Nice interview with Eva Lopez of the Transgression and Progression fingerboard
A little crag I visited a few years ago that I hope to return to......
"For the first two or three years it’s just about climbing, even without a plan. Just keep going to the crag and keep climbing. And after about three years it’s good to start training in a more organised way, yet it depends on a person. When I started to climb, I started to train. Why? Because I just love training!
If you don’t go outside, it’s hard to be motivated. It’s no fun. You have no reason to train. Training indoors and climbing outside is a perfect circle for me. If I’m trying a project and I need to get strong for it, I go back to the gym and being focused on the goal, I train more effectively.
I usually go cragging for about two months when the weather is in Spain is the best. Apart from that, I always try to do weekends. Training indoors is from Monday to Thursday or Wednesday.
Motivation? Well, it’s easy. If you’re climbing F6a, you want to climb 6b. And then you climb 6b and you want to climb harder again. It’s a matter of setting goals. When you’re 15, 20, 30; amateur or professional, it’s the same.
To me, climbing is everything. My heart tells me that climbing is the best thing I can do. I just love it! But everyday, or about ninety per cent of the days, I don’t want to go training. I’m at home on my couch, maybe reading a book. And I have to go again… But when I get to the gym, it’s suddenly amazing. I love training! But there is always time when you don’t want to go.
Training is the only weapon against age. If you don’t train, you lose strength but if you do, you gain it. Always. We are designed to adapt, to improve, to get strong. My father is about seventy and he started running marathons two years ago. Now he can run it in 3:48. If you think you’re too old for something, then you probably are. I know I can improve."
From Eva Lopez Interview on UpThatRock
While I can train indoors for fun and a social, without an outdoors project/target/trip/goal, I definitely relate to struggling to stay motivated. I also relate to the piece about age!
What about you?