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About designing the routes to train endurance

SELF-HANDICAPS!!

From athletics methodology to climbing. Fartlek method.

TRAINING FOR CLIMBING COMPETITIONS

SPEED CLIMBING TRAINING PART 3

SPEED CLIMBING TRAINING PART 2

SPEED CLIMBING TRAINING PART 1

TRAINING FOR CLIMBING. IS REALLY NECCESARY?

Nutritional aspects to optimize climbing training and performance

A WRONG WAY LIFE

 

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About designing the routes to train endurance
Date: September 15, 2011

Juan Martin Miranda

When we try to work endurance, what is usually done is sets and reps on one or more pre-designed routes. Regardless if it is short or long endurance, as coaches we propose one or more routes for our athletes and they must repeat certain number of times and in certain Lumber of sets, along with its corresponding rest times. 
  
So far, training can be strictly planned, but measuring the intensity that poses a route is not so easy, and worse in climbing, an sport dominated by complex technical gestures. Repeating a route and technically perfect their movements (those little subtleties that make movements easier), decreases the intrinsic intensity of the route, and therefore the athlete is not training with an homogeneous intensity over the sets and reps. 
  
An example of this can be seen in the following graph heart rate, where a climber climbed the same route, on different days. 
Here we take heart rate as a value that indicates the effort intensity on the climber's body (can also include psychological aspects) and not as an difficulty index of the route.

It is interesting how for the same route, made virtually in the same time, the effort intensity is significantly lower when performed a second time, about 10-15 beats less throughout the entire route. We can also see that fluctuations in heart rate vary with the different partial intensities of the route, such as a roof or a large overhang that makes heart rate rise. This also shows that the intensity is not constant along the entire route

Fortunately, since early this year,  Vanessa Espa–a Romero et cols, published a very interesting study in the Euopean Journal of Applied Physiology (1). They evaluated 9 experienced climbers in the same same route in a number of physiological parameters. The study consisted of climbing a 35 moves  6a (5.10) route  in 9 opportunities, separate them by 1 week. The climbers were allowed to continue their usual training, but they could only climb the route in the instances provided for evaluation.

The researchers compared the first, fourth and ninth attempt. The results are detailed in the table below.

One of the interesting facts to note is the decrease of the total realization time, 2.02 minutes to 1.38 minutes, probably causing less energy expenditure (17.0 to 11.5 Kcal). Just like that as expressed in Article Â¨The faster movement over the repetitions probably reduced the overall time of isometric work and thereby lowered the total climbing energy expenditure. This could also be related to a concomitant improvement in the participants’ climbing technique. ¨

And the latter is very important to keep in mind when prescribing exercise. In climbing there are  constant technical adjustments that makes that the different intensities are related to the degree of processing each individual gesture (movement) of the route, which makes the intensity varies over the time if the athlete trains on the same route. Following are some recommendations to keep in mind when prescribing climbing endurance sets/:

-design new routes for each training session, this does not give time to the climber to fits technically to the route

-Using previously known routes, where there is no possibility of technical improvement, which will definitely be a greater difficulty than those proposed above.

- Monitoring the execution time of each route, that is not reduced sharply, thus losing the desired intensity of the effort to produce the corresponding adaptations.

What we must not do is to use the same route several sessions, so the intensity will be decreasing as the technique is suited to the route, and therefore the training stimulus will be of lower quality.

References:

España-Romero, V., Jensen, R. L., Sanchez, X., Ostrowski, M. L., Szekely, J. E., & Watts, P. B. (2011). Physiological responses in rock climbing with repeated ascents over a 10-week period. European Journal of Applied Physiology.


SELF-HANDICAPS!!
Date: March 23, 2011

Prof. Juan Martín Miranda

How many times we hear in a crag or in a comp, that wall conditions do not help, that previous night we didn´t sleep well, that the holds are humid, that I do not have enough strength, etc., especially when climbing is stimulated by evaluation pressure, like public approval (not necessarily in a competition, but the pressure of the nearby friend), achieving a new onsight or redpoint level, or a competition, where the uncertainty for the success or failure is an important agent of pressure. These self-handicaps can be real or imaginary.

Self-handicapping are any action or choice that prepare a person to be responsible of failure. In agreement with Jones and Berglas (1978), the self- handicaps are obstacles created by the individuals in anticipation to a performance failure. These behaviors allows to externalize the mistakes and failures and internalize the successes, accepting the credit of the achievements and allowing excuses for the failures. It has a double function, it allows the individual to diminish all that of the personal skill that plays a major role in failure (protecting the selfsteem) and in case of success, it increases the skill of the sportmen, since the success was obtained in spite of the obstacles. (increasing the selfesteem) (Prapavessis y Groove, 1998)

Martin and Brawley (2010) concludded that self-handicap can also be understood from the own efficiency. The sportsmen would use excuses in situations where they have poor efficiency for their skills or to introduce themselves in a certain way (i.e.: I am not good at overhangs, technical moves, etc.).

