Can you do 10 chin-ups, but get on the wall and find you are unable to hold on to certain holds? Get stuck making the move past a certain hold? Chances are your weakness isn’t your strength, it’s your contact strength.  If you can’t hold on to that tiny piece of rock, chances are you’re not going to be able to move off it either!

So, what do you do?

Well, you have a few options. You could train on the systems wall. A systems wall is a wall set up with the same type of holds that you can practise.  For example, you’ll find a row of slopers or a row of crimps.  This will enable you to keep climbing up and down to practise and strengthen that particular grip type all while using your body in a simulation of climbing.

You can jump on the hangboard.  A hangboard is a board that pairs up different types and sizes of certain holds. The idea is to dead hang off these holds without moving.  You can also practise pull-ups on specific hold types.  And they don’t have to be the same hold types. You could try doing a pull-up with a crimp on one hand and a jug in the other.  When this gets too easy, you can add a weight belt.

Bouldering is a great way to develop your contact strength all while maintaining and building upon your core strength. You must choose hard problems that challenge you.

You could also jump on a climb that focuses on your handhold type of weakness. It must be a climb that is challenging and will take you awhile to work out.  Something a little outside of your comfort zone. This option trains your grip type in different positions rather than in the one direction.

Remember to maintain your strengths, but work on your weaknesses.  Contact strength is your first point of contact with the wall, so it’s a good bet that you’ll need to train it, no matter what your skill level.  Now you have the tools!  Go practise!

I want to phrase what I am about to say perfectly, but without using any naughty words, though I find it difficult because quite simply put ‘my arse is aching!’.

Basically since I have been training with John ‘The Legs’ McNaughton, I have had to endure some rather daunting, mostly painful but amorously deviant leg workouts. Of which, I might say, I have mostly not enjoyed, however, I have become accustomed to and will for a long time I imagine be forced into doing.

So in saying that I shall reveal the weights workout we have been following, and if you are up to I suggest you jump in the lab and give it a go.

Warning: explicit content, persons using and or operating gym equipment in this fashion may result in feeling some very sore derrières!

So first of all I began the first quarter of our workout with a routine I have amply named the 7 and 7’s. Basically it consists of choosing a heavy weight you can perform extended repetitions of. For me it is 2x 8kgs dumbbells one for each arm, for John it was 10kgs or something bigger than me anyway. So we begin with 7 reps of bicep curls, then 7 reps of half bicep curls, this is bringing the weight up halfway and down again, basically just so you feel the tension then back down again. Then we follow with 7 triceps extensions. We did this in 3 sets, so in between each set we do prone holds to work on our core stability. Once this was all done you bi’s, tri’s and all other areas should be burning!

So we hit the second quarter, as conducted by John. We were sticking with the upper body this time so we did 16 reps of 35kg lateral pulldowns, followed by 16 reps of cable flys. Now I tell you, once you’ve done the first 8 you will be screaming through the second 8.

And all of this was not enough, so we moved to our 3^rd quarter. This began with sumo squats, that’s where you get a weighted medicine ball and perform squats to lift and place it back down. Great for your legs! In between these sets we did front support, also using a medicine ball and resting our body on it and pulling legs to our chest, awesome for those abs!

So after all this John had to go and top off our last quarter with a mammoth burner, which I am still feeling. This was basically alternating between single leg squats and pull ups. So we did 20 pull ups and 10 single leg squats on each side. Man when you get the technique right on those it kills your butt! It is quite difficult to master as you need a lot of core stability to control your movement without using a stability support i.e. using the pole in front.

Anyway all in all, this hour obliterated my body, and I could barely sit down and or pick myself up after. But apparently it is fabulous for your backside and I shall reap the benefits this summer when bikini clad beaches are calling. Thank you John and thank you to the inventor of all butt like exercises, single handedly saving cellulite-feared people nationally! 

I have included a PDF attachment of the workout if you want to try it click here: mcbains-diary-9-plan

Ok folks, this article has been a work in progress because we wanted it to be purrrfect for you. After much deliberation on what questions we thought you might like, we ended up settling on the very best 8! I am sure they need no introduction but our guest interviewees are Alister Murray or The Lab  (our resident Exercise Physiologist) and Trina Lat, physiotherapist and climbing expert.

So i hope you enjoy this piece, we will also be adding mp3’s of the interview shortly! Stay tuned.

He said/She said

Q.    Can exercise be used for rehabilitation or should it be avoided when injured?

Trina: Yes, the question is what exercises are you allowed to do when you do have an injury. For example if you have a knee injury that worsens when running, you have to do certain exercises to strengthen weak muscles such as your quads and hamstrings, and do exercises such as squats and lunges. But then avoid running as an exercise until symptoms subside or you have corrected muscle imbalances that have been causing you knee pain. So its just like going back to basics really.

