will be taxed on the lump sum as income (so you have to pay back 20% then).
Quite possibly the douchiest thing I've read on MP, which says a lot.

Thanks a lot for being that guy who completely screws the rest of us who posses a modicum of honesty and are not trying to game the system.

Die in {edit}the warm embrace of a transvestite named Shelly{edit}.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

As to the OP - there are a lot of great strength training tools that can be made with just a bit of money. Sandbag trainers are great for balance and functional movement - don't be turned off by the MMA meat head following.

youtube.com/watch?v=SvNEhiC…

Slosh tubes are also great for improving balance and fluid movement.

marksdailyapple.com/build-y…
5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40

everybody can be in an income based repayment program. It sets your payment at 15% of income AFTER you have subtracted a base living wage from your net income. If you are unemployed this monthly payment is 0.00$ since subtracting living expenses from 0 = a negative number. Yes, a payment of 0$/month counts as one of your payments to the 25 years.

And the guy that commanded me to die in a fire...WOW you have problems man! Watch that karma bro :/

How is working within the system and using the regulations to your benefit being dishonest or "douchey" as you put it.

5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40
Mike McKinnon wrote: I think that is pretty misleading. Isn't that just for people who applied for income based repayment or work in public sector jobs. Everyone's student loan's just dont disappear after 25 years unless you meet specific criteria.
Mike,

They don't disappear. You are forgiven the loan and then taxed on the lump sum as income. So watch out that year! The IRS is a shark compared to the Federal Loans department (which is a puppy).

And LOL at the guy telling the OP to train with sandbags. How long have you climbed? That is HILARIOUS.

Yeah lift some sandbags man. You will be CRUSHING in no time hahahahahaha
Dave Bn · · Boise, ID · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 10

OK OK, my apologies, I don't wish you to die in a fire and you're not a douche. I wish you the best of luck in seeing your student loans disappear and I wish you a long fruitful life filled with good karma derived from a free six month long surf trip at the expense of others.

5.samadhi wrote:Yeah lift some sandbags man. You will be CRUSHING in no time hahahahahaha
http://www.thealpinetrainingcenter.com/training

mountainathlete.com/subpage…

gymjones.com/calendar/2013/…
5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40
Dave Bn wrote:OK OK, my apologies, I don't wish you to die in a fire and you're not a douche. I wish you the best of luck in seeing your student loans disappear and I wish you a long fruitful life filled with good karma derived from a free six month long surf trip at the expense of others. thealpinetrainingcenter.com… mountainathlete.com/subpage… gymjones.com/calendar/2013/…
Didn't know we were talking about alpine training here. I thought he was talking about sport/trad/bouldering like mostly we refer to climbing as.

Walking 10 miles to a 10 pitch 5.10 trad route with minimal gear obviously is going to be different training tactics than laying around a crag and doing 5-6 hard pitches of climbing while eating pbutter sandwhiches and smoking pot :p

I was just trying to help out a fellow climber here. Its a great opportunity to grab up some loan money with VERY LOW consequences (not like maxing out a CC or something).

Peace
5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40
Mike McKinnon wrote: You have to apply for Income Based Repayment. I would not qualify for that so therefore my loans wont disappear in 25 years. IBR is for poor people, unemployed people or public sector job people.
Incorrect Mike. Check your source. There is a lot of misinformation being told directly from the federal government to dissuade people from using the programs that have been legislated to protect you from being raped by the federal government.
Greg Gavin · · SLC, UT · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 888
WiseOldMoon wrote:This sounds like a good cross training workout. Would i be doing the exercises in rapid succession like a super set or is there rests in between each movement? Also, while incorporating a workout like this, when would it be best to schedule hangboarding sessions....before?
You'd be banging out the set pretty quick. Allow yourself to catch your breath, but don't rest for more than a few minutes. The goal is to keep your heart rate high, but to stay under your 'red line' peak as to not burn out. Completing your sets strong, and going to personal records if they aren't hard enough is crucial to breaking through plateaus.

Use it in conjunction with other work outs like hangboarding, lifting, etc...
Frank F · · Bend, OR · Joined May 2010 · Points: 0

"...protect you from being raped by the federal government"

Total shit, samadhi. How is taking a six month surf trip being raped? You wanted the money and there was a program you could tap into. Fine. Pay it back so the rest of us don't have to cover your debts, lout.

Greg Gavin · · SLC, UT · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 888

If you're bouldering v7-8 then 12a trad will be no problem. It'll probably just take a few burns to suss out gear, and sequences then you'll fire. For example: 11c/d is my current limit on gear, and I only boulder v4.

General core strength goes way further than most people give it credit for. A friend of mine who's freed el cap a few times (freeride, golden gate, the prophet) gave us the adage "You can never do enough core". So if someone who's hard as nails says it...well I'll abide.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

I'm not really sure what has been said in this thread so far, but my only piece of poor college student advice is to acquire a taste for malt liquor.

phildenigris · · Poughkeepsie, NY · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 0

In my opinion, the most important things that climbers should focus on in their cross training are the following:

Pullups/chinups: pretty obvious. If you can use gymnastics rings or something free standing as opposed to a fixed bar, that is preferable. It allows your shoulders to rotate, which is good for their well-being.

Pushups: Climbing is almost all pulling, so it is easy to understand that some pushing will help correct any asymmetries/imbalances that might develop. Properly performed, a pushup is basically a dynamic plank, which means that you are simultaneously training core stability.

Core stability: Any movement (but particularly any athletic movement) in the limbs should originate from a stable core. A popular analogy is that you cannot fire a cannon from a canoe. Train your core for stability, to create movement off of it. Don't train your core for movement; situps & crunches are likely a bad choice for anyone, particularly a climber. Planks are good, and once you can do a plank for 1 minute, you should look into progressing the exercise beyond merely holding it for time. There are many ways to do this. There are many other good core exercise choices, particularly one called mountain climbers. Who would've thought? Of course, they must be performed properly to reap the maximum benefits, though this is true of just about any exercise.

Legs: Yes, your legs. work on single leg unuspported squats, also known as pistols. There are different ways to get started on this, nobody really knows the best way. Look up different stuff and make your own decision. Also, work on 1 leg SLDL, if you have access to weights (1 leg stiff leg deadlift. A very famous strength coach named mike boyle has lots to say about this exercise. Do single leg supine bridges and their variations for more strength when heel hooking.

You can find all of these exercises on youtube. Mike Boyle is my guy, but there is good stuff elsewhere.

Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974

"Overcoming Gravity" by Steven Low has plenty of good upper body body-weight progressions. You will want to get it from the library though, as it costs $50.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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