Those individuals with low selfsteem tends to use more frequently the self-handicapping before a performance that those of high selfsteem, since they encounter more situations where they are uncertain about their ability to solve the task (Prapavessis and Grove, 1998). The athletes who frequently use the excuses incline to take commonly the responsibility of potential failures out of himself and in case of team sports, inside the group (Prapavessis and cols, 2010).

 

All these excuses that we self-impose, are impediments before a performance. People who use these impediments or self-handicaps can be divided in two categories: chronic or occasional. The chronic selfhandicappers use self-handicaps that are more applicable over time and in varied situations, as physical or psychological symptoms. The occasional ones use self-handicaps for every specific situation.(Ferrand and cols, 2006)

The more frequent self-handicaps used by the sportsmen before a competition are the study and physical conditions or injuries, but they change depending on age, level and sex.

Ferrand and cols. (2006) analyzed the self-handicaps of 6 french elite teenager climbers in three major competitions, where they had the aptitude to reach the podium, with this goal setted by their coach. Before every competition, they had to report their self-handicaps that might affect performance.

The results that the study showed are summarized in the following table. Self-handicaps can be categorized in 6 categories.

It has been argued that the criterion that the trainers use can impact in the way that the climbers perceive the environment, which can be a source of stress in the teenagers elite athletes. The climbers of this study report different types of impediments that allowed them to deflect the reason of the failure away from their sport competente and reduce the coach´s expectations in the subsequent performance.

The repeated use of self-handicaps might place the athletes at-risk of motivacional difficulties that might have a negative effect in the long-term development and performance.

The authors conclude: ¨it is important for the trainers to gain knowledge of self-handicapping, to take into account the rehaznos underlying self-handicapping hmong teenagers for practical implications, and to examine more closely the ego relevante of high level context which may be an important factor determining self-handicapping in a sport context.¨

One important goal for coaches is to understand the reason of the previous impediments and to work on them to impede a performance reduction. Too many exigency, and the exposition of highly sressful goals in young climbers can lead to long-term consequences, like quiting the sport.

References:

  1. 1. Ferrand, C., Tetard, S., & Fontayne, P. (2006). Self-Handicapping in Rock Climbing: A Qualitative Approach. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 18: 3, 271-280
  2. 2. Jones, E. E., & Berglas, S. (1978). Control of attributions about the self through self-handicapping strategies: The appeal of alcohol and the role of underachievement. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 4, 200-206.
  3. 3. Martin, K.A. & Brawley, L.R. (2002). Self-Handicapping in Physical Achievement Settings: The contributions of Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy. Self and Identity, 1:4, 337-351
  4. 4. Prapavessis, H. & Grove, J.R. (1998). Self-handicapping and Self-steem. Journal of Sport Applied Psychology, 10:2, 175 – 184
  5. 5. Prapavessis, H., Grove, J.R. & Eklund (2010). Self-Presentational Issues in Competition and Sport. Journal of Sport Applied Psychology, 16:1, 19-40
  6. 6. Smith, T.W., Snyder, C.R., & Handelsman, M.M. (1982). On the self-serving function of an academic wooden leg: Test Anxiety as a self-handicapping strategy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 314–321.


From athletics methodology to climbing. Fartlek method.
Date: June 02, 2010

Prof. Juan Martín Miranda

To write this post I had to dig into some old training books of my student time, specially Prof. Jorge de Hegedus book: " The science of sports training " in which I would find the historical bases of what I want to detail.

 

" … on the fourth decade of our century (XX) there started being delineated two currents of work that in spite of their differences, had the same common denominator: to adapt exclusively to the means that the nature offers "

foto: A. Uzal

“On this premise there arise two eminences of the sports training (specially the athletics): Gosse Holmer and Gosta Olander.

 

The first one (Holmer) , founder of the Fartlek method (in Swedish: play with the speed), training method that includes all kinds of speed variations. This method can be summarized:

 

1-      Efforts realized exclusively out of track

 

2-      All kinds of distances combinations during the course

 

3-      Intensity of the distances regarding their length

 

4-      Rest periods related to the distances and characteristics of the run

 

 

Hereby a training session according to these slogans might have the following scheme:

 

a-      Easy run to warm up

 

b-       Médium speed run

 

c-       Fast walk

 

d-       High velocity sprints reps

 

Undoubtedly training hereby is not a very systematic and planned method, since the effort intensity is regulated by the athlete subjective sensations .

 

On the other hand another Swedish trainer, Gosta Olander, continuing with this current of training in the natural way, was taking advantage of the difficulties imposed by the area in which the sportsmen realized the training, since it can be mud, now, different inclinations, etc, that it were offered in his prestigious training center of Vololaden, in a former hotel lost in the depths of Sweden (for the fanatics of the athletics I recommend the website: www.vololaden.com). Giving more importance to the intensity of the actions than the tempo of the same ones.

