bambooroo

Indoor wall climbing. My gym has a three-story wall. I've only been climbing for a couple of months. I haven't tried bouldering yet!

That sounds fantastic! Climbing is addictive, just in case no one told you yet.

I did enjoy Jessica Jones, but it took me a while to get over the initial reaction of "but David Tennant is the nice doctor, why is he acting so strange?"

I had that same issue! What are you watching now?

I bouldered all the time at the climbing gym at the University of Lethbridge, but now I live in Vulcan, on the bald prairie. I still go with friends when I visit Lethbridge or Calgary, but it does mean an hour of driving in one direction or the other.

My Shovelglove routine exists almost entirely to get my upper body strength up so things like climbing are easier.

If it makes climbing easier, I'm a fan.

Well aren't you just Mr. Popularity, Bambooroo

Did realize you were a rock climber! I picked that up myself over the summer while I was in Wisconsin for an internship. Unfortunately, now I'm back at school, there aren't really any gyms within an hour and a half drive from here...

But that's a solid "mission" you've laid out for yourself--best of luck! I'll be here cheering you on!

First time I've been called that, don't exactly fill the male requirements haha.

Bummer on not being able to climb but it sounds like you're focusing on a lot that will help whenever you get a chance to climb again.

Thanks, all of this support is fantastic!

Nice job on the first week! Having food laid out like that really seems to make the rest of life go more smoothly.

To add to the shoes conversation, I have a pair of Katanas and a pair of TC Pros (both La Sportiva). The Katanas are a slightly less aggressive shoe than the Miuras and are a good match for the level of climbing I can accomplish. A more technical shoe seemed to add more pain than improvement when I tried them out. I love the TC Pros for outdoor climbing as they are another step less aggressive and therefore pretty comfy for multi-pitch adventures. I'd sum up my advice with saying that if you can get to a store with a small wall to try shoes out that is highly recommended. If you find one that you like - that is the best option.

Thanks!

I know some guys that love the Shamans and great things about their new version of it. I ended up going with the Muiras and am pleased as punch, apart from having to take them off a few times until I break them in.

All this talking about climbing has me soooo pumped for the rock classes I am going to be taking next month. WANT TO CLIMB ALL THE THINGS. I'm going to wait on actually buying real climbing shoes until I get some more experience but I will keep this stuff in mind when I get to it!

One of us! One of us!

I'm so excited to hear about your classes! You could get the shoes as a reward if climbing becomes something you want to get really into.

Let me know if you ever have questions, I'm far from the best but I know one or two things.

Hot damn.

Hahaha this made my day.

ICELAND! Aaargh I want to go so bad! Top of my list for sure. Please go soon and post lots of photos haha.

Sounds like you're off to a great start with your challenge. I don't understand much of the climbing jargon but I do enjoy the odd clamber up a rock If you ever get the chance to come to New Zealand, you'll find lots of climbing/bouldering ops! Flock Hill is my favourite, lots of beautiful limestone formations.

Also, Broadchurch is amazing! Agree about season 2, but I still devoured it.

There will be so many pictures! I'll post some in the thread after I return and decompress a bit.

Climbing jargon can be a bit much but 5 points for clambering! Ahh, I've been romantically building up New Zealand for years. I'm sure I'll still be blown away when I make it there!

Jumping in to follow! A bit late but this thread spoke to me. David Tennant, baby elephants, and a mean girls reference. Keep up the great work (and references)!

Designing your own challenge might help with the add/monotonous factor, just need the right inspiration!

Assassins!

I wanna be like you, I wanna stalk like you, jump like you toooo. You see it's true, a noob like meeee can train to be an assassin too!

(A proclivity to burst out into Disney songs is acceptable here, right?)

I might end up being an assassin-ranger hybrid because I want to do All The Things. I'm thinking of modeling my next few month's challenges off of my favorite inspiring characters (Kara Thrace-BSG, River Tam- Firefly, Arya Stark-A Song of Ice and Fire, Buffy, Mulan) However I'm trying to lay out challenges in the order that makes the most sense but see ALL the things so objectivity is hard.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions, or even want to contribute ideas that would be phenomenal!

