Hi there

How much training inside the gym and exposure outside is needed if one wants to become one of the srongest SA climbers in 2-4 years time?

Also how strong does one need to be to really go out there and conquer those challenges?

I am waiting to hear from you.

I reckon you'd need to be at least a 9 or 9.5....
Although in European terms that may be anywhere between 40 and 47....

Well, I can give you my personal experience. After 1 years I did my first 27, after 2 my first 29, after 4 my first 32. My first 30 was done on traditional gear. After 5.5 years, I'm getting close to doing my first 33.

To get to this point, I have trained on average 5 days a week. I have cross-trained for running, lifting weights and swimming, often all in the same day along with a 2 hour climbing/bouldering/campus/hangboard session. Many days I have trained 3-4 hours on my own, in my bedroom on my hangboard using extra weight to make the exercises harder.

When I was a student, I spent about 180-200 days a year on rock in different parts of the country.

Now I work full time. After work, 4 nights a week, I go to a climbing gym and boulder for up to 4 hours, along with extra exercises on hangboard/campus board. I do core workouts after most sessions. I try to climb on rock Friday afternoon, Sat & Sunday. Some weeks I rest 1 day a week. Some of my training cycles allow for 2 days of rest a month.

I'm not the best, but I work my ass off since I'm not as talented as some of the other guys I climb with...

I log my training on http://vertigobrian.blogspot.com which is an important part to figuring out where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Good luck

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I hate this real world place... I'd be more than happy to live out there rather...

Brian, I hear you. But the question remains: can you make a decent cup of tea?

...impressive! Respect! But, freak a duck!...you are fricking crazy Brian....& committed to being utterly insane!

That pretty hard core Paxti, I mean Brian. But are you a doctor?

Thanks Brian. It helps a lot and I know it will take hard work from my side to get there. But I will!!

At the moment you are one of my favourite climbers and an inspiration for me to strive to become the best climber I can be.

Regards

Hehehe, good one!

Fairy, if you're not trolling, this is a sad, sad post.

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"I have no more friends, and my nuts are too small!"

Hey Fairy,

These things take time. For some the progress is fast, for others it goes slower.
I believe the most important part is to have fun. Without fun its simply a waste of time. Keep that in mind.

Dont break your head over some comments here. The climbing community is somewhat looney, which is exactly why we like it.

@gollum: you're ugly. I am drunk. tomorrow I will be sober, but you will still be ugly. play nice with beginners.

Winston Churchill?

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Sandbagging is a dirty game

I introduced fairy to this game, and I have never seen anyone with more psyche and willpower to make climbing happen.

Traddies etc is welcome to keep their numbers low, but what we are talking about here I think is SPORT climbing. It is competitive and it is commercial. We need heroes, and we need fans. It makes the sport grow. It increases the commercial market, which in turn gives distributors more bargaining power (and ingnorants like gollum lower prices and a greater range of products). It can make our looney sport/fringe activity (depending on your view) less obscure, self sustainable and can make it more respectable.
It does however place a load of responsibility on the leaders, respectable climbers, and heroes of the game. Now if you dont see yourself in one of these categories, get out of the way - you are taking up space.

Now this is once again either one of my conversation stoppers, or the catalyst for all who have an egg to lay (regardless of how rotten or irrelevant to the original post)

Hang your heads in shame for shooting down noobs who are keen to learn

reincarnated

There's nothing wrong with being keen to learn, but if you start your climbing carreer with the sole intention of being the strongest within your alloted timescale you are missing the point, and 99(.9?)% likely to fail and deal with a succession of disappointments, setbacks and most likely injuries.

If you set out with the intention of getting enjoyment out of being the best climber you can possibly be (irrespective of if you choose to climb trad, comps, sport or boulder), and enjoy every breakthough, every milestone passed and every success as an achievement in itself, then a world of happiness and enjoyment awaits you.

Hey Chris,
I like your take!
In the end its about enjoying the journey. I second that

Nothing wrong with setting yourself a goal, though. I was a good athlete at school, and when I asked my coach what he thought of my abilities he said: "aim for the sun, and maybe you will hit the moon"
Still, if you cannot enjoy the ride, the destination becomes tasteless. In sport I have a very painful personal experience of this.

What, you didn't hit the moon either?

No dude, I eventually burnt out from overtraining. real nasty part of my life.
Which is why i love rock climbing...unlike athletics you can do it purely for fun

Offcourse one must do it for the enjoyment thereof,but once again there is nothing wrong with setting yourself a goal.
Anything to keep one motivated and to keep the spirits up!

Yes,I am new to this and I want to check out all the possibilities. Who knows where this might lead me? Even if I never reach the goal I set out for myself,atleast I did it trying. As long as in the process of trying, I had fun doing so,then it was all worthwhile!

Well, if you're serious about it I can certainly help out to some extent. I travel a lot over weekends and I'm often looking for more people to come along. I would be more than happy to have another person along for the ride and the fun of it.

When I started climbing, I also wanted to be the best. I'm pushing to be the best I can be and working for it every day. It's a great goal to have, it's a good way to motivate yourself and have fun at the same time... Don't lose sight of your dream, fight for it tooth and nail!

In fact... I'm going to Boven this weekend, there is space in the car... Let me know if you feel like coming along. PM me if you're keen and I'll send you my phone number

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I hate this real world place... I'd be more than happy to live out there rather...

oi Brian,

I've drilled Fairy on safety. She can tie herself in, put on her own harnass, knows how to clip safely when leading.
Our Ermelo wall is top rope only. So she can belay toprope and lock off properly.
She has lead climbed at the creche, and I saw her doing it safely.

She has yet to learn lead belaying, and has never touched a grigri.
She also needs to learn to clean routes.

She knows what is considered good conduct at the crags (eg no littering, where to take a dump, etc)

I have honestly not seen someone with her level of psyche before. And she is good company at the crags.

Thanks for getting involved dude

But I'm drunk too!

OK, my post may seem somewhat cynical and condescending.

But here's the deal: If you start running, you don't go around asking how long it will take before you can win the Comrades. You join a club and start running and socialising. Then if you start competing, where you can gauge your progress and talent. THEN can you start competing seriously.

Same here. Beginning by asking how you long before you are one of the best is downright ridiculous. Just start climbing. Make sure you enjoy it. Make sure you do it safely. Then, when you start developing your form, you can set yourself some serious goals.

That's all I meant. Cheers.

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"I have no more friends, and my nuts are too small!"

Hey Gollum

Yeah,maybe one shouldn't go around asking such questions, but atleast I am motivated and positive. And for me as a person it says a lot.

So, if such questions keep me going,then I don't see anything wrong with it!

Peace gollum,
I now see where you're coming from. Dont agree 100%, but what the hec - we dont need to agree on everything.
People climb for different reasons, but in the end we do the same thing whether on a 13 or a 31. I agree with you that to have fun should always be important.

All we need is love