 

Prof. Yuri Verkhoshansky proposes aerobic Fartlek method to increase the anaerobic threshold. It consists in a uniform and prolonged run with 8 to 10 (or more) seconds sprints every 10 to 12 minutes.

 

 

 

Well then, we have seen that this type of training takes as a premise to go adapting to the terrain in which it was realized, and therefore the intensities are imposed by the terrain. And is not this is what happens in climbing??

 

 

It is almost impossible to find climbing routes of that are completely uniform in their intensity, since they can have different angles, one o more crux, good, bad rests, without hands, technical moves, hard moves in roofs, everything what we can imagine. Whenever we climb a different route, we will face a completely different ground, which will force us to alternate different effort intensities, as is it is done by the Fartlek training method.

 

 

In an article published in Engineering of Sport (2006), M. Michailov experimented with this method on climbers with the idea of improving their anaerobic threshold. Six climbers were trained for seven weeks, three times for week with a specific training plan that alternate intensities during the climbing bouts

 

 

2-3 sets of 8-10 reps of: 20-30 moves easy route and 15-20 moves hard routewith 30-60 seconds rests. Sets rest was 20 to 30 minutes.

 

The aim was to climb near the anaerobic threshold heart rate estimated by ergometry. The author mentions (and it is a part of the conclusions) that heart rate is not an indicator of climbing intensity, but it was used to control that the climber is near to the threshold heart rate determined before, same conclusion at which Burnik and Jereb (2007) arrived after evaluating 11 climbers in three different intensity routes.

He used two different test to evaluate the improvements, the first one consisted on climbing the major quantity of movements during 5 minutes in a 120 degrees overhang wall to determine the capacity of mixed energy (anaerobic aerobics) supply and the second test performed in a roof wall during 1 minute, to determine the anaerobic lactic energy supply. The results showed an improvement of 32 % and 43 % in both test respectively.

Beyond the difficulties of evaluating these capacities (and obviously the proposed test can be questionable) the improvements are interesting, and definitively this methodology improves the specific climbing endurance.

 

With this type of trainings in which we alternate different intensities in the same repetition it has some benefits:

 

-              Major specificity of the training

 

-             The special endurance is improved

 

-             The capacity to take advantage of the easiest climbing sections as recovery of the intense efforts is improved

 

-             The in-climbing recovery capacity is improved

 

 

Here some Fartlek training drills used in climbing

 

Traverse + route

 

For this exercise a route must have from 15 to 20 high intensity moves designed in the bouldering wall where simultaneously we could realize a very low intensity traverse for a long period of time (more than 30 minutes). We must be kept traversing for a period from 4 to 5 minutes and then the 15 moves hard route. Once the route is finished continue with the traverse for 4 to 5 more minutes and then the route again. Keep this training for more than 30 minutes (up to 1 hour).

 

Broken routes

 

Design two or three circuits of 15 to 20 movements which the final hold of the first circuit coincides with the initial hold of the second one and so on. The circuits must be linked without stooping, but forcing the recovery period at the end of each one. It is possible to measure resting time, and force it up or down. I.e. a maximum rest time (of 1 minute), or a minimum rest time (of 2 minutes)

 

Continuous Interbloque:

 

Design a set of three to six relatively easy boulder problems that starts from good holds. The problems must be performed linked by an easy traverse from the last hold of the previous problem to the firsts holds of the next problem (generally down traversing), and rest in that holds all the necessary time.

 

References:

 

Burnik S, Jereb B. Heart rate as an indicator of sport climbing intensity. Acta Univ. Palacki. Olomuc., Gymn. 2007, vol. 37, no. 1

 

 

De Hegedus J. La ciencia del entrenamiento deportivo. Ed Stadium. 2006

 

 

Joan Rius Sant. Metodologia y técnicas del atletismo. Ed. Paidotribo 2006

 

 

Michailov ML. Evolvement and experimentation of a new interval method  for  strength endurance development.  In: Moritz FE, Haake S, ed. The Engineering of Sport 6, Volume

 

2. Development for disciplines. New York: Springer Science and Business Media; 2006: 291-6.

 

 

Verkhoshansky Y. The block training system in endurance running. Sport strength training methodology. Elctronic publishing 2008

 


TRAINING FOR CLIMBING COMPETITIONS
Date: May 27, 2010

Prof. Juan Martín Miranda
There are several scientific studies concerning physiologic characteristics of sport climbing, but almost exclusively on sport climbing routes. Recently there were published some articles that describe and analyze bouldering competition demands.
A bouldering competition consist on a series of problems during each stage (4 to 5) with a determined performance time for each problem (4 to 6 minutes), and a similar period of rest/recovery between them. The competitor during his realization time must administer their attempts and rest intervals to solve all the comp that lasts more than 50 minutes.