I've also thought about eschewing the normal 4 week layout and have these be ongoing mini challenges but I'm not sure what format is better. I know it will ultimately be what works best for me, however if you have any experience doing things slightly different, I wanna hear about it!

If you're going to climb frequently, having your own shoes makes sense financially and they can really help your climbing!

Nice work on your challenge so far!

Gushie is my favourite secondary character.

Sarah Stickney White, the Monkey Bar singer who Jothra suspected was also an American spy, was killed in action! Maybe? It's hard to say, but the other patrons of the Monkey Bar aren't giving up hope, and neither is Jothra!

Sunday

Fly the Goose: Off. 4/20

Swing my Samurai Sword: 24 lbs. 5/20

Don't Overdo It, Corky: Maintenance. 5/27

Keep the Monkey Bar Clean: Yes. 7/27.

I was away from home buying contact lenses and replacing my glasses. While out, I reorganized my Saddleback satchel to fit my glasses (in a hard case) into one of the interior side pockets. To make the space, all I had to to was replace the Victorinox Climber I had in there with a Wenger SI. It doesn't sound like much, but I make it a rule that the main compartment is empty when I leave my house, so I have room for anything I find, Macgyver-style. This doesn't count a book I'm reading or my Kobo or whatever — it applies more to all the things I always have in my bag, like the mini first aid kit, the Blisters dice, or the spork and chopsticks.

Normally, I wouldn't shug on Sunday, but as you may recall, I skipped it on Saturday, so I felt the catch-up was warranted.

In other Shovelglove news, I found out that the "22 lb." hammer I've been using was actually only 21.5 lbs. Sad! I must have weighed it without supporting the handle properly before.

In other, other Shovelglove news, through a series of misadventures, I accidentally found myself with a set of two 2.5 pound ankle weights from the same company that made the 1-pounders I used to weigh down my hammer. So I replaced two of the ones with them, and now have a 24 lb. hammer. I tried it tonight — it went well. I feel pleasantly sore all over, from head to toes. I'm going to run this on a trial basis; if I'm not enjoying the new weight after a week, I'll downgrade to the previous weight. There's no shame in that. But if I keep enjoying it like I did tonight...

The switch to blue tape is for added bluetivity and added blueneronomy.

Not familiar with shovelglove but your hammer makes me want to bop things repeatedly.

Cheers to dark rooms and white noise. I still don't sleep consistently but those two improve chances of success. Do you like your sportiva solutions?

Oh, alcohol. I rarely drink these days because of the sleep interference. Keep up the great work!

How's the handstand progress coming along? I'm planning to start that soon. I miss being inverted!

Stop at a grocery store on your way home. Get something to eat on the drive

Parkour is amazing and that's an idea I may steal. What type of climbing are you into? I'm doing some serious bouldering 3 days a week and just got some new kicks. What are you looking into?

Yay! Congrats on a great week! How do you feel looking ahead? Starting week 2 I feel fantastic and inspired by what I'll achieve in a month and beyond. I know it's only been a week but today was great motivation!

Loving your goals and how you track them. Don't tempt me, I'd love to go to Belgium and might take you up on it haha. If you find yourself on this side of the Atlantic, let me know! Great progress this week!

I will update and post forecasts later buuuuuut...

Today was projecting day and I left the gym feeling like a badass. Sent this overhanging V2 that starts near the right entrance of the cave. First route I've done like this since surgery. Recovery is still ongoing but I've got my game face on!

P.s. the new muiras are rad, could tell an immediate difference.

Wheeeeeee!

Warmer weather is much nicer to old injuries, so I'll definitely spend more time out and about. I am getting back into photography and love taking pictures of everything, often this involves a great deal of walking/hiking. However I never really grew up in the sense that I love to play and interact with my environment which results in random bouts of climbing, skipping, and generally looking a fool.

Not sure how that would classify as a workout but I definitely feel sore in surprising places the next day.

I do actual workouts indoors usually, but I'm going to climb outside before it gets too hot. Humidity is a killer.

The "heavy gravity" days are the worst, I had one this week unfortunately. It's funny, we call them the same at our climbing gym as well, although we might omit the "heavy" .

