Source
r/climbharder•
golf_ST

Train like a dumbass - January Challenge

January is a shit month for climbing locally. Too cold, too wet, and anywhere dry is too far. It's doable, but you have to be a stubborn asshole, with too much time. I'm a stubborn asshole, but short on time. So January is the perfect time to get rekt before the spring climbing season starts.

Dan John has popularized a kettle bell challenge called the 10,000 swing challenge. Pretty straight forward. you do 10k reps over 20-something days. Get fit, get strong. Cool.

In January, I'm going to do the 10k swing challenge. I'm going to pair it with 10,000 seconds of deadhangs. And I'm gonna ARC an Everest (29,032 ft). In 20 active days, hopefully in less than 25 total days.

The plan!

  • Morning swings + hangs - 6am
    • 25 sets of 20 swings, 20" hang on a 20mm edge, a few pullups
    • Rest ~2 minutes, basically a new round starts every 3 minutes, on the minute
    • this takes 90 minutes, with warmups
  • Evening - 4pm
    • ARC. Should be 24 pitches per day, in the gym, 60ft walls. Autobelay. Headphones.
    • This takes 75 minutes.

Goals: None. This is not training. This is dumb shit to prove a point to myself. I expect it will be great for body composition, good for aerobic fitness for climbing, no idea what will happen with finger strength. Looking forward to climbing 5.10 in gloves because jug rash and swings have killed my hands. #SponsorMeRhinoSkin

Do it with me! Or not. Or try the hangs. But mostly, don't be afraid to do dumb shit in your training. The worst case scenario is you'll learn something. New Years Resolution: for this to be the dumbest thing I do in 2022.

Posted Dec 11, 2021, 5:01 AM UTC

11249
VictoryChantV10 x 1 V9 x 12 | 7b+ sport•

My first thought was long distance on the campus board. 1km is 4545 rungs, so going 1-3-5 909 times will cover it

Doing 61 sets of 1-3-5 every other day for a month will get me a catastrophic pulley injury by around day 17, and debilitating elbow pain by 25 by my calculations

Very excited to start

72
PM_ME_YOUR_PAIN_GURL13a | v4 | CA 8 | TA 1•

You’re cheating yourself. I see yds grades in your flair. Shouldn’t you aim for a mile? 1-5-9 ?

11
VictoryChantV10 x 1 V9 x 12 | 7b+ sport•

Yds grades? There's v scale and French, but no yds?

3
PM_ME_YOUR_PAIN_GURL13a | v4 | CA 8 | TA 1•

Oh hahaha. I was up pretty late when I posted that. Hard to know what I was thinking.

4
ehlonofex•

yosemite decimal system

1
VictoryChantV10 x 1 V9 x 12 | 7b+ sport•

I think you want to reply to the guy who's mixing up yds and french sport grades aha

3
dmillz89•

Well he could be Canadian like me, we use the yds system here as well.

1
golf_STOPV10ish•

Campussing a mile would be such a flex! I'm not strong enough for that to be a possibility, but I might train all year with the goal of doing it next January....

6
dmillz89•

But mostly, don't be afraid to do dumb shit in your training. The worst case scenario is you'll learn something.

I mean no it's not, worst case for me is the guaranteed major injuries I would have after like the first week.

That said, hell ya dude, can't wait to read the follow ups!

52
golf_STOPV10ish•

guaranteed major injuries

I don't think that's actually the case. The intensity for everything is so low, by nature of the volume. "Do your warmup for 1.5 hrs" is not particularly injurious.

-1†
Kingcolliwog•

Very repetitive shit with really high volume can certainly injure you. Volume is often just as bad as intensity for injury

20
rtkaratekidV8 | 13a | sport/trad/alpine | 9 years climbing•

In some cases it can even be worse because you are stressing connective tissue more than it can recover.

3
anysendcanhappen•

I mean it's all low intensity yes, but sheer volume can also lead to injuries as well, that's where most injuries show up for endurance athletes. But I still want to see you post a diary/update on how this goes!

2
golf_STOPV10ish•

I have some experience with the study of workplace injuries in ergonomics. In general, volume is much less injurious than load. The maximum approved load for a task done 6x a minute for 8 hours is almost identical to 1x a minute for 2 hrs. The reason that volume breaks people is that they are forced to use a load that is inappropriate for the volume they're doing (running at bodyweight, for example).

It's difficult because the nuanced answer is that injury risk is a complicated function of volume and intensity and other lifestyle factors. But intensity is far more worrisome than volume, if you were doing some "mini-max" training program.

1
Expensive_Goat2201•

I came here to say that. Swinging kettlebells around sounds like a good way to smash your own face in. Or your legs or balls or whatever. Sounds dangerous to anyone standing too close. Finger injuries are no joke. Hang boarding should be approched with caution and moderation in my book.

-28
killfatmike•

"don't be afraid to do dumb shit in your training. The worst-case scenario is you'll learn something"

No, the worst case is you injury yourself, and rob yourself of the progress you would have made with a smart training plan.

I hope I am wrong and GL on your plan.

43
golf_STOPV10ish•

There is definitely some opportunity cost for sure, like with everything.

5
JohnnyWaffleseed•

Right, but doing something smart is probably smarter than doing something dumb. But do your thing! Take some before measurements so we can compare the results. I love a good data point.