One of the scientific articles, published by White & Olsen (2010), analyzed the performance of several elite english bouldering climbers during a national competition. Next chart shows the data obtained.

These numbers give us some guidelines about the effort during this type of competitions. Climbers tried only 3 times each problem (mean), where they spent 30 s to solve each. The work/rest ratio (for 6 minutes period) was 1:4 in each problem. If we consider contact time and time to reach next hold (8 s / 0.6 s) the ratio is 13:1. During route climbing this ratio was 3 s : 1 s (Watts et. al., 2000).

 

Another interesting thing of this study is that static time is lower than route climbing (25% vs 38 %) founded by Billat et als (1995).

 

Another study by La Torre et al. (2009) analyzed elite Italian bouldering climbing during two national comps and on simulated comp. In the firsts two comps they analyzed working time and lactate concentration at the end, and in the simulated comp they analyzed times, lactate concentrations at the end of each problem and heart rate during all the competition.

 

The data presented here differs little from the other study (keep in mind that there is a climbing time of 5 minutes here). Mean of each movement time was lower: 5.3 ± 0.7 s for the national comp and 5.2± 0.6 s for the simulated comp. Mean climbing total time for each problem was 65 ± 20 s and 92 ± 24 s and mean total climbing time for all the comp was 391 ± 85 s and 551 ± 96 s respectively.

 

Mean heart rate during recovery period did not increase in the simulated comp in males, but slightly increased in females.

 

Lactate concentrations during simulation didn’t raise with the increase of competition time, but mainly depended on the time needed to climb the attempts of the previous problem. Using regression analysis they determined that changes in lactate concentrations depended on effort duration, with an apparent cut-off value of 20 s. Describing this way   short attempts (<20>

 

In the third study (Michailov et al., 2009), anthropometric characteristics and strength of elite bouldering climbers that participated in a world bouldering cup were measured. Next chart shows their results

Elite bouldering athletes had very low  body fat and muscle mass close to 50% in males and 40% in females , same as difficult (routes) climbers.

 

Male climbers had 20% more grip strength tan route climbers (Watts et al., 2000), this is due to the strength nature of the contest.

 

Conclusions

 

The intermittent character of the prove, shows some specific determinants in recovery time during each problem, and during all the event. During a competition (more than 50 minutes) some recovery times are stipulated by rules, and other depends on the climbers tactics and strategies and their recovery capacity. The higher the level of the climber and the more experience has, without doubts the climber will give less attempts, administer better the effort, and therefore his recovery times will be higher.

 

Using specific training means to increase recovery capacity is a must. Intermittent training (aka interbloque) is an excellent choice to increase it. And due to some problems duration (more than 20 s), lactate accumulation must be removed rapidly, so high intensity interval training can be used to increase lactate removal capacity.

 

With regard to the action time of the muscles (holds contact time), training should be specific to maintain very high intensity intermittent efforts of 5 to 8 seconds approximately with an excessively short rest (<1>

 

Strength levels for this type of efforts are very high (20 % plus than route climbing), therefore the strength capacity is also another training goal. The climbers must use specific exercises like hangboard training, system training, campus training and especially boulder climbing, which is the specific exercise.

 

A high percentage of mass muscular derived from the unspecific strength training can be counter-productive, since the climber will have to move his overweight. That’s why any increase of the muscular mass must be specific and necessary to the demands of the event. It is necessary to control it by periodic anthropometric tests. Therefore the muscular mass should be ideal and the hypertrophy should happen only in the determinant musculature of the performance.

 

References

 

1 – White, DJ and Olsen, PD. A time motion analysis of bouldering style competitive rock climbing. J Strength Cond Res 24: 1533-4287, 2010

 

2 – Billat, V, Palleja, P, Charlaix, T, Rizzardo, P and Janel, N. Energy specificity of rock climbing and aerobic capacity in competitive sport rock climbers. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 35: 20-24, 1995

 

3 - Watts, PB, Newburry, V and Sulentic, J. Acute changes in handgrip strength, endurance, and blood actate with sustained sport rock climbing. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 36: 255-260, 2000

 

4 - La Torre, A, Crespi, D, Serpiello, FR and Merati,G. Heart rate and blood lactate evaluation in bouldering elite athletes. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 49: 19-24, 2009

 

6 – Michailov, ML, Mladenov, LV and Schoffl, VR. Anthropometric and strength characteristics of world-class boulderers. Med Sport. 13(4): 213-238, 2009


SPEED CLIMBING TRAINING PART 3
Date: April 28, 2010

This is the last post of the speed climbing series. I will show some methodology and exercises.
The speed in a climbing route will depend on two factors: length and frequency of individual moves.
Length depends on:
1-    Morphologic characteristics
2-    Strength
3-    Holds
4-    Flexibility

