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caseyboy7
Oct 6, 2004, 7:03 PM
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I am curious if anyone else out there has dealt with burnout from climbing. I've been climbing two years, with the last one outdoors. Since last April I have been in the gym two or three times a week and was going down to The New every other weekend until recently. I used to love climbing, but right now just the thought of it sickens me. What used to be amazing fun, now feels like a job... Which brings me to my two questions. First, have other people dealt with this by simply walking away from climbing for a few weeks. Second, if I stop climbing entirely for a month or two, how quickly will my strength, etc. decline. I'm not a fantastic climber, but it took me a while to be able to just lead anything bolted at all. So, its not like I'm am elite climber whose skills are on the cutting edge. Basically, if I can redpoint 10's, will two months off knock me back to hang dogging a 6? Also, any input on burnout experiences and how you handled them would be great. I simply can't believe that I not only have no desire to climb, but the thought of it makes me shudder. Thanks for any input.
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fiend
Oct 6, 2004, 7:08 PM
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I've been climbing for ten years and am struggling with it right now.
I love climbing... most of the time. After three years of various injuries, it has become a frustrating experience which is often tainted with fear of further injury.
Some days it's great and I can't wait to get out on rock... other days I don't seem to care if I ever climb again.
I'd recommend taking some mental time off. Don't climb, don't read the mags and don't visit climbing sites on the web. You'll find that you will either really start to miss climbing (as I did last winter after suffering through a wet and dark non-climbing Squamish winter with no plastic action) or that you'll just drift away from it.
If you drift away that easily then I wouldn't mourn the loss.
PS: If you have decent technique then it shouldn't take you long to build your power/endurance back up. It takes months to lose your power and a long time to build it back up again. Endurance can be lost in a week but built back just as easily.
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eekeek
Oct 6, 2004, 7:18 PM
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Thanks fiend... for the good answer.
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craghack
Oct 6, 2004, 7:22 PM
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Have had similar feelings at one point. Not very pleasant as I recall. After giving it some thought I figured out that in my case, it was because I pushed myself too hard in order to climb as hard as my friends from the gym and in the process forgot what it was all about, why I climbed in the first place. As soon as I realized that and started climbing for the fun of it without comparing myself to the rest, I got excited all over again and never looked back.
As for gaining back your strength/endurance after a break, I believe there have been some threads on this subject already. I believe they all claimed that strength comes back more easily than endurance. Better check it out.
Hope you stay with us! Climb on! :wink:
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rmiller
Oct 6, 2004, 7:23 PM
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Yes, I have suffered from burnout. You are not alone. I climbed for about 10 years straight. I climbed anywhere from 2-5 times a week for that entire period, give or take a few absent weeks. I hit a point where climbing just wasn't fun anymore. So, I quit. I had reached all my goals and it felt like climbing was just "going through motions."
I started skydiving about a year prior to quitting climbing, but only did it a few times each month. Then when I quit climbing, all of my energy went into skydiving and I found that excitement that I once had for climbing. It was great! I did not touch rock for a full year and a half and I did not miss it at all. There were also other things in my life that were taking up my time and attention, i.e., school, internship, life, etc.
Recently, I have come back to climbing and have found renewed energy, excitment, and pleasure. I don't have the drive that I had in the past, but I have rediscovered my love for the sport. Now I climb for fun and personal challenge, not to crank the hardest line at the crag or be "the best." So the point of this whole spew is to say, yes, it is normal to get burnt on climbing. It happens. Find some other activities that give you pleasure or whatever you are searching for. The desire to climb might come back, it might not. Just go with what your heart and mind tell you. As for how you will be when you come back, I can only tell you my experience. For me, the underlying skill never went away. I did have to work on regaining endurance and some power, but it was pretty short lived. The head game took awhile to come back too, but it wasn't too bad. Nothing a few good falls did not take care of. I doubt you will regress to 5.6, so don't fret, especially if your time off is only a few months.
Ronnie
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slavetogravity
Oct 6, 2004, 7:33 PM
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Burn out? Oh ya’ I’ve been there. For me it usually hits me at the end of a big months long climbing trip. At these times all I want to do is sit on my but drink coffee and watch TV, and not even think about climbing. This only comes as a result of too much climbing and finding my self in a routine that, at times, feels like work. Here are a few cures to the burn out blues.
