Maximum vs. "Usable" Strength

I am still collecting data on the relation of Beastmaker training numbers (like these here, here, and here) to climbing performance. What would really help was if someone would join me in the study so we could have two data sets. Anyone? Before we get started here is a new addition to the Robot Training Facility.

From Robot Training Facility

Reading this thread on the Gymnastic Bodies forum got me thinking how this applies to training for climbing. The main point of the thread is that maximum strength has little use if you cannot apply it. For this discussion lets distill climbing strength down to finger strength and upper body pulling strength. Obviously there are a lot more subtle things going on, but lets ignore them for now. I train maximum finger strength with my fingerboard, and pulling strength with one arm pull ups(either weighted, unweighted, or with assistance). As I see it there are two methods for refining this maximum strength into something usable.

Campus Boarding: The campus board is the most basic method for refining maximum strength. While campusing one's muscles have to react quickly and with coordination. Both of these are missing in a fingerboard workout.

Bouldering: The subtle way muscles work together is not captured when pulling straight down on a campus board, but Bouldering does not develop quickness as much as campus boarding. A complete training plan contains at least fingerboarding, campus boarding, and bouldering.

Now I'll present a few examples from my own climbing history, keeping my level at the time in mind. I've tried to keep the spray at a minimum on the blog but its hard to give these examples without mentioning grades and such, I apologize.

Example 1(Winter 2005/2006-Spring 2006): This was the beginning of my serious training(I was climbing around V6/7, and 5.12b/c). For November and December I trained with the complete trinity(fingerboard, campus board, bouldering). That January I spent in Hueco and climbed several V7s easily, a handfull of V8s, and one V9. Shortly thereafter I injured a finger. I trained myself back to what I thought was a high level only using the fingerboard and took a spring break trip to the Red. On this trip I barely climbed 12a and got shut down on 12c's. Upon returning I added bouldering and campusing to the equation and quickly climbed 13a for the first time. There was not enough time between the red and this to add any strength, but the strength gains needed to be refined.

Example 2(Late summer/fall 2007):At this point I had climbed V9 and 13b consistently. My training in the summer of 2007 consisted of fingerboarding and campusing without bouldering. When I started climbing again in september it took a few days to get back in the swing of things(due to the zero bouldering). After this, I quickly dispatched V10/11 for the first time. Later that fall I nearly climbed 13d(I didn't from a beta mistake not a lack of strength).

Example 3(Winter 2009/2010): At this point I had climbed V11 and 14a. After a good Rumney season working on China Beach I spent around 6 weeks training for a bouldering trip to Arkansas. The training focus was one arm pull-ups, fingerboarding, and a small amount of bouldering. In the trip to Arkansas I was able to climb many problems in the V8/V9 range very quickly. I was only able to climb one very soft V10. This was a slight disappointment. Every problem I climbed I was able to do so with control, but I didn't have the "pop" to climb the next level problems.

I'll leave you with a video from last weekend.