you most definitely cannot 'PTFTW' after the fact!

John, you're not playing devils advocate, you're being an idiot. "danger in pre-climbing training" do you even read what you write?? there is easily more risk of injury in jumping into climbing off the couch.

and to the dude who doesn't like my "boring approach" - do you know what feedback means? it does not mean suggest something completely different and not in line with the original plan.
You cannot simply tell someone who has asked for "pre-season" training advice to go climbing. that makes you an idiot, and an asshole. it's not helpful.

OF COURSE going climbing is good for your climbing, but that's not the f*cking question.
*Just* going climbing is not the best way to get back into climbing shape quickly, you need to supplement with training. If you find training boring then that's too bad for you, have fun performing below your potential, but that isn't for everybody. Some of us are athletes, and want to push ourselves in our chosen sport, that doesn't mean that we don't enjoy climbing for climbing sake. It's absolutely insane to think that climbing for fun and performance are mutually exclusive.

As many people have alluded to, the best thing for you to do is climb, a lot, in the gym and outside. Unless you are really out of shape, the cardio is not going to help. Hangboard stuff will be mediocre at best– it's actually most effective for climbers who are more advanced. Yoga is good, but hell, I'd recomment yoga to anybody.

What nobody has mentioned yet is core strength, and that is one of the most undervalued elements of climbing training. If, when you are in the gym, you find yourself lunging for holds, sagging, and exhibiting poor posture, amp up the abs exercises. Your joints will thank you in the long run.

Oh, and check this thread for more on getting back into it.

i'm not angry, i didn't make a "training plan" and you didn't offend me. you're just an idiot posting unhelpful garbage in a technique and training forum.

Bustloose- I am neither an idiot nor an asshole. You know nothing of my approach to training for climbing, or what my goals are, or how I go about reaching them. I was not off-topic to recommend climbing a lot at this stage to the OP. I do not believe it to be true that he will find it quicker to get back in climbing shape by spending a lot of time in the gym over a relatively short period that he has identified as ‘six base weeks’. In my opinion, he would be better served in this period using those hours climbing, and/or bouldering, which would contribute to some modest climbing-specific improvements in fitness, endurance, and technique. I used the terms “conservative, cautious, and boring” for their heightened emotional character- to make the exact opposite point that it’s probably more fun, and therefore more constructive at this stage, to just get after it.

From a man who trained all of his life with a break or 2 in there for something like a car accident.

“Every day I go out and climb, like a dancer who works on his dance. He probably has some goals, some pieces he would like to perform, but his main goal is to work on his dance. This is how he expresses himself. Both he and I are interested in the same thing. It’s the dance that counts.” – John Bachar 1957 – 2009

Welcome back to the Tribe.

observations:
- 95 degrees and humid sucks, whether riding in it or climbing in it.
- every climber should get a mountain bike - it makes your approach so much faster and the descent from the boulders a million times more fun
- my hands and forearms are WEAK. definitely the weakest link right now... but i'm sticking with the pull up routine, it can't hurt.

i'll be out again this weekend. now i gotta figure out if i can ride my bike with a crashpad on my back...