Go Climbing

Workout of the Day:

Climb something

I took Niels over to the docks today to play around on the staircase from last weekend a bit more. We essentially turned it into a climbing wall, trying all sorts of different variations on all different levels. We did spider climbs, both on the flat beam and the inclined one; under stair climbs, with overhand grip and reverse grip; lateral scaling, ala “ninja warrior”; and pullup variations from different heights and grip positions. I don’t have any video footage, but I wish I did. Some really cool ideas came out while we were there.

Doing all this stuff today reminded me how much I enjoyed going to rock climbing gyms and exploring the river trails in Maryland and Virginia. It’s a very fluid kind of fitness, requiring body control, upper body strength, and a mental keenness that is lacking in a lot of other disciplines. Today didn’t feel like a WOD, and that’s a good thing from time to time. There wasn’t a time component to fulfill, there wasn’t a PR to hit. It was a physical interaction with an obstacle, with no barriers, requirements, or limitations. It was creative fitness at its purest. We probably spent 90 minutes messing around, trying different things, and they were not idle times. Afterwards my arms and back were toasted and I was craving food. The work got done, I assure you, but the method by which it did so was completely different. If variation is the key to well-rounded fitness and well-rounded programming, then using alternate modalities has to be in the repertoire.

These kind of days are not common enough, I realize, and I’m going to work towards changing that. Tomorrow is for rest, study, and perhaps some more touring. With another Washingtonian in town, there is much to see and do.