Help improving my training - technique specifically

Ok, I started writing my whole life story here with rockclimbing, but realized that isn't the point. To keep it short: I'm a 40+ climber that started a few years ago. I'm small and relatively strong, but have been neglecting technique because I just pulled through routes.

Soon I will have daily access to a small gym with a 20 degree spraywall and an adjustable 2016 moonboard.

I mostly need to work on technique and endurance, but I suspect endurance will get better when I start climbing with better technique. I already noticed a big difference last weekend when I really started focusing on pushing with my feet a fraction of a second before pulling with my arms, which is what I've been doing most of my climbs.

Ok, so, just looking for some input in what a good way to trail would be. Endurance I've been training on the moonboard with 4x4s and staying on the board for 2m, on 25 and/or 15 degree. I just can't seem to get the same pumped feeling as I have when I'm on rock, but I suspect that is the mental factor, leading to overgripping.

Just technique is where tips would be useful. I am getting better, way less cutting feet etc, but still climbing like it's a ladder, saggy bum and everything. So yah, any drills that you guys can recommend? Other tips? The gym will be right in the garage basically, so I can even do short drills every day of the week if I wanted to.

Edit: thanks so far guys, good pointers and info in here that I'll be checking out. Love the different perspectives and ideas.

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u/atalossofwords — 10 days ago

Further training

So, I don't have a photo at the ready to share of my awesome dog, but wanted to have an actual discussion and some advice.

My almost three year old girl really is the best and I love her to death, but yes, she can be really frustrating as well. When I just got her, I went to weekly training sessions, for general behaviour and near the end, some agility course stuff, herding training and learnt her how to dribble a ball. She's awesome at that. She loved training, but the cost got a bit too much.

Right now, she is my adventure dog and goes on runs and camping weekends and it is great. Really the only time I can get her properly tired is on a weekend of camping. But then, I have to admit, at home, I really stopped training her. I want to spend more time with her, for her own sake, and the sake of other people.

How obedient are your cattle dogs? Mine generally listens ok, but when she is chasing monkeys I can forget about the recall. I have to join her chase them away, otherwise she'll just sit below a tree barking and the monkeys are laughing at her. Sometimes, especially when I haven't given her enough attention and she's outside, I call her, she looks and me and you can see the decision on her face to ignore me and move on. Generally then, when I get 'angry' she'll listen though, but she very much tries to get away with it.

Another thing, and people hat her and blame me, when we go out camping, she's a sneaky bugger. Around dinner time, she'll be on the prowl, scavenging for food. No plate on the table is safe. I didn't teach her that, at home I can leave plates on the couch and she won't touch it, but outside on a campsite, forget about that. She'll steal food from your hand. And at night, when everyone is chilling around the fire, she'll bark at strange noises in the distance, headlights walking up etc. She feels like it is her job to protect the rest, while being a bit unsure/scared, so she barks, and people don't like it.

Long story, but how much of this is cattle dog specific, and how much of this is bad training on my side? I've been telling myself a lot of her behaviour is because it is a cattledog and they're just too independent and smart, but I do want to do better. Any good pointers on where to start?

That is for general behaviour. I also 100% want to train her to just build up our bond and mentally stimulate her. I was doing herding training for a while, teaching her left and right etc. but I kinda got stuck and it got a bit frustrating.

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u/atalossofwords — 23 days ago

Need to work on my hips

So, I'm mostly a runner and a climber, just over 40. I've got a pretty good build for both, kinda skinny but strong for my weight. I do a bit of calisthenics on the side to get stronger. Anywho, I'm a bit injury prone, because stuff comes so easily to me, but my body isn't ready for it yet. Best seen when running because I'm fit enough, but my tendons just can't keep up. On top of that, I go from 0 to a 100 pretty quickly. Like some days I'm sitting for most of it, than the next day I'll go on a long run, or climb for a whole weekend. This year especially I've been struggling with some random injuries as well. But enough background; my problem now is mostly my hips.

Because of all the sitting and running, my hip muscles and tendons are short and tight and it is causing issues. Earlier this year I had a hernia, but around that same time, just general pain in, what I think, is my adductors. I thought it was because of all the front lever work I did, but yesterday at the climbing gym, I cut feet, swung out and corrected it, but this correction I could feel my adductors just slightly tearing. This after they were actually on the mend because I was taking it easier.

I guess it means more recovery, but I've already stopped doing the heavy core stuff, and been resting a lot because of a broken foot, but does this sound familiar to anyone? Any tips on rebuilding myself from the ground up while I'm recovering from this?

I'm pretty sure I should just up my yoga, at least 20-30m everyday to just work on flexiblilty, after initially resting a bit. Some exercises I can do normally, but then things like getting up out of bed hurts my hips. They've just become so inflexible this year with all the resting and recovery.

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u/atalossofwords — 23 days ago

Trinity Whirling Blades MA

So, I'm breezing through maps with the aoe, but I struggle with bosses and I don't know why. My build isn't optimized, but I've got trinity running pretty well, although it does fall off if I can't keep doing dmg, as on bosses.

Other than that, I just die to easily, before I've set up for a boss fight. I've got Pounce, Rend, spin, than drop Bell. I used to then just spin, but since I'm struggling with damage, i've added Falling Thunder back in for single target dps. But by the time I've set this all up, the boss has smacked me once or twice and I've gotta run.

Whirling dps with full Trinity gets up to 50k dps. Just shy of 2k Life and almost 3k ES, 45% Evasion, res all sorted.

I know Hollow Form would help out with single target, but I've just got my ass whooped by 2 bad Trial of Chaos runs.

I should really be melting bosses as I'm used to, but the opposite is true. I'm willing to drop Trinity at some point and maybe go for more standard build, but I just liked the idea of it. And it seems to bring a ton of dps.

Poe.ninja

Edit: just went spectral ward with a new chest, and it upped my ES considerably, but it still seems like single target damage is the biggest issue right now...Maybe I should switch ascendancy to hollow form first, then.

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u/atalossofwords — 2 months ago

Core niggles

I've been dealing with some issues, injuries/niggles, all about my core.

I'm a runner and climber, and after adding in some morning calisthenics sessions, shit just...started getting irritated. It is hard for me to pinpoint where it started, but I'm thinking it was when I started doing ATG squats to strengthen legs but mostly to stretch my calves as they've been giving me issues with running.

That was around the same time we started working on front lever and planche progressions.

It started with a stomach bug, cramps around the core, but that was probably not related, hah. Then I had some pains which I believe now are mostly due to sprained hip flexors. Had a inguinal hernia right about there as well, which I've had surgery for, and recovered pretty darn quickly, as I was running again a few weeks later.

Thing is, I've been taking it easy, as last 5 weeks I've been dealing with another injury, totally unrelated, causing me to not run for this period. Just casual climbing and the calisthenics. But now for almost 2 weeks, it feels like I have stomach cramps again, except, it's not a bug. It doesn't get better or worse, just this slight crampy feeling all over the front of my body. I was thinking DOMS, but it really feels more like cramps. Then the hip strain/sprain is back with a vengeance as well, as I even feel it rolling out of bed in the morning. Lunges, split squats etc. puts a lot of strain on those, and I feel it, so I laid off the levers and heavy core stuff.

I might have strained it with just exercising too hard on stiff tendons, not warming up, but generally, not sure what I'm doing wrong. Anyone else ever dealt with this combination of issues? Nothing of this seems bad enough to go to the doctor, but looking back over the last period, it's just been niggles all the way.

TL:DR; I've got a few different core-related things at the same time; could this be all connected?

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u/atalossofwords — 3 months ago