Saturday, October 27, 2012

Recipe Quickies: Low Carb "Cake" & Homemade "Sports Drink"

         This post is just a quickie  to give a couple nifty recipes that I've been using for my post-workout nutrition (w/in 20min of finishing workout).  There is a low-carb high-protein cake recipe that I've been using for quite some time that tastes a little "eggy", but has the texture of a slightly stiffer sponge cake, you can flavor it as you like.  The second is a homemade alternative to store bought sports drinks.  When we think of what sports drinks are designed to do, they serve two primary functions.  They A) replenish glycogen (short term energy stored in the body) via simple carbohydrates (sugar); and B) replenish electrolytes (calcium, sodium, magnesium) which help maintain fluid distribution throughout the body.  As the Gatorade slogan goes, "you sweat more than just water."


Protein Cake:
*Makes 4 servings
4 Servings (usually 40-50g) of Liquid Eggs
4 Scoops Whey Protein (brand of choice)
1 pack (4 servings) Sugar Free Instant Pudding (flavor of choice)
1 tsp baking powder
Cinnamon or other spice to taste
          Directions:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all ingredients in large bowl, you will want to add a sparing amount of water (or milk) to think the batter to cake-like consistency.  Spray an 8x8 cake pan with non-stick spray.  Pour batter into pan and bake for 15 minutes, check for done-ness.  It will probably need a few more minutes, 5 or so, for a total baking time of ~20 min.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Cut into quarters and there you go!  A low-carb, high-protein, "cake" that is good for you and can help with sweet-tooth cravings or be part of your post-workout feeding.
          Note:  You can also use this similar recipe to make pancakes.  It is a basic recipe for a high protein, low carb dough / batter that you can choose to bake, fry, or cook as you please.



Homemade Sports Drink:
*Makes 4 servings
32oz Fruit Juice of Choice (I like Grape, Apple, Grapefruit, or Cranberry)
4 Tbp Honey
4 Tbp Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbp Lemon Juice
1 Tbp Lime Juice
4 tsp Baking Soda
1 Green Tea Bag
1 tsp Sea Salt (optional)
          Directions:  Combine 8 - 10 oz. of fruit juice with the vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, and sea salt (if you choose to add it).  Heat or boil in micr owave.  While that is going on, add the baking soda to the remaining fruit juice in a 64oz jug or bottle.  Add honey to the hot juice and stir until it is dissolved. Then add the hot juice and tea bag to the container.  Shake well.  Let sit over night in the refrigerator.
          Note:  When ready to serve, add ~8oz of the mixture to the bottle you take to they gym and add about 24 oz of water to it.  This is not necessary, but it helps to thin out the very vinegary taste of the mixture.


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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Climbing Training Update 3 (10/24/12)

Technical Data:
Update Date - 10/24/12
Update BW - 166 (98.69 % of Start)
Update PBF - 5.81 (85.95 % of Start)
Update BMI - 26.0 (98.86 % of Start)


Foundation (One Mile) Progress:
Previous Weeks (9/9 - 10/13/12) - 50 ascents
This Week (10/14 - 10/24/12) - 26
Total Progress - 76 / 110 (69.1 % Complete)


Performance / Timed Routes:
Highest Grade Completed (unclean/TR/Indoor) - 5.9+
Highest Grade Completed (clean/TR/Indoor) - 5.9+
Highest Grade Complete (unclen/LEAD/Indoor - 5.8+

