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vstargame
Sep 7, 2011, 4:21 PM
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I have been climbing for a little over a year now and was wondering is using a Weighted Vest while climbing and doing hangboard worth it? Does it help with training? I'm 6'2 and weigh 185 pounds, i climb at my local gym 3-4 times a week, i just boulder. I train pretty hard and have wondered about trying out a weighted vest on routes i can already do, traversing, or hang board sessions. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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hafilax
Sep 7, 2011, 4:53 PM
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The conventional wisdom is that weighted training doesn't really help much unless you are climbing at a pretty high level. I would guess that after a year of climbing you have a ways to go unless you are some kind of prodigy.
What kind of training are you currently doing? For most people in their first few years of climbing, the best training for climbing is climbing. Have you read The Self Coached Climber or Training for Climbing?
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sungam
Sep 7, 2011, 4:58 PM
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For the first few years you really want to play your cards close as far as injury is concerned. An injury at this point really could crush your soul and make you lose a huge amount of gains with time out.
While weighted training can be used, and can give great gains, it does increase your chance of injury. I would give your tendons a few years to get used to the heavy load hard climbing puts on them before you step it up a level.
It really does take a very long time for tendons to strengthen. Better to have the slightly slower but steadier gains from injury free training then to screw something up and have to tiptoe around it for the next few years.
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saint_john
Sep 7, 2011, 7:29 PM
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isn't your COG in your hips/waist area? therefore, wouldn't a weighted vest throw off your COG?
unless the OP is boudering like V10 already I think improving technique is the way to go at this point.
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ceebo
Sep 7, 2011, 7:51 PM
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saint_john wrote: isn't your COG in your hips/waist area? therefore, wouldn't a weighted vest throw off your COG? unless the OP is boudering like V10 already I think improving technique is the way to go at this point.
The bag messed with my cog. The vest.. i don't think would be a huge issue apart from stressing core muscles more, and upper ofc.
Why would you set v10 as the bench mark to stop training technique?. It is likely you will find millions of climbers around v6 onward where technique will be a positive strength compared to physical condition and problem solving.
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flesh
Sep 7, 2011, 8:04 PM
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vstargame wrote: I have been climbing for a little over a year now and was wondering is using a Weighted Vest while climbing and doing hangboard worth it? Does it help with training? I'm 6'2 and weigh 185 pounds, i climb at my local gym 3-4 times a week, i just boulder. I train pretty hard and have wondered about trying out a weighted vest on routes i can already do, traversing, or hang board sessions. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I wouldn't recommend a vest at this point. You are already wearing one, at 185 lbs you have at least 10 -15 lbs to lose. The best thing you could do right now to improve quickly and without adding potential for injury is to cut weight. Don't take it as an insult, I just lost 22 lbs so I'm eatin what im cookin.
Other than that, technique, scc, mileage, rest if anything hurts, you'll climb hard, just time. Try not to crimp much as well ;)
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saint_john
Sep 7, 2011, 8:10 PM
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ceebo wrote: saint_john wrote: isn't your COG in your hips/waist area? therefore, wouldn't a weighted vest throw off your COG? unless the OP is boudering like V10 already I think improving technique is the way to go at this point. The bag messed with my cog. The vest.. i don't think would be a huge issue apart from stressing core muscles more, and upper ofc. Why would you set v10 as the bench mark to stop training technique?. It is likely you will find millions of climbers around v6 onward where technique will be a positive strength compared to physical condition and problem solving.
millions?
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vstargame
Sep 14, 2011, 5:07 PM
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Registered: Apr 27, 2009
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ty everyone for your advice
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Elfer
Oct 9, 2011, 4:28 PM
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I use a weighted vest at the gym sometimes (pretty light, 10-15 pounds), and you can use it to train strength on steep overhanging problems or on hangboards, but I think it can also be a valuable tool for training technique on routes that aren't steep.
If a problem or route is mainly based on balance and technique rather than strength, the weight vest will amplify any mistakes you make in technique, and you may have to find a clever way to work past a move you might have been able to power through before. For example, there was a dihedral route that I cruised through on my flash attempt, but when I tried it again with a vest, it required a lot more precision.
Doubt it would improve your technique on steep overhangs though, because of the COG issues mentioned above.
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