Alister:  yeah I definitely agree with that, and I think that exercise is important to aid in the recovery but if it’s done wrongly, like Trina suggested if you have a knee injury and you do a 10k run, then you could potentially do a lot of damage. So the exercise has to be specific for the injury and as long as it’s done with correct technique, then you should be able to optimize your recovery time with exercise involved.

Q.    I want to improve my climbing, should I consider taking supplements to help my training?

Alister: I don’t think supplements are going to help training too much unless the training program is very specific and your checking all the boxes in terms of your frequency and duration of training first. If you are someone who climbs yellows and you want to be climbing blacks, there are a lot more things you can be doing in terms of the technique improvement before even thinking about taking supplements. If you do however want to take supplements or want more information, you should see an EP at The Lab because we can let you know what kind of things are appropriate dependant on your dietary requirements and your training requirements too.

Trina: Supplements are there for muscle growth and strength, but it does not mean it will improve your climbing. So climbing more plus taking supplements may aid you in training but it does not mean it will get you climbing black routes, and taking only supplements with no extra climbing training will not make a difference. A combination of climbing, the right technique training, strength training and supplements as an aid, may see you having improvements.

Q.    I am having shoulder pain when I climb, should I see a physiotherapist or an exercise physiologist?

Trina: A physiotherapist can diagnose you or give you an impression of what the problem is or an assessment of the biomechanics of your shoulder and directly address the problem. Then I think as your symptoms such as pain or lack of range of movement subside, and as you get stronger you may want more training for a higher level of activity, especially if you are an athlete. I think then is the best time for you to see an EP.

Alister: I agree, if the shoulder pain you are having in climbing is very acute then seeing a physiotherapist is a great way to get a diagnosis and thorough assessment. As your injury rehab progresses, especially if you are looking to remain active, an EP can definitely play a role in that as well, because that can be programmed into your rehab so that you are able to maintain some activity despite the limitations that you’re getting. Aside from that if you are experiencing pain you should see either one first up, the EP will be able to give you a bit of an idea as to the cause or be able to even refer to you a physiotherapist. So if you are able to see either one for a bit of advice then you can definitely get in front of the right person from there.

Q.    I spend all day sitting at a desk, and I suffer from neck pain. What can I do about it?

Trina: Sitting at desks for prolonged periods of time can be contributing factor to neck pain. So postural problems or ergonomic problems, meaning how your desk is set up can be contributing factors. With this in mind you may think that there would be a result in weakness of certain muscles, by compensating in each other, which will results in neck pain. A physiotherapist can assess your neck, biomechanics and shoulder, some physiotherapists specialize in ergonomics to assess your work stations. I think it would be good to go see someone who can assess this and relieve you of your pain.

Alister: I think this is very important as your neck muscles are very attune to tightness because they tend to go into protection mode for your brain. So if pain has been there for a period of time I would suggest getting it checked out because you can get pretty nasty injuries that can be long lasting. Going on from what Trina said, a lot of the postural issues that are around these days are caused from the work in front of a computer. The bottom line is the body likes to move, so if it is sat in one position for too long it can just get tired and fatigued. So the tension you’re getting can be from sitting in that position, but also it can be from weaknesses through the mid shoulder blade area, sometimes just some strengthening in that area can relieve the pain in the upper neck. But if you are suffering from that pain come to see an EP or a physiotherapist to see what you can do to prevent your tensions.

Q.    In your profession, what advice can you give to climbers, to help them improve performance?

Alister: I think one of the biggest things for improving you performance is making sure that you have a solid plan. Set goals and being really specific so you know what is in front of you, and get a plan so you know how to get there. You plan will involve really structuring your training and making sure you utilize your time to the best of your advantage. So we need to make sure that when you do get time to climb that you utilize it the best you can and we are actually doing things that are specific to what you want to achieve. That way, we will have better quality training sessions and be able to get to our improved performance faster. So I think having clear goals and a structured training plan will make it a lot easier.

Trina: Alister is right about having goals and a plan, but I think to be a good climber it is important to identify your weaknesses and strengths. For example, if you have a history of dislocating your shoulder or a weak shoulder that means you are very lax, and that means you have weakness in your rotator cuff muscles. In climbing it is very important that you can reach up or lock off without it popping. In my profession I would say having specific exercises for your rotator cuff using therabands and tubes, and do exercises to strengthen it specific to climbing, this would improve your performance. Another example is if you are short or little, flexibility in your legs is important. You need to high step more and therefore will have to be quite flexible. So being able to identify weaknesses and addressing them specifically will benefit you and improve your performance as a climber.