1. Climb somewhere new. So you’ve been going to the same place for, climbing the same routes, hiking the same approach. This can get boring and your climbing will become predictable and redundant. The sense of adventure and exploration that comes with going to a new area is often a good remedy.
2. Find a new climbing partner. If your climbing partners is a dud, their negative energy is going to drag you down. Climbing with someone who’s a better more experienced climber then you can open your eyes to new possibilities in your climbing. Climbing with someone who’s just getting into climbing can also give you a boost as their excitement for their new found sport will ware off one you.
3. Change your focus. Break out of your shell. So your good at bouldering and you’ve never pick up a rope? Well it’s time to pick that rope up. Never climb trad? Time to start. Turn your nose up at sport routs? Time to start pushing your physical limits and get on those sport routs.
4. Read a book. Go to the library or any book store and your going to find a wealth of literature on climbing. Reading anything buy Greg Childs, Joe Simpson, or John Long is just the thing that going to get you psyched for climbing. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND. Rock jocks Wall Rats and Hangdogs by John Long.
As for staying in shape. Eat well and exercise regularly. It ain’t rocket science.
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euroford
Oct 6, 2004, 8:02 PM
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last winter i got pretty burned out on it. during the summer i obsese about getting to the crags, climbing and sinking gear. during the winter i gym climb quite a bit to get in shape/stay in practice. i get burned out on going to the gym bigtime, it feels like a job. but i get results so i just chug through it till the weather warms up and i can trad climb again. this year i plan to get into ice climbing, i've tried it a couple times, but now its time to get my own tools and really focus on it for the winter.
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alpnclmbr1
Oct 6, 2004, 8:47 PM
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alpnclmbr1 moved this thread from Beginners to General.
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cloudbreak
Oct 6, 2004, 9:05 PM
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I never really a "burn out" so to speak, but the past 2.5 years of my life were dictated by climbing. I was completely obessed with it, as I had been with othere interests....surfing, snowboarding, skating, and others, but climbing towered above everything.
About 6 months ago I injured a pulley in my finger. I was devastated. I was depressed at first, but had no choice but to find an alternative addiction so to say. Well, I started surfing again and had just so much fun, and not climbing didn't bother me at all. I still thought about it a lot, but surfing was a nice change from the rigid lifestyle that I placed on myself while climbing.
About a month ago I started climbing again, but this time with a different frame of mind. Taking time off brought me back to the basics of why I enjoyed it to begin with.....movement over rock, the sites, the sounds, the smells. I also found out that I didn't have to train as hard as I was before. I now enjoy a lot of other aspects of my life while still enjoying climbing, probably more than I did before.
Taking some time off I think is a good and healthy thing. Hopefully youl come back to it with a differetn perspective.
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superdiamonddave
Oct 6, 2004, 9:21 PM
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That's where I'm at right now. After 10 years of climbing, I am feeling kinda Ho-hum about it now. I imagine that I will never truely give up climbing completely, but for now I am slowing way down and just doing other things.
I'm not gonna sweat it and neither should you. Do what's right for you, and if climbing starts to get stale, give it a break. The rock isn't going anywhere and it is a lot more fun when you are stoked about a climb rather than dreading it.
my .02
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norushnomore
Oct 6, 2004, 11:58 PM
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It is time to do something else. Recent hype brought way too many people into climbing just as it happened with mountain biking in the 90s
Give it and find what excites you, live is too short.
Cannot wait till I can put my skis on
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numbnut
Oct 7, 2004, 12:11 AM
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Ideally, you shouldn't have to force yourself to do anything. Motivation, in my mind, should come naturally. I'd probably get burnt on climbing too if I lived in Ohio. I live in Boulder,Colorado, where there is always something new to explore given all the cool destinations within weekend roadtrip distance.
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packclimber
Oct 7, 2004, 3:29 AM
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Hasn't everyone whose climbed a long time experianced burnout. The best thing to do is take a week break and see how it feels. if it feels right get back into climbing.
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deleted
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Oct 7, 2004, 3:48 AM
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Lack of motivation is one of the first signs of over training and climbing for other people and your ego.
