CWall

If climbing were an Olympic sport, Chris could be working at the Olympic Training Center. Our training and coaching director, Chris combines top-end credentials with the personalized approach typically found in big-time athletics. Chris is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, as well as a Certified Muscle Activation Therapy Specialist with an M.S. in exercise physiology.
If climbing were an Olympic sport, Chris could be working at the Olympic Training Center. Our training and coaching director, Chris combines top-end credentials with the personalized approach typically found in big-time athletics. Chris is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, as well as a Certified Muscle Activation Therapy Specialist with an M.S. in exercise physiology.

5/30/12 Margarita Challenge Record Crushed!!

If you had told me, I wouldn’t have believed it. But I was there. I saw it with my own eyes.

As many of you know, we have an ongoing contest in my Cry in the Dojo classes.

The Margarita Challenge.

If all 12 class participants can get their heart rates past 93% of their max at the same time, I will make everyone in class a (award winning, hand crafted) margarita.

In 3 years this challenge has been met only twice. Of those two, the best performance had everyone able to achieve that 93% at the same time twice during the class. Very impressive. A record that stood for 3 years.

Until today. . .

Steph, Kat, Tammy, Beth, Kirk, Sherry, Adam, Chris, Amy, Jackie, Luke, and Josh shattered the record by simultaneously hitting 93% a whopping 7 times during class; once during each of the 4 rounds of tabatas, and then again once during each of the 3 lightning rounds.

Unprecedented.

Now we just need to settle on a day and time next week to collect their winnings!

Congratulations everyone!

Coach CWall

P.S. The class will be able to collect their margaritas on Wednesday, June 13th at 7:30pm in the Hangdog Lounge at the Boulder Rock Club!

Posted by CWall in Blog Post, Boulder Rock Club, Chris Wall, Fitness, Training, 0 comments

CWall Level 1 Test Day Results! 3/2/12

Hey there,

   Here are the results from Monday’s Level 1 Test Day. Remember to reference the heart rate monitor sign out sheet with the results.

Posted by CWall in Blog Post, Boulder Rock Club, Chris Wall, Fitness, Training, 0 comments

Coach CWall Episode 2: Shortcuts to Thinking

3/28/12

This has been a great week for training at the BRC, even though Spring Break is in session. Sean, our trusty coaching and training intern has been hard at work coming up with class designs and teaching all of the classes on his own (with a little feedback from me). If you were or are planning on coming to class this week we could use your feedback on Sean’s performance. This is supposed to be an educational experience for him after all.

This weeks YouTube Episode of Coach CWall: Shortcuts to Thinking deals with a topic that I see all the time in our athletic community. It deals with something called Inductive Reasoning, which basically means drawing a false conclusion from a set of facts. For example, Tom runs fast on Tuesdays. Today is Tuesday. Therefore Tom will run fast. You see where I am going?

Let’s take two athletes, Alpha and Beta. Alpha is good at something (pick the athletic endeavor du jour). Beta is new to the game and wants to be good at the same thing. Alpha does/eats/drinks X as part of their training regimen. Beta thinks that if Alpha does it then it must be the right thing because Alpha is oh so good. Obviously this is not necessarily true, as I point out in the video with a rather graphic example.

It is true that many good athletes have a lot of sound advice to dispense to the general public, but this is rare. It is the athletes job to perform, not teach. Very few top level athletes that have become effective coaches. This is mostly due to the fact that it is their job to perform, not to figure out what works for most people. There are of course some notable exceptions, but like I said, they are exceptions, not the norm.

Don’t be in too much of a hurry to follow the training regimen of the great ones, or expect to become world class after you read a training article in Outside Magazine. It takes years to make a high level athlete, and chances are there is a lot more to what gets there than you or they think.

Just because someone is successful, it is not safe to assume that everything they do or say contributes to that success, no matter how much they may believe it.

Let these great athletes inspire you. Look at their advice and cross reference it with other research. Short cuts to thinking can get you into trouble, especially with training. Be careful and thoughtful, or the next place you might be seeking advice may be your doctor or physical therapist.

Until next time!

Coach CWall

Posted by CWall in Blog Post, Boulder Rock Club, Chris Wall, Fitness, Training, 0 comments

X-Cardio for the Mountains: Week 8

3/21/12

Hey there,

   One week until test week, and I wanted to make sure that everyone was going to be ready with a class that would be harder than test day. We’ve started introducing deadlifts and assisted pull-ups to our regimen, as well as some more complicated core work on the swiss balls.

   We had a near success on the Margarita Challenge today. 11 out of 12 at 93% of their max heart rate or higher, with the 12th person at 92% when the timer went off. It doesn’t get much closer. But alas, no 93, no marg.

   I have had a lot of people ask me to do max heart rate tests on the treadmill since I posted protocol. That is awesome! Some of you still need to test yourselves or have me do it!

   Until next time!