Alister: climbing is such a multifaceted sport; you need flexibility, strength, endurance and you need to have good decision making skills and be sharp mentally. So because there are so many facets you need to cover it is important to identify all the strengths and weaknesses, so try to bring in the help of as many people as you can in that. You can ask the staff at Urban Climb for help, even take one of the courses available to help improve technique and hone your skills.

Trina: climb with someone you don’t normally climb with and climb with someone that is maybe better than you so you can learn from them.

Q.    Can or do EPs and Physio’s work together?

Alister: One of the big things that comes out of performance management, especially when it comes to athletic development of any kind, is that a multidiscipline approach tends to have the best outcomes when it comes to improving performance. That means working with not only one person but a team of people. So EPs and physiotherapists definitely work closely together and each profession can add a different viewpoint to the situation. So whether it is improvement or rehabilitation, they can work together to help solve the problem.

Trina: In addition to that, it is not only EPs and physiotherapists that work together but also climbing instructors that can help give technique skills, sports psychologists can help the mental aspects and even yoga instructors to help. Working with different professionals in different fields will yield a better outcome because you are targeting every facet of the sport.

Alister: And that extends to life coaches, nutritionists and dieticians, all of the above.

Q.    Who’s better, an EP or a physio?

Alister: they work together closely in various facets, here’s an example - so let’s say that your climbing quite well as a result of seeing an EP or climbing instructor, but all of a sudden you get an injury, you would want to see a physio.

Trina: So if you do get an injury it would be best to see a physiotherapist to get it diagnosed and if you need to get MRI’s or X-rays, physiotherapists are the best people to get that for you. And then you can go back to climbing with the same strength and technical ability.

Alister:  I think that when you’re back at that level you can then work with an EP to get back in shape and improve performance.

Q.    If an EP and physio were in a bare knucle fight, who would win?

Trina: The physiotherapist of course, I would go straight for the gut and he would be out cold an unable to get me because I’m too fast and too small!

Alister: Yeah but I have a solid steel six pack from my intense EP training and she wouldn’t make it past my razor sharp stomach. But seriously though I’ve been on the table of a physio and those guys have seriously strong hands!

***If you want to get in touch with either Trina or Alister just shoot us an email to info@urbanclimb.com.au and we will get you in touch with them.***

So, of late I have been trapped into climbing with The Lab’s newest prac student, John, you may know him from some of our articles we post time to time. In fact while we’re on the subject, John happens to be quite a good writer when it comes down to talking about carbs, metabolic rates and that sort of stuff!
So to cut a long story short I flew down to Melbourne on the weekend for some other escapades, and good old John was also in Melbourne town. So we went across to check out this fancy climbing gym everyone was chatting about in the centre of town that apparently has massive glass windows so everyone in the city can see you sweat!
Rocked up fresh in the wee hours of Saturday morning, it was rather interesting; a lot different form the Urban purple walls. But none the less it was a good place and looked interesting. I was excited to see what sort of things they had going on. It was all ATC belay devices so immediately John had to learn how to use a new device, but being a clever cookie he picked up right away. We started on the walls hitting some medium routes (15-16) which I also found interesting that they marked routes with outdoor climbs, but very cool. So they have some pretty massive walls in there and it was great to get up some longer routes, though it was a true test for both of us as we were pretty much crippled with the endurance that it took to top a route. I think we were tempting fate as we hit some 18s but it was great to just have some new holds, lateral moves and sweeping overhangs to crack onto.
Getting back to Brissy was a cold slap in the face, it was absolutely lashing it down, talk about droochit weather! But we got back safe and sound, hitting up Urban last night in an attempt to keep the calluses on my hands from falling off. We tried a few new routes that were set the previous day and found some of the door climbs a bit daunting, but enjoyed the quick hour of endurance training.
Same time next week!

$39.95 (CB not incl.)

Guys we have some awesome new gear in again! Also if you are considering buying a guru pack you can upgrade to a Petzl harness and Evolv chalk bag, check out our deals instore!

Petzl Harnesses (Adjama and Luna) $175

Evolv chalk bags (knitted, no CB incl.) $39.95

Black Diamond chalk bags (survivor) $39.95

Metolios Eco ball $9.95

If you wanna have a look click here.

Open A mixed

1st place: Brendan Fraser

2nd place: Tom O’Halloran

3rd place: Elliot Leach

Open B mixed

1st place: Aaron Jones

2nd place: Lachlan Mackellan

3rd place: Matthew Walpole

Open C mixed

1st place: Stefan Flenigan

2nd place: Campbell Crossley

3rd place: Robert Taylor

So well done to everyone who was there, it was an awesome night, and we can’t wait to host the next one! Photos will be up on facebook asap! Check them out.