5
golf_STOPV10ish•

I've done "smart" training for 7 years. It's time for something dumb!

7
IFoundItThatWay•

Please, make this a T shirt. Better yet, just print it across the back of some sweatpants so people can post it on the gram while flexing shirtless.

2
Nolds•

I’m 35 and pretty sure this would end with me at the orthopedic surgeon.

19
CFmacc•

Im still well into my twenties and this would break me

5
asianhere•

I just hit 35 and this is a repetitive strain injury in the making for me haha

1
Aggravating_Angle602v9 Indoor | 2 Years•

Good luck it sounds hards, it’s overtraining for me. I’m sticking to my abs everyday challenge for 60 days.

17
golf_STOPV10ish•

I don't think it will technically meet the definition for overtraining, for me. But only because each set is so far from my actual 1RM. I've done some thinking on it, I think...

3
Aggravating_Angle602v9 Indoor | 2 Years•

You’re not working finger strength, just finger endurance. You’re not increasing hang time, weight or edge size. It’s just wasting time. Are kettlebell swings good for climb? And idk about ARC I only Boulder but you have like 0 rest days.

-16
doctrgiggles•

What's your abs everyday challenge?

2
Aggravating_Angle602v9 Indoor | 2 Years•

It’s just 30mins of core everyday. Doing max 2-3 front lever holds every 3 mins. And ab roller.

1
mmeeplechase5.12+/13- | Training Age: 5•

I kinda love your attitude here 😂 I’m not gonna copy your plan (partly because I just really don’t wanna do kettlebell swings), but I might steal the idea and think of an equally dumb yet strangely challenging January plan. Please provide updates!

9
golf_STOPV10ish•

I think the 10k TUT hangboarding aspect might actually be worth repeating.

5
mmeeplechase5.12+/13- | Training Age: 5•

That’s also definitely the easiest to fit in…might be adding that to my schedule, thank you!

1
justrain•

Man, a bunch of negative Nancies here on Reddit. Do it! I love challenges like this.

6
Lyskhh•

Jesus Christ on a roller coaster. Pls don't tell me 24kg bell? :D

3
golf_STOPV10ish•

I'm relatively experienced swinging bells. So 36 or 40kg.

8
thedirtysouth92V7, V8x2 | 16 months•

What kind of kb swinging do you normally do at what weight? I've loved the way heavy swings primed my hips for generating power on the wall. I haven't done them in a while since I've gotten to a stage where I can climb for the majority of my training. what do you feel you get out of it, especially at high intensities? I've been thinking of getting a plate loaded device when I add weight training back in, bc my gym's maxes out at 48kg.

also: fun idea. give it hell. hope it gets you psyched for the rest of your climbing year

1
golf_STOPV10ish•

I'm pretty far past the point where swinging kettlebells helps my climbing. In general, swings have helped create a nice, vague feeling of stability in the trunk. One handed swings particularly.

I would guess if you've exceeded the bells that your gym has, then there's also no direct benefit to getting stronger.

1
individual_throwaway•

So you are short on time, but you think you can fit 3 hours of training in each and every day for a month.

Dude, you don't know what it means to be short on time, apparently. Yes, less time invested than driving several hours to a crag, but you don't do that every day unless you don't have a day job.

3
golf_STOPV10ish•

I work full time, grad school full time, and have some family obligations. Whatever your gatekeeping for busy is, I probably meet it. I'm always telling people they can/should be more time efficient, and that the minimum effective training volume per week is surprisingly short, because I live that.

I could soapbox about wasting less time. But in reality it's 20 days, so just sleeping less is a great option. So is hermitting. And January is by far the best month for me to slack off at work.

4†
el_montanan•

You could definitely do this with a job, but it’s crazy to think this could be someone’s definition of “short on time”

3
3pelican•

Sometimes less is more my friend. But good luck! You’ll definitely have good aerobic fitness at the very least.

3
RainbowAppIe•

This sounds like fun! Good luck!

1
adultnaughtys•

I miss climbing so much, I can't wait for my knee to heal and get back out there

1
rtkaratekidV8 | 13a | sport/trad/alpine | 9 years climbing•

This sound stupidly awesome! I really want a report on how it goes when you're done!

1
kg_b8a+/b TS: 07/17•

It's all fun and games till you're overtrained and depression kicks in. Hope you auto regulate in the way if you feel something bad is coming.

1
vaahterapuu•

25 sets of 20" hangs (combined with swings) would be hard for me even on a bar I think, other than that it looks doable. Best of luck, enjoy it & keep us posted!

1
RayPineocco•

How heavy is your kettlebell?

I tried doing high volume swings during the first lockdown right before sport climbing season. It was hard AF and I only aimed for 5000 in a month. It was extremely exhausting with a 20kg. Good luck OP!

1
Paul513Journey•

Golf buddy I’m gonna shove my PT hat down in the back of the closet for this one and say Good Luck ma man. Being psyched on a personal challenge is awesome, I mean we climb rocks for fks sake. Keep us filled in how it’s going!

1
RedditIsRealWack•

You gon die.

The everest thing will be difficult enough, surely? 24 pitches every day? Maybe my elbows are just pussies, but I would have tendinitis real quick.

Add into that kettlebell swings, and I think my shoulder/elbow health could be measured in days.

1
parenthetica_n•

how is this going?

1