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RollHard
Aug 22, 2009, 8:02 AM
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I don't mean that you just climbed, but what specifically?
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USnavy
Aug 22, 2009, 9:01 AM
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The rope sure helps with the mental aspect. 
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shermanr6
Aug 22, 2009, 1:28 PM
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Time and weight loss.
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airforceclmr
Aug 22, 2009, 1:44 PM
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I found my strength went thru the roof after i built a bouldering wall in my garage. Winters up here suck...except for fat ice of course.
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tomcat
Aug 22, 2009, 2:04 PM
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What I call "mere mortals". Simply put,most climbs are geared to mere mortals,so yes,the moves are do-able and there is gear up there,so get after it,or as I often say,just go have a look.
The climbs reserved for demi-gods are clearly indicated today.
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dingus
Aug 22, 2009, 2:06 PM
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Good, sound fitness, first and foremost. Can't be over emphasized.
2nd was being exposed to climbers who get after it - week after week - attitude.
A lot of folks who could otherwise be competent, across the board climbers, end up stuck on top rope (till the glory fades and golf and Thai Bo get in the way) for the duration of their climbing careers.
Many of these folks I think love climbing - but cannot see how to get from where they are to where the good climbers are.
What I'm saying is that gap is not the chasm a lot of us, even the fat man over there on the 5.5 kids top rope route there... even THAT DUDE... the chasm between him and competent 5.10 leading is not as deep or as wide as he may believe.
Belief. Often attitude comes down to belief. Belief in one self. That belief, for us climbers, is founded in physical fitness and then through conscious will, through force of will, it is pointed forward and pointed up and week after week, you BELIEVE.
Then you look back 5 years later and go... whoa!
Fitness and attitude are the simple rock solid foundations of rock climbing. Skill, technique, gear - all that crap will accumulate over time. But without fitness and attitude? Those other things accumulate in the closet, for the most part.
Fitness. And attitude.
DMT
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USnavy
Aug 22, 2009, 2:24 PM
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dingus wrote: Good, sound fitness, first and foremost. Can't be over emphasized. 2nd was being exposed to climbers who get after it - week after week - attitude. A lot of folks who could otherwise be competent, across the board climbers, end up stuck on top rope (till the glory fades and golf and Thai Bo get in the way) for the duration of their climbing careers. Many of these folks I think love climbing - but cannot see how to get from where they are to where the good climbers are. What I'm saying is that gap is not the chasm a lot of us, even the fat man over there on the 5.5 kids top rope route there... even THAT DUDE... the chasm between him and competent 5.10 leading is not as deep or as wide as he may believe. Belief. Often attitude comes down to belief. Belief in one self. That belief, for us climbers, is founded in physical fitness and then through conscious will, through force of will, it is pointed forward and pointed up and week after week, you BELIEVE. Then you look back 5 years later and go... whoa! Fitness and attitude are the simple rock solid foundations of rock climbing. Skill, technique, gear - all that crap will accumulate over time. But without fitness and attitude? Those other things accumulate in the closet, for the most part. Fitness. And attitude. DMT
Fitness is important but it’s not number one. I know people who can bench 250 lbs and run 1.5 miles in 9 min but cannot climb 5.10 to save their life. On the other hand I know some who eat fast food almost every day and lead 5.12. One must "be in shape" to climb but being an athlete does not guarantee success. More then half of what determines how hard you can climb is the ability to make efficient moves, and technique. Less then half is physical strength.
Attitude is very important. I know someone who can top rope 5.12 but cannot lead 5.8. She has an imprint in her mind that lead climbing is so excessively scary that she wont even try it. Yet I know if she tried it and got use to it she could join the realm of real 5.12 climbers. It’s a shame really. 
(This post was edited by USnavy on Aug 22, 2009, 2:30 PM)
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LostinMaine
Aug 22, 2009, 2:35 PM
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Reading. I'm a bookworm, so I read every rock climbing book I could get my hands on. Then, I applied it.
I started climbing in the worst way possible; I climbed once at a gym in the early 90's, fell in love with the movement, went out, bought a rope, a length of static rope, harness, some biners. I read Mellor's "how to" book, learned a simple TR setup, found a willing (and foolish) friend to belay me, and started climbing.
After I read as much as possible, I learned I was doing some very dumb and very unsafe things, but that's how I learned. As I built up a rack, I devoured books on anchors and leading theory, and spent a hell of a lot of time placing gear, building anchors, and analyzing them with my feet on the ground. I started slowly on gunks .3s, .4s, and .5s to learn route finding, rope drag issues, rope commands, and such. I had to climb 10 routes of a given grade before I moved up, just for experience. It was slow, but I was never in danger because of it.