Frequency  depends on:
1-    Contact time
2-    Flight time (COG in vertical direction)
Improving each of these aspects will improve in final climbing speed. Some aspects can’t be changed like anthropometric characteristics or where the holds are screwed. But strength, flexibility, contact time and flight time can be trained and there is where our efforts will be centered.
Methodological tasks
-    Increase speed possibilities by  high frequency innervations using low resistance and a short period of time
-    Increase special strength preparedness using dynamic moves
-    Increase speed endurance using interval method
-    Reach perfect coordination and maximum efficiency of the neuromuscular effort
The following videos shows some methodologies to work upper body strength

Frequency campus exercises

And for movement length

Assisted exercise will be helpful to frequency improvement when using campus board because sometimes (always!!) body weight is excessive to apply a correct speed training load. Using elastic bands attached to a harness will be enough.
Non assisted exercises need to be performed after assisted ones, so we can finish with the real motor path
Methodology
1.    Normal �" resisted �" normal
2.    Normal �" resisted �" normal �" resisted �" normal
3.    Normal �" assisted �" normal
4.    Normal �" assisted �" normal �" assisted �" normal
5.    Normal �" resisted �" normal �" assisted �" normal
6.    Normal �" resisted �" assisted �" normal
7.    assisted �" resisted �" assisted - normal
Some exercises to train lower body strength

For power nothing better than jumps

This chart resumes the tasks to train for speed climbing


Some reflections concerning speed training
1.    Technique and coordination are important do speed
2.    Max strength and power have a positive effect; max strength, power and speed makes a dynamic unity
3.    Muscular imbalances  are counter-productive during speed development
4.    Exercises performed at sub maximal speed generate sub maximal speed neural paths.
5.    It is preferable quality than quantity. Maximum speed improvements is only possible by a complex and well developed process of load planning and control


Prof. Juan Martín Miranda


SPEED CLIMBING TRAINING PART 2
Date: April 20, 2010

In this post I will show how are upper and lower body moves during a speed climbing comp, and the way this information help us to understand speed climbing training methods.

 

 

Upper body moves

 

Pay attention to  this video, specially arms moves

Now let’s see the same video in slow motion and with contact time analysis.

If we analize in numbers what  the video shows:

 

 

•       Numbers of contacts 10 left / 9 right

 

•       Total contact time 4,08s/3,6s

 

•       Double moves  4

 

•       Average contact time : 360ms

 

•       Esplosive actions with stretch shortening cycle (SSC)

 

 

There is few cientific studies published concerning speed climbing. Konstantin Fuss and Gunther Niegl (2006) studied climbers forces during different situations, using piezoelectric sensors attached to holds to determine how forces is applied on them.

 

They concluded that during speed climbing as higher the reaction force over the hold, higher initial shock spikes , and shorter the contact time. So it is necessary to apply high forces in a short period of time, thus reduce the contact time. Keep in mind that if we reduce each of the contact times , we will have a less time until the top.

 

A

t this point, a striking difference becomes apparent: in lead climbers, the better a climber is, the smaller are the contact forces at the hold: in speed climbers, the opposite is true, i.e., the better the climber and thus the faster, the higher are the contact forces. In lead climbers, the magnitude of these forces depends on how economical the climbing style is; in speed climbers, the force is a function of speed (Fuss and Niegl. 20O6).

Next graphs shows forces and contact time / velocity

Number of moves shows that during comp format (15 meters tall) and with accurate technique, a climber do 19 moves, 4 of them are double dyno.

 

Average contact time is between 300-500ms, classifying some of the actions as Long Stretch Shortening Cycle actions (SSC-L), that means that there is some elastic energy stored and released during the contraction. This determines some parameters to consider when planing the training to maximize the efficacy of each move

 

 

Lower body moves

 

Next Image shows lower body moves.

•       Number of contacts 9/9

 

•       Both feet at the same time: 1

 

•       Average contact time : 400ms

 

•       Explosive isometric-concentric actions

 

•       Knee: >90 grados

 

•       Foot internal rotation, Hip abduction

 

 

Number of contacts is similar to upper body, but contact time is higher, maybe because great angular amplitude of the involved joints.

 

If we see the knee in each move, we will notice that they’re  flexed more than 90 degrees at the beginning of the move. So they’re deep knee flexions.

 

At the same time each move is performed with feet external rotation and hip abduction, that determines an specific pattern to train lower body.

 

All this actions are considered explosive isometric-concentric actions, because the climber first fixes his feet, and then perform the explosive concentric action always with upper body support.

