Openhand Press

Training Log — Nov 13 to Apr 13

Cycle

Nov 13 to Apr 13
Winter / Board Season / Pre–Red Rock

Goals

• Build a sustainable, consistent routine
• Balance on-the-wall and off-the-wall training for skin considerations
• Build a strong base leading into the Red Rock trip

Method

I have always struggled with consistency in off-the-wall training.
I do not naturally find supplementary strength work fun, so I built this cycle around exercises I would actually do after climbing sessions, giving my fingers a break between climbing and grip training.

To keep it sustainable, I split the exercises into two groups with as little overlap as possible.
Each group was done twice per week.

The goal was not optimal programming. The goal was adherence.

Off the Wall

Grip

• Hand of God Micro
• Hand of God Crusher

Done after climbing, never before.

Group A

• Weighted Pull-Up 2×2
  RPE 8–9

• Toes-to-Bar 3×8–12
  RPE 7–8

• External Shoulder Rotation 3×8
  Focus on form and position

Group B

• Ring Dips 4×6–8
  RPE 6–7

• Single-arm DB Skullcrushers 3×10–12
  Both arm positions

• External Shoulder Rotation 3×8
  Focus on form and position

On the Wall

This cycle was structured around maximum skin preservation, because route setting consistently destroys my skin.

I tried to balance the week so that I had the most skin possible on setting days.
Forerunning was treated as volume climbing on commercial gym sets.

Two climbing days per week were dedicated to V-Max projecting on boards.

Boards used:

• Moonboard 2016
• Moonboard 2024
• Kilterboard
• Tension Board 2 Spray

In practice, I gravitated toward the Moonboard 2016, because it is the easiest to access and still my favourite system board.

Projecting Rules

• ~1 minute rest per move done
• Maximum of five attempts per problem per session

If I was actively improving, I allowed more attempts, but five attempts was the default.

The goal was to keep attempts intentional and avoid mindless volume.

Reflection

Looking back, I made one clear mistake in designing this cycle.

I succeeded in building routine in my climbing days, but the off-the-wall work had no real direction.
I was consistent, but I was not training anything in particular.

This phase was also fairly high volume, and I was given good advice from a local crusher about how to think about volume.

He asked how I decided what an appropriate amount of training was.

My answer was,
“An amount I can sustain without getting injured.”

His answer was better,

“Find the amount of volume where you are still improving.”

Not the amount you can survive.
The amount that actually moves the needle.

Takeaways

Right now the biggest limiter is not strength.

It is movement, mileage, and time on real rock.

This cycle built routine, which was the goal, but it also showed that supplementary work without a clear purpose mostly just left me sore, without leading to meaningful improvement.

Next cycle I want to focus on:

• More sport climbing
• More endurance bouldering
• More outdoor mileage
• Less random supplementary work
• More intentional off-the-wall training

Limit moves are still important.

Trying moves at your limit forces good technique, because you cannot power through them.
You have to figure out body position, tension, and movement mechanics.

That is where most of the learning actually happens.