I still read every climbing book I can get my hands on. I spend about an hour each night trying to learn something new (escaping belays quickly, building 3:1 or 5:1 pulleys, ascending ropes, ...) on my home wall.
Yeah.. so that's what I did. I recommend learning with someone who already knows what they are doing; it will help you avoid many of the mistakes I made (though I know I learned a hell of a lot through "just doing it").
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dingus
Aug 22, 2009, 2:41 PM
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USnavy wrote: dingus wrote: Good, sound fitness, first and foremost. Can't be over emphasized. 2nd was being exposed to climbers who get after it - week after week - attitude. A lot of folks who could otherwise be competent, across the board climbers, end up stuck on top rope (till the glory fades and golf and Thai Bo get in the way) for the duration of their climbing careers. Many of these folks I think love climbing - but cannot see how to get from where they are to where the good climbers are. What I'm saying is that gap is not the chasm a lot of us, even the fat man over there on the 5.5 kids top rope route there... even THAT DUDE... the chasm between him and competent 5.10 leading is not as deep or as wide as he may believe. Belief. Often attitude comes down to belief. Belief in one self. That belief, for us climbers, is founded in physical fitness and then through conscious will, through force of will, it is pointed forward and pointed up and week after week, you BELIEVE. Then you look back 5 years later and go... whoa! Fitness and attitude are the simple rock solid foundations of rock climbing. Skill, technique, gear - all that crap will accumulate over time. But without fitness and attitude? Those other things accumulate in the closet, for the most part. Fitness. And attitude. DMT Fitness is important but it’s not number one. I know people who can bench 250 lbs and run 1.5 miles in 9 min but cannot climb 5.10 to save their life. On the other hand I know some who eat fast food almost every day and lead 5.12. One must "be in shape" to climb but being an athlete does not guarantee success. More then half of what determines how hard you can climb is the ability to make efficient moves, and technique. Less then half is physical strength. Attitude is very important. I know someone who can top rope 5.12 but cannot lead 5.8. She has an imprint in her mind that lead climbing is so excessively scary that she wont even try it. Yet I know if she tried it and got use to it she could join the realm of real 5.12 climbers. It’s a shame really.
Fitness is relative and mostly in the mind of the beholder. But the belief, the attitude that "I am STRONG" (an attitude you yourself display in spade dude!) stems from personal conviction. Its not what YOU think of their fitness levels, its what THEY think of them.
WIthout that fitness the attitude "I am strong" has no basis and is easly shattered, esp for beginners. One bad experience can destroy a person's mental composure.
Where as when the fit climber gets into trouble, she can hang on and hang on and eventually work something out. And that proven ability to hang on when the shit hits the fan?
THAT'S the fitness foundation that props up attitude - when you believe you are strong, you ARE strong (Todd Skinner). But to continue to believe you are strong, you have to BE strong.
Truthfully USNAvy, they are intertwined, fitness and attitude. We might not even bother differentiating really,,, mental fitness isn't really any different from physical fitness, at the end of the day, any more than matter and energy.
C=FA(A)
Climbing = Fitness x Attitude (squared)
Huh?
HUH????
AM I ON TO SOMETHING HERE????
Cheers Harwhyya man.
DMT
DMT
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dingus
Aug 22, 2009, 2:46 PM
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LostinMaine wrote: I started climbing in the worst way possible; I climbed once at a gym in the early 90's, fell in love with the movement, went out, bought a rope, a length of static rope, harness, some biners. I read Mellor's "how to" book, learned a simple TR setup, found a willing (and foolish) friend to belay me, and started climbing.
A more time honored approach than you may realize dude.
While it may no tbe best for performance or time management reasons, this self starter bootstrap mentality of yours can take you ANYWHERE - Baffin, the bottom of the world, bouldering, Bishop.
Anywhere.
Because you know in your heart of hearts, you can bootstrap youself into pretty much ANYTHING.
Powerful juju, isn't it?
DMT
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rgold
Aug 22, 2009, 2:48 PM
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I agree about fitness and attitude (and of course Dingus means climbing fitness, not weight-room fitness), but for me by far the most important influences were other people, people whose skills exceeded mine, people whose approach to hard leading was a revelation, people whose vision of the possible went way beyond my imaginings.
The wonderful thing about this is that skills and conditioning behave logarithmically over time---the better you get, the harder it is to get better---but there is a never-ending supply of things you can learn from others, even after years and years at the game.
