Just a couple of things, mainly to do with strengthening the shoulder girdle. Random stuff that’s been floating in my training folder for awhile now. This is going to be a leetle messy so do bear with me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5-PLpC2Zlo
Addtionally, see the quotes below:
As someone with both higher education/actual work experience in the exercise science/fitness field and as a climber, this is what I can offer to you:
As many have stated, standard resistance training does not really translate into improved climbing per se. However, this does not mean it is useless or will have no effect on your stamina or strength (because we cannot work on movement skills with the greatest efficiency when our overall physical conditioning is low or when we have kinetic chain weaknesses).
That said, the required amount of standard resistance training will be much less than your former regimen. In your former incarnation of training, such a schedule will hinder your climbing due to recovery needs.
I don't really have time right now to assess all the exercises you have listed blow by blow (and for the record, no exercises are really "good" or "bad," it's more about how you implement them wrt load and volume), but I can tell you that I feel climbers can do well to supplement their climbing training by:
* eliminating isolation exercises (with perhaps the exception of triceps isolations or forearm extensor isolations)
* using their time to mainly lift for upper body pushing muscle groups (compound)
* doing lower body compound exercises in moderation (you make mix in all loads/volumes if you so desire), esp. making sure not to neglect posterior chain training (low back/glute/ham/calf synergistic movements)
* doing rotator cuff and lower trapezius training
* doing functional core stability work....things like medicine ball slams, Pilates exercises, thera-ball exercises, etc.
* doing upper body compound pulling exercises in small amounts (you get a whole bunch of this in climbing, after all)
And,
Edited to add: the key to reducing one's aerobic training yet still maintain the same levels of fitness, you must only reduce either FREQUENCY or DURATION by 1/3 to 2/3 and you must keep your intensity absolutely the same as before, plus keep the other variable the same as well. Ergo:
Intensity (same) + Frequency (same) + Duration (less) OR
Intensity (same) + Frequency (less) + Duration (same)
= Maintenance
(I also remember hearing that you can decrease both Freq and Dur by up to 2/3 simul and still not suffer losses, so, that may in fact be the actual case.)
BUT
Intensity (less) + Frequency (same) + Duration (same)
= Decreases in fitness
Likewise, resistance training requires MAXIMAL effort of all muscle groups to maintain existing strength on one day per week.
Also, if you were wondering about the relation between typical weight lifting conventions to things like fingerboard training, check this out.
First of all going to failure is not needed to gain strength or muscle. Not in forearms or anywhere else in the body. It is enough to do better in the long run in weights and volume (sets and reps).
Going to failure in this kind of repetitive training is very hard on finger joints and soft tissue in general and is too injury prone to be that successful in the long run. This does not mean the training should be a walk in the park, no no.
Second thing that goes wrong is the adaptation of old bodybuilding "rules" to strength training like "do 6-12 reps for muscle growth". It does not apply like this to system wall, HIT or bouldering workouts. A weight training "rep" can´t be transfered into a climbing move 1:1. So no correlation to weight training that way.
The set lengths are way too long and too simple mindedly put. 12-20 reps that are most usually recommended last quite a long time and there are no suggestions ever on rep (or move) length.
If you do a move let´s say every 3 secs it is quite fast action if you adjust feet, body etc etc every move so the most of the time is done moving easily and not hanging on a hold. If you progress only from Hörsts´ 12 reps to 20 reps you gain a lot less volume than following other ways, read further.
To get a bit more out of otherwise good system tiles of Mr Hörst, I would recommend:
- When training for basic strength or hypertrophy the set length should be kept around 30-50 secs. Hörsts´ recommendations work mainly the low end of anaerobic endurance.
- No need to go to failure but progress in weights, reps, sets etc in the long run. An example:
...In the beginning of the basic strength phase:
5 grips, 2 sets of 8 moves (4 secs/move) total @ 20 lbs extra weight
...A goal in the end of the same phase:
5 grips, 4 sets of 10 moves (5 secs/move) total @ 30 lbs extra weight
- You can also use different loading patterns like descending (like 4,6,8,10) and ascending (10,8,6,4) pyramids, equal sets (4x8), double sets (2x8, 2x6), contrast sets 3x(8x30 lbs, 8x5lbs) etc...
- The body does not recognize moves so keep the set length around 30-50 secs and vary the length of the hang on a hold too.
- Training for maximum strength keep the set length under 20 secs. That means around 1-4 moves total.
- You can progress a lot more if you add sets too and not only reps or weight. The overall volume is the key in the basic phase.
- The pauses between sets are another way to progress. You might start on 3 minute pauses and progress to a shorter rests. BUT: the pauses are not that important than the amount of resistance (weights, set length). The pauses have more to do with endurance training intervals.
- You should absolutely use different angle lock offs etc to make sets harder too. Hold for 2-5 secs per lock off. This alters the set length of course so that´s why you should forget the moves and concentrate on time.
- You should always cut the training in phases. First the hypertrophy and then the neural stuff. The HIT system is best used during the basic phase in the beginning of the training season along other basic hypertrophy training like finger curls, hangboard etc. When the season comes closer concentrate much more on real climbing to perfect your movement skills. I can´t stress that enough.
- It is very much possible to train anaerobic endurance on HIT strips too. Both short (1-3 minute strength endurance) and long (5-10 minute muscle endurance) duration. Of course everything depends on the wall angle (make it adjustable) and your level of fitness. Intervals work well too.
- The basic strength and hypertrophy phase should last at least 2 months to give any good progression in muscle size. First you get neural activation and after that the muscle itself gets bigger that is the phase goal. Of course the gains are not generally very large. Imagine 100 grams more on each of your forearms so no fear for huge extra weight gain :)
- The max strength and recruitment phase can be shorter, 4-8 weeks.
- Keep the "normal" climbing along!!! Absolutely! The movement efficiency, coordination etc training are way too important to let go for even a short while.
For further references, see http://www.fitnessvancouver.ca/content/time%20under%20tension.htm
