Patxi Usobiaga, seines Zeichens Lead-Worldcup-Gewinner 2009 beim Wettkampf in China und schon lange unter den Top-10 im Schwierigkeitsklettern am Plastik (und auch am Fels bis 9a+ unterwegs!) hat ein sehr ausführliches Interview gegeben, in dem er vor allem zu seinem Training ausgefragt wird:

Patxi Usobiaga Interview

 
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Patxi Usobiaga (aus PROGRESSION)

The big picture of my training is the typical one. They are progressive and directed to an specific goal or date. Three main cycles: first, build a basis (gym, etc.); second, quantity (lot of climbing gym, campus, board, etc.); third, quality (hard routes, bouldering, etc.). As simple as it looks, the complexity is within those cycles: what are the best exercises, the most easily transferred to climbing, the most appropriate for me, possible innovations? I really like training and enjoy every single training session, because I can feel, day after day, that I am improving, that I am a better climber.

I train 5 days a week, taking a couple of afternoons off. On weekends, I climb outdoors (which is kind of rest if you compare it with a typical training session). After so many years training, my body supercompensates faster than before and now I need to take fewer rest days.

I try to avoid the use of pharma as much as possible. I don’t take anything that will help me train, I don’t believe in those. Nowadays, I only take vitamin C to avoid catching colds easily. Nothing to recover or to develop, I don’t believe in that. Years ago I used electro stimulation, but not anymore, I don’t have time for that, even though it can help.

I am 1.74m tall with and ape index of 1,76. I weigh around 60-62 kg, depending on the season. I can pull up 28 times on two hands and barely once with one hand when I am in my best shape. It seems I beat Adam on this, they should start every comp with a one-arm pull up then (not two, just one ;). Still, strength is one of my weak points…

If you want to improve your climbing level through training, you have to enjoy training. Since you have to spend a lot of time enclosed in the gym, enjoying the process of getting in shape is essential. You cannot be thinking all the time of the project you want to accomplish and find the motivation to train there because then, at some point, it is very likely that you lose it and give up. If you don’t enjoy training, you better find another system like climbing outdoors.

 
Hier der am Dienstag erschienene Eintrag in seinem Videoblog – kann jemand Spanisch?