When you starve your body, and it begins to eat at the muscles, it is wise enough to eat at the muscles that you don't use as often. So, running would NOT target the legs, as your body would know you're using them.

When you starve your body, and it begins to eat at the muscles, it is wise enough to eat at the muscles that you don't use as often. So, running would NOT target the legs, as your body would know you're using them.

Is there any scientific evidence for this, or is it more like a something that passes a gut check ?

Is there any scientific evidence for this, or is it more like a something that passes a gut check ?

Well, as an avid athlete, I've had many conversations with physical trainers and physical therapists on these subjects. Muscle atrophy, muscles being used as fuel. I especially know the running one well, as I run marathons. During a marathon, your body WILL begin eating muscle eventually. And it goes for what it views as the useless ones first. So, you can believe what you want. If you really want to starve yourself, go out running, and think that your legs will be eaten first, I think you'll find yourself quite mistaken.

Jay, so a good way to get rid of treetrunk legs is to hike 20 miles on the days when you're not climbing and not eat any protein before/during the hike.

On my weight watchers, I eat 1300 cals a day. I lost 6 lbs. in the first week .

You might be too old to recover from this but you need to drop all your weight, get up off your death bed, and start rebuilding from scratch.

Really, there are three options.

1. The Lance Armstrong method, get cancer (cancer isn't necessary but chemo is). Once recovered only train the specific needs for your routes.

2. Heroin addiction. This one is fairly easy I hear. Shoot up, party like a rock star, vomit a lot, sleep in some rain gutters, blow a hobo to share his junk. Rehab, start climbing, and maybe even write an inspirational novel about the journey. Try not to get any diseases and don't inject any bubbles/rat poison.

3. Anorexia/Bulimia, not just for women anymore. Don't eat and vomit all the time. You look so fat, you're so fat, why aren't you skinny like all your friends, you are so fat.


You're welcome.

Oy, that guy is wordy. You might want to consider this.

Jay

Damn it, I was hopping that my diet of fat fried butter sticks dipped in chlotate was going to make me a bette climber.

Damn it, I was hopping that my diet of fat fried butter sticks dipped in chlotate was going to make me a bette climber.

It hasn't helped your typing much either.

Jay

Haha. Cute. Actually, it had more to do with me quitting quitting cigarettes...the damn things are so addictive. I'm gonna die.

The great boulderer, Bob Murray, and one of his climbing partners, Frank A---, became serious dieters back in the '80s. Murray at his slimmest was around 6'2" and maybe 150.

Friends of his told me stories of Murray using food as a motivator, slicing a Snickers bar into thin strips and then placing them on the holds of a project.

Frank A--- damaged his heart with the dieting, and he had to quit climbing.

Karen Carpenter is not a model for climbing fitness.

Hey Kerwin,

Did you forget Frank's last name? Or, are you purposely not making it public? Just curious--I knew Frank pretty well BITD when I lived in Tucson.

Curt

You'd be better off not hiking, and maintaining an adequate protein and carbohydrate intake.

Jay

That doesn't compute for me considering your previous post:

When energy expenditure exceeds energy intake chronically, muscle catabolism is increased throughout the body.

Wouldn't I want a lot of muscle catabolism while my energy expenditure greatly exceeds my intake (close to zero) in a 20-mile 6-hour hike ?

When energy expenditure exceeds energy intake chronically, muscle catabolism is increased throughout the body. Chronic exercise, especially strength exercise, has an opposing effect on the muscles being exercised.

See, this is like the whole "technique vs. fitness" debate, this weight-loss business...Everyone wants to send harder stuff, but I am not sure I'd ever go to the extent of getting less strong / looking worse for the sake of climbing performance. Which is what losing weight off a 175 lbs/6'2" frame would sound like a recipe for... a/k/a "skinny bouldering dude".