Starting the week of April 20th

6 week program

$90 members
$120 non-members

Register your interest now

Classes most likely to be held on either a Tuesday night or Thursday morning

Aimed at anyone who wants to learn about or improve their ability to control their core muscles.

This 6 week intensive course is instructed by an accredited Exercise Physiologist and Pilates instructor. It is designed as a back to basics matwork program for anyone who wants to improve their core control and strength.

During the program you will learn how to consciously ensure that your core muscles are working correctly, and at an optimum level to support you through your daily and sporting activities.

The benefits include but are not limited to;
•    Better posture
•    Reduced back pain
•    Improved back health
•    Reduced risk of injury
•    Enhanced ability to get more out of your current gym program
•    Reduced muscle tension and headaches
•    Enhanced ability of muscles to endure the days activities
•    Improved coordination, strength and flexibility

Happy New Year, sort of, ish, a bit??? - Marathon training
So I decided that April 1st is the beginning of my New Year, mostly because my actual New Year and first quarter has dissipated into the black hole/void. And in true style I celebrated my new year as I mean to go on, dinner and drinks with a certain someone, but more prevalently I began my day with an awe-inspiring session in The Lab.
Now my last entry may have lacked in the exercise department what posh spice lacked in body fat, but true to my style I shall invigorate another piece with epic tales of tricep reps, which I may mention hurt like hell and have throbbed sine my last 12kgs round.
So I mentioned marathon a while ago, which is half true, one half being a half marathon and the other half being, well, nothing really… Anyway getting to the point, I did decide I would like to train for a marathon, which was planted in my head by a gentleman in the gym who wanted to train for 10 weeks to do a 100km run in the blue mountains…crazy I know. So I decided to go a little less avidly upon a trail, but marathon times were coming close and so I stuck with the 2010 GC marathon. Seen as it was so far away Claire and Alister (The Lab) suggested a half marathon this winter then further my training next year for the full. To which I whole heartedly went with. So I began my training and started with a simple plan which I have outlined below. Important note for anyone who has considered marathon training, its ballsy to say the least, its hard as nails, I’m talking really hard like you know those guys who walk into saloon bars in wild west movies and start fights coz they are well hard, well it’s like harder than that, it’s like pansy looking blonde girls from south London walking into pubs in brixton with broken bottles saying “come an av a go if u fink ur ard enuf!”. I think you get the picture. And the running gets upped heaps, like every second week up 10% then down for a rest week then back up to that one but with like 20% more this time, thank God I have Claire to write my program coz it would do my head in.
Mon – 3km treadmill (plus 1 hour upper body)
Tue - EP session with Claire (work on specific running training)
Wed –3km treadmill (plus 1 hour lower body)
Thu – Climbing (plus 1 hour circuit training)
Fri – 3km treadmill (plus 1 hour mixed weights) (climbing with girls 2 hours)
Sat – Rest day
Sun – 5km outdoor run
So it was fine for like a week, then my knee caved on me, then my things, outer and inner, groin, glutes, and pretty much all the other muscle tissue that makes up your left leg! Damn them lefties! So I’ve been in and out of massage, physio and EP sessions in attempt to fix it. After 3 weeks of doing so and backing my training down to minimum I have healed, comparatively, and am now upping my training back up.
So similar to the plan I showed you I am sticking to consistency. I have to say of all the simplicity I thought running involved there is nothing more complicated than spending an hour by yourself in your own head, striking one leg after the other against flat ground, with only your own voice, own thoughts and own drama to content you. However I have to thank Bloc Party, We are scientists and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s for getting me through my first 5km run, without which I would have stepped off the treadmill at 2kms and only have Blur to thank for it. So I think I have 13 weeks until my half marathon so I’m getting in shape for it. And apart from two slip ups, I am still alcohol free, no hang overs and no memory loss. Anyways that’s all for now folks, I’m sure I’ll be back in two weeks with more injuries and drama…

Here’s hoping…

McBain Breaking hearts (and knee caps) everywhere

This Friday we see the first of many comps here at Urban Climb. For a chance to experience the thrill come down to registration at 6pm on Friday April 4th. We charge a $5 registration fee for non-members and $free for all full members. You can choose to climb in Open A mixed, Open B mixed and Open C mixed. Throughout the heats you get to try some awesome boulder routes and if you make it through to the finals you can challenge yourself to something more extraordinary!

Great prizes to be won.

Adult Squad, Elite Squad, Crew t-shirts and even free memberships to giveaway!

Must be over 16 years of age. All groups are mixed make and female. For more information give us a call or drop in! See you then