So we are 4 months into training for our various climbing goals and one HUGE thing I have learned is how hard 5.13a really is. When climbing this hard, you do not simply move from one hand/foot-hold to the next, because the holds for your hands and feet are simply much too small and/or located in odd positions…too far away or too close. Climbing this hard can be described as painful; the holds are so small (or non-existent), very sharp, and you need to hold/press/grab with your hands and your feet in awkward, dynamic contortionist-type positions, trying to keep your balance and upward momentum at the same time. One thing I (Jake) have been very good at over the years is adjusting my training for what my body needs. Sounds simple enough but there is a lot of trial and error and when something “feels right”, you just have to listen to your body and follow what it tells you.

I’ve never written about this before, but what I’ve been doing for a few months now is training in the transitions. Think about it; the transitions of life are the things that we struggle though. Think daylight-savings time, moving from one house to another, change in general; these are the moments that can be even more difficult to move though. I’ve realized that when it comes to training, I need to LIVE in these moments and embrace them.

Up until now, I feel like I could slog though just about anything…as long as the tempo remained the same, I could just grind through the workout until it was done. So I decided to mix things up. Here’s an example: Start with a heavy, power-orientated leg workout. Then follow that up with something like jump rope. How do you feel? Your brain knows what to do, but the transition from heavy & slow to super fast & light will cause a fair amount of bodily resistance with clumsy motions…to a point that you do not feel in control. Do it enough and you are experiencing the idea of training in the transition.

I do this on a larger-scale…by combining cross-training, climbing, yoga, cycling, abs and cross-fit/interval-type of classes in one workout session. This forces my body and brain to learn to adjust with the heavy to light, inbetween, fast to slow (and vise versa) conditioning that is required to move my climbing to the next level. I will often do back-to-back workouts where the workload changes dramatically on my body (like spinning class to yoga). I will also do two-a-days workouts; one in the AM, followed by sitting at a desk all day (long enough for the soreness to set it) then a second workout after work..you get the idea.

We first experienced “the transition” this summer when Jilly and I were climbing at an area called Eagle Rock. First is the tyrolean traverse (see photo at bottom click here ), then the short, but super steep approach. This is all part of the “hard-core” nature of climbing at Eagle Rock…Then once you get to the rock face, dripping with sweat, the easiest climb is a hard 5.10D (about 100 feet), slightly overhanging and completely IN YOUR FACE. We loved climbing here, but we didn’t realize how much HARDER it is than the many other climbing areas that we frequent.

The point to that explanation, is that I have begun to condition myself to take the punishment of high-intensity movement and quickly shake it off by short rests inbetween. 3-4 hour workouts are the norm and the result is starting to pay off. I can now work though the moves of a 5.12d fairly quickly, and am starting to consistently boulder in the V7 range (without the risk of hurting myself…that my friends is the hard part).

While 5.13a is still a far, way off goal; it is still mine. I certainly will not be able to climb one until spring of 2014 (at the least). I am confident that if I keep up with this type of training though the winter, I will be many steps closer to projecting a climb of this grade during spring thaw. I have always been drawn to physical challenges and I take note of the little gains; accomplishing the little goals continues to keep me motivated. I always say that I have loads of motivation for 9 out of 10 workouts and the reason is that I take joy in the process and realize that I am meeting all my little goals. So keep moving, keep pushing yourselves because “You’re Not Hardcore unless you live Hardcore!!!”