Climbing Update - Now Officially in the 5.10 Range

          Hey folks, this is the follow up to my post earlier this week.  Just a quick recap:  I started climbing regularly in mid-October of last year.  My first outdoor climbing trip was over Thanksgiving break.  My indoor limit was a 5.9 / 5.9+ and outdoor was 5.8+.  Our rock wall was closed over December.  I started climbing again in January.  A BJJ club opened in town in February, and I restricted my climbing to the weekends.  Last weekend I cleanly climbed an (indoor) 5.9+ that had been giving me problems; and on Wednesday tried a few 5.10s (indoor) with only a few falls each.
          There were two of the 5.10 routes I tried on Wednesday which I had only fallen once on.  My goal for this weekend was to climb both of them cleanly.  Yesterday I did one of them perfectly.  It was a 5.8 route normally, but has special instructions to only use "natural" hands thus making it a 5.10.  Feeling good, I moved on to the next route.  I don't know if I was burned out from the first or what, but I kept slipping and pumping out much sooner than usual.  I decided that one was a good benchmark for the day and finished with some bouldering.  I'll touch back on bouldering in a bit.
          Today I went back to the wall and was ready for business.  I tried the route I had been eyeing and fell about where I normally do, I went ahead and finished the route anyway.  Later that session I went ahead and tried it again.  This time I fell fairly early and asked my belayer to lower me down so I could start the route fresh.  I tried again, and fell at the same spot.  I was done for that attempt.  Later in the evening I decided to give it one more shot.  I made it through the moves where I had fallen earlier that session but while changing grips, moving up a chimney, my hand slipped.  Fortunately my face smacked the other side of the chimney, creating a "smear" hold and kept me from falling.  It actually wasn't to painful but I was glad I have a solid chin!  As I moved to where I had fallen on my first few attempts I got a handful of a fairly juggy hold which (having done the route before) signaled to me that I was through the hard part(s).  I was going to do this.  I took a moment to collect myself on the nice hold and climbed on with a great deal of excitement.  My first two 5.10 routes were in the books!  One might have been a fluke or a mis-graded route, but two (in my  mind) declares that I'm now out of that "beginner" realm and moving on to some "not you're average" routes.  I topped off the session with some bouldering and "playing" on a 5.10+.
          Back to bouldering.  With my short and stocky build you'd think that I was cut from the mold for boulderings few (in quantity) powerful and difficult moves.  I have been onto this idea for quite a while.  However, I knew that the skill level required would be higher.  On a whim I jumped on a V3 boulder problem, fell on the first few attempts, but eventually got it.  In retrospect, I remember telling myself that I would not start integrating bouldering into my routine until I could climb a 5.10.  Coincidentally, that is EXACTLY how it worked out!
          Climbing a V3 and a 5.10 is nothing special in the climbing world.  There are tons of climbers out there climbing 5.12s and and the best in the world projecting 5.15s.  However, I'm taking pride in this accomplishment.  Jiu Jitsu is where my heart is.  I'm a grappler who climbs in his spare time.  But notching my first 5.10s signifies that I am not your average "athletic" built "Mr. Muscles" walking into a climbing gym off the street.  As I stated in the last post, I'm not writing this to brag.  I'm writing it as a doctrine of my accomplishments.  I'm writing in the spirit of (as the title of this blog suggests) being an "open source" athlete.

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Climbing Update - New Grades and New Challenges

