Instagram story viewer> @qualified.suspect> Posts

zander

@qualified.suspect

771

followers

1

following

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

For the past 17 years, I’ve spent my life pursuing climbing, uncertain of where I want this journey to lead or end. In January, I went on the Climbing Gold podcast and talked about what I want my 2026 and beyond to look like, and everything I said there was quickly derailed after getting injured less than a week later. For the past 6 months, I’ve been trying to balance climbing with various injuries, and my initial plans to try the hardest boulders in the West was instantly tossed out the window.

As some of you may know, I got disqualified from a competition in early 2022 due to a handful of mistakes on my end. I sacrificed more for that competition than any other single event in my life, and