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dingus
Aug 22, 2009, 2:52 PM
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rgold wrote: I agree about fitness and attitude (and of course Dingus means climbing fitness, not weight-room fitness), but for me by far the most important influences were other people, people whose skills exceeded mine, people whose approach to hard leading was a revelation, people whose vision of the possible went way beyond my imaginings. The wonderful thing about this is that skills and conditioning behave logarithmically over time---the better you get, the harder it is to get better---but there is a never-ending supply of things you can learn from others, even after years and years at the game.
Great point rgold. I can attribute several revelations to just this dynamic - meeting Arno Illgner at the top of an obscure Tennessee cliff in the winter of 1984 was one of them. Climbing with Stu for the first time (O... M.... G....!) was even more of an eye opener.
I'd come zaway from folks like this nearly in shock at what was revealed - about ability and mental control.
Great point (as always r)...
DMT
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Mariofercol
Aug 22, 2009, 3:00 PM
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Get to know more climbers and get more partners. That has helped me improve my climbing.
First you have more opportunities to climb, more mileage, better technique, better climbing.
Second, the more people you climb with, the more you have a chance to climb with better climbers than you. People can give you beta and input about your climbing. Also, I think that by watching other climbers you pick little things that you can add to your repertoire.
Also, if you're a guy, try to climb with cute girls. You might not get the girl at the end, but you will not come down from that route until you finish it 
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climbdork
Aug 22, 2009, 6:43 PM
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1. Teaching- explaining the fundamentals to n00bs brought my own technique into sharp relief.
2. Working at a gym- (a)seeing/meeting/talking to the cross-section of locals and (b)free access to facilities.
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curt
Aug 22, 2009, 9:54 PM
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rgold wrote: I agree about fitness and attitude (and of course Dingus means climbing fitness, not weight-room fitness), but for me by far the most important influences were other people, people whose skills exceeded mine, people whose approach to hard leading was a revelation, people whose vision of the possible went way beyond my imaginings...
That was it for me, too. Climbing a bunch with Stannard and Gill when I was a complete n00b set the bar pretty high.
Curt
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AntinJ
Aug 23, 2009, 2:29 AM
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I've been climbing for a year and I think a lot of progression has come from climbing with people who are more experienced and crank harder than I.
Also, there is no doubt that focused diet & exercise plays a huge roll in confidence and ability at all levels of climbing.
Last, but certainly not least:
In reply to: I still read every climbing book I can get my hands on.
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majid_sabet
Aug 23, 2009, 3:36 AM
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climbdork wrote: 1. Teaching- explaining the fundamentals to n00bs brought my own technique into sharp relief. 2. Working at a gym- (a)seeing/meeting/talking to the cross-section of locals and (b)free access to facilities.
I want to learn about the fundamental and defiantly qualify as n00b so what is in lesson one?
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dan2see
Aug 23, 2009, 3:38 AM
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Attitude, and activities.
Just get out there and have fun.
It keeps on getting better.
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ukkonen
Aug 23, 2009, 4:10 AM
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It sure the hell wasn't RC.com
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tradrenn
Aug 23, 2009, 5:27 AM
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ukkonen wrote: It sure the hell wasn't RC.com
Sounds like you missed the good/useful staff.
I found it to be very beneficial to my climbing to read post by Jt512, rgold, angry, curt, dingus, blueyeclimber, cracklover, tenn_dawg, camhead, just to name a few.
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RollHard
Aug 23, 2009, 6:14 AM
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maybe I didn't word myself right but I guess I'm asking what I can do besides climbing to get better?
Are there some good articles out there or exercises, something like that?
I just started doing weighted pull ups because I'm tired of staying on the bar for days pulling out reps...
Should I practice just hanging on the bar as well?
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AntinJ
Aug 23, 2009, 6:40 AM
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In reply to: I just started doing weighted pull ups because I'm tired of staying on the bar for days pulling out reps...
oh boy, my mistake RollHard...you forgot to mention in your original post that you are THE MAN.
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RollHard
Aug 23, 2009, 6:41 AM
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AntinJ wrote: In reply to: I just started doing weighted pull ups because I'm tired of staying on the bar for days pulling out reps... oh boy, my mistake RollHard...you forgot to mention in your original post that you are THE MAN.
daddy issues?
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bennydh
Aug 23, 2009, 7:07 AM
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RollHard wrote: AntinJ wrote: In reply to: I just started doing weighted pull ups because I'm tired of staying on the bar for days pulling out reps... oh boy, my mistake RollHard...you forgot to mention in your original post that you are THE MAN. daddy issues?
In that regard John Gill was the man. You can let the forum know when you get bored doing one arm front levers, and one finger one arm pull ups.
Or you could pose a more specific question, objective, or goal you may be trying to achieve, and get better answers.
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