          While I am thrilled that we have a small but strong BJJ club here in town I have been trying to keep up on my rock climbing as a means of cross training... plus, I already have purchased all the gear and I'd hate to see it collect dust in a closet!  So I've made my venture back to the rock wall over the past few weeks and more-or-less picked up (skill wise) where I had left off at the end of November.  Then I got to about my redpoint climbing a 5.9+.  I feel the route was accurately graded, but the crux was tough, it turned you one direction, then back the other way, all on some fairly small, odd shaped holds.  This route had been sticking me for a while.  Last Saturday I finally completed it clean!  Ooh-Rah!
          Tonight's BJJ practice was canceled due to the instructor having a conflicting appointment.  So I logged an extra day at the rock wall.  It was well worth it.  Right off the bat, I jumped on the next hardest route after the one I had completed.  This route was rated a 5.10.  It wasn't too difficult, but certainly challenging.  My first fall wasn't until about 3/4 of the way up the wall.  I had to take a few more falls on the crux of the route there, but ultimately finished it.  This was not, however, the first 5.10 I had finished "dirty."  But it was a first for something else.
          While I was there anyway I decided to give another 5.10 a shot.  This time it was a 5.8 normally but with special rules that your hands were only allowed to use natural and crack holds; thus making it a 5.10.  Again, I fell about 3/4 of the way up but quickly recovered and finished the route.  I moved on to yet another 5.10 (a normal, anything goes) climb.  My first fall here was about 1/3 of the way up, but it was a slippery hold and I knew where I had technically gone awry.  I recomposed myself and finished the rest of the route without issue.  Then I figure, what the hell, I'll jump on this 5.10+.  I didn't get too far, most probably because I had been climbing at my capacity the whole session.  But I was satisfied with the day's work.
          My goal for this coming weekend is to climb the two routes that I only fell once on and climb them cleanly.  Of course, these are top-roped routes, but nevertheless; a 'send is a 'send when you're working to improve.
          This has made me do a bit of reflecting.  I only started climbing regularly in October or so of last year.  A simple 5.8+ (generously graded; it was probably only a 5.8) was giving me all kinds of grief about half way up the route.  I remember the sense of jubilation when I finally 'sended that (enter explicit content); fist pumping the whole way down.  Then I had to take a one month (plus) layoff while the rock wall was closed over the holiday break.  Now, only a short ~5 months later I'm projecting things almost two whole grades higher!  I didn't write this to brag though.  I am very, very, VERY far from an exceptional climber as you can see from the grades listed.  I wrote this to share my excitement about breaking that "beginner" plateau.  I'd be pretty surprised to see your run-of-the-mill "meat-head" jump right on a 5.10 route and climb it cleanly.
          5 Months ago I was one of those "meat-heads."  Perhaps a little more agile, flexible, and intelligent, but my climbing skills were still the same... none.  Getting so far up the routes before falling gave me a little extra confidence.  Confidence where I didn't fall two or three times and say "I'm too pumped" or "I'm burned out for the day" or "I'm just not good enough yet."  No, I decided the day was today.  So while none of them were "clean" and they were all top-roped, I take no shame and a great deal of fulfillment writing down in this training log that I booked three ascents of 5.10 routes and started projecting a 5.10+.  Rock and Roll my friends!  Climb the ROCKs and ROLL on the mats!

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TKD / 4HB Hybrid Update

          In this post, I'll be giving my updated body stats (BMI, PBF, Weight, etc...).  I'll also mention a few notes about how my progress is going so far.

Weight - 174.8lbs
Body Mass Index (BMI) - 26.6
Percent Body Fat (PBF) - 6.42
Lbs of Body Fat - 11.23
Lean Body Weight - 163.77
*Body fat measurements calculated via Jackson-Polluk 3

