That's impressive progress, I'm jealous. I haven't concentrated on pullups and I've heard a lot but know very little about p90x. But I'd sure like to start working on them someday soon. Right now I can only do 5, with kipping. Were there any breakthroughs for you that you can share? Mostly just keep at it, right?

In reply to this comment by deathcow:
i went from zero to 12 fast full arm extension pullups over the last 90 days... p90x again

Thanks - and great to hear about you too! I don't know much and I've seen even less of mountain climbing, but I gotta say, I'm starting to see the appeal and maybe one day I'll try my hand in it - for now and for at least a year yet I'll be primarily a runner/triathlete though. High five for us both turning turning our lives around! Don't you just love the addiction and the post-workout high?

In reply to this comment by residue:
awesome story! I was in horrible shape long ago and got sick of it.. now I'm an avid rock climber and run a couple half marathons each year. I don't think I ever want to do the full...

In reply to this comment by EDD:
I'm going to work out and work out, and work on it, and keep pushing myself until I can do at least one.
Seriously.

Let me elaborate a bit. A year ago I was a complete couch potato. I couldn't jog for more than a kilometer, couldn't do more than 6 or 7 consecutive pushups - near-zero marks on a fitness scale, basically. That all changed this April, when I finally decided to get of my (fat) ass. I'd already started gradually changing my eating habits since year's end 2010, and in April I finally started working out. For half a year I've been allocating somewhere between an hour and two and a half practically each day for workouts; running almost every other day and in between - also every other day - did bodyweight exercises: started with these, built a routine around them, but recently substituted it for a weightlifting program in a gym. I've lost some 15 kg, I've done the 100 pushups program (yup, pretty much anyone can do it, and in less than six months, too), recently ran my first half-marathon (1:47, very proud of that time), and I'm aiming for 2 marathons (NYC among them, hopefully), a 70k ultra, and a long-course triathlon next year.

So because this is so inspiring to me, and because I want to be able to do what he does, and because I realize now that anyone who sets their mind to it and works towards it relentlessly can do it, let's *doublepromote

Your video, 6 1-finger pull-ups. How Norways best climber works out, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

This achievement has earned you your "Pop Star" Level 7 Badge!

awesome story! I was in horrible shape long ago and got sick of it.. now I'm an avid rock climber and run a couple half marathons each year. I don't think I ever want to do the full...

In reply to this comment by EDD:
I'm going to work out and work out, and work on it, and keep pushing myself until I can do at least one.
Seriously.

Let me elaborate a bit. A year ago I was a complete couch potato. I couldn't jog for more than a kilometer, couldn't do more than 6 or 7 consecutive pushups - near-zero marks on a fitness scale, basically. That all changed this April, when I finally decided to get of my (fat) ass. I'd already started gradually changing my eating habits since year's end 2010, and in April I finally started working out. For half a year I've been allocating somewhere between an hour and two and a half practically each day for workouts; running almost every other day and in between - also every other day - did bodyweight exercises: started with these, built a routine around them, but recently substituted it for a weightlifting program in a gym. I've lost some 15 kg, I've done the 100 pushups program (yup, pretty much anyone can do it, and in less than six months, too), recently ran my first half-marathon (1:47, very proud of that time), and I'm aiming for 2 marathons (NYC among them, hopefully), a 70k ultra, and a long-course triathlon next year.

So because this is so inspiring to me, and because I want to be able to do what he does, and because I realize now that anyone who sets their mind to it and works towards it relentlessly can do it, let's *doublepromote

>> ^BicycleRepairMan:

Perhaps not exactly a dupe, but this is basically a different edit of a video I posted the other day. The one I posted is slightly longer, with commentary from Magnus, translated by me in the description:
http://videosift.com/video/6-1-finger-pull-ups-How-Norways-be
st-climber-works-out


Thanks for the heads up, didn't notice yours, so I'll *discard this one then.

Perhaps not exactly a dupe, but this is basically a different edit of a video I posted the other day. The one I posted is slightly longer, with commentary from Magnus, translated by me in the description:
http://videosift.com/video/6-1-finger-pull-ups-How-Norways-best-climber-works-out

My theory:
Seems these guys put the overcoming of fear as their biggest obstacle and why they do it, which is totally normal. Alex Honnold seems to focus on being 100% in control as his biggest challenge, probably because he has no natural fear of heights, which isn't so normal and is probably why he's far and away the best free climber alive.

I wonder if these guys treat Honnold like the pro pool player that comes into the bar and runs the table so often people just want him to leave.

It's a common exchange between the climber and the belayer during rock-climbing. The belayer says "on belay" or "belay on" before the climber starts climbing to tell them that they are ready, meaning the rope is set up and it's attached through the belay device properly. Sometimes the climber asks if the belayer is ready by saying "on belay" and the belayer responds "belay on" The climber says "climbing" before they start and the belayer responds "climb on" as the final ready sign.

A common exchange ritual before climbing would go as follows (for some):
Climber: "on belay"
Belayer: "belay's on"
Climber: "climbing"
Belayer: "climb on"

>> ^shagen454:

What is that from? We used to give this rock climbing kid a hard time in junior high and used to say that to him, but I have no idea of where it originated. >> ^brycewi19:
Belay on!

What a sad world view. Life is more than climbing a corporate ladder. Career advancement is a hollow goal, especially in this current age, when even white collar labor is fungible.

There are so many people that had this exact philosophy, and worked hard in its pursuit, that are now laid off and highly disillusioned.

I'm a corporate climber, but I don't for a second fool myself into believing it's what you say it is. There are many things that are more intellectually challenging than getting into a corner office. Really.


>> ^chilaxe:

What they don't understand is that building an extraordinary career is our greatest intellectual challenge and the only reliable way to consistently grow via real, sink-or-swim personal challenges.
>> ^NetRunner:
>> ^chilaxe:
@NetRunner "Why should [economic efficiency] get such a powerful say in what sorts of intellectual pursuits I can engage in?"

You're free to follow whatever pursuits you wish, as long as YOU pay your own way.
My lazy liberal friends who majored in "feel-good" subjects and are doing nothing with their lives aren't living up to their human potential, so I think your philosophy of potential is backwards. I have an upcoming reunion, and I'm kind of dreading it because I know they all live unchanging lazy liberal lives, and I've been constantly personally and intellectually challenged through pursuing an ambitious career.

Again, you're not seeing my point. Economic success != living up to human potential in my book.
These young women are maximizing their economic potential by whoring themselves out. Are they maximizing their human potential by doing so? I don't think so.

There's a general appreciation and awe of an exceptional talent. No one's going to ....


Yep, everyone is just going to admire and respect and see the attention it gets, but not do - because everyone has an honest and mature understanding of their own limitations. No one (not even a few) would make that kind of mistake. Sorry I didn't realize that.

My "specious" argument is intended to put into perspective the risks that are more likely to affect greater numbers of people


So was my counter argument, which was exactly the same form. Glad we agree.

A few free climbers dying every year?... I respect their choice and desire to experience something new and to take a risk.


Currently there are few rock climbing deaths, and many near misses - falls that ended in nothing because of safety gear. Thankfully, nobody will be influenced by what they see others do and leave that safety gear at home.

But even if they were to do so and more people die for essentially nothing, that's cool because we respect them for their courage to try new things. Clearly you can't "experience something new" with safety gear on, and taking risks is super valuable for its own sake (ie. why settle for the amount of risk inherent in an activity when you can add more and be cool and free and pure).

So yeah, cool, we agree on everything.

I say "promote" it to high heaven. You *have* to allow people to make sensible assessments of risk. No one's going to rush into free-climbing after seeing this and no one is going to have the balls to replicate these feats.

This film seems more effective in making us aware of a remarkably talented and unique individual. I'm not seeing anything in there that says this is the next level to aspire to. It's all about admiring the talent to do something that very, very few individuals would even attempt. Checking out the comments on YouTube I don't even see a single person stating they would copy this or aspire to do so. There's a general appreciation and awe of an exceptional talent.

My "specious" argument is intended to put into perspective the risks that are more likely to affect greater numbers of people. The kind of risks we need to care about. A few free climbers dying every year? Something they chose to do? That doesn't worry me at all. No more than the guys who die on Everest. I respect their choice and desire to experience something new and to take a risk.

This is his risk to take and his alone.


I don't think he's doing something wrong - as you say, it's his choice, and it's not likely he's going to land on someone and kill them too. I'm OK with him taking a risk, and this specific person seems to have a good sense of the risks involved.

Again, what I don't like is this activity (climbing without being safety equipment) being promoted as the way to be a great climber. Whether he (the kid) is trying to inspire copycats or not, having a show about him is going to promote this practice, and further the dangerous idea that this is "the next level" (or something) that climbers should aim for. To be clear, I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to make a show like this or that they should be liable or something - I'm just saying I don't like it because it could have dangerous consequences, and to the extent this practice is promoted we'll see more dead climbers. There are a lot of people who climb, and if the idea gets established that "no ropes" is the cool way to go, people will be more likely to try it.

More people die in their kitchens each year. We accept that. Accidents happen.


Many more people die of heart attacks than AIDS, so why use a condom? This is specious.

But yes, you're right, accidents happen. And when they happen while you're mountain climbing, you're very glad if you've followed reasonable safety practice and you're tied to something (so it's a painful tug instead of certain death). Obviously rock climbing is never going to be perfectly safe (or even "very safe") - but companies like "North Face" (who are tied to this video) should, I think, be promoting the simple practices and equipment that make it significantly safer.

Again, I'm not trying to censor or something, and I think that - for example - Jackass is as harmless as America's Funniest Home Videos. But for an activity like climbing, people aren't always great at assessing risks and are very likely to take cues from "how the pros do it" - and are likely to feel pressure to "up their game" in doing the things other climbers do. Thus I think that no ropes climbing is a dangerous idea to promote.

>> ^jmzero:

I don't like this. I don't like that this kind of behavior is rewarded with attention or seen as elite. This isn't the "top level" of rock/mountain climbing - it is an offshoot.
The danger isn't vague theoretic risk, it's very real and people die every year in predictable, preventable falls (that often get labelled "freak accident" or something only out of respect for the dead).
If you want to be an elite climber, then take harder routes or race/time-trial with proper safety equipment. I'd hate to think that young climbers might feel like this is the "next step" in their progress. It isn't. You can be the best climber without taking this kind of risk. This kid's "per trip survival chance" is probably quite high, but odds often catch up with you if you persist in dangerous behavior (ropes or not, but your odds are better with appropriate equipment). Sometimes you get too confident and make a mistake. Sometimes you don't make a mistake, and you get wiped out by something out of your control.
The climbers I know respect these people, but not what they do. I feel the same.


More people die in their kitchens each year. We accept that. Accidents happen. There is never going to be a lot of people doing this. I don't see him trying to inspire copycats. This is his risk to take and his alone.

In an age where you can't do anything without a fucking risk assessment I applaud this man. He proves that humans can do amazing things.

I don't like this. I don't like that this kind of behavior is rewarded with attention or seen as elite. This isn't the "top level" of rock/mountain climbing - it is an offshoot.

The danger isn't vague theoretic risk, it's very real and people die every year in predictable, preventable falls (that often get labelled "freak accident" or something only out of respect for the dead).

If you want to be an elite climber, then take harder routes or race/time-trial with proper safety equipment. I'd hate to think that young climbers might feel like this is the "next step" in their progress. It isn't. You can be the best climber without taking this kind of risk. This kid's "per trip survival chance" is probably quite high, but odds often catch up with you if you persist in dangerous behavior (ropes or not, but your odds are better with appropriate equipment). Sometimes you get too confident and make a mistake. Sometimes you don't make a mistake, and you get wiped out by something out of your control.

The climbers I know respect these people, but not what they do. I feel the same.

*eia

No disrespect by that. Just as Michael Phelps is a literal Aquaman, this dude seems like he evolved into a crazy climber.