 

Sorry you had a rough day too! I am excited for next week's project day though, it will be better. So say we all. (If I knew how to post gifs correctly, you'd see Admiral Adama here.)

 

Following to hear more about the climbing! I am a climbing noob but I love it.

 

Cosigning re Jessica Jones, which I just finished about two weeks ago. Tennant was frigging amazing.

You can pick up so much quickly when you're a beginner though, just be consistent and you'll surprise yourself! What type of climbing are you doing?

You should watch Broadchurch if you're a Tennant fan. I didn't think the second season was as strong but he's impeccable.

High gravity days are the worst AND the best. They don't feel great, but they remind you to keep working.

I definitely left feeling more determined so I agree wholeheartedly. Do you boulder as well?

I do have a challenge mission! However embedding videos/links/gifs/pictures never seems to work as intended but if you go to my profile, it's there!  

 

I think body weight workouts are fairly repetitive but you can do really impressive things if you stick with it. I think finding an activity you love is immensely beneficial.  Over the next year I'd like to put on 10 lbs of muscle, so I've started weight training again to supplement rock climbing. 

 

Hope you have a great weekend!

@Waanie i just started weight lifting this week so I'm not sure I can give advice. Skip the next paragraph to avoid way too many details, haha.

So far, Monday I climbed (focus on technique), I did chest and triceps Tuesday, Wednesday was high mileage climbing, and yesterday I only did yoga for stretching, not challenging poses. This morning I tried to work on project routes for an hour and felt my shoulder start to protest. So I did more high mileage easy problems and called it. Tomorrow is lower body and back, biceps.

Haven't had any issues yet but I might be singing a different tune this time tomorrow.

My phone corrected New Zealand to New Zoolander and now I can't remember what I actually wanted to say, haha. Great job on your progress!

This trip had been the works for over two years and has evolved into a 3 week itinerary of driving the Ring Road by campervan. Have I lost you?

From Guide to Iceland:

Iceland has one main road: Route 1. This ring road goes all around the island and from it are smaller roads and routes that lead you to fjords, towns, peninsulas, the highlands and many other attractions.

Iceland has always called to me. It seems magical and wild, so what better way to explore than by camping around the country.

I went through several different plans before settling on a campervan but allow me to discuss why I settled on this.

Iceland has a glacier lagoon, volcanoes, hot springs, and more waterfalls than you can shake a stick at. That's just barely scratching the surface of what appeals to me.

In order to soak up as much as I can, I plan to use the ring road primarily to circumnavigate the country for most of my trip and a couple of days in Reykjavik at the end to unwind and be around people again.

There are many car rental agencies and you can bring your own camping supplies as there are multiple campgrounds around the country. However, Iceland has the law of survival which means you can stay anywhere one night if you need to. That said, I'll be able to stay one night anywhere which is very appealing. I will, of course, get permission and use common sense when it comes to choosing a place to sleep. I believe in Leave No Trace and will follow those principles while there.

The beauty of a campervan allows me to not worry about the notoriously unpredictable weather and have to deal with a tent. The one I'm renting has a small pump sink and stove so I can cook inside of the weather is truly abysmal. I am getting one with four wheel drive so I can tackle adventure with confidence.

I'm going to stock up on cheap groceries when I get there but I'm also going to bring lots of protein bars and dehydrated backpacking meals to keep costs down.

I'm going by myself but Iceland is an incredibly safe country. Anything can happen anywhere but their crime statistics are very low.

I'm going to bring a couple of notebooks for journaling and doodling, as well as my camera.

I know I want to go counterclockwise but other than that, I'm just going to go where the wind takes me since I have no reservations I must go toward. I plan on getting local advice as much as possible and savoring every moment. This is something I've been ruthlessly saving for and I don't want to rush any of it.

Typing all of this out makes it feel real. I'm slightly intimidated all of a sudden, haha.

Has anyone else gone before? If you have any suggestions let me know!

Next time you want them just come read this thread, haha.

I used to really like my 5.10 Spires, because they're a real generalist shoe. Now I'm in La Sportiva Nagos, which are still pretty generalist, but have a more aggressive toe. I can't wear these for hours like I could with the 5.10s, but they sure do the trick.

