Muscle Balance

I think I am not alone when I say that the majority of climbers do not do a lot of “opposition” work. Our perma psyche and obsession with climbing takes the better part of our energy and a lot of us tend to slack when it comes to balancing our muscles. This laziness leads to the ever familiar climbers hunch, which is just an injury waiting to happen.

I do it too, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to at least squeak in a little bit of opposition training in each week. If you don’t, these large muscles get over developed, thus de-stabilizing your joints, and inevitably causing inury and/or your performance to plateau. Just more the reason to put a strong emphasis on joint stabilizing exercises. If your muscles are balanced and your joints are flexible, it allows you to perform climbing movements through your joints full range of motion. Why wouldn’t you want that?

Stretching those tight overdeveloped muscles is just as important. The tight, facilitated muscles to focus on lengthening would be our latissumus dorsi, trapezius, and pectoralis major.

So if you aren’t into going to the gym to pump iron, here is an easy routine that you can follow to keep opposite muscles in shape. I prefer to do this at the end of a climbing session or on an off day. Do it 2-3x a week.

Opposition Circuit:

You can do the circuit in several different ways but make sure that you do one set per exercise and then move to the next exercise. Either do a certain number of reps per exercise (ie. 30reps) or the most repititionss you can do in a minute. Do each exercise one after the other and repeat for a given number of sets (ie. 3 sets). This should be continuous with no rest.

Here is an example of exercises to use. All you need is your body weight, a chair, a mat, and maybe some light weights/ bands. You can google any of these exercises for a full description on how to perform them properly. Remember to keep good posture and to warm up properly.

Burpees

Push ups

Dips on a chair or with bars
Plank exercises
Reverse Flies (Rhomboids) note: By working your rhomboids, it will cause the muscle to tighten, thus pulling your shoulder blades together and improving your posture.
Overhead Press
Rotator cuff exercises

http://www.nicros.com/archive/cuff_training1.cfm, http://www.nicros.com/archive/cuff_training2.cfm
Lower back exercises

Reverse Wrist curls (forearm extensors)
Forearm Pronators

Choose 6-12 exercises. Remember to increase the difficulty in some way each week to avoid detraining.

This workout will definitely get your heart going as well. Remember to cool down with some stretches held for at least 20-30 seconds.

Here are some other good articles on opposition training:
http://www.climbing.com/print/techtips/tttraining228/

http://www.nicros.com/archive/top5_antagonist.cfm

Lets all stay injury free this winter!

Training Season

SO yea, my last climbing season was good and all, but I definitely have come to grips with the fact that I have reached a plateau. I feel like my body has hit its limit, like if I wanna do what I wanna do.... I gotta get burly. I'm not going to lie and say that I actually like gym climbing. Infact, it isn't really my thing at all. In order to stay motivated, I have to have somthing I'm working towards; a goal......................................................

Bouldering. Somthing I never do. Somthing I have to do. I was seeing a trend in my performance on routes. I could crush out power enduro crimp fests and techy face climbs... but you get me on a pinchy power fest or bouldery route and I would have a lot more trouble with the movement. Time to put focus on my weaknesses.

I've spent the last 4 out of 7 days bouldering myself into an oblivion on the homewall and in gyms. The other 3 days required lots of advil and ice. Kyle is in his element and we've got a crew of motivated people around us. The goal is clear, time to get nasty strong....

I'm an animal!!!

As much as we all try to pretend that climbing isn't all about sending, it is all about sending. Thats just what we say when we aren't sending anything. Well, this trip has had its frustrating moments for me... botched Red River Gorge trip, and the I fell on the VERY last move of Pucker on the last climbable day at Cathedral. I tried to look at the positives, I still had a good season but it hurt my feelings.

On our last day in Mesquite, we hit up an amazing crag with super long 140ft routes on bomber limestone. Spicey techincal masterpieces, Todd Perkins is a genious. I had a goal to put down a 13a in a day, hoping that I wouldn't botch this plan and leave yet another unfinished route. In the back of my mind, I really wanted to go all out and try for the onsight, which for some reason I never really commit to 100%. So I went for it, and in the words of Mike Doyle "I nailed it!".

And you know, everything happens for a reason. There I was, stairing at the last hold of the crux (right at the end ofcourse) and I started picturing all of the routes this season in which I have punted on the final moves. This fired up some serious anger and I dug deep (so deep that I growled like a man) and I snagged the final hold.

YES!! A season of first's. My first 5.13a onsight of "Honeycomb". Its been a goal of mine for 2 years that I have never bagged!

