Giving it another go

I’m going to try to actually update this blog somewhat often. I’ve abandoned most forms of social media, and think that now I’ll actually be able to motivate myself to do this.

So, here is where I am at now, since last updating:

-I have taken some time to heal from past injuries (neck/upper back). I am now doing mobility and flexibility work nearly every day, and I am noticing a marked decrease in pain. This has allowed me to get back to climbing and lifting, though I have modified both .

-I’ve begun running. Running has always been difficult for me; I get bored, my heart rate gets too high, I bought into a lot of the “cardio kills your gains” mentality. I’m now running three times a week, and I’m at 2.5 miles at a time after about a month. I still don’t particularly enjoy it during, but I really enjoy the feeling afterwards – I feel more clear. This is also a good way to exercise on days when I neither climb nor lift; lifting and climbing are too intense to do every day without upsetting my injuries, and running seems to be pretty kind to my neck.

-I’m now climbing three times a week. I primarily gym climb, as I don’t have much experience leading outdoors and don’t know any climbers with more experience than myself regarding outdoor lead climbing. Plus, it’s winter. Right now I’m firmly at 5.10, and trying to transition to 5.11 (where I was for a brief time prior to injuring myself). I no longer boulder, since it can be very painful and dangerous relative to my past injuries.

-I’ve been lifting three times a week, usually immediately before climbing. I know running is not a substitute for squats, and climbing – while it can be somewhat quad intensive (single leg squats for days) – tends to neglect hamstrings. Nevertheless, with climbing and running I find that I just can’t do much else with my legs. Climbing also beats the heck out of my back, so my lifting consists primarily of Chest and other muscles neglected by climbing and running. I’ve cut back on weight from where I used to be, focusing on form and quality of reps. I’ve also finally faced the fact: Bench hurts my neck, and any given rep can result in months and months of pain.

-Lastly, over time I’ve gotten to the point where I am pretty content with my body. I am not trying to lose fat or gain muscle, per say; I am content to maintain, with potential small shifts in composition over time. My focus is now on performance, especially regarding climbing and running, and on making small improvements in the weight room. I feel a lot better about exercise and diet from this new perspective. I considered including my body weight/composition, but I actually would rather not attach my optimism at this time to those numbers.