 

 

I've got the La Sportiva Solutions, after having wearing super worn out noob shoes that were basically comfy slippers at that point. The difference was incredible! I could suddenly grip the wall and all these tiny holds that were impossible before. So yeah, climbing shoes matter. Then again you occasionally see these ridiculously good climbers that go skippety-skip up the hardest problems in the gym - in trainers.

Ordered new shoes last night and after climbing today, I can't wait for them to arrive!

Have either of you had "high gravity" days where nothing seems to click?

Today was projecting and I went solo since my climbing partner was not feeling well. I didn't accomplish as much as I wanted on new projects so I finished the day completing the routes in the training room I didn't get to on Wednesday and working on pull ups.

I did all of my meal prep this morning so I'm set on healthy choices until Monday. Since convenience is my stumbling block, having food ready to go should make a big difference.

I'm not tracking food right now, instead I'm focusing on eating whole foods and eliminating mindless eating.

I finally got to finish Jessica Jones yesterday. That series was emotionally exhausting but I'd still recommend it! Here's to David Tennant, long may he reign.

Now it's officially FriYay! I don't have anything exciting planned this weekend but I'd love to live vicariously through my fellow nerds!

Wings always do that to me as too . Hope your Friday goes well!

Hi Mollum! There is a lot of great information on here for body weight workouts when you can't make it to the gym. Welcome to the rebellion!

Congrats on getting married soon and on building a house, there are lots of level-ups in your future!

 

I'd love to visit Belgium sometime, my list of places to go is longer than the Dr. Suess book already, haha. 

Week 1: Halfway Update

 

So far this week has been great even though I took a rest day today for restructuring purposes but that happens. 

 

Monday: Climbing went well, worked on straight arm climbing and really focusing on footwork. All problems within the V0-V2 range, I plan to start recording actual numbers soon. Stretching session after wasn't as long as it should be, hopefully I can concentrate more on stretching after. It's easiest to do while I'm still at the gym but I know so many people that go there I tend to get caught up in conversation. 

 

Tuesday: Weights! Joined a gym that is cheap that focuses on heavy weights. Worked on Triceps and chest (dumbbells mostly) as well as cardio for warm up and cool down. The weights were incredibly light (5-20 lbs depending on activity) but I want to start slow and build up. I did 3 sets of 10 with everything and left feeling really happy. 

 

Wednesday: Main focus was high mileage while climbing, so only V0s-V1s. The gym has a private room with walls that are only 12~ feet tall so it's easy to run up and down them continuously. I started at one end and made it over halfway through, doing some routes multiple times. I was only there for an hour and a half and included a couple of short breaks to avoid getting too pumped. I was worried I would be sore after weights on Tuesday but it wasn't much of a problem once I got warmed up. 

 

Thursday: Rest day! I did manage to do some meal prep shopping which is huge! Usually grocery shopping results in panicky confusion and not nearly enough/unhealthy choices. Also did some yoga and working on stretches I hate because they're good for me. 

 

Menu to get through Monday: sweet bourbon chicken thighs and legs (onions, mushroom, and rice), korean style bbq ribs (broccoli and rice), marinated pork chops (sweet potatoes and zucchini noodles), over nights oats with protein and blueberries (vanilla yogurt, cinnamon and honey to taste, almond milk), bananas, apples, and avocados for snacks. I don't drink much soda as it is but in an effort to curb the desire for fizzyness I picked up some san pellegrino blood orange soda. They're delicious.

 

 Looking ahead:  I'm going to stick with the plan for tomorrow, focusing on project routes in the V3-V5 range which means falling a lot and measuring progress by holds reached instead of completing the routes. Saturday will be (the weirdly anticipated) leg day as well as back/biceps. Sunday will be taking it easy, taking pictures and measurements, and other miscellaneous items I need to get taken care of. 

 

After spending more time in the forums, I have a plenty of ideas for setting up my next few challenges. I'm excited to start researching them and get everything laid out in the best order so I'm not fighting myself. 

 

Haha, although Assassin definitely appeals to me (maybe once I get closer to my goal weight), I have no idea how that tag got there!

Haha no worries! My husband is finishing up his residency but I remember his med school days. You can do it!