          Now, there are a couple things worth mentioning and noting here.  Firstly, my progress.  Over the fall / winter months I was heavily involved in Rock Climbing.  As such, I read some books on climbing and felt the need to adjust my dietary measures to the demands of the sport.  I had switched to a very high carbohydrate diet as recommended.  However, there were some issues.  Firstly, rock climbing (given time constraints and training availability) did not provide the same "intensity" that fighting / grappling did.  Also, over the month of December the rock was closed (Yoga was the best I could do) and I was not making my daily commute (via bicycle) to school.  The result was that I ballooned my once chiseled 165 lbs to 180 lbs by mid-January.  This is where I made the dietary switch.  Considering I have only been on this diet for a little under a month and have only been back on a regular training schedule for the past two weeks, I think things are going as well as could be expected.  On a side note, there have been a couple small hangups (i.e. late night carb cravings) brought on by long nights of studying.  (I'll get back to this in a minute).
          The other thing I want to mention, as I have in previous posts, that according to the US Department of Health, I am "overweight" by measure of BMI.  Take a look again at my PBF.  Overweight?  Depends on the standards, certainly not "over-fat" considering the essential fat for men is about 2 - 4%.
          Something else to keep in mind is that when I compete in Jiu Jitsu competitions I do so in the lightweight division (167.5 lbs - with a Gi on).  My competition Gi weights about 3 lbs; which means my bodyweight needs to be about 164 lbs.  The trick here is that I cannot "cut" weight as in many grappling and MMA competitions.  Trust me, I am seasoned at that sort of thing.  However, in IBJJF tournaments athletes literally get off the scale and on the mat in a matter of < 5 minutes (this is specifically done to discourage athletes from "cutting" weight).  Lets look at the numbers again.  If I wanted to go from 174.8 lbs to 164 lbs that would be a 6.18% decrease in weight.  Considering what the essential fat percentage for men is, I could only loose about 2 - 2.4% body weight from fat alone.  This means that I would be losing some lean mass, at least 4%.  Sinful in the bodybuilding world, yes.  But I'm an not opposed to it.  I often feel faster, more agile, more flexible, and all around sharper when I am down that light.  However, something I have been contemplating is moving up a weight class, the next is 181 lbs.  That is quite a considerable jump, especially since I'm only 5' 8".
          Back to the "cheating" or "oopses."  Something I have struggled with in the past and am working to correct is the mindset that if you break from your planned diet in the slightest bit, the whole day is shot to ****.  Practically speaking, if you snatch a few dumb-dumbs on your way out of the bank that's no reason to feel guilty and cry about it over half a dozen McDoubles.  Likewise, if a friend has a birthday that you forgot and they (for example) bring cake to class or work, you don't need to put yourself in a food coma, but you don't need to totally obtain either.  Eat a piece, be social, and move on.  Simple mistakes here and there do not add up in the long run, so long as they stay simple.  BIG mistakes do add up; like feeling guilty every time you give into the slightest craving you swing for the fences and put the buffets out of business.  Trying to compensate for these little inefficiencies is another common mistake.  I may have snitched a cookie or two yesterday, well now I have to make up for it today by eating less, right?  Wrong.  The only thing you will do there is increase the likelihood of you turning that little mistake into a big mistake and repeating the cycle all over again.  Think longevity and sustainability; long term results, not temporary solutions.  Unless, of course you have a temporary goal (like preparation for a competition) specifically in mind.  Even then, it's advisable to keep your year-round weight within 10% of your "fighting weight" or the weight you want to be at one week before the fight / before you begin "cutting."

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West Georgia BJJ Club in Full Swing!

          This has been an exciting week for my training.  A couple friends of mine have launched their very own local BJJ club here in West Georgia through the city recreation center!  (Facebook link)  To say the least, I am thrilled to have this opportunity to train locally in our small town without commuting anywhere.  So far in the first week we have a small number of "seasoned" athletes but a growing interest in the community.  I hope this explodes bigger than any of us could have ever imagined.
          With these events in mind my current training schedule looks something like this:

• Monday - BJJ 8:00 - 9:30
• Tuesday - BJJ 7:30 - 9:30
• Wednesday - BJJ 7:30 - 9:30
• Thursday - BJJ 7:30 - 9:30
• Friday - Rest / Yoga Day
• Saturday - Rock Climbing or Rest (pending how sore I am from other training)
• Sunday - Rock Climbing 6:00 - 8:00

          I am not planning any competitions in the foreseeable future, but this schedule is of course subject to change pending my class / work schedule and such.  As far as my Dietary Plan, you can read about my most current Diet Plan in this recent post.  I started this plan about a week before the official launch of the BJJ club which I think was a good idea.  It allowed my body to adjust at a more steady pace.  Rather than diving head first in to a new training program and diet, I paced my body to allow it to adjust to the dietary changes before adding in the training.  However, I have had some difficulty sticking to the diet after introducing the training element.  I think that this has a lot to do with some external factors such as school load, stress, and looking / interviewing for a new job.  I don't feel like its worth throwing out the window since I've only been trying this diet for a couple weeks.  I want to give it a more honest try than that.

          I think that the way the macronutrients and insulin manipulation is set up will compliment my training very well; its just a matter of adjusting to it.  Also, as I stated earlier I am not planning on competing any time soon and that gives me a little more lenience   Not being "in-season" or in "training camp" I have a lot more flexibility to try/fail/try-again with different diet plans.  So, I'll be sticking to this one and am just chalking up the past week to various external and internal variants that affected my mood / appetite, etc... This is a time to keep on pushing and to enjoy this fabulous opportunity to just train for the sake of training and love of the sport.

         

Rock and Roll aint noise pollution, Rock and Roll aint gonna die - AC/DC

          --> Climb the rocks and roll on the mats --> life is good!

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