Date / Location - Route / Setting / Grade / Time / Performance (time in sec. x adjusted grade)
9-26 / UWG - The Purp (TR) / Indoor / 5.8+ / Untimed / NA
9-30 / UWG - Green Holds (not clean) / Indoor / 5.9+ / Untimed / NA
10-10 / UWG - Hello Kitty (TR) / Indoor / 5.9 / 0:04:00 / 1221.6
10-10 / UWG - Crystallize (TR) / Indoor / 5.8 / 0:01:20 / 406.4
10-10 / UWG - Zebra Trout (TR) / Indoor / 5.8 / 0:01:28 / 447.04
10-17 / UWG - Hello Kitty (TR) / Indoor / 5.9 / 0:02:40 / 814.4
10-17 UWG - Cotton Candy (TR) / Indoor / 5.9+ / Untimed / NA
10-17 / UWG - Green Holds (TR) / Indoor / 5.9+ / Untimed / NA
10-24 / UWG - Hello Kitty (TR) / Indoor / 5.9 / 0:02:12* / 671.88
10-24 / UWG - Green Holds (TR) / Indoor / 5.9+ / 0:02:06 / 641.34
10-24 / UWG - Cotton Candy (TR) / Indoor / 5.9+ / 0:04:06* / 1252.14
*Time including 1 Fall.  See "Training Notes"
          Some of my routes were were not timed this week (10/17).  The reason is that I had fallen on my first attempt of "Green Holds" and nullified the time.  I returned later in the day to do it clean and attempt an additional 5.9+ rather than burn "Crystallize."  However, "Hello Kitty" was still timed for a comparison to last week.


Grade Pyramids - Greenpoint:
5.8 (1) - 9/21
5.8 (2, 3) - 9/24
5.8 (4, 5, 6) - 9/25
5.8 (7) - 9/27
5.8 (8) - 9/28
5.9 (1) - 10/10
5.9 (2) - 10/12
5.9 (3) - 10/15
5.9 (4) - 10/17
5.9+ (1) - 10/17
5.9+ (2) - 10/17


Antagonistic Muscle Training (10/20/12):
          This was not specifically antagonistic training as described by Horst, but for reasons stated in another post I am no longer able to participate in my Jiu Jitsu training.  I wanted to make sure to maintain the weeklong intensity though.  As a result I've mixed in some cardio or weight training that (in the future) will be indicative of my current climbing training phase.

Warm Up:  2 Moderate Climbing Routes
Workout: "Triathlon to Hell" by Gym Jones (*adapted)
500m Row - 50 calorie Ride - 500m Run - Walk back to start
400m Row - 40 cal Ride - 400m Run - Walk back to start
300m Row - 30 cal Ride - 300m Run - Walk back to start
200m Row - 20 cal Ride - 200m Run - Walk back to start
100m Row - 10 cal Ride - 100m Run
Total Time to Complete:  00:38:35.4
Cool Down:  Stretch
*Adaptations:  My current gym does not have a ski-erg as the originally prescribe, this was substituted with running on a track for the same distance(s).  The gym also does not have an airdyne so I made due with a stationary bike for the same calorie intervals.







Diet Notes:

          Well Made Adjustments (10/17/12) - I feel like the adjustments I made to my diet last week (in terms of allocating more calories to double training days and fewer to rest days) served me well this week and seem to be a much better eating schedule.

          Readjusting Update Schedule (10/21/12) - This post is coming a couple days late, but I came to the conclusion that it was more fitting to check my body measurements on the day of my performance climbs and report back to all you accordingly.  It just seemed like a cleaner schedule than delaying everything for a Sunday update.


Training Notes:

           Making the Commitment to Climbing (10/19/12) - Today I had to make a very hard decision to discontinue my BJJ training for financial reasons.  I will still maintain my involvement with my BJJ gym out of contractual obligations.  However, my participation there will be minimal in an attempt to maximize my climbing efforts.  You can read more about this in my other blog (link).  With this change will come a new microcycle schedule.  I'll post the update next week, this week will finish as usual.

          New Microcycle Schedule (10/22/12) - If you have been following along, then you know that my current BJJ training is evaporating.  There are a few obligations that I must take care of for the gym that will be talked about in the future as they arise.  However, for financial reasons I am discontinuing my BJJ training for an indefinite period of time.  With this lacking I needed to re-adjust my training schedule to make sure that it maintains its former volume and intensity.

Monday - Climbing
Warm Up - Traverse
Workout - 3 x Moderate Routes; Practice Projects
Warm Down - Quick Yoga

Tuesday - Active Recovery
Workout - Long Yoga (30 - 60 min)

Wednesday - Climbing:  Performance Day
Warm Up - Very Light Calisthenics
Timed Routes - 1 x Limit; 1 x Control Route, 1 x Other Route
Warm Down:  "Play" on Wall; Stretch

Thursday - Climbing
Warm Up - Traverse
Workout - 3 x Tracking Routes; 3 x Mod/Hard Routes
Warm Down - Quick Yoga

Friday - Strength and Conditioning
Phase Specific Aerobic, Anaerobic, Strength, or Power endurance exercises
          *Current focus is a random draw of each.  11/25 will be the start of my official training camp for February 2nd climbing trip.  The focus of this day, then, will reflect the general goal of that phase.

