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figuring gravity at 240+ lbs
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Marti, I am 5'10" +3 ape index weigh about 235 right now. As a climber the lowest I have dropped weight to is about 195 and yes it certainly makes a difference. But as Matt Jones suggested playing to your strengths is a good way to progress your climbing. You need to find a way to climb that works for you. I realized years ago that my beta was almost always going to be different than my peers. Staying low on holds, keeping wider stances, making bigger more dynamic moves, that lead to fewer moves overall and less time on the wall have helped. At 235 I have been able to climb routes as hard as 11 b and bouldered V4/5. |
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I'm going to go out on a limb here. If you're 240+ lbs with a good body fat % (which 12 percent is) and you're strong, which it sounds like you are, then the problem is something else. DRusso gave you really great advice about technique. I'm going to suggest that you look at your weakest point in terms of conditioning. Climbing really favors hand/forearm strength over everything else. So if you want to climb better while hauling all 240 lbs of your muscle up the rock then you're going to have to train your hands and forearms to do it. |
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Look up John Dunne. The guy was/is a very chubby 230 lbs or so, and sent up to 9a (14d) in the 90s. From what I hear, he's still sending at a high level. |
the schmuck wrote: |
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J Squared wrote: Fat floats! |
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Any tips on trimming down muscle mass? I only climb and have uselessly large muscles that I'm keen to shed, everything from the calves to the forearms! |
DMarti Marti wrote: You're about an inch taller than me, but I have a positive ape index. So, basically, targeting the same grades. |
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You can always train like a bike racer. I find it very hard losing weight, but when I was racing I'd easily go from 160 to 140 within one 16 week training cycle...and I'd eat like a horse. Although I had no time for anything else. |
Kris S wrote: My friend Andew Rock, when he decided to go climb the B&Y, dumped maybe 20-30lbs and he was very lean when he started. It took him about one year to do this. He told me he would eat only Romain Hearts of Lettuce with a celery chaser for lunch.... one must be very determined and obsessed with loosing weight. My wife tells me that I was hard to live with for the two years that it took me to drop 80lbs... once you get in the mode, you will hate having food around. but the improvement in your climbing will be enormous. Largest person I ever belayed was 280 and he did a overhanging 12a... he was also a successful Iron Man competitor.... looked like a blimp floating up the London Wall. |
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I'm 6', and around 200, which is heavy for climbers, but still way lighter than you. For low angle routes, I don't think that your weight will actually matter that much, as technique, and flexibility can actually get you up some pretty hard climbs. Small holds on steep rock are going to stump you though, you'll just pump out too fast. I've managed to onsight 5.12 both sport and trad as a relatively chunky person, but I've been climbing and training for 20 years. Big legs suck! |
Kris S wrote: Cardio. Keep climbing and then go running on your off days. You'll trim down, though it usually takes a few months. I find about 4-6 weeks is where my body starts to shift and make changes to adapt to what I'm doing. At 8 weeks you'll probably start to see some real changes. Genetics are strong so you'll probably always carry more muscle than you want especially as you get older and the metabolism slows down. |
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For the OP. Everyone is right, you can lose weight and you'll be happier and healthier doing it. No one is going to be hollow 6' and 230 lbs. unless you lose the weight by starving yourself (sudden calorie drops will cause your body to deplete fat in weird places often people's faces making them look unhealthy even though they still have weight to lose). Just cut out most of the crap and allow yourself something small and tasty each day so that you don't build up a massive desire to destroy your diet. Get a healthy breakfast and stick to mainly veggies and protein for your meals and do some cardio like biking. You'll lose weigh and you won't look hollow. You'll suddenly go up in grades and have more fun climbing. Also, do a small amount of hangboarding 2-3 days per week on your non-climbing days. Getting those fingers stronger will make a big difference and as you lose weight you'll be all the stronger for it. |
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6', 250 lbs...no way are you 12% body fat. That would mean that you can see most of your abs.. |
Jake Jones wrote: Depends on the numbers. The trainers said that becuase if you tear so many muscle fibers so much that rest days don’t give your body time to rebuild you will lose strength and mass. Being sore is the body’s way of telling you it’s broken down and needs time to rebuild. Go too hard too quick and your body never rebuilds those muscles stronger. Ever notice the more you lift, as the weeks go by, it’s harder to feel as sore as you did the first month? |
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I'm 6ft and 165-170 lbs, ~10% body fat. I'm by no means skinny or hollow, I'm lean but not skinny. Over the last year I have been working on getting more power and finger strength. I lost 10 pounds and found a lot of the exercises I was doing to be way easier! I lost the 10 pounds by drinking less beer. Although the 10 pounds hasn't been the limiting factor in my climbing I think better technique and time on rock will help me. It can be hard to hear but I agree with everyone else cut weight and it will help a bunch. I suggest not eating as much before bed and cutting down on the beers. |
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According to your numbers you have a FFMI of 29: http://www.naturalphysiques.com/28/fat-free-mass-index-ffmi |
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John Dunn did all of his hardest sport climbing at lower weight than what people cite him for. That said, I think I could add 30 pounds and still climb 5.12. For 5.10, I don't think weight holds a candle to technique in terms of importance. |
Tradgic Yogurt wrote: glad there's someone my size out there climbing. you ever climb around colorado ? |
