Another thing to keep in mind is CNS (central nervous system) fatigue. I opened a topic on /r/climbharder about it (actually need to reply :$). What I was struggling with was really weird fatigue. This emanated into my normal life as well. I had very bad sleep. Would sleep for many hours and wake up tired. I had no energy throughout the day and when climbing I couldn't pull on holds I knew I should be able to easily pull on, especially because I was still fresh. Took 1.5 weeks off and feel reborn. Going to try bouldering tomorrow again but energy levels are completely different from the last couple of weeks/months. A lot of people don't realize that your nervous system can also become tired, and it usually takes at least 5 days of rest for it to fully recuperate.
totally agree with this video! recently i was stuck in the area of climbing v5 quickly but having to project v6. Took a 1.5 week break on a vacation. Once I came back I felt super weak for 3 or 4 sessions but am now climbing stronger than ever! Sent my first v7 and have been climbing a lot of v6 in just a few attempts. I wasn't sure why I had the sudden progression but after watching this video it makes a lot of sense. Definitely try this if you are stuck in a plateau. Keep up the awesome videos Mani!!!
Awesome videos and pointers Mani. Thank you!! What works for me as a 17 year real rock climber: I do it for fun. And variety and in moderation. Yes, breaks are good. Climbing can be very hard on tendons and ligaments, both which take more time to heal and adapt than muscle. But it's the variety that helped me progress. For example, a 10c slab with a crack and lay-back for 40 meters at Joshua Tree is a lot different than a 10c crimpy, slightly over-hung face climb. And I'm loving climbing 11's at 60. Maybe I'll see 12's. maybe not. But it's so great to be up there somewhere!
Hey Mani thanks again for another good vid. I liked how you brought up the psychological benefits of coming back after a rest period. I also think this plays a big role, as coming back after a break when you know you're going to be weak takes commitment and motivation, like a conscious decision to try hard again. Also like the points about taking it a bit easy at first and building momentum, solid advice to keep climbers healthy and motivated, something that works both on the wall and in the training room.
Actually i think this is one of the most important things you mentioned. After 11 years of climbing now, i got better everytime after a break of like 2-4 weeks. Also its written down in many training books, but in my experience, most people dont stick to that :D.
i was out for over a year with a finger injury before that my highest grade was 5.11c. redpoint! third day back i onsighted 5.12a! i went up to 13b in a year and stopped then i got a concussion i was out for 3months after 1month of being back on the wall i sent my first v10 and my first 5.14a! i agree with this so much im hitting a plateau now..my forearms always feel pumped and my hands are opening on every hold big or small its just hard to force a climbing break when you are not injured but this video made me realise i need a break! thank you!
I just started climbing again after being forced to do no physical excercise because of getting a birthmark removed, and i feel stronger than ever only 2 weeks back into climbing!
Hey Mani! Thank you for all your work! It's always very well thought and you listen to the comments! I appreciate that a lot! I have a big problem doing these longer rests haha I cannot do more than 3 days without climbing... My mind is going crazy haha I ll have to try it out but I need to find the thing that will allow me to do it! Great work Again =)
I think you're right. Even if it the body doesn't break the plateau physiologically, after a longer rest, as you said you loose strength. But once you're on that steep curve of gaining back your strength, mentally you'll probably reach the plateau a bit later, because you'll get used to climbing harder routes in each session again, and thus hopefully break the old one :)
Maybe the advancement is also due to to the fact that one after a break has to climb with less strength than one is used and so has to pay more attention to technique and its subtleties. As soon as the strength catches up one is able to apply advancements in technique using old strenght resulting in being able to climb and train harder.
I had no choice but to take a break for months due to covid. And yes indeed as you described, the first few weeks was hard, but I see myself improving steadily beyond what I was the covid break. Now I am at another plateau haha
This video makes a lot of sense to me. I can really relate to your advice and be willing to give it a shot...What do you think about slack lining as an activity during the rest period?
I got a bad cold and was out for like 12 days. I came back, and gained about 1 grade. My climbing buddies joke and say "you should get sick more often". Lol.
last year i already had a two month sommer break after which a got much stronger, it was ridiculous. so i knew i am gonna do it again this year. and guess what. after half a year of intense training i am now already 3 weeks in two my sommerbreak. i am gonna go hiking, running an stuff. more time to cook precious meals and talk to more people i usually wouldnt have time for. so. i agree and from experience i can say. trust the mani and chill xD i like to to that in summertime as training anyways gets harder with increasing heat and humidity in our gyms. loosing skin happens so quickly in this conditions. cheers!