Saturday - Active Recovery
Workout - Long Yoga (30 - 60 min)

Sunday - Climbing
Warm Up - Quick Yoga
Workout - 2 x Mod/Hard Routes; 2 x Mod Downclimb; 2 x Easy Downclimb
Cool Down - Stretch

          First Lead Climb Experience (10/21/12) - For those who don't know, lead climbing differs from toprope climbing in that the rope is not pre-attached to the top of the route.  Rather, you take the rope up with you, clipping "quickdraws", into anchors along the way.  Today was my first experience with this.  It was much, MUCH, harder than toprope climbing, mainly for the endurance of having to wait on holds while clipping in.  I had to take a short break about 2 / 3 of the way up the route but got it done.
           On my second attempt, this is where I experienced my first lead fall which is typically much further than a toprope fall.  It actually was pretty bad fall of about 20 feet.  I am experienced enough to not be afraid of falling on toprope because I know it will only be 5 or 6 feet.  When the lead fall doesn't catch after that, my "oh ****" face came on, big time!  But all was well.  The fall actually happened at the worst possible time because I was just about to clip in when my grip gave out, meaning there was a ton of slack in the rope, thus increasing the fall distance.  I didn't have time to call out "falling!" so my belayer was unprepared for the fall.  I also just called out "clipping" so she had given me a bunch of slack to clip the next quickdraw.
            My belayer was actually a bit banged up from the incident, but I was spot free.  I felt a little guilty, but she assured me that it was just part of the sport.  I suppose it was better to experience a rather bad fall early on to lessen the surprise later on.  The route was a 5.8+ and I typically don't have too much trouble on a 5.9+ toproping.  This also gives me a good idea of what to aim for once I get outside.  Leading will increase the difficulty, and having to do it on real rock will also increase the perceived difficulty.

          Falls on Timed Routes (10/24/12) - I did fall on a couple timed routes, but I kept my time keeper running.  On the "Hello Kitty" route, my foot slipped off a small hold and I think that this was just because I was rushing on the route.  The fall on the "Cotton Candy" route I would attribute to fatigue.  Normally my training sessions are 2 - 4 hours long.  That means that there is typically plenty of rest in between attempts.  This week I was pressed for time and had to squeeze all three timed routes into a one hour segment.




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Friday, October 19, 2012

Making the Full Switch to Rock Climbing from BJJ

          I recently was caught in the middle of a huge debate with myself.  To sum up, I am broke, BJJ training is expensive, and rock climbing training is free through my school (minus the cost of gear and trips).  I talk very deeply about this in my Philosophy / Psychology blog (link).  I also explain why the elaborate description is posted there and not here with my other training chronicles.  Enjoy the read.
Life goes on

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Sunday, October 14, 2012

Climbing Training Update 2 (10/14/12)

Technical Data:
Update Date - 10/14/12
Update BW - 166.8 (99.17 % of Start)
Update PBF - 6.29 (93.05 % of Start)
Update BMI - 26.1 (99.24 % of Start)
*A Quick Note on Procedure:  I wake up in the morning, go to the bathroom, strip down to my underwear, and get on the scale. Then I use skin fold calipers to check three different pinch sites.  I check each site four times and take the average of each to enter into the appropriate calculation on this site.  Then I go to this site to do a simple BMI calculation.


Foundation Progress (One Mile Climb):
Previous Weeks (9/9 - 10/6/12) - 31 ascents
This Week (10/7 - 10/13/12) - 19 ascents
Total Progress - 50 / 110 ( 45.5% Complete)

Grade Pyramids - Greenpoint (toprope clean climbs):
5.8 (1) - 9/21
5.8 (2, 3) - 9/24
5.8 (4, 5, 6) - 9/25
5.8 (7) - 9/27
5.8 (8) - 9/28
5.9 (1) - 10/10
5.9 (2) - 10/12