Coach CWall

Posted by CWall in Blog Post, Boulder Rock Club, Chris Wall, Fitness, Training, 0 comments

Max Heart Rate Test: Not for the Faint of Heart!

Hey there,


   I would like to start off by stating something:

—-WARNING!—-ATTENTION!—-HEADS UP!!!!!—-

This is exercise. Exercise, much like leaving your bed in the morning is NOT SAFE! Please take responsibility for your well being and think before you act. And if you want to play it safe, consult with a health professional before you start ANY new exercise program.

The following is the treadmill max heart rate test that I use with my clients and teams. It is dangerous. You will be putting yourself in harm’s way. This is a “stress” test, and if you choose to do it, you do so at your own risk. 

I recommend doing a test of this nature under the direct supervision of a qualified health professional (someone like me). 

In my opinion, you should avoid a running max heart rate test if you have any physical or  psychological condition that would limit your ability to run on a treadmill under duress (i.e. heart condition, knee injury, bad judgement, etc.)

Here are a couple of considerations that I like to remind people about when they get on a treadmill:

#1) Remember that you can fall off this thing ala George Jetson, and get thrown down pretty hard and belt sanded. It hurts when this happens. Don’t let it happen to you.

#2) Remember to clip into the Emergency Stop clip. That way if you fall the treadmill will stop sooner and the belt will sand you less. PLEASE DO NOT THINK THAT THIS WILL MAKE CONSIDERATION #1 LESS LIKELY OR TRAUMATIC.

#3) This is not going to feel good. It is a “stress” test and is only meant to be performed once in a while (I like to say no more than once a quarter). Don’t let yourself get so tired and goofy that you cannot stop the machine.

#4) Have an escape plan. I like to use the Emergency Stop Clip like a parachute rip cord. I makes the machine stop and I find it easier than hitting stop button.

#5) Strongly consider doing this with a partner who can adjust the machine’s settings for you. It is easier and safer, and they can call 911 if you truly blow it.

#6) Most importantly, stop the test immediately if you feel faint, dizzy, or feel pain outside the discomfort we associate with fatigue. The test has to end sometime you know.

Now that I have said all that, here is the test that I administer. Aside from the situations described in Consideration #6, the test is over when you increase to the next stage of the test and there is no corresponding increase in heart rate. Record the highest heart rate you achieved. That is your max heart rate. 

– Start at 2mph at a 2% grade for 3 minutes.
– 3mph at 4% for 3 minutes
– 4mph at 6% for 3 minutes
– 5mph at 8% for 3 minutes
– 5mph at 10% for 3 minutes
* 5mph at 12% or 6mph at 10% for 3 minutes
* 5mph at 14% or 6mph at 12 % for 3 minutes
* 5mph at 15% until heart rate tops out or 6mph at 14% for 3 minutes
* 6mph at 15% until heart rate tops out.
The stages marked with – are ones that happen with all the people that I test. There is individual variation with the * stages depending upon what speed a subject can “handle.” You will have to decide for yourself. I recommend deciding in advance and sticking to it on the test. Having to improvise when you are doing a test like this is not advisable.
Be careful! Good luck! Don’t puke or get blood on my treadmill!
Coach CWall


Posted by CWall in Blog Post, Boulder Rock Club, Chris Wall, Fitness, Training, 0 comments

Enter the Vlog!

3/8/12
It’s done! Episode 1 of Coach CWall’s weekly video blog (vlog). This episode is more of an introduction to what the general plan is for the future. 
Please subscribe to my channel on YouTube (coachcwall) and follow me on Twitter (coachchriswall). We can even hang out on Facebook (Chris Wall).
Coach CWall: Episode 1: What’s the Point?
Let me know what you think!
Coach CWall
Posted by CWall in Blog Post, Boulder Rock Club, Chris Wall, Fitness, Team BRC, Training, 2 comments

Cry in the Dojo Warmup

Hey all,

Check out the warmup that we do in the Cry in the Dojo series of classes here at the BRC. It is pretty general and works well for the classes as well as a general warmup for climbing. I do about 20-30 repetitions (about a minute) for each exercise.
—-WARNING!—-ATTENTION!—-HEADS UP!!!!!—-
This is exercise. Exercise, much like leaving your bed in the morning is NOT SAFE! Please take responsibility for your well being and think before you act. And if you want to play it safe, consult with a health professional before you start ANY new exercise program.
Posted by CWall in Chris Wall, Fitness, Training, 0 comments

Boulder Climbing Series Advice

The Boulder Climbing Series is a very social and user friendly competition series. It is a great way to get into sport climbing competition, test yourself to see how your winter training is going, or just get a great workout and hang out with friends. But make no mistake, it is a competiton. There are rules, scorecards, and prizes. And let’s face it; there is something about the word “competition” that puts a little edge on things. Often enough, the pressure from even the most casual of events is enough to frustrate our efforts. Here are four things to think about that will help make your BCS experience more fun.