 

Next post I will describe methodologies to improve efficiency of upper and lower body contacts.Prof. Juan Marín Miranda


SPEED CLIMBING TRAINING PART 1
Date: April 17, 2010

In this series of posts I will analyze a purely competitive climbing discipline: speed.
This discipline is growing in the competitive world, and is one of that is in the sight to be the representative in the Olympic Games.
According to speed climbing rules two formats are possible, record format and classic format. In the latter the athlete climbs two routes in each of the series of the same height and similar profile and difficulty, whereas in the record format (15 or 10 meters standard wall with standardized holds located in a precise position) the climber climbs once in each of the series.
The speed implies the velocity with which a body does a displacement in the space. So the speed is the resultant the space crossed by the time used.
From a sports point of view the speed represents the capacity of a subject to realize motor actions in a minimum of time and with the maximum of efficiency. Therefore to demonstrate speed we must known which are the determining factors. The speed is a hybrid quality that is determined by all other qualities: strength, endurance, and especially by technique.

Speed must be learned and trained always by specific exercises, and these exercises must be realized at high speed, so by this way we will assure ourselves fast movement paths.
Speed training has two manifestations:
QUICKNESS: all the isolated actions that are constituted by one movement. 
SPEED: linking movements in a given sport action 
This way we see that we can improve the quickness of each move, and then link them. If we use the record format, where all is standardized, the training would consist of maximizing the quickness of the individual movements of then link with speed.

The training objectives are:
•    To reduce reaction time
•    Maximize the acceleration of the displacements
•    Increase the speed of each move
•    Achieve major moves frequency
•    Reduce the contact time on each hold
•    Reduce the speed loss 

Reaction time:
It is the time between the beginning of a stimulus and the beginning of the response. This stimulus in case of the speed climbing is a simple stimulus: the judge order.
Consist of 5 phases:
•    t1: the interval of time that elapses while the climber detects the sensory input from the starting order
•     t2: the length of time needed to acknowledge and correlate the array of sensations discovered in t1
•     t3: the total time required to organize a response
•     t4: time required to the stimulus to arrive to the muscle motor plate
•    t5: time required to initiate and complete a specific movement



This area is one of the most difficult to train and obtain improvements since we are speaking of miliseconds. In the following table, I present the reaction times (RT) of the 100 meters flat races 5 best times. 


It is well-known that less than 150 milliseconds it is the time of reaction to execute the first movement. If one delays it or gives an advantage from a slow start it can be the difference in the classification. There is not enough information on speed climbing reaction time, but this training area can offer to us valuable milliseconds in a speed competition.
The methodology to train the reaction time has some requirements
•    Start from simple conditions of execution.
•    Go on to changeable conditions.
•    Low volume of work and exercises
•    Exercise them in the first part of the training session
•     Improve visual and propioceptive feedback mechanisms

We will always try to begin the reaction time training without previous fatigue, and with simple execution drills.
The idea is always to vary the stimuli to which the climber must react. The stimuli can be tactile, auditory, visual.
But looking for specificity, at the end of the reaction time session we will focus on specific starts, doing only the first one or two moves.
The work volume must be low, since it can generate sensorial or physical a fatigue that it will prevent to react quickly generating slow motor pattern.
Normally with 15 or 20 minutes of reaction time at the beginning of the training session we will have a suitable stimulus.

The following post will be dedicated to analyze the moves of the upper and lower body in the format record, and later we will see the training methods to improve the quickness and the speed..

