SPEED CLIMBING TRAINING PART 3

This is the last post of the speed climbing series. I will show some methodology and exercises.

The speed in a climbing route will depend on two factors: length and frequency of individual moves.

Length depends on:

1- Morphologic characteristics

2 Strength

3- Holds

4- Flexibility

Frequency depends on:

1- Contact time

2- Flight time (COG in vertical direction)

Improving each of these aspects will improve in final climbing speed. Some aspects can’t be changed like anthropometric characteristics or where the holds are screwed. But strength, flexibility, contact time and flight time can be trained and there is where our efforts will be centered.

Methodological tasks

• - Increase speed possibilities by high frequency innervations using low resistance and a short period of time
• Increase special strength preparedness using dynamic moves
• Increase speed endurance using interval method
• Reach perfect coordination and maximum efficiency of the neuromuscular effort

The following videos shows some methodologies to work upper body strength

Frequency campus exercises

And for movement length

Assisted exercise will be helpful to frequency improvement when using campus board because sometimes (always!!) body weight is excessive to apply a correct speed training load. Using elastic bands attached to a harness will be enough.

Non assisted exercises need to be performed after assisted ones, so we can finish with the real motor path

Methodology

1. Normal – resisted – normal
2. Normal – resisted – normal – resisted – normal
3. Normal – assisted – normal
4. Normal – assisted – normal – assisted – normal
5. Normal – resisted – normal – assisted – normal
6. Normal – resisted – assisted – normal

7. assisted – resisted – assisted - normal

Some exercises to train lower body strength

For power nothing better than jumps

This chart resumes the tasks to train for speed climbing

<

Some reflections concerning speed training

1. Technique and coordination are important do speed
2. Max strength and power have a positive effect; max strength, power and speed makes a dynamic unity
3. Muscular imbalances are counter-productive during speed development
4. Exercises performed at sub maximal speed generate sub maximal speed neural paths.
5. It is preferable quality than quantity. Maximum speed improvements is only possible by a complex and well developed process of load planning and control

Prof. Juan Martín Miranda

SPEED CLIMBING TRAINING PART 2

In this post I will show how are upper and lower body moves during a speed climbing comp, and the way this information help us to understand speed climbing training methods.

Upper body moves

Pay attention to this video, specially arms moves

Now let’s see the same video in slow motion and with contact time analysis.

If we analize in numbers what the video shows:

• Numbers of contacts 10 left / 9 right

• Total contact time 4,08s/3,6s

• Double moves 4

• Average contact time : 360ms

• Esplosive actions with stretch shortening cycle (SSC)

There is few cientific studies published concerning speed climbing. Konstantin Fuss and Gunther Niegl (2006) studied climbers forces during different situations, using piezoelectric sensors attached to holds to determine how forces is applied on them.

They concluded that during speed climbing as higher the reaction force over the hold, higher initial shock spikes , and shorter the contact time. So it is necessary to apply high forces in a short period of time, thus reduce the contact time. Keep in mind that if we reduce each of the contact times , we will have a less time until the top.

A

t this point, a striking difference becomes apparent: in lead climbers, the better a climber is, the smaller are the contact forces at the hold: in speed climbers, the opposite is true, i.e., the better the climber and thus the faster, the higher are the contact forces. In lead climbers, the magnitude of these forces depends on how economical the climbing style is; in speed climbers, the force is a function of speed (Fuss and Niegl. 20O6).

Next graphs shows forces and contact time / velocity

Number of moves shows that during comp format (15 meters tall) and with accurate technique, a climber do 19 moves, 4 of them are double dyno.

Average contact time is between 300-500ms, classifying some of the actions as Long Stretch Shortening Cycle actions (SSC-L), that means that there is some elastic energy stored and released during the contraction. This determines some parameters to consider when planing the training to maximize the efficacy of each move

Lower body moves

Next Image shows lower body moves.

• Number of contacts 9/9

• Both feet at the same time: 1

• Average contact time : 400ms

• Explosive isometric-concentric actions

• Knee: >90 grados

• Foot internal rotation, Hip abduction

Number of contacts is similar to upper body, but contact time is higher, maybe because great angular amplitude of the involved joints.

If we see the knee in each move, we will notice that they’re flexed more than 90 degrees at the beginning of the move. So they’re deep knee flexions.

At the same time each move is performed with feet external rotation and hip abduction, that determines an specific pattern to train lower body.

All this actions are considered explosive isometric-concentric actions, because the climber first fixes his feet, and then perform the explosive concentric action always with upper body support.

Next post I will describe methodologies to improve efficiency of upper and lower body contacts.Prof. Juan Marín Miranda