Your feeling dread because your body probably needs a break and you need to do some climbing below your hardest level so you can feel the freedom and joy of climbing without all the pressure to push numbers someone else claimed.
Are you taking advantage of using some kind of organized training cycle? A long term training cycle has periods of recovery built into it. You don't get stronger when you climb you get stronger when you rest, climbing hard is the signal you give your body to get stronger. and if you've been climbing hard at your limit for months and years without a least a good couple weeks break would help. Also I think most people over train, climbing is hard, it uses your full body and it works the crap out of all those little muscles and joints in your hands etc. If your climbing at your max you should be getting 4-5 days rest between climbs to fully recover to where your a little stronger then last time.
Listen to your body, if you don't feel that buz to go clmbing it's a good sign your suffering from general fatigue. Just chill out for a couple days.
Good luck with whatever you do.
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offwidthclimber
Oct 7, 2004, 4:24 AM
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heavy drinking, masterbation, other pursuits, etc...
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korntera
Oct 7, 2004, 4:38 AM
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I havn't really had a burnout but if i get tired of doing hard stuff i will take a week off from my top climbing and climb about 3 grades below normal and just make all the moves smooth and really work on foot placement to make it as easy as possible. It helps you in two ways, one you don't get any worse, you get better while working on your feet and two, it makes your burnout go away, it makes you get back to why you liked to climb, instead of only going for the hardest climb.(Now that is a runon sentance)
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atg200
Oct 7, 2004, 5:12 AM
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i burn out every now and then, and have taken some significant breaks over the last 10 years. go do something else for awhile. i can't wait for ski season.
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gremlin
Oct 7, 2004, 5:20 AM
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I get bored of hitting the gym every once in a while, but I do it anyway, because for me, it's all training for the next time I can get out on real rock. And that's all I really care about right now.
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dingus
Oct 7, 2004, 5:22 AM
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In reply to: Lack of motivation is one of the first signs of over training and climbing for other people and your ego.
BINGO!
I think it is very important to recognize what YOU want from climbing, what you dig about it. Too often we are swayed by what other people think and do. Find your inner voice and listen to it. If it says stop or take a break, do it. If it says go after easier climbs, or safer climbs, or harder climbs, or more committing climbs, do it. If it says you are not a climber at all, quit.
But don't you dare feel sorry for yourself because you're 'burned out.' That is lame lame lame. No one, no how, can make you climb a goddamned thing. So quit your moping and DO SOMETHING!
Oh, and you can quit for a year without significant loss of climbing ability as long as you don't let yourself go entirely. This business about quitting for a couple of days is a joke too. If you are the burnout you think you are, walk away and don't come back for a long time.
Or maybe you should just stop reading this forum, or anything else about climbing. That is step one to doing your own thing anyway, isn't it?
DMT
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davidji
Oct 7, 2004, 6:08 AM
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Am I the only one who hoped this thread was about something else?
I think I need to go to community now...
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timstich
Oct 7, 2004, 2:55 PM
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I got seriously burned out on cave exploring several years ago. Haven't set foot in one since. I went to one caver meeting and met some folks. Just the other day, I was watching a special on TV about caving and spotted a bat pack. My friend makes them and I own two myself. I smiled. At some point, I definitely will go caving again. I'm in no hurry. I still have all of my gear, I keep in touch with my caver friends, and I have climbing to fixate on.
For me, branching out into a different climbing discipline has been very rewarding. I just got into alpine climbing this season. Never been into bouldering much, but I know it's available if I get sick of trad, alpine, and sport. And I never tire of just hiking. Get the pack and go.
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gat
Oct 7, 2004, 5:31 PM
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Ooops, I thought this was a help wanted ad.
While I am here I may as well answer...As others have said, you are far from alone. I get burned out on all the hobbies I pursue. Mtn Biking, WW kayaking, climbing, trail running. For years I have gone for 6 - 18 months where all I want to do is (insert sport of choice). Then all of a sudden, bang, no interest and I move to something else and I beat that sport to death for a while. I (as of about a week ago :wink: ) am now trying to include all of my activities on a somewhat regular basis. You know the saying, variety is a spice that tastes like chicken...or something like that.
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