    Prof. Juan Martin Miranda


TRAINING FOR CLIMBING. IS REALLY NECCESARY?
Date: February 03, 2010

Climbing is a multipurpouse activity, competition, hobby, way of life, etc., each climber might have their motivations, but one thing is clear, each one wants to climb more: harder routes, more routes in a day/trip, climb faster… Even if we don’t link climbing with high performance sport, those targets denotes a similarity with sports activities where ones always want to perform better and exceed previous level and it is not necessary to compete with others!. There are several ways to improve in our climbing: climbing itself in an anarchical way, just climb anything in an unplanned way each climbing session, or plan and organize our climbing sessions, following the advice that give us the theory of sport training. By this way we can perform and success in our objectives in a precise time. Training is defined as a process, with a starting and an ending point. The starting point is the initial state at the beginning of a training plan, the ending point is where we are going to achieve the results, a trip, a comp, etc.. The initial state is the sports form where we are, analyzing the preceding performances in climbing and the training backgrounds that we have. Objectives are the fundamental pillar of each training process, because they determine the ending point and with that the motivation to realize the training program during the different stages. Objectives must be defined previously in a clearly and concise manner. Some characteristics of the objectives are shown below: Clearly formulated Realistic and accessible Measurable Specific Once objectives are defined, we have to see how will be completed trough a training plan. Basically we the training we want: Increase the organism motor potential Improve the ability to use effectively this motor potential Increase the sports mastery firmness Training is based on the administration of different loads to the organism that will produce an effect named supercompensation, in which the organism once stimulated, and during the recovery period, it is regenerated up to overcoming the initial state as measure of adjustment. All that happens if the period of rest among training stimuli is correct. If the period of rest is incomplete, the organism can’t adapt to training, and the state will be low. (FIGURE 1). There are several possibilities to administer the training loads, looking for the ideal lapse of time to reach the maximum benefits, keeping in mind that these loads always must be of major magnitude as one progresses. (FIGURE 2) But this supercompensation curve cannot demonstrate eternally in an ascending way. It is necessary to offer to the body every certain period of time a major rest, in order to avoid overtraining. There are several ways to administer the loads: (FIGURE 3) Standard: when always do the same thing independently of the session, in which we will come to a stagnation. For example, if every day at the end of the training sessions we do 10 laps on the same route to increase our endurance, we will stop in the progress rapidly, for it we will have to choose to change the organization of the training loads. Progressive increase of the loads: consists of a constant increase of the training during the sessions. But we will come to a point where the organism will not be able to adapt any more to this constant increase of the load, and will come to a point of stagnation, and more even to a decrease of the performance due to overtraining. An example of this, instead of doing always the same 10 laps of the same route, increase session to session the number of routes (11, 12, 13, 14) or increase the difficulty of the laps. Stepwise increase of loads: this methodology consists of doing periods of 2, 3 or 4 weeks of increase of the load for 1 or 2 weeks of decrease of the load or recovery to allow the supercompensation. On the same example of the endurance training at the end of the session, one might realize 10 laps the first week, 12 laps the second, 14 laps the third, but in the fourth we will lower the load to 10 laps. This way we will have a stepwise progression. The following period of training might begin again with 10 laps, but a more difficult route. This recovery period is applied also before the performance period. It is called tapering, and is a period before the trip of climbing, competition, etc., in which we will give a rest to the body, especially across a decrease of the volume of what we are doing, in order to arrive to the supercompensation and perform with success. This methodology is the modern strategy of training and is in use definitively in the training of the climbers of average and high level, since trained climbers organisms needs progressive and well planned loads, with periods of intermediate rests. This division in weeks of increase of the load with weeks of decrease delimits specific periods of training, in which it is possible to emphasize in some aspect of the specific conditioning for climbing. For example, and depending specifically on the goals, in this case 4 months (16 - 18 weeks) from the beginning of the training, one might organize three periods of training or mesocycles: 1er mesocycle: adaptation to the training loads where the first 4 weeks (three in ascent and one in decrease) will be dedicated to the increase of the work volume, a lot of time climbing on easy terrain, or to do routes of moderate/low difficulty, but many times. The aim here will be to create the basic conditions to support the training loads and to adapt all the body structures (muscles and tendons). 2nd mesocycle: improvement of the maximum strength and power, also a 4 weeks cycle, with three weeks of load increase and one of decrease. The general goal will be to improve the forearm muscles strength and all the back muscles. Here we will seek to have the aptitude to solve the isolated movements of the project. 3er mesocycle: period dedicated to the special endurance improvement, with this we will be seeking to acquire the aptitude to resist the quantity of movements that needs the type of climbing that we want to perform. During 3 weeks in ascent, then we will rest into the following period (tapering). Here we will centre on looking for the necessary endurance for the route/s. If our goal is 20 moves routes, we will focus on acquire this specific endurance, the same for 40 moves routes, or more, or if we are seeking to climb many routes in one day, we will focus a bit more on the work volume. We will achieve this last goal by doing sets and reps of routes of the desired length. 4to mesocycle: Adjustment or tapering, for 2 or 3 weeks, we will try to regenerate the organism to arrive to the performance period in the bests possible conditions, and all the adaptations arrives to their maximum level of efficiency. Here we will diminish the volume of work, with big rests and especially arrive progressively to maximum intensity (difficulty). With this simple periodization it will be possible to coincide maximum point of performance with the date foreseen for the next trip of climbing or CHAIN. This is not a rigid structure, but will change depending on the goals, time to train, sport form, etc. Juan Martín Miranda


Nutritional aspects to optimize climbing training and performance
Date: October 01, 2008

One of the climbing performance key factors is the body weight. Climbing depends in it. We shouldn’t forget that move extra weight will add an extra load to the muscles that are involved in climbing, mainly in overhanging walls, where it’s more difficult to use your feet to support weight and this way help upper body.
Maintaining body weight in optimal values and reducing weight to minimum is a must for performance.
In the graphic you will see the different body sizes of an elite climber in relation to the population media (Phantom strategy). Skin folds are between 2 and 3 standard deviations, which means a very lean body.
Legs perimeters are below the media, but upper body perimeters (forearms and arms) are above.



Body weight is a sum of 5 different tissues: muscle, adipose, bone, organs and body liquids.
One of the ways to measure those components is doing an anthropometry, which determines the percentages of each component and with that information one can decide if it is necessary to modify body composition to optimize performance.
The next graphics shows the different component percentages of an elite climber and it comparison with the media (Phantom)
 



Note again, that the adipose mass is between 2 and 3 SD below the media, and the muscular mass above.

