When beginning to climb to use spurs and ropes is it advisable to climb everyday? I ask this question more about using new muscles and the physical strain involved, not so much about the building of technique or for learning purposes. Are there any "gym room" exercises that can be done to help promote climbing strength and endurance? :newbie:
When beginning to climb
- Thread starter GottaCut
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03treegrunt11
ArboristSite Lurker
You won't need to go to the gym....climb everyday.....stretch and you'll do great.....remember to always have three points of contact with the tree. You'll be sore in the beginning, just like if you were going to the gym......
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joesawer
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don't know of any gym exercises that would be a specific help. They tend to isolate certain groups, were climbing seems to use your whole body.
When I first started it was the most physically demanding thing I had ever done. Then one day I realized it wasn't that difficult. I was not fighting the tree and myself, had learned a few tricks to conserve energy.
For me going to the gym is detrimental. I have to many joint injuries and I don't need to gain any weight at all.
When I first started it was the most physically demanding thing I had ever done. Then one day I realized it wasn't that difficult. I was not fighting the tree and myself, had learned a few tricks to conserve energy.
For me going to the gym is detrimental. I have to many joint injuries and I don't need to gain any weight at all.
Well, I lifted weights steadily for the past 4 years, not so much to gain weight but just to help keep myself more than strong enough to do my job. I dont lift for vanity, you couldnt tell I lift by looking at me. Now I'm wondering if lifting will interfere with me trying to become a professional climber due to soreness and overtraining which occasionally happens.
I'm going to try just climbing everyday in my free time, seeing as how thats what I'm trying to become better at.
I'm going to try just climbing everyday in my free time, seeing as how thats what I'm trying to become better at.
beowulf343
Addicted to ArboristSite
I like climbing every day if i can. Believe it or not, i take a couple weeks off and i can feel it the first couple days i climb.
RedlineIt
ArboristSite Guru
Gottacut
Stretches are the only excercise you need if you climb daily, and they are very important.
If you find that you can't get climbing daily, the excercises you want to stress on are the core, to strengthen the support for your spine, and work on your groin and inner thighs. Stress limber strength over power, reps over weight.
And stretch.
Also critcal is hand strength. Work a resistance ball to death, but stretch those tendons out when you're done.
And stretch.
Did I mention stretching?
RedlineIt
Stretches are the only excercise you need if you climb daily, and they are very important.
If you find that you can't get climbing daily, the excercises you want to stress on are the core, to strengthen the support for your spine, and work on your groin and inner thighs. Stress limber strength over power, reps over weight.
And stretch.
Also critcal is hand strength. Work a resistance ball to death, but stretch those tendons out when you're done.
And stretch.
Did I mention stretching?
RedlineIt
Mitchell
ArboristSite Operative
less weight
I would encourage you to weight train for sure. High end athletes universally weight train in some fashion. Climbing trees is a very athletic occupation. Weight training will not yeild the best return on investment that you can make in terms of what will further your climbing abilty; more time climbing with other skilled climbers is the best investment. However it is fairly well documented the fitter some one is, the less likely they are to suffer injuries and when they do the faster they recover. All the mnost impressive climbers i know spend time doing pushups, situps, chins, and core strenght.
I ironically have the opposite problem. I started climbing after years of weight training and found that even a lean 6' 230 lbs was hard to carry around in a tree. I have switched to less low rep to high rep weights and already find at 210 [sadly not all that lean anymore!] im more effeciant in a tree. My hips hurt less now as well. I suspect at 190 [if i ever get there] I should be at a good balance of strength and weight.
I would encourage you to weight train for sure. High end athletes universally weight train in some fashion. Climbing trees is a very athletic occupation. Weight training will not yeild the best return on investment that you can make in terms of what will further your climbing abilty; more time climbing with other skilled climbers is the best investment. However it is fairly well documented the fitter some one is, the less likely they are to suffer injuries and when they do the faster they recover. All the mnost impressive climbers i know spend time doing pushups, situps, chins, and core strenght.
I ironically have the opposite problem. I started climbing after years of weight training and found that even a lean 6' 230 lbs was hard to carry around in a tree. I have switched to less low rep to high rep weights and already find at 210 [sadly not all that lean anymore!] im more effeciant in a tree. My hips hurt less now as well. I suspect at 190 [if i ever get there] I should be at a good balance of strength and weight.
CoreyTMorine
User Formerly known as BlueSpruce
“Performance Rock Climbing” By Dale Goddard and Udo Neuman is a great book, it describes how your muscles adapt and what you can do to reinforce that process.
I don’t lift weights or do calisthenics; I do have practice trees in my back yard that see regular use. Stretching is great, stretch all the time! My wife thinks I’m loopy and I get some funny looks, but I stretch while grocery shopping or while standing in line at the bank or while driving; not a full blown ,sweat pouring off of me regime, just whatever I can comfortably move.
As important as the actual elongation of muscle and ligaments I find that stretching is like a conversation with ones body, through the process you become very aware of your body. This is important to successful climbing; your body can tell you things about the tree that your mind will miss, another reason why it is better to work out and practice in a tree.
However you must train to improve good engrams, the best way to learn those moves is from someone who already knows them. Find a tree guy in your area and work with him or her. And not just some self taught hack, it doesn’t matter if someone’s been doing something wrong for 20 years, it’s still inefficient and/or dangerous. If you attempt to teach yourself this skill-set, you will in all likelihood, incorporate some very inefficient moves that you will have to fight past for the rest of your climbing career.
Safety, efficiency, productivity, and money; they all go together in this business.
And just so there is no confusion, Thou shalt not practice spur climbing on trees that want to live. Practicing with spurs in a tree will kill it.