I LOVE TECHY LIMESTONE, it is where I belong.

We finished the trip yesterday in J-tree. It was cold and windy, so we just bouldered around. I actually sent boulder problems there too, which is also a first! haha. We ended the trip with a solo up to the space pod for some beers.

Now back to the cold..........brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Me in the "Space Pod".

J tree sunsets.

We've gone completely soft...

Birthday week has come and gone, and I'm officially in my upper twenties now. I guess with the age 26 comes a change in mindset. Suddenly the dirt bag lifestyle I once lived sounds a lot less appealing. I used to sleep for free wherever I could and battle the cold, the wind, not shower, and do whatever I had to to rock climb. It took 12 days of camping to "get old" and ever since we have been living the high life, motels and mansions... Oh man, we have gone seriously soft.

We are pushing our final stretch here in the desert, and enjoying the wonderful sunshine that mother nature has given us. Temps are cooling down, and Cathedral's climbing season is closing down. Our focus out here hasn't just been climbing, it has been "vacationing", which has been nice. We spent a good chunk of time in Palm Springs, visiting Kyle's parents, and Kyle has been playing quite a bit of poker while I study for my Personal training exam. I had to leave "Pucker" be for a while as I tweaked my finger on it. After the long break, I got back on it the other day to fall on THE LAST FREAKING move. I had a borderline nervous breakdown. haha and now my finger hurts again.


Living the good life.....

Life in a PT Cruiser

PSYCHED!!! Touring the desert in the rental PT cruiser (quite possibly the shittyest car I have ever been in). Lots of sunshine and sweet rock climbing, what more could you ask for?

Our first week in the desert is coming to an end and we have gotten in a few climbing days up at Cathedral.

Finally after a few weeks of feeling like shit, this bug has left my system and my energy levels are back. I'm adapting to this style of climbing well, and so amped for the rest of our trip. The rock is amazing, every route has the perfect balance of technique, power and finger strength. Kyle and I call the movement, "Ninja style".... where your like, "Hiiiiyaaaaaa, Quoaaaaaaa, Seeeeeeeyyyyee!". I've decided my new climbing personality is the ninja. I am ninja climber. I am warrior.

I've also decided that I can't stand the word "tight". A word now used in sentenses like, "That route is tight man!". Blaaaaaaa. However, I used to make fun of the phrase "Dirt me", when referring to being lowered off a climb. I say it regularly now... damnit.

Kyle and I decided that before we ever leave on a road trip again, we HAVE TO TRAIN. It has been brutal to try and get in shape on the road. Live and learn though. But now we are ninjas, and we will finish strong.

All trip I haven't really been that psyched, for a number of reasons, but finally I cannot stop thinking about a route. I sampled a super tight route called "Pucker" yesterday, after I crushed out project #1. I cant wait to get on it again. Technical boulder problems, power endurance, and a spicey crux. Then it finishes with crazy slab climbing up razer sharp runnels. YES oh yes. I am going to go karate on that shit.

It is so good to be psyched, I was losing myself there for a while. Thanks Linda for going crazy or else we never would have ended up out here!

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeahhh! Rock Climbing!

Chillin' desert style...................................................................

e

Not a bad view with a morning coffee..........

Climbing day Campsite..................................

Rest day Campsite :o).........................................

Craggin views..................................................

The Continuum Project Trailer

Order your copy today!

Check out the trailer at:

http://www.alstrinfilms.com/TCP-trailer.html

Its gonna be rad!!

A complete turn of events...

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but things have kind of been in a whirlwind. Where do I start.... well let me tell you about my trip to the Red River Gorge.

I started off the trip PSYCHED, like beyond psyched after not climbing much all summer and working a ton. Then that psych wore off when I realized I have climbed like every effin route in the red (not literally, but kinda) and all that was left was hard as shit. After 4 months of not climbing much, I spent the trip bitterly repeating or falling over and over again at the top of Dracula. Then weather turned to crap and I got super sick. I came down with this bug that lasted at least 10 days, and is still lingering. My energy levels are crap. Then Kyle arrives and he gets sick as hell too, and still is now. So for our 3 weeks in the Red, we spent the better part of it sick as dogs. Then just when I'm starting to feel a little better, the icing got smeared all over our cake.

So here is what happened.


