Happy 21.12.12, Happy winter Solstice, by Stevie Haston

Winter solstice today, I'm looking at the last 12 months and I had a great year, about 60 new routes in Gozo, all on interesting rock and of high quality....King of Kings is certainly my favorite  roof....a project done in Ariège....a new kitten...lots of new projects....

I've lost a little bit of muscles and become more flexible which make me a better climber....and I will get stronger slowly but surely...

Climbing is getting more important to me as the world seems to implode with stupidity. Wars to bolster the economy of the West, make me ashamed. That's it, I'm going bouldering today, to lazy to go climbing.

Keep training or die, by Stevie Haston

Tools of the trade : You need to take care of your fingers after climbing, file them, tape,  wooden board are good, cream....

 Did 1300 pull ups yesterday after climbing as I got no partner today, and I had a shock on one of my routes as a bolt seemed to move, looks like the glue was bad anyway glad I found it, I will replace it ASAP. It is a bit of too much of a job bolting and checking and cleaning and doing, a bit of help might be a good idea, this is to whom it may concern.

Fingers are getting a bit stronger from trying a hard verticalish route, it is hard without a rest for 7 bolts, I wonder how hard it is, have never done anything this hard in this style before. It is defeating me, lovely route, I'll be sorry when I do it.

Tools of the trade.

Training was about two hours, used a bit of weight on some of the sets, the two belts only add up to 11KG, but the Matrix board is mean, I think I'm getting somewhere, as I can one arm a hold smaller than campus edge now, it is looking very good for the spring, mustn't get injured!
Keep up as the Guru will say.

The Blury photo is a route called Back door Betty, a weird chimney thing that is not without interest, about grade 5+, you climb inside the cliff, I like it.

Cross Press ups, by Stevie Cross Haston

The cross press up is just a press up with a side twist, it seems to make a nice combo. The way I work it is  I do one press up and twist to one side(keep knee straight and pull your navel in), then do two press ups and one twist to the opposite side, then three press ups and twist to the opposite side. 

You can have fun to and work on your balance

I go up to ten press ups and then another 10 again and come back down, total 110 press ups and twenty side twits. You get   a rest from the press ups in the twist, so you are able to do big set fairly comfortably, and the twists stimulate a lot of core. 

I like these a lot, and you can concentrate on form more than just banging out a lot of press ups, and remember to breathe. 

At the moment I am doing lots of days on, so not following a very rational based training thingy, so occasionally I do a few sets of pull ups, and a couple of cross press ups sets, or I might combine a few cross press ups in my yoga. In the old days I would have kept a weight belt on, but this can lead to back pain if you don't watch it, if you do watch it, it can lead to a really high level of strength....

Or you can do a yoga front platform with Agni Pran for 3 minutes(breath of fire if you are familiar with this Pranayama) 

Good luck and have more fun and success....

Crusher Matrix Board Training, BY Stevie Haston.

A perfect, bolted a brilliant route, radiant sunset. . Got home and did 1500 pull ups on the board..... Still haven't mastered the small sloper with one hand, anyway there is always tomorrow... 

I was going to post a beginner hang board routine, an intermediate, and a so called expert but I had a bit of Gozo Wine to celebrate the 1500 pull ups, so I can't really sort it out.

My diet....a heart of stone....

Took some narcissus bulbs home and thought of spring, and I thought of how I love life when it is good like today even if I do have a heart of stone.

Carnivorous flower

I'll try to sort some routines out for you all but really you will all you have to do is do!

Today I did a lot, me happy if I can keep it up for a couple of months I will improve. Simple Innit?

Stevie needs desperately a new rope....

Thanks to the Swiss lads for their donation, by Stevie Haston

Thanks to the Swiss lads for their kind donation to help me out, so I can bolt some more routes in Gozo. Thanks Michel and Peter it was great to climb with you both, glad you enjoyed climbing in Gozo and the Underworld....Hope it's not too cold back in Switzerland! It's not snowing here in Gozo....