Tuesday 28 October 2014

Fontainehelm - Font in a ball bag


In February 2014 7 of us headed out to Font for a week to stay at The House for Andy's stag do.
We had such a laugh, pretty poor conditions as it was humid but we still climbed a few problems.
I apologise for the poor selection of problems but for some reason these were the only clips i was left with.
I would say heres font in a nut sack but that's been said loads already and more along in keeping with the crude nature of the week i think 'Here's Font in a Ball Bag' suits more.

Enjoy!

Fontainehelm from Mark Young on Vimeo.

Injury Blues

I've often posted on here complaining of a tweaky finger or a pulley injury but I thought I will combat this issue by training them in an isolated controlled way, fingerboard. Spoke to a few different wads about what is the best way to go about training fingers considering I've never done it before and came up with a decent plan to do two sessions a week on max hang. This consisted of:

3 x 8 sec straight arm 30 degree sloper (1.10 min rest between each)
3 x 8 sec 90 lock 30 degree sloper (1.10 min rest between each)
3 x 8 sec full lock 30 degree sloper (1.10 min rest between each)

2.30 rest

3 x 8 sec straight arm crimp on small edge (1.10 min rest between each)
3 x 8 sec 90 lock crimp on small edge (1.10 min rest between each)
3 x 8 sec full lock crimp on small edge (1.10 min rest between each)

2.30 rest

3 x 8 sec straight arm front three drag medium edge (1.10 min rest between each)
3 x 8 sec 90 lock front three drag medium edge (1.10 min rest between each)
3 x 8 sec full lock front three drag medium edge (1.10 min rest between each)

3 min rest

10 x 90 degree locks of 5 sec (assisted) alternate arms 30 sec rest between each

Great combination, short in time so can be done before a session. Training was going really well, managed to enter the Hangar comp and come in a reasonable position.

People I know in the past have had a bad lower back and sometimes if training core I have had the odd ache every now and again but nothing major. Until Sunday! I was out mountain biking with Reynolds and Lunt and about 3 km into the ride I jumped back onto my bike and felt a sharp pain in my lower back. Thinking it was just a trapped nerve I carried on with the ride, another 30 km later back at the van I'm in agony! Can barely stand up straight, and I'm supposed to be on a MTB leader assessment the next day! After the journey home it just gets worse and Helen makes me go the walk in centre, the place I hate the most full of disease and generally strange people. So after waiting to see a nurse who confirms it is a pulled muscle I return home to ice it and rest it, deciding not to go on the assessment.
I remember laughing at Richy Crouch doing his back at Warton a few years ago and his tales of dragging pads back to his van and then being bed bound for a few days, well Karma came back and booted me in the nuts! With this knowledge though I knew he would be best person to contact, he gave me a load of good advice and put me onto Joe Le Sage's blog where he talks specifically about lower back injuries and exercises to strengthen them. I'm also seeking the advice of the Grand Master Donnelly tonight who hopefully will shed some light onto the dark feelings I have at this moment in time.
The hope I do have is that today after a full day of rest I do feel considerably better and there is less pain so fingers crossed I can get back to some light exercises as soon as possible.

That 7C goal still eludes me!!

For any advice on shoulder injuries or back injuries check out Joe's blog it's a really good read and it comes from a climbers point of view.



Monday 1 September 2014

On the blog again

So seems like reading my last post when I promised I would be posting more i must have been lying.
What have a been doing? Well, turns out to be an awful lot.
After successfully getting the job I posted about last time, I moved back to Liverpool. I was keen for a settled winter with some training, lots of climbing and socialising with friends in the climbing scene again. After two outdoor sessions the second being in the cave I had managed to pick up a finger injury which would stay with me all winter! I tried resting, icing, climbing, taping but nothing would get rid of this shitty injury. Seems that i didn't actually miss too much with it being a mild and wet winter peoples psyche at the wall was low, i still managed to spend some time in the outdoors in the form of white water kayaking again. Successfully passing another coaching award in the form of Moderate Water Endorsement.
After the winter and getting to this level i knew that the focus would have to shift this year and more time spent in the hills on big mountain crags and sea cliffs getting some finalising routes in before i went for MIA training which i finally completed in July. So what goes into a nine day training course of a Mountaineering instructor? ALOT!! I couldn't believe how much information and skills there was to take on board, at the end my brain was frazzled and full of new stuff to take away and put into practice. I got good feedback and told the obvious of "you need to pull your finger out and climb some harder trad", i was also quite pleased when Dave said he would climb with me on a personal level and that one day i will make a great mountaineering instructor.
So whats next in the life of young? Well i've just been accepted into the Climbers Club so i'm looking forward to meeting some like minded people and regaining my psyche on trad for next season, I aim to do more winter stuff and more scrambling. I've also just been accepted to study for my Cert Ed (post 16) teaching qualification which means i am guaranteed a job for the next two years.

Right folks too much rambling, i will leave you with some photos of my adventures from the last 12 months.