#1 Understand the rules. Sounds like a no-brainer, but not knowing the rules is a very common, very frustrating mistake. Fortunately this pitfall is totally avoidable. Make sure that you are there for the Rules Meeting at the beginning of every competiton. Don’t be shy about asking questions.
#2 Get enough scores on your card. Sounds simple, but you would be surprised at how many people miss this one. At the BCS we usually take your top 3 routes and add those points together for your final competition score. If you only have 2 routes completed by the end of the event, one of those three scores will be a ZERO!
It is amazing how quickly 3 hours can zip by. I usually tell my athletes to be ready to go as soon as the competiton starts. That way they can get points on their score card sooner rather than later.

#3 Warming up on competiton routes and non-competition routes. This is a biggie. Time and comp routes are limited. Should you warm up on competition routes or on the other routes scattered throughout the gym? The advantage of warming up on comp routes is that you help to ensure #1, getting enough scores on your card. The disadvantage is that you will have to wait in line for your turn, which may take a while.
If you want to really play it well, put your score card in the queue and do a little bit of timing math. It takes 4-5 minutes for one competitor’s turn at bat. If there are 5 people ahead of you in line, and they are all successful on the route (a big if sometimes) we are talking about 20-25 minutes of waiting. While your score card is in line, you can be off warming up on a route that is not part of the competition. Just make sure that you make it back in time.

#4 Watch other climbers. This is a REDPOINT format competition. That means that not only do you get to try routes more than once, but you also get to watch other people climb them. Other than climbing it yourself, watching other climbers is the most valuable source of information about a route that you will get. Use it.

There are always several BRC staff members around to help you get the most out of your competition experience during the BCS. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have questions or if you need something. This competition series is for you, and we are here to help.
Posted by CWall in Boulder Rock Club, Chris Wall, Competitions, 2 comments

Team BRC Competition Double Header!

Last Saturday was big. Two competitions. Two gyms. Same day. To say that it was exhausting for the kids on Team BRC is an understatement. We found ourselves meeting at the BRC at 7:30am for the drive to Fort Collins for one of our qualifying events for the ABS Regional Championships. Three hours of bouldering competition where the kids (15 of ours in total) gave it their all. A small complimentary sandwich later and we were back in the van to come back to Boulder. To relax? No. To compete.

The Spot Bouldering Series event #3. Three more hours of bouldering competition. Some kids were surprised at how good they felt, others were feeling the morning’s event like a lead weight. But everyone surprised themselves at one point or another, realizing that sometimes the real effort is all in the mind. Each and every one of the kids put in a stellar effort and pulled hard for the home team.
Next stop. . . ABS Regional Championships.
Posted by CWall in Boulder Rock Club, Competitions, Team BRC, Youth Programs, 0 comments

BRC Junior Team Hueco Tanks Trip 2010!

It was fantastic! The weather was perfect. The kids were psyched. And thanks to the people at Apple, we have lots of video to share with everyone. We spent 6 days in Hueco this year with only one rest day during the week. The start of the trip was a smooth one with some of the Hueco trip veterans doing repeats of former projects. Dallas Milburn did a handy repeat of Sex After Death (V8) and Crimping Christ on the Cross (V10). David Canova got a quick redpoint of Sex After Death as well (check out the video!). Katelyn Hudspeth had a good trip having sent a former nemesis in the form of The Warmup Roof (V4) and a one move wonder in the East Spur Maze (V3). Newcomer Emily Lye cut her teeth (and her tips) on the edges of Hueco. Check out her send of Flexin’ Texan in the East Spur Maze. Remi Arata had a great sophmore effort on several of last years projects. See him terrify is coach on the topout of Left Donkey Show (V6). Spencer Platt, one of the youngest in the group has a proud send of the ultra classic Satan Satan Satan in the Dragon’s Den. One of the more impressive sends of the trip came from Howie Seim on his send of the Warmup Roof, which is about 2 grades harder using the 5’ and under beta. Senior Team BRC member David Canova had a strong effort sending his former project Sex After Death (V8) and breaking into the double digitis with his redpoint of Crimping Christ on the Cross (V10). Dallas Milburn took home the big prizes learning that he can actually do V10 quickly. Check out his send of Purple Flower (V10) in the East Spur Maze.

All in all the trip was a great success. We had a Thanksgiving feast with turkey and all the trimmings at the Hueco Rock Ranch. Our last night was spent playing a crazy game of zombie tag in the playground of Cattleman’s Steakhouse where we all had (except for our vegetarian, Katelyn) the best steaks in Texas. 

Next stop, bouldering Regional Championships, National Championships, and the Spring Break Trip to Red River Gorge, Kentucky! Hi ho buckaroos!
Posted by CWall in Boulder Rock Club, Team BRC, Youth Programs, 0 comments