On a rest day I was bored and went to make conversation with Linda (the owner of the campground), who I have known and been friends with for years now. It has been an exceptionally busy year, so I offered some suggestions on ways to increase profits, amongst other ideas a bunch of us had been brainstorming. Throughout that conversation I had at somepoint mentioned that I wish there was a breakfast place like Red River Outdoors open still.... from that conversation, here is what she cried, screamed and spread all over the campground...... "Leslie said my bathhouses are shit, I have crap coffee, bla bla bla,....." She freaking lost it on us and proceeded to tell me that if we werent happy with her campground we should camp elsewhere. So we did just that, we paid and left to spend our money somewhere where people dont freak out on you for NOTHING!! Talk about completely interpreting EVERYTHING I said the wrong way. She has been even flying around the campground saying she is going to shut the place down! This story is extremely summarized and my story is only one of few. I WILL NEVER SUPPORT THAT WOMAN AGAIN.

So what'd we do next? Well we felt pretty homeless. Our friends were all a Lindas, but at the same time I was almost relieved that this happened. Now we had a fresh start to a so far crap trip. So we did the logical thing and fled to the desert, where the camping is free, the sun is always shining and where there is an abudance of new rocks to be climbed. So that is where I am. We just finished our first climbing day at Cathedral, where I climbed several new 12's and it is beautiful and sunny and amazing.

We plan to be here for the month of November, touring around and climbing as much new rock as possible.

Here is some photos of our short lived Red Trip



Lauren Lee on Autumn 5.9, Long Wall. Lauren, Keith and Mark made our trip to the Red still awesome. Thanks guys for being such good friends!!



Me on Random Precision 5.11b, The Gallery

Alo Pierre!

Me about to fall at the top of Dracula 5.13b for the 10th time..... hardest route EVER

Mark Armormino ending his trip on a good note. The classic trad line of the Red, Rock Wars 5.10a, Long Wall

Ashley Barker onsighting this stellar and super techy 5.10+ at the Inner Sactum, Muir Valley

Mark styling a beautiful 5.10 at the Gallery

Lauren on the immaculate rock of Rock Wars




Ashley climbing the beautiful water streak just before the rain

Where is October???

Brrrrrr. Cold, damp conditions in the Red, I'm freezing my freakin ass off and I kind of regret coming down 10 days earlier then Kyle, because now I have a cold. Sucks.

Some people are loving the temps, not little tiny creatures like myself.... especially cuz I left my down jacket in Ontario. Although I haven't gotten a ton of climbing in, I have gotten to spend a lot of quality time with old friends.

My first day in the Red was awesome, although I feel like I am still recovering from it. I went to the Lode and repeated a bunch of climbs I'd done in the past. I think I ended up climbing 4 5.12's up to 12d and 5, 5.11's. I was SO TRASHED I flailed like crazy the next day and then I had to take 2 days off. I ended up belaying for 23 pitches of the comp, which is NOT a good rest day activity. I proceeded to fall at the top of Dracula twice.... then we bailed on the shit weather and took off to Knox to hang out with some friends and squeeze in a day in the Obed. So somehow that takes me to the day that Kyle arrives and I feel like I havent even started climbing here yet! WTF?

Good times are coming....Im hydrating like mad trying to shake this bug.

Kyle is coming tomorrow, and it looks like good weather is coming too.....thank goodness!

T-minus 3 days....

Holy sheep shit, it still hasnt fully hit me yet, but in like 3 days I will be sitting at Lago Linda's in the Red River Gorge. Oww owwwooooooooo!!!

Dracula, Whitemans Shuffle, The Madness..... oh man, so many climbs I have been dreaming about for months.

I'm leaving first, with my good buddy Mark and so many of my friends are going to be down there now too. Then Kyle is meeting me down there on the 17th/18th. We are going to be on the road until the beginning of December. I cant wait. This trip and our spring Europe trip are what makes working your ass off for four months worthwhile.

Enjoy some pics I poached off redriverclimbing.com

Black Gold, 13c, Gold Coast

Skin Boat 13a, The Motherlode

The Legend, 13b, Military

The Continuum Project

The Continuum Project is coming out this fall!

This summer I had the pleasure of being part of the filming of another awesome film by Chris Alstrin. The film is entirely in high-def and is a compilation of many of the worlds top climbers pulling down in several different climbing areas around the globe. Rock, ice, and alpine. Most importantly though, LIONS HEAD WILL BE IN IT!!! It'll be cool to see how it turned out, I was rather out of shape during the filming, so I hope it made for some damn good "try hard" footage. haha!

For a brief summary of what and who is in the film, go to:

http://www.alstrinfilms.com/continuum-project.html

Hes got a great style to his films, and beautiful footage. Check out a trailer of Lauren Lee climbing at Shelf Road

http://www.alstrinfilms.com/shelfroad-trailer.html