Dale Goddard and Udo Neuman; said:
I don’t lift weights or do calisthenics; I do have practice trees in my back yard that see regular use. Stretching is great, stretch all the time! My wife thinks I’m loopy and I get some funny looks, but I stretch while grocery shopping or while standing in line at the bank or while driving; not a full blown ,sweat pouring off of me regime, just whatever I can comfortably move.
As important as the actual elongation of muscle and ligaments I find that stretching is like a conversation with ones body, through the process you become very aware of your body. This is important to successful climbing; your body can tell you things about the tree that your mind will miss, another reason why it is better to work out and practice in a tree.
However you must train to improve good engrams, the best way to learn those moves is from someone who already knows them. Find a tree guy in your area and work with him or her. And not just some self taught hack, it doesn’t matter if someone’s been doing something wrong for 20 years, it’s still inefficient and/or dangerous. If you attempt to teach yourself this skill-set, you will in all likelihood, incorporate some very inefficient moves that you will have to fight past for the rest of your climbing career.
Safety, efficiency, productivity, and money; they all go together in this business.
And just so there is no confusion, Thou shalt not practice spur climbing on trees that want to live. Practicing with spurs in a tree will kill it.
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Sassafras
ArboristSite Lurker
Lift or not
Personally I never lifted in my life. So i won't recommend it,i agree with streching alot before during and after. New climbers always "muscle" their way through trees and tire out quickly. You will not be an exception to this rule but you can minimize your time burning yourself out buy paying attention to what you do and watching experienced climbers. The phrase: work smarter not harder will get you through a tree easier and faster. The more thought you put into tree work the safer and easier it becomes. Keep in mind that no matter how strong you are, you will be conditioning new and old muscles, be aware of fatigue and don't hesitate to get on the ground when you are tired. Fatigue and tiredness leads to accidents. Enjoy it, learn it, live it, tree climbing is addictive.
Personally I never lifted in my life. So i won't recommend it,i agree with streching alot before during and after. New climbers always "muscle" their way through trees and tire out quickly. You will not be an exception to this rule but you can minimize your time burning yourself out buy paying attention to what you do and watching experienced climbers. The phrase: work smarter not harder will get you through a tree easier and faster. The more thought you put into tree work the safer and easier it becomes. Keep in mind that no matter how strong you are, you will be conditioning new and old muscles, be aware of fatigue and don't hesitate to get on the ground when you are tired. Fatigue and tiredness leads to accidents. Enjoy it, learn it, live it, tree climbing is addictive.
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
I have always said it makes you and breaks you some days a tiger
some days its prey. I have days that every part of me feels like
I'm twenty again and other days I feel a hundred and one. Hope this
helps one thing a climber will notice sometime in career is knees will
hurt, back will hurt, shoulders will hurt and wallet will hurt.
some days its prey. I have days that every part of me feels like
I'm twenty again and other days I feel a hundred and one. Hope this
helps one thing a climber will notice sometime in career is knees will
hurt, back will hurt, shoulders will hurt and wallet will hurt.
CoreyTMorine
User Formerly known as BlueSpruce
isn't that the truth! +1
Indeed, how true I am learning!
I was seriously sore the after the first day climbing, especially my inner thighs/almost groin area, and my back under my arms.
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Pancake
ArboristSite Member
I try to stay in some type of constant training. We set up a work climb and an aerial rescue (CEU's) rec climb this weekend. Stretching is critical before and especially after. Footlocking is all about technique. I am logging tree time with some experienced champion caliber climbers which it a tremendous advantage, skipping the school of hard knocks. I try to get in 100 crunches and push ups 3-4 times a week, elliptical or hill work for an hour a week, 30 pullups 3 times a week, light dumbell work for arm strength. Diet and hydration are also important. Good cardio health and knowing your limits is a plus, so you can set goals.
oldirty
Addicted to ArboristSite
solid thread.
personally i think the stronger you can get can only help when workn a tree. takedown or prune/trim.
i dont mean becoming an absolute monster and loosing your ability to move with fluidity, but more like taking what you have and adding just a few pounds of muscle while reducing your body weight.
IE fat to muscle if you got it.
of course a new guy will be sore from a climb. think about it, that first year of climbing how relaxed was your body while aloft? always tense or scared or one thing or another. that burns you up right quick.
what i am saying is take what you got and make it better. turn yourself into a machine, because only you can take you as far as you want to go. i look at it more like maintenance than a work out.
i want to be in this game for a looooong time and the only way to do that is to take care of the machine.
oldirty
personally i think the stronger you can get can only help when workn a tree. takedown or prune/trim.
i dont mean becoming an absolute monster and loosing your ability to move with fluidity, but more like taking what you have and adding just a few pounds of muscle while reducing your body weight.
IE fat to muscle if you got it.
of course a new guy will be sore from a climb. think about it, that first year of climbing how relaxed was your body while aloft? always tense or scared or one thing or another. that burns you up right quick.
what i am saying is take what you got and make it better. turn yourself into a machine, because only you can take you as far as you want to go. i look at it more like maintenance than a work out.
i want to be in this game for a looooong time and the only way to do that is to take care of the machine.
oldirty
diltree
ArboristSite Guru
Just Remember
good advice
good advice
Slvrmple72
Addicted to ArboristSite
GottaCut, I use to lift for size ( heavy weight,fewer repetitions) but with tree work I have since switched over to an endurance/ strengthening regimen ( less weight, several reps.) I do not lift as often and balance it between work load. If you are too tired after a days work give your body the rest it needs to recover. When stretching make sure to warm up first so you dont tear a muscle! I run as well for the cardio stamina thing. Set up a tree in your yard for practice and climb it daily or at least as often as you can. It keeps the neighbors guessing
