beastmakerblog: October 2008

toyboy crux

toyboy crux
Originally uploaded by Beastmaker. inc

big buns Champ crimpin up some jugs on ToyBoy, 3 stars and a good rest for the arms

storm + teacup

Firstly peak grit is a completely gromeless rock it weathers in incredibly boring styles creating lots of coal and only a few diamonds, it is also often heightist. Peak grit has previously been weathered periglacially (lots of frost heave related processes) so it is even blockier that most, i find this quite uninspiring as a rule as problems and routes which i would class as really being quality are hard to find. The only reason why i think it is so highly valued is its accesibility to a vast amount of people (cumulative value+ a vibrant scene) and its texture (which is pretty cool)

That said its good problems are totally unique and usually impossible on any other rock type, what with all the hype going on recently i thought i'd do some more highballing,

So me n Neddernaught headed to froggatt today to try Toy Boy which is a ridiculously fun problem so long as your over 5'10" (and wearing some ;) basically its probably the best hard slab in the peak and a nice font 7c+, really fun balancy and powerful moves. Anyway that went ground up with 4 pads (all we could carry) in a few goes ( i'd played on it on a previous session and told ned of its fun factor) so we did Slingshot too which has to be about font 7c really (possibly with a + for fear if your in a skirt)

which means i'm done for froggatt highballs after 4 visits. here's the froggatt highball list: (with the possible exception of screaming dream and a project (and maybe rampart with tons of pads))

mint 400 font 7b+
narcissus font 7a? (piss)
sole power: font 7b+ ( obviously ground up)
renegade master: font 7c (ground up second or third go)
slingshot: font 7c/+ (2nd go today after 2 minutes of mucking around a while ago, ground up)
toy boy: benchmark font 7c+ (very morpho, ground up)
chequers groove: super solid font 7c+ (2 visits, ground up)

Ned has also crushed Toyboy, slingshot and solepower ground up in a few goes for each. they by no means deserve E grades as below 10m (8m defo) everything is pretty much a boulder problem these days (landings obviously vary). we love pads too the more the merrier, if everyone at the plantation on a weekend stuck a pad under Unfamiliar it'd be fine! work together people and claim all these routes masquerading as boulders, pads save the ground and your ankles.
E grades under 9m are a bit of a joke when pads are involved, learn how to fall off properly too (more on this in a later article) if you ever see me with a toprope on something which isn't a project then you can go simon yates on my ass.

Fitting it all in

Training is a bit like a long car journey where you never quite know the perfect time to refuel, if you dont refuel you won't get anywhere thats clear, but where is the best place to fill up? do you wait and drain the tank or just do it once you hit red? this depends alot on personality traits but it also depends on will power (which ironically uses glycogen).

Holding on for a bigger reward will no doubt pay off in the long run but we often get impatient and just take the short term rewards.

I have been battling with Index mono hangs and locking off below my shoulders for the last 2 years and i'm sure if i just proritized it rather than just pulling on the board or down the wall occasionally it'd open whole new dimensions up to what i could do on rock.

Basically training stuff like this or just doing specific exercises like fingerboarding in general should become automatic in a session, it should not take will power to initiate a fingerboard session after work, it should and will become habit once you've done it for a few weeks, just find a reliable time (Pre dinner/ post work is good) will power should be used when actually hanging off stuff and pushing on for one more strong set.

shorter sessions will keep the training tank topped up regularly.
longer sessions mean you can go for longer without training provided the energy is put into intese training and isn't wasted mucking about or staying warm etc.

the machine is starting to come together now... another day another bolt

which track to take when training?

I had a fingerboard session today after nipping up some lovely problems outside yesterday. Now Ned's cellar ain't no normal cellar, there's not a drop of wine to be seen and its got more weight belts in it than muscle beach. It also has a some rather peculiar growths on the beams, consisting of:
3 Beastmakers (2 custom pimped, 1 normal)
1 bleaustone fingerboard (small)
1 moon fingerboard (grey)
5 campus rungs (various sizes)
lots of screw on handholds

so its a pretty good place to hang off stuff. So where's the beef? we'll the question is what difference does it make what the hell you hang off? i could have had a whole session on just one of the campus rungs and my feet would still have left the floor for the same amount of time, the only problem with this is that i actually want to improve quickly whilst hopefully avoiding plateaus and i am aware of my weaknesses/goals second day on.
So lets see them

well... i hate full crimping on fingerboards especially second day on.

i was pretty goosed today and only had a vague session structure, which was: I need to train for my project.

so given the smorgasboard of potential edges what did i go for? well my skin was as raw as a sick babies nose so that immediately ruled out any chance of pulling on resin so that left wooden rungs and beastmakers.
I quickly found myself getting re-aquainted with the beastmaker (after a month off it) and warming up through its grips, i started on the 35 degree slopers doing encores (repeaters + frenchies) followed by warming up front 2 middle 2 and back 2 on the nice big pockets, then i warmed up the drags with a few 1 arm drag encores on the RH little eye.

I quickly found myself inspired to try some of my previous records and really pushed myself, i'm really glad i designed my board (on a selfish basis) as it pushes me every time i stand under it, i am still weak at index and pinky monos aswell as hanging the 45 degree slopers with no tricks, i can also see that if i improve these so they are useable i might just be able to drag my wobble buns up one of gaskins 8b+'s and if i can do 1 arm encores on the 35 degree slopers then alot of the awesome 8bs in font will fall.

these boards give me an immediate view to higher levels, i can look at it and immediately see, even on a lazy day, where the future strength is. If i turn around and look at a campus rung all i see is a plateau of monotonous gripping and vague improvements.
i can't see a 1 pad mono staring at me which will be useful on Action Directe, or a back 2 pocket which helped make a new font 8a i did the other day feel like 7b.

people will shell out 20 quid to get inspired watching the latest dvd, then they'll spend hours crimping a sanded door frame to save a bit of money and wonder why its taking so long to improve, and why they can't see their gains.

Also, a thought for the week is being twice as big. learn pull downs off a pulley and in a year you'll have twice as much lock and twice as much reach. don't jus stop when your chin gets to the bar, keep going till your head cracks the ceiling. then learn 1 arm pull throughs... see what i mean, dont just stop because you can do 20 pullups

progression comes through motivation, application and repetitive change.
motivation requires a form of inspiriation. mine comes from projects and their equivalent holds on my fingerboard.

don't make excuses make targets