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dklco
Apr 6, 2005, 8:07 PM
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ive been climbing for about three months now and didnt know what level i climbed until a few days ago when i went to a local gym that had their routes clearly marked. i started on a 5.8 then went to a 5.9 and could do bothe on the first try with little or no strain. then i tried a 5.10 and couldnt get past the first moves... it seemed strange to m that there was such a huge difference between 5.9 and 5.10 when i can barly tell the difference between a 5.8 and a 5.9.
my problem is that i dont think it does me any good to keep falling after one move on a 5.10 but a 5.9 is just too easy. i was wondering what were some tips on training for a 5.10 in this situation. i noticed that more of the moves were body tension moves on the various 5.10 i tried so do i try to focus on endurance and strenght a little more? or do i just stick with practicing teqnique?
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climbsomething
Apr 6, 2005, 8:21 PM
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5.10 is usually a good challenge, but it really isn't a big number. This isn't elitist, this is true. It's still relatively moderate. So the best way to "train for 5.10" is to just throw yourself at 5.10s. It DOES do you good to get on a 5.10 and thrash. Any reasonably fit and committed person can, with at least a little bit of effort, toprope 5.10 without too much suffering.
Look for 5.10a or 5.10- routes first, though. There's a noticable difference between 5.10a and 5.10c or d, 5.10- and 5.10 or 10+.
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treebeard
Apr 6, 2005, 8:28 PM
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Yea, I would agree that 5.10 isnt to terribly hard (at least at the end of the season it seems relatively easy). The best thing that worked for me was to have a partner that could comfortably lead 5.10 then I would just have to toprope it in order to clean it. For only climbing 3 months you're at a pretty good level.
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gunksgoer
Apr 6, 2005, 8:32 PM
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just climb abunch and youll be there in no time. forget about the numbers, concentrate on the climbing, and you will be amazed how much better your climbing gets.
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chronicle
Apr 6, 2005, 8:44 PM
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In reply to: just climb abunch and youll be there in no time. forget about the numbers, concentrate on the climbing, and you will be amazed how much better your climbing gets.
This is great advice. It worked for me last season. I climbed lines that looked fun, challenging, whatever and my climbing improved a lot.
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fiend
Apr 6, 2005, 8:49 PM
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Bleh... you can forget about the numbers if you want, but I like them as a judge of how hard I'm pushing myself and a visible sign of improvement.
There's a ton of good advice on this site regarding training (like climbing alot, climbing with someone better than you, watching and learning from others) but keep in mind that route grading is difficult and innaccurate at best. You may find one 5.10 that you can't get off the ground on and then another where you can't do the last move.
Build up a solid base of 5.9s and try several different 5.10s.
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doubleropes
Apr 6, 2005, 8:51 PM
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You're going to find it harder and harder top push the grades. Three months after I started, I was able to climb easy 5.10s. It took me another year to send 5.10+ and then a few more months to reach 5.11. After that, (for me anyway) you have to work and focus to maintain and increase your level. Perhaps the best thing for you at the moment is just to get on as many easy 5.10s as possible. Remember, the ratings are relatively subjective. If the route does not correspond to your body type or strenghts, the 5.10s will feel more like 5.11s. So just get on as many routes as possible.
Also, try working your endurance by running laps on overhanging 5.9s (or 5.8s). Try working bouldering problems for strenght. And most importantly, remember to stretch before and especially after every work out (very important). In fact, stretch every day as this will increase your reach and ability to high step.
Keep up the good work!
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bler
Apr 6, 2005, 8:54 PM
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age ain't nothin but a number..
er'... i mean numbers don't mean a thing
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olive
Apr 6, 2005, 9:22 PM
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i think it is too early for you to decide what you do and do not find easy after getting on one 5.9 one 5.8 and one 5.10. Especially considering that gym ratings can be a) unreliable b) soft. There are 5.9s and there are other 5.9s - maybe you got on a easy 9 or hard 10. I would say get on more routes and see what you are comfortable with and what is hard for you.
Also, I do agree that pushing yourself at routes harder than you can finish might be good, but I would also say that it is important to build a good base by doing lots of different routes at your level to improve your technique and endurance.
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alonfw
Apr 6, 2005, 9:35 PM
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I agree with olive. There are 8's that feel like 10s and there are 10s the feel like 8s. Sampeling only one of each you really have no idea, even if you are climbing outside. Gym ratings are often skewed compared to outdoor ratings.
Alon :)
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wingnut
Apr 6, 2005, 10:02 PM
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do route pyramids leading up to 5.10. works great.
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dklco
Apr 6, 2005, 10:10 PM
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just to clear it up ive done many 8s and 9s and tried more than a few 10s indoor and outdoor...
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climbtothebeet
Apr 6, 2005, 10:55 PM
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numbers are cool. i climbed my first 5.10 over spring break. i was happy, exspecialy since it was the first time out for the season. but, i was in the midle of the climb when i fond out it was a 5.10. so me, climbing is fun, it doesn tmatter numbers, shure its cool to know, but, climb what looks fun. and easy climbs can be fun 2 ya know.
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kachoong
Apr 30, 2005, 4:22 AM
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In reply to: do route pyramids leading up to 5.10. works great. |
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lvclimbingbum
Apr 30, 2005, 2:49 PM
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Maybe the routes at the gym were inappropriatly rated. We've had a 5.8 route that was actually like 5.10.
Climbing 5.10 is the first major barrier. That's where you actually start to worry more about your core and your footwork. For example, you're going to have smaller or worse feet on a 5.10, so you need better feet, which causes you to need better core strength. It took me a while to eventually climb 5.10's but now, after about 7-8 months, I'm flashing 5.11+ outdoors and can redpoint 5.12- in like 3-4 tries. Just keep climbing. You don't need to train till you really start to climb 5.10. My advice is to just climb.
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lvclimbingbum
Apr 30, 2005, 2:52 PM
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Maybe the routes at the gym were inappropriatly rated. We've had a 5.8 route that was actually like 5.10.
Climbing 5.10 is the first major barrier. That's where you actually start to worry more about your core and your footwork. For example, you're going to have smaller or worse feet on a 5.10, so you need better feet, which causes you to need better core strength. It took me a while to eventually climb 5.10's but now, after about 7-8 months, I'm flashing 5.11+ outdoors and can redpoint 5.12- in like 3-4 tries. Just keep climbing. You don't need to train till you really start to climb 5.10. My advice is to just climb.
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andback3
Apr 30, 2005, 3:54 PM
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definitely do not use just one route as an indicator. an example for me in my gym (which rates on the W system), they have a route marked as a W4+ that I've tried 5 or 6 times, but it has a straight vertical dyno (4 inches out of reach for me, and I'm 5'10", and it's a tiny hold). After missing that, I usually go climb a few W6's and W6+'s much easier. moral is: ratings can be wrong, especially in gyms.
Another thing to keep in mind, most gyms use tape to mark routes, and the tape gets kicked off occasionally. I noticed that on my favorite 6+, as I was half way up, a piece of tape was missing. I of course still used the hold, mentioned it to the guy in charge ("we were going to fix it when we got a chance...."), took a piece of tape, climbed again, and fixed it. Unfortunately someone didn't do that to the 4+ (or it's just misrated). so don't trust gym ratings
for conversion, W4 is about 5.7 and W6 is about 5.9. we use the W system because, no mater what you do, gym climbing isn't natural rock, so it isn't 5. scale.
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