Bullet Points and a Brew 5/2/16

It’s Monday, so it’s time for another Bullet Points and a Brew Installment. I was up at the Red River Gorge for the first time in about 3 years this past weekend, and I forgot about the magic that place contains. I also forgot just how much pump these climbs pack. I feel like someone has been continuously punching my forearms the last two days. We climbed around the Miller Fork Recreational Preserve, a new-ish area purchased by the Red River Gorge Climber’s Coalition. The rock was a little breaky, (as it is in new areas) but seems to be cleaning up nicely. The MFRP is a solid addition to the world class climbing at the Red, and it continues to blow my mind how much quality rock is in that region.

20160501_125739.jpg
 A sector of The Monastery. Steep, bouldery, bullet rock. A wall of classics at the MFRP.

The Bullet Points

I’m not super familiar with Josh Henkin’s work, but I was pointed to this article from another coach, and agreed with everything. Although I’m not the biggest fan of the word “functional”, these are fantastic exercises that kill many birds with a single stone. Check ’em out.

Climbers tend to progress their training by packing more and more into a limited training window. Guess what? More isn’t better. Better is better. This was a good article about exercise selection and optimizing your recovery potential to best serve your climbing.

Shoulder health is dependent on a variety of factors: Thoracic Mobility, the actual health and function of the glenohumeral joint (the actual shoulder joint) and scapular control. I’ve commented on ways to train that control (click here). The Gymnastic Bodies organizations provides fantastic training that build both mobility and strength, and this is a great article detailing some ways to build scapular control.

The Brew

20160422_201606.jpgMarina, Wicked Weed Brewing

Another day, another Wicked Weed sour. This is not a bad thing in the slightest. I saw they had an offering of a blonde sour with peaches and apricots. The Marina is tart, and the apricots appear at the back end of the flavor. Not a whole lot of peaches. Some refreshing tartness floats throughout. Not quite as good as Golden Angel, also brewed with Apricots, but still a very good sour. If you find one, get it.