What do the three things in the title have in common? They are all things I don’t do. It’s not because I don’t know how important they are…I do. There’s just something in me that is adverse to doing the smarter, more mature things in life. And, yes, I am already suffering the consequences.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried all three. While I was dating my wife, she loaned me a beginner’s yoga DVD to try out. I had no idea that someone could be more remedial than beginner at something. Halfway through the DVD, I was genuinely worried that I would neither be able to get out of the position I was in, nor explain it to the poor soul that was bound to find me. I was afraid it was going to look like some bizarre auto-erotic S&M ritual gone wrong. I know I should give yoga a second try, but I haven’t yet.
It’s not like I don’t keep trying to like vegetables, either. You have no idea how hard is to be the freak at the dinner table that can’t stomach lettuce. Mostly out of embarrassment over the anti-social nature of my picky eating habits, I continually try things like broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. My palette just won’t cooperate. Give me a potato or a bean and I’m a happy man, but try to force something down my throat that will actually make me healthier and my body revolts.
As for stretching for climbing, I think my failures in this area are why I’m injured. My warm-up routine before climbing is, at best, scattered. I really have no routine. I might do this stretch for a couple of minutes one day, then the next time do no stretches at all. I never spend more than a few minutes limbering up. So, it’s no shock that I’m hurt. I want this to change.
I’ve already received some good advice on warming up from The Rock Climber Girl. Also, I just found an article that gives me some basic ideas of how long I should be stretching and warming up prior to climbing. What I need from you, dear reader, is some stretching exercises I can do before climbing. What do you do to stretch? What are good ways to keep your forearms limber? Are there any good resources on stretching that you know of? Any help is much appreciated by me and, I’m sure, any other beginner that might be reading this. Thanks for the beta!
March 4th, 2009 - 11:47 am
I just found this resource. It looks pretty good. http://www.mountainzone.com/videos/playvideo.asp?vid=47634
March 5th, 2009 - 12:11 pm
I do these rotator cuff stretches before I climb since that’s a pretty common area for climbers to injure. Lean over a table top or against a wall with one hand, back perpendicular to the floor. Let the other arm dangle like a pendulum towards the ground. With as little effort as possible, start swinging the warm in small circles letting the circles get bigger and bigger, then let the cirlces “die out” and get smaller again. Do it again, reversing the direction of the circle. Then switch arms.
This stretch is kind of boring — or meditative, depending on your attitude. But it doesn’t require much effort, in fact if you feel your muscles pulling your arm in a circle, you’re working too hard at it. The whole point is to get the tendons and ligaments in the rotator cuff warmed up so that they don’t snap when you go to crank on a hold.
April 8th, 2009 - 9:03 pm
hi! found you via cupcake mafia’s blog.
I can def relate to your veggie aversion…I’ve been trying to “develop a taste” for them since adolescence. there have been a few successful attempts, but I just really don’t like them. as a food group.
April 8th, 2009 - 9:32 pm
Thanks for the solidarity, Katie. People assume I just don’t try new things, but that’s not true. I can’t explain it, but I just can’t eat the vast majority of vegetables.
June 27th, 2009 - 1:25 pm
I knew I wasn’t the only person that just can not get on board with most veggies. I don’t feel so alone now. I know the post is a little old but for stretching advice, I’ve found that the work out program P90X has an extreme stretching and yoga set, its actually fun too. Just mute the sound. It’s kinda pricey though. I went in with a couple friends to get it.