In a previous post, I mentioned I knew next to nothing about neuromuscular recruitment. This article by Tom Randall lets me know that I do have some experience with this recruitment phenomenon.
So every time I go to a climbing gym, I have to start warming up by doing a little bit of stretching, then climbing the easiest boulders, then move on to the big walls, whereas my boyfriend can start on pretty challenging routes right away. I have attempted to go straight to a long climbing wall before, and I felt like crap. It feels like I can't reach as far as I'd like to, even though I could, because I stretched. Once I reach a high hand hold, I feel like I struggle to pull myself up (even though I should be using my legs more, like taking the stairs up rather than pulling up, but still). I feel tired half way through, even though it's a route that I would have no problem with if I do it 30 minutes into a climbing session. I always thought it's an issue that my muscles are not warm up enough. I never thought of it as a muscle recruitment issue.
Randall's article reminds me that it is totally a neuromuscular recruitment issue. If I go straight to an intermediate wall, probably only 50% of the nerves and muscles are awakened. No wonder the climb feels much harder than it does when I am fully warmed up on easy routes. In fact, at my current level, the best time to try a route that is at the limit of my level is on the 3rd or 4th long route after warm up on boulders. That is when I feel my performs at its peak. I feel a flow inside the body (blood circulation maybe); my movements are also more flowy. I can push my body's limits -- try a power move that I couldn't do previously, or hang on to that crimp for a little longer than I am comfortable with.
Every person's body works a bit differently than others. My boyfriend seems to be able to do hard stuff right away, and do a hard route at the end of the day when he's super tired. I guess that means he hasn't been climbing at his limits yet. He also recovers super quickly (0-1 day rest), whereas I need at least 2 days rest after a hard climbing day. Higher testosterone levels and low body fat composition probably helps a lot in this regard. I have also seen beginners who try hard stuff right away without warm up, push as hard as they can the entire climbing session, and then wonder why they do not seem to improve much after a year.
I am sure my training routines are not yet optimized, but I am just enjoying the activity. I am at the stage where I have acquired a bit of endurance that I can "waste some energy" trying a few different things on the wall. I'm sure if I have to climb harder routes later on, I will need to learn to climb more efficiently, ie. clip ropes faster and hang less, and use my legs to hold more of my body weight than my arms.
So every time I go to a climbing gym, I have to start warming up by doing a little bit of stretching, then climbing the easiest boulders, then move on to the big walls, whereas my boyfriend can start on pretty challenging routes right away. I have attempted to go straight to a long climbing wall before, and I felt like crap. It feels like I can't reach as far as I'd like to, even though I could, because I stretched. Once I reach a high hand hold, I feel like I struggle to pull myself up (even though I should be using my legs more, like taking the stairs up rather than pulling up, but still). I feel tired half way through, even though it's a route that I would have no problem with if I do it 30 minutes into a climbing session. I always thought it's an issue that my muscles are not warm up enough. I never thought of it as a muscle recruitment issue.
Randall's article reminds me that it is totally a neuromuscular recruitment issue. If I go straight to an intermediate wall, probably only 50% of the nerves and muscles are awakened. No wonder the climb feels much harder than it does when I am fully warmed up on easy routes. In fact, at my current level, the best time to try a route that is at the limit of my level is on the 3rd or 4th long route after warm up on boulders. That is when I feel my performs at its peak. I feel a flow inside the body (blood circulation maybe); my movements are also more flowy. I can push my body's limits -- try a power move that I couldn't do previously, or hang on to that crimp for a little longer than I am comfortable with.
Every person's body works a bit differently than others. My boyfriend seems to be able to do hard stuff right away, and do a hard route at the end of the day when he's super tired. I guess that means he hasn't been climbing at his limits yet. He also recovers super quickly (0-1 day rest), whereas I need at least 2 days rest after a hard climbing day. Higher testosterone levels and low body fat composition probably helps a lot in this regard. I have also seen beginners who try hard stuff right away without warm up, push as hard as they can the entire climbing session, and then wonder why they do not seem to improve much after a year.
I am sure my training routines are not yet optimized, but I am just enjoying the activity. I am at the stage where I have acquired a bit of endurance that I can "waste some energy" trying a few different things on the wall. I'm sure if I have to climb harder routes later on, I will need to learn to climb more efficiently, ie. clip ropes faster and hang less, and use my legs to hold more of my body weight than my arms.
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