Performance / Timed Routes:
Date / Location - Route / Condition / Grade / Time / Performance (time in sec. x adjusted grade)
9-26 / UWG - The Purp (TR) / Indoor / 5.8+ / Untimed / NA
9-30 / UWG - Green Holds (not clean) / Indoor / 5.9+ / Untimed / NA
10-10 / UWG - Hello Kitty (TR) / Indoor / 5.9 / 0:04:00 / 1221.6
10-10 / UWG - Crystallize (TR) / Indoor / 5.8 / 0:01:20 / 406.4
10-10 / UWG - Zebra Trout (TR) / Indoor / 5.8 / 0:01:28 / 447.04
* For a description of "adjusted grade" and more in depth performance notes see my last post

Antagonistic Muscle Training:
A1) Push Up (5 varieties) x 20
A2) Alternating Standing Push Press x 20 @ 10 lbs
5 sets
B1) Reversed Wrist Curl x 20 (ea. side) @ 5 lbs
B2) Chair Dip (feet on floor) x 10
5 sets
C1) Wrist Rotations x 10 (ea. side) @ 5 lbs
5 sets


Diet Notes:
          Adjusted "Sticky Diet" (10/12/12) - I felt that I was a bit under-fueled for my current training routine.  Rather than just say "I need to eat more", I decided to do some reallocating of my daily nutrient intake.  I have heard it recommended that you eat different amounts of different nutrients depending on the amount of training you are doing on that particular day.  I have not participated in this practice too much because it adds complication to the dieting process.  However, given my current circumstances, I need more fuel on days I am training twice a day than when I'm not training at all.  Here is your update complete with pictures.  I did add some calories to "regular" training days, but the biggest change was reallocating more fuel on Double Training Days and taking some away from Rest Days.
(old Sticky Diet)

(new Sticky Diet)

(Sticky Diet "stuck" where I can see it every day)

Training Notes:
           Recovery Week (10/7/12) - I stated in my last post that I was overtrained and needed to take a week off from training to recover before continuing further.  I did do some climbing and one light day of BJJ and a day of hiking.  Most of this was fairly mild and I continued my diet as usual.  I feel like the recovery has served me well, and I'm prepared to continue training as previously prescribed.
          Sample Microcycle (10/13/12) - I posted my current weekly schedule (microcycle) earlier, but it has been tweeked and adjusted since.  I'm still focusing on just the sheer quantity of climbs until I reach the 1 Mile goal.  After that I'll do a self evaluation and begin more specific training.  Below is my current microcycle.  Rather than list a specific grade, the workouts are assigned subjective values such as "Easy", "Moderate" (Comfortable), "Mod/Hard" (Challenging but Below Threshold), and "Hard" (Current Limit).  You will also see that I condensed my antagonistic muscle training to one day because I feel this is better suited than trying to cram it in with other sessions.

Monday:
Climbing (PM)
Warm Up:  Traverse
Workout:  Practice Projects; 2 x Moderate Routes
Cool Down:  Stretch

BJJ (PM - after climbing)
Warm Up:  Quick Yoga (video coming soon)
Workout:  1 hour (sparing and technique combo)
Cool Down:  Stretch

Tuesday: Full Rest Day

Wednesday:  Performance Day
Warm Up:  Very light (belay a few people)
Workout:  Timed Routes - 1 x Greenpoint Limit; 1 x Control Route; 1 x Moderate Route
Warm Down:  Play on Wall

Thursday:
BJJ (AM)
Warm Up:  Quick Yoga
Workout:  1 hour Technique
Cool Down:  Stretch

Climbing (PM)
Warm Up:  Traverse
Workout:  3 x Tracking Routes; 1 x Mod/Hard Route
Cool Down:  Stretch

Friday:
Climbing (PM)
Warm Up:  Traverse
Workout:  4 x Downclimb Routes, Practice Projects
Cool Down:  Stretch

Saturday:
BJJ (AM)
Warm Up:  Quick Yoga
Workout:  1 hour Technique and Sparring Combo
Warm Down:  Antagonistic Muscle Training

Sunday:  Active Recovery
Long Yoga:  30 - 60 min


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Climbing Training Update 1.5 - Performance Day (10/10/12)


          Ah, its good to be back!  Last week I took the majority of the week off to recover from some serious overtraining and a strained right forearm.  I did do some climbing last week and only one day of light jiu jitsu.  I tried to keep my diet on schedule, but was a bit lax seeing the need to recover before resuming my training in full.  This posts is quick update of my "Performance Day" which is scheduled for once per week.  Eric J. Horst recommends a 3:1 ratio of practice to performance days, mine actual ration is about 4:1.  These results will be republished in my weekly update at the end of the week.  Enjoy!

