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So, On valentines evening, Having no clue as too the "importance" of the evening was to some people, I went to the climbing gym. Just another monday,

But Man!

The place was Slammed!

It took me a hour or so, to put two and two together and remember something about valentines day.

Bascially, where this is going, is that because it was so busy, I ended up sticking to the caves (The overhung area, very difficult on the body). And of course, not warming up properly, I destroyed my body.

Torso - blown
Elbows - blown
Intelligence - blown

The biggest issue was that I tweaked my torso, bad enough to make it hard to sleep, as well as re-injuring my arm joints. (both injuries still hurt today, two full days past the climb).

Having just recovered from tendonitis on both elbows, I am super upset that I immediately put myself out of commission for training.

I know the arm injury isnt related to the tendonitis, as the pain is on opposite sides of my arms from where it was painful before. And this is more of a muscle tear/stretch, than a tendon pull.


So,

This got me reading BIG into body training.

I read all of the DONT DO THIS's and realized that so many of those, I had being doing.

- Overtraining
- Excercising when muscles are sore
- Not stretching enough
- Not warming up slowly and carefully enough
- Not *Cooling Down* after a work-out

I have never trained for a sport in my life, although I have always been athletic, and I am learning the hard way, that it isnt so simple.

Today, I hit the regular gym, and worked on muscles that are opposed to the muscles I use for climbing.

I have been strongly advised to work the opposite muscles to the 'Pull' muscles that I use for climbing. Basically climbers develop extremely strong back muscles, but build no chest strength. Build their forearms up on the bottom heavily, but build no muscle on the top, Develop a extremely strong grip muscles for their hands, but don't develop the opposite muscles.

All these imbalances ultimately are destructive on the joints and composition of the body. Even though, as a climber, I technically only "need" certain muscles, my body gets weekened by the imbalance of muscle.



Also, Another thing I read today, Is that a teacher looked at two groups in his pottery class from the beginning of the year, till the end of the course.

Half the class focused on quality, The other half focused on quantity.

In the beginning, group number one (Quality) got better grades,

but by the end of the course, group two (Quantity) where producing excellent quality pottery, at a MUCH higher production.

The first group, where struggling to produce the "perfect" Piece, while the second group where banging out bowl after cup after vase after....etc.

I have been climbing like the first group. Spending WAY too much time fighting through ONE problem, while I should be doing ten different easier problems each night. (A problem is a route).

Essentially, building up my confidence, while also making me a more efficient climber.


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