Hey men ! Do you have any suggestions for a person who want to train on a climbing wall but just have a vertical one ? Do you think the progression can be the same without the angle ? Thx, keep going, you help me a lot !
Hey Mani thanks for this upload! I've been trying to break through a personal plateau but have been hit with climbers elbow and bicep tendonitis. I've tried resting for a few weeks without success, maybe due to too much inactivity? Do you think strictly traversing is a good way to retain finger/skin strength while also passively strengthening my injured tendons? As of now, the only things that hurts my arms are big dynamic moves (bouldering/sport routes). Thanks again.
Stopping completely is not a good way to treat these kind of slow developing injuries in my opinion. Keep climbing, painfree, keep the blood flow up, and do your corrective exercises and stretching.
I'm wondering if this theory applies to which level of climber? I'm an intermediate level, but it seems this is mainly for advanced climber. Pls correct me if I'm wrong.
Well it is especially effective against heavy plateaus, which means it will be most beneficial for intermediate/advanced climbers since beginners do not tend to have such plateaus.
Hey mani, I'm planning to train all summer for tryouts but I was wondering if I should take a break before the tryouts. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks
What are tryouts? I guess you have to be as strong as possible? In this case I would not make a bigger break directly before, but you could try making one now and be super strong at the end of summer.
Mani the Monkey oh I guess that's just what there called in America. It's pretty much a test to see what team you'll make. Anyways thanks for the advice.
shit xD I'm just taking 2 weeks break of climbing because I'm with parents in Croatia and 2 days after I'm coming back to home, I'm driving with friends to rock climb. It will be hard
Your video without jump cuts are so refreshing. You are a great speaker/teacher, even without fancy edits.
Thanks, I'm very glad to hear that!
Another thing to keep in mind is CNS (central nervous system) fatigue. I opened a topic on /r/climbharder about it (actually need to reply :$). What I was struggling with was really weird fatigue. This emanated into my normal life as well.
I had very bad sleep. Would sleep for many hours and wake up tired. I had no energy throughout the day and when climbing I couldn't pull on holds I knew I should be able to easily pull on, especially because I was still fresh. Took 1.5 weeks off and feel reborn. Going to try bouldering tomorrow again but energy levels are completely different from the last couple of weeks/months. A lot of people don't realize that your nervous system can also become tired, and it usually takes at least 5 days of rest for it to fully recuperate.
totally agree with this video! recently i was stuck in the area of climbing v5 quickly but having to project v6. Took a 1.5 week break on a vacation. Once I came back I felt super weak for 3 or 4 sessions but am now climbing stronger than ever! Sent my first v7 and have been climbing a lot of v6 in just a few attempts. I wasn't sure why I had the sudden progression but after watching this video it makes a lot of sense. Definitely try this if you are stuck in a plateau. Keep up the awesome videos Mani!!!
Awesome videos and pointers Mani. Thank you!!
What works for me as a 17 year real rock climber: I do it for fun. And variety and in moderation. Yes, breaks are good. Climbing can be very hard on tendons and ligaments, both which take more time to heal and adapt than muscle.
But it's the variety that helped me progress. For example, a 10c slab with a crack and lay-back for 40 meters at Joshua Tree is a lot different than a 10c crimpy, slightly over-hung face climb. And I'm loving climbing 11's at 60. Maybe I'll see 12's. maybe not. But it's so great to be up there somewhere!
Hey Mani thanks again for another good vid.
I liked how you brought up the psychological benefits of coming back after a rest period. I also think this plays a big role, as coming back after a break when you know you're going to be weak takes commitment and motivation, like a conscious decision to try hard again. Also like the points about taking it a bit easy at first and building momentum, solid advice to keep climbers healthy and motivated, something that works both on the wall and in the training room.
Actually i think this is one of the most important things you mentioned. After 11 years of climbing now, i got better everytime after a break of like 2-4 weeks. Also its written down in many training books, but in my experience, most people dont stick to that :D.
I agree that taking a break can be good for overcoming a plateau. Thanks!
i was out for over a year with a finger injury before that my highest grade was 5.11c. redpoint! third day back i onsighted 5.12a! i went up to 13b in a year and stopped then i got a concussion i was out for 3months after 1month of being back on the wall i sent my first v10 and my first 5.14a! i agree with this so much im hitting a plateau now..my forearms always feel pumped and my hands are opening on every hold big or small its just hard to force a climbing break when you are not injured but this video made me realise i need a break! thank you!
I just started climbing again after being forced to do no physical excercise because of getting a birthmark removed, and i feel stronger than ever only 2 weeks back into climbing!