Highest Grade Completed (unclean) - 5.9+ (indoor / toprope)
Highest Completed Greenpoint (toprope clean) - 5.9 (indoor)

Performance Day Records:
*only clean climbs were counted
Date / Location - Route / Setting / Grade / Time / Performance Rating (seconds x grade)
9/26 / UWG - The Purp / indoor / 5.8+ / untimed / not available
9/30 / UWG - Green Holds / indoor / 5.9+ / untimed / not available
10/10 / UWG - Hello Kitty / indoor / 5.9  / 4 min / 1416
10/10 / UWG - Crystalize / indoor / 5.8 / 1 min, 20 sec / 464
10/10 / UWG - Zebra Trout / indoor / 5.8 / 1 min, 28 sec / 510.4

Notes on Performance Days:
          These recorded times are NOT for the purpose of comparing to other people's accomplishments.  While I am competitive by nature these records are merely for the purpose of tracking my own progress.  My typical Performance Day usually starts with a very light warm up followed by a hard (for me) route that I have been practicing and working on; my latest project.  I take as long as I need to recover from this maximal effort.  I like to get the hardest or most difficult part out of the way first.  I then pick a route that I am familiar with and can climb easily and do a timed ascent.  I usually plan on doing three "business routes" and then finish the day with some experimenting and messing around on the wall to celebrate.  In the future I will continue to push my limit and do the hardest route first, so the grade will (hopefully) increase over time.  One of the easy routes, probably "Crystalize", will serve as a control group and will remain in the Performance Day lineup.  The third route of choice will increase in difficulty over time as my skill and efficiency increase, but will remain securely below the green/redpoint grade.

A Few Words on Rating Performance:
          Now that I have logged a few timed routes there are some things worth mentioning.  When looking at my data we can see that Performance Rating is not the be-all-end-all statistic.  Climbing the same difficulty route in a shorter amount of time produces a lower score, yet is a more difficult task.  However, in comparing different grades we can see that it is fairly accurate in terms of effort exerted on the ascent.  We see that the score of my latest greenpoint (5.9) has a score multitudes higher than the other entries.  This tells me several things.  1)  PR is not an accurate discriminant for routes of the same grade.  2)  PR is reasonably accurate in terms of subjective effort exerted on both climbs of varying and equal grade (eg:  it takes more effort to hang on a 5.9 for 4 minutes than a 5.8 for a minute and a half).  However, there is one stipulation to this principle and that is the mathematical inaccuracy of the grading system.  By this I mean that mathematically 5.9 is greater than 5.10, however, a 5.10 route is more difficult to climb than a 5.9.  This can be corrected, if one wishes to compare >5.9 routes with <5.9 routes by making the mathematical corrections (ie: a 5.9 route is calculated as 5.09 and a 5.10 route calculated as 5.1)  Below you will find the same results with this correction made, and such they will be calculated in the future.


Date / Location - Route / Setting / Grade / Time / Performance Rating (seconds x adjusted grade)
9/26 / UWG - The Purp / indoor / 5.8+ / untimed / not available
9/30 / UWG - Green Holds / indoor / 5.9+ / untimed / not available
10/10 / UWG - Hello Kitty / indoor / 5.9  / 4 min / 1221.6 (5.09 x 4 min x 60 sec/min)
10/10 / UWG - Crystalize / indoor / 5.8 / 1 min, 20 sec / 406.4
10/10 / UWG - Zebra Trout / indoor / 5.8 / 1 min, 28 sec / 447.04

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Climbing Training Update 1 (10/7/12)


Faster updates  and "spur-of-the-moment" tidbits by following this blog on Twitter @Savaged_Zen 

Technical Data:
Beginning Diet Date - 9/28/12
Beginning Body Weight - 168.2
Beginning Percent Body Fat - 6.76
Beginning Body Mass Index - 26.3 (I'm 5'7" without shoes)

Update Date - 10/7/12
Update BW - 167.4
Update PBF - 6.52
Update BMI - 26.2
     *In this particular program I am attempting to reduce body mass and keep body fat low.  I realize that given my dietary, goal, and training outlines that I will be losing lean muscle mass, however, I believe this is acceptable if it enhances my performance ability in the sport(s) I am training for (BJJ and Rock Climbing).  I am also willing to accept an increase in body fat, within certain restraints, if overall body weight is reduced.  At the maximum I will accept 9% body fat.