Muscular and adipose mass are the values that can be modified by training and nutrition. Upper body muscular mass (muscles) is one of the fundamental components of climbing performance, and for that reason is a must to maintain it or sometimes increase its volume. Sometimes is recommended to reduce lower body muscular mass by a specific training (low intensity aerobic exercise)
But body fat is useless in climbing, and is a must to reduce it to the lowest possible values.

It’s interesting to note that some levels of body fat are necessary to maintain body normal functions, so some minimum levels are required: 15% for men and 20 % for women predicted by Kerr 1988 anthropometric formula.

Nutrition is one of the factors for reduce or maintain body weight, determined by the caloric intake.
To reduce body weight it is necessary to acquire a negative energetic balance, which means that the energetic intake must be lower than the energy consumption.
There are two ways to do this: reducing caloric intake or increase energy consumption (by training).
Some recommendations to reduce weight:
-    Moderate caloric restriction (-500 to 1000 Kcal/day)
-    Low fat diet (20-35% of the total caloric intake)
-    Moderate protein diet (15 to 25%)
-    Carbohydrates 55-60% of the total caloric intake, using simple carbs are preferably
-    Include foods rich in fibers like fruits and vegetables

Excessive food intake restriction might be dangerous for performance. It is necessary to maintain energy levels to support training loads, and recover from them.
Nutritional strategies to reduce body weight will be a guide for all day diet, but it is very important to start training with full energy stores, and during the recovery period assure the essential components to accelerate and complete it.
It’s necessary to adopt specific nutritional strategies for each climbing training session.

Previous to each climbing training session you must eat enough carbohydrates to maintain the activity throughout the whole period of time. If it lasts more than one hour it will be necessary also to ingest carbohydrates during the same training session.
In turn to recover it is important to consume them after training, before two hours of having concluded. Carbohydrate sport drinks are a good option if you don't tolerate foods in the stomach during training or immediately after finish.
Consider that not only the quantity or type of nutritious is important, but also the time where they should be eaten, if you eat them during the two previous and/or later hours to the workout, the benefits are amplified.
If the goal of the training session is the strength improvement, you’ve to supplement the carbohydrates intake with proteins, especially branched chain amino acids (BCAA) to avoid the muscular catabolism (muscular fibers rupture), characteristic of this type of trainings.
The BCAA constitute near 33% of the total of amino acids that form the muscular proteins, and they are fundamental to stimulate and regulate the protein synthesis processes
There is enough scientific evidences that indicates that the BCAA supplementation is effective to improve recovery speed and to stimulate the protein synthesis. On the other hand, they have also benefits to attenuate the mental fatigue provoked by a serotonin excess (cerebral neurotransmitter that regulates the neural activity) that could induce to apathy and performance reduction.

Prof. Juan Martín Miranda


A WRONG WAY LIFE
Date: May 22, 2008




The title of this post is from my best friend Nari that defines all their desires some time ago, where he was so passionate about climbing, but 400 km away from any rock. It is very probable that if he had been born in the best climbing place in the world he had wanted to dedicate to surf with the sea so, so far...
But now he lives climbing somewhere in Europe.
But take it easy Nari, you still on the wrong way.
What I mean is that no matter how much we are devoted to training, getting adaptations in muscles, more endurance, more strength, more power, improving our technique, tactics, strategy, or whatever comes to mind, it is very probable that we cannot transform our organism to such a point that climbing can be natural. Everything unless we win in some way to THE EVOLUTION
It will be very difficult to win the fight against thousands of years of evolution, not in vain we stop to climb to adapt to a walking life getting all the comforts of the modernity.
One of the main differences that separate us from the monkeys is the thumb opposition, which allows to hold things with more precision, but when we’re eock climbing we don't know what to do with that thumb that we uses so much pinching all plastic holds, unless we find a big pinch on the rock.
But the idea here is not to outline problems, just to try to solve them.
Our predecessors lived in trees approximately about nine million years ago, as today lives the chimpanzees. Later a separation took place in the line of the evolution: on one hand the big monkeys, and in the other hand, the men. It probably begins here the development of the hominids, and the man's history, of Homo sapiens, and of their predecessors, Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus and Neandertalis. All of them are extinguished. We are still the only hominids alive. Different monkeys have also survived: chimpanzees, gorillas, etc.
It is important to notice that the biological evolution makes reference to the populations and not to the individuals; also the changes should pass to the following generation. In the practice this means: The Evolution is a process that appears as a result of the heritable changes in an extensive population through many generations.
We can’t deny that with training we produce changes and adaptations in our own organism (THE TRAINING LOAD IN SPORT CLIMBING article in www.marvinclimbing.com). Those adaptations are those that will allow us to improve and progress.
But as individuals we will never end up possessing the characteristics of the monkeys, no matter how much we effort.
We have to think in the evolution!!!
The secret here is to achieve the best adaptations in our organism through practices and training and to PROCREATE to be able to transmit those adaptations to other generations.
For that reason I go for my second son.
Prof. Juan Martin Miranda