In my last post I talked about some of my intentions with regards to climbing. What's still lacking is the plan. I really don't know jack about training for climbing or anything else. ....er....well.... That's not entirely true: I know a little rudimentary stuff about training for climbing, but all of it seems to be dependent upon having a training partner, or at the very least, three or more days a week in the climbing gym.
Climbing is one of those unusual sports in that the very best thing you can do with your time, if you want to get better at climbing, is to to climb more. No amount of chin-ups, lat pulldowns, or barbell curls, and certainly not squats, will help you climb better if you're doing that sort of thing in lieu of climbing.
So one thing is clear. I have got to start getting back into the climbing gym at least two weeknights a week. I keep falling into this trap where there isn't a really convenient time to sneak away from work and do my lifting. That means it gets put off to the end of the day, which pretty much guarantees I'm not out in time to visit the climbing gym (it's a long drive and I have this odd rule wherein I have to be climbing for more time than it takes to drive there and back in order to make the trip worthwhile).
I also need to improve my finger strength, so I really have got to create and maintain a weekly fingerboard session. That'll be a challenge, given that most of the time I'm completely worn out by the time I get home. I have a nasty habit of working late if I don't have something else time-sensitive planned like climbing or laundry.
Finally there's the challenge I don't really like thinking about... I don't climb as hard as I might if I've been lifting earlier the same day. This isn't just when I have a back and biceps day, shoulders, chest, and triceps all make me a little bit weaker on the wall, and legs just makes me want to surf the couch all evening. I don't want to feel like lifting and climbing are clashing. I want both at the moment, but if I have to choose, climbing will be it. It keeps me sane. I can't afford to give it up at this time. And I love it and don't want to give it up.
So what's the advice out there for double-sessioning? If the term is unusual, it's pretty self-explanatory and will crop up in the climbing community to reference the act of having two climbing sessions in a day. This typically only happens in certain circumstances, like if the person went outside for the afternoon, then decided after dinner, or when the rain started or whatever that they wanted to climb some more and thus went indoors. Or sometimes you get your climb on in the afternoon at the gym then find yourself persuaded outside in the evening, or more likely back to they gym because that guy you like climbing with said he was going to be there. There's no secret to how to do this. You just tend to comparatively suck at the second session. Do people do this sort of thing with lifting? I mean, they must do something like that if they're training for power lifting competitions, mustn't they? So how does one do it? How can I regain energy and strength for that later session? How do you regain your strength and energy if you need it later in the day?
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