Limit Bouldering

I'm gun' link to Mark Anderson's blog post on limit bouldering, so's i can easily access his list of hold sets for future reference. Also it's a mighty elucidating article on the subject.

Campus'd

Probably a blessing i didn't have the "correct" large and medium rungs on my board. Did my workouts on routed 2 x 4s, which work out to be about 1/4" wider than the "large" Metolius rungs. So it wasn't as hard on my widdle pingers as it coulda been, but it allowed me to pay more attention to body position and the reaches. In other words, it was prolly more fun than it'd otherwise have been.

Even with only three campus sessions on my watered-down beginner's season, i've noticed gains. I'm really starting to get psyched to take this to some projects.

Now i gotta figure out how to do linked boulder circuits around the odd fact that none of the route setters at ye olde gym seem to be into setting problems between v3 and v8.

In fact, the more i cogitate on it, the cheaper those Moon holds seem...

Moon Wall

Apparently there's nobody in the US licensed as seller of Moon holds. That is irritating beyond measure.

Went to order some Moon holds for the wall, and the cost would be about $150; only then it's $100 shipping. And apparently there's no way to get them from a supplier here. I don't know if that's because they stand to make a ton on shipping from the UK, or if they simply have no interest in selling holds to the states. Bizarre, really; but i suppose i've found out the hard way why Moon Walls are not more popular here. Neat idea, but when it costs more for holds for the wall than for a used helicopter to fly to the nearest crag, it's a bit prohibitive.

Very bummed am i.

Down

Always downs... gotta live through 'em, and forget about 'em, and move on. Down at the moment is the feeling i'm training and trying to get "stronger" while the rest of our world is crumbling.

That's maybe a smidge over the top; but not by much, necessarily. I've gotta find another place to be. I don't know if that's just a job, or a move, or just what exactly, but my schedule has to change. She's going crazy. And i seem to have no control over any of that.

And i'm packing workouts into the cracks in the schedule.

And so every tiny thing that goes wrong, any little trough in what might be an upward-trending sine, and i feel crushed by failure-- like it's all a huge waste of time.

i guess this has been one of those weeks. I've actually seen some surprising upticks in my climbing-- even successes in my weight. But i've got off schedule by a bunch, and it squashes me. And that's stupid. It's not really the problem.

I just can't fix the real problem. Can't even quite figure out what it is.

Enough strength--- On to power!

The Trango hangboard turned out to be a very good investment. It's a prouder, chalkier, better-loved war machine now; and i've made some way happy progress. As mentioned in that other place, i've added from 10 to 15 lbs of resistance to all but one or two grips worked. Feel pretty good about that, even if i know it's all coming from neural awakening after having never used my muscles before. I could certainly wish i'd started this 8 or 10 years ago, but i'll take it. Finished strong and no injuries.

Now comes the real live potential injury: Campusing. Gotta say i'm a li'l intimidated--- but i'm also way excited. If i make it through the next 2.5 weeks without an injury, i should see a new level of climbing. WAY psyched!

As it's falling, the first campus work out is this saturday. But i work until after the gym is closed, so i won't be able to do a warm up of any kind. So i'm going to try to move it to friday. That's kinda pushing it after this HB workout, but we'll see how it goes.

Also it's time to start dieting in earnest. Weighed in at 198.0 just now. That's fer shur better'n 202, but i really haven't dropped any appreciable weight since starting. So on the one hand, that means i'm just straight-up, legitimately stronger than i was at first (and the HB gains are not just from dropping lard); but i also know my biggest and sickest gains're gunna come from losing weight.

I do not have the hang of this. I absolutely do not know how to lose weight. In fact, i wish i could find a reliable trainer to make me diet-- that'd be gold. Basic vague principles of dieting don't seem to do it for me. In other words, i can't just change what i'm eating and expect the lbs to flee: i'm gun' hafta count calories, and i suck at that. But i do think it'll be an easier process if i go old-school body-builder and cut out the alcohol and go with a super skeletal diet. If i can maintain the keg living on water, chicken and tuna, then i'm gonna check my thyroid.