Hey Mani! Thank you for all your work! It's always very well thought and you listen to the comments! I appreciate that a lot! I have a big problem doing these longer rests haha I cannot do more than 3 days without climbing... My mind is going crazy haha I ll have to try it out but I need to find the thing that will allow me to do it! Great work Again =)
I always have a hard time doing this as well! But it's definitely worth it from time to time!
Excellent! Thanks Mani!
I think you're right. Even if it the body doesn't break the plateau physiologically, after a longer rest, as you said you loose strength. But once you're on that steep curve of gaining back your strength, mentally you'll probably reach the plateau a bit later, because you'll get used to climbing harder routes in each session again, and thus hopefully break the old one :)
Maybe the advancement is also due to to the fact that one after a break has to climb with less strength than one is used and so has to pay more attention to technique and its subtleties. As soon as the strength catches up one is able to apply advancements in technique using old strenght resulting in being able to climb and train harder.
that so true! in my case 2-3week brake is ok if you remember eat "litely" and some running 1-2 times a week.
I had no choice but to take a break for months due to covid. And yes indeed as you described, the first few weeks was hard, but I see myself improving steadily beyond what I was the covid break. Now I am at another plateau haha
This video makes a lot of sense to me. I can really relate to your advice and be willing to give it a shot...What do you think about slack lining as an activity during the rest period?
I got a bad cold and was out for like 12 days. I came back, and gained about 1 grade. My climbing buddies joke and say "you should get sick more often". Lol.
Alex Megos is probably the best example for this
last year i already had a two month sommer break after which a got much stronger, it was ridiculous. so i knew i am gonna do it again this year. and guess what. after half a year of intense training i am now already 3 weeks in two my sommerbreak. i am gonna go hiking, running an stuff. more time to cook precious meals and talk to more people i usually wouldnt have time for. so. i agree and from experience i can say. trust the mani and chill xD i like to to that in summertime as training anyways gets harder with increasing heat and humidity in our gyms. loosing skin happens so quickly in this conditions. cheers!
great stuff!
What is your gym called Mani? I want to hit your gym when i am in Vienna.
Nice one Mani ;D
Hey men ! Do you have any suggestions for a person who want to train on a climbing wall but just have a vertical one ? Do you think the progression can be the same without the angle ? Thx, keep going, you help me a lot !
"a year comes around and I have two weeks of free time... ummmm I guess I can work on family" my thoughts after this video lol
quality haircut mani! was the hair getting in the way during climbing?
Hey Mani thanks for this upload! I've been trying to break through a personal plateau but have been hit with climbers elbow and bicep tendonitis. I've tried resting for a few weeks without success, maybe due to too much inactivity? Do you think strictly traversing is a good way to retain finger/skin strength while also passively strengthening my injured tendons? As of now, the only things that hurts my arms are big dynamic moves (bouldering/sport routes). Thanks again.
Stopping completely is not a good way to treat these kind of slow developing injuries in my opinion. Keep climbing, painfree, keep the blood flow up, and do your corrective exercises and stretching.
Awesome, i'll do that. Thank you.
what's that siong at the end called? its awesome!
Akeboshi - Wind
I'm wondering if this theory applies to which level of climber? I'm an intermediate level, but it seems this is mainly for advanced climber. Pls correct me if I'm wrong.
Well it is especially effective against heavy plateaus, which means it will be most beneficial for intermediate/advanced climbers since beginners do not tend to have such plateaus.
Thanks for the reply. I guess I will try this method at some day since I am having plateaus for half years.
😱 Naruto music at the end! 🤙🏻
What are corrective exercises?
Hey mani, I'm planning to train all summer for tryouts but I was wondering if I should take a break before the tryouts. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks
What are tryouts? I guess you have to be as strong as possible? In this case I would not make a bigger break directly before, but you could try making one now and be super strong at the end of summer.
Mani the Monkey oh I guess that's just what there called in America. It's pretty much a test to see what team you'll make. Anyways thanks for the advice.
Your haaaaaaair, looking sharp :)
I don't even climb enough to take a break....
that made me lol
shit xD I'm just taking 2 weeks break of climbing because I'm with parents in Croatia and 2 days after I'm coming back to home, I'm driving with friends to rock climb. It will be hard
That's a bit too early my friend :D you will com back strong anyway, have a good break!
sry but I can't imagine to take off climbing 2 full weeks. Maybe it works but I could never do this.
Fuck! I can't rest even a 1 day. 😀😀
First! :-D
Short hair, don't care.
dude...u can just climb