Foundation Progress (One Mile Climb):
     *These routes are not grade specific (see below for graded progress).  1 Mile = 110 routes on the University of West Georgia climbing wall.

9/9 - 9/15:  2 ascents (2 total)
9/16 - 9/22:  6 ascents (8 total)
9/23 - 9/29: 14 ascents (22 total)
9/30 - 10/6:  9 ascents (31 total)
Total Progress:  31 / 110 ( 21.18% complete )



Grade Pyramids:
     This is taken from Eric Horst's "How to Climb a 5.12" in which he suggests a pyramid approach to increasing your grade of climbing.  For example:  you would climb eight 5.8 routes before attempting a 5.9, climb four 5.9s before moving to two 5.9+, then topping the sequence with one 5.10a.  The cycle is then repeated from 5.10a/b to 5.10c, 5.10d, 5.11a; and again from 5.12a/b to 5.12c to 5.12d to 5.13a. In this process only "clean" climbs count.  That is, you can not fall or rest on the rope whilst climbing the route, it must be done in one attempt, but previous attempts/practice/planning are allowed.  This is known as "redpointing."  I have made spreadsheets to track all my progress, for this and for the One Mile goal as well.  I have separated the Grade Pyramids into two categories, Redpoint (for lead climbing) and Greenoint (for toprope climbing).  A quick Google search should easily tell you the difference between toprope and lead climbing.

Greenpoint Progress:
5.8 (1) - 9/21
5.8 (2, 3) - 9/24
5.8 (4, 5, 6) - 9/25
5.8 (7) - 9/27
5.8 (8) - 9/28

     There were ascents in addition to these, but these records are only to fill out the pyramid format.  Other ascents that do not meet the grade requirement or exceed the quantity requirement (ie: more than eight 5.8 climbs) are simply taken as skill building and useful experience and included in the Mile / Foundation goal tracking.



Performance Rating and Circuits:
     I found, in "The Self-Coached Climber" by Dan Hague, a calculation for tracking climbing performance.  P (performance) = T (time to complete the route in minutes) x G (grade in either V or YDS scale).  There are some flaws to this method, but the idea is to climb a route as fast as possible, so if you're honest in your training you won't lolly-gag on an easy route just to score higher and a faster time on a  harder route is obviously better than a longer time on an easier route.  I laid out several practice days and one performance day per week to test myself.  See the TRAINING NOTES section below for more information regarding scheduling.

Date - Location - Grade - Time - Performance:
Sept 29 - UWG (indoor) - 5.9 and 5.9+ - untimed - toproped but not clean


Diet Notes:
          Cleaned Up "Sticky Diet"(10/1/12) - I revised my "sticky diet" (see last post for details) just to make it a little less intimidating and easier to read while flying around the kitchen each morning.  There were no changes to content or quantity.  You can see that I'm still manipulating my glycogen levels by consuming fast carbs early in the morning and after my workout and by consuming starchy carbs steadily throughout the day.  Also, protein is consumed fairly early in the day, post-workout, and before bed for key recovery times.  Fat is consumed late in the day to aid recovery.

Meal 1 - Fruit (2 x 20 g/c)
Meal 2 - Protein (20 g/p), Veggies
Meal 3 - Starch (40 g/c), Veggies
Meal 4 (Pre-Workout) - Starch (40 g/c)
Meal 5 (Post-Workout) - Sports Drink, Granola Bar, Whey Protein
Meal 6 - Starch (40 g/c), Nuts (20 g/f)
Meal 7- Starch (40 g/c), Protein (20 g/p)

Supplements:
- MetRX Natural Whey - 1 scoop daily
- Universal Animal Flex - 1 pack on double training days (2 x per week)

Cheating:
- Cheat MEAL (not buffet) or alcohol
- once per week
- Cheat meal replaces 1 starch, 1 fruit, and granola bar


The first boulder I attempted outside the gym on an off day of hiking.  
Not logged for training, just a quick on-sight sampler.  Nothing beats real rock!


Training Notes:
          Scheduling (10/1/12) - Initially I was a bit gun-hoe and for the first couple weeks of my training.  I was climbing 5 or 6 days per week, doing BJJ 4 days per week, all on top of my daily cycling commute of about 10 miles.  The result?...inflamed fingers and a strained tendon in my right forearm, severely broken down back muscles, aching legs, and my diet shot to *** from "emotional eating."  Needless to say, my microcycle (weekly training schedule) needed to be more structured.  It is taking a big hit to my heart to knock off one of my beloved BJJ training days, but the focus must be resized.  One can not simply continue adding more and more training to their schedule, your body will let you know that eventually you will need to train smarter, not harder.  Also, there would be no point in saying that I am training for a climbing outing if I am still spending as much time on BJJ and climbing (respectively) as if I were not preparing for a competition in either.  Furthermore, in order to better prepare myself for a climbing outing, I need to place the majority of my training focus therein.
          I am still in the "base building" stage of my training, which will last until about November 10.  I'll then take a week off and begin Horst's recommended mesocycle which is a 10 week process to prepare for a February 2, 1013 outing.  My current goal is still to build a general climbing base through one mile of vertical climbs, my training will reflect that goal.  Horst mentions that sport-related-crosstraining is important as well as training muscle groups antagonistic to climbing to prevent injury.  He also warns against training three days in a row, however, I'm taking this with a grain of salt because sometimes the gym wall I train on is rather crowded and I may only get a few routes in per day.  Below you will find the microcycle that I'll begin in full on 10/8/12.  For the remainder of this week I'll be training some but mostly recovering from a foolishly arrogant mistake.

Monday (PM) - Climbing:  Warm Up = traverse; Workout = Practice Projects, 1 x 5.8 Gluehands; Cool Down = Stretch
Monday (PM after climbing) - BJJ:  Warm UP = Quick Yoga; Workout = 1 hour; Warm Down = 5 x 20 pushup / dip varieties
Tuesday (PM) - Full Rest
Wednesday (PM) - Climbing Performance Day: very light warmup; Timed Routes = 1 x Greenpoint Limit, 2 x 5.8 Routes; Cool Down = Stretch
Thursday (AM) - BJJ:  Warm UP = Quick Yoga; Workout = 1 hour; Warm Down = Reversed Wrist Curls 5 x 10 @ 10lbs each side
Thursday (PM) - Climbing:  Warm Up = Traverse; Workout = 2 x 5.7 Tracking, 1 x 5.8 Gluehands; Cool Down = Stretch
Friday (PM) - Climbing:  Warm Up = Traverse; Workout = 2 x 5.7 Downclimb, 2 x 5.8 Downclimb; Cool Down = Stretch
Saturday (AM) - BJJ:  Warm Up = Quick Yoga; Workout = 1 hour; Warm Down = Standing Overhead Press 2 x 25 @ 45lb bar (one set in front / behind head each), Standing Wrist Rotations 20 @ 5lbs (each side)
Sunday - Active Rest:  Long Yoga

*Terminology Used:  Gluehands is a training method in which you are not allowed to regrip or change holds once your hand has been placed, foot placement is not restricted.  Tracking is a training method where your feet must use the same holds your hands have used, hand placement is not restricted.  Downclimbing is fairly self explanatory; you climb up a route and then down it to build endurance and increase the difficulty of the climb.  A Project is a route that you have failed to green/redpoint, working specific problematic chunks of a Project is a good training method.  A Warm Down differs from a Cool Down in that a Cool Down is slowly turning down your body's throttle; where a Warm Down is a more dynamic method of doing the same thing.  Quick Yoga is a 5 - 7 minute dynamic stretching method I use to warm up, a video will be posted in the coming weeks.  My Long Yoga routine is essentially the same as the Quick Yoga but it is about 30 minutes long, less dynamic, and focused more on stretching and relaxing than warming up.