Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Monthly Archives: March 2012

Extracurricular Training Part 2: Shoulder Stabilizers

Extracurricular Training Part 2: Shoulder Stabilizers

Last week I posted about PUSH muscle training, and why its important.  Of equal importance is shoulder strength – all those tiny little stabilizer muscles that keep your shoulder in place while you latch a dyno, lay in hard on a gaston, or run laps on horizontal terrain.  Climb long enough and I guarantee you will either sustain a shoulder injury yourself or climb with someone who does.  Sometimes shoulder problems are chronic and creep up gradually as dull, nagging aches that never quite seem to go away.  Other times these injuries occur acutely, resulting from a specific motion or fall scenario.  Regardless of…Read the rest of this entry →

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Tales of a Broken Talus – Update #3

Tales of a Broken Talus – Update #3

  I’m hoping that this will be the last update that ends with a boot… Days 18- 20 – After the good news at my doctor’s appointment, I spent the latter part of the week exploring my newfound freedom to attempt some cardio.  Although me boot-legging my way around the neighborhood could hardly be described as heart-pumping, it at least felt good to get out.  It took me 27 minutes to walk the .85 loop, but I had zero pain, and even got stopped by a little old lady who informed me that I was “doing the right thing” by trying…Read the rest of this entry →

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Local Company Spotlight: Sports Science

Local Company Spotlight:  Sports Science

A few of weeks ago I did a two-post feature on a local NC climbing company – both the man and the products behind Misty Mountain in Boone, NC.  This week I’d like to spotlight another local company – this one from South Carolina.  Sport Science is an active-wear clothing company based out of Mt. Pleasant, SC that has been around since 2005.  Their mission is to “create products that do more so yo ucan do more (or less) in style and comfort.”  The simple, no-frill design of their clothing aims to integrate performance, comfort, and versatility to result in a product…Read the rest of this entry →

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Extracurricular Training Part 1 – The Antagonists

Extracurricular Training Part 1 – The Antagonists

In the literary world, the “antagonists” represent the bad guy – the person, place, or thing that causes conflict and opposition to the “protagonist,” or good guy.  Lord Voldemort, Sauron, and even Satan are classic examples of antagonists.  It’s no wonder that we as climbers tend to steer clear of training our antagonist muscles…But joking aside, however, this type of training should be a very important component to EVERY climber’s training regimen, from beginners to the elite.  Here’s why. Just like their literary counterparts, antagonist muscles in climbing are the muscles that act in opposition to the main muscles used…Read the rest of this entry →

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PETZL Helmet Campaign – Round 2!

PETZL Helmet Campaign – Round 2!

Those of you that have been loyal readers for a while now may remember a post I did last October about my stance on helmet usage, as part of a Helmet Campaign from Petzl and their marketing guys over at Pemba Serves.  It certainly got quite the response – 107 comments even!  While I’d like to assume it was my literary prowess and creative wordsmith-ery that compelled such a reaction, in truth I must admit that it probably had more to do with the fact that Petzl was giving away a free helmet to one lucky commenter.  Excerpts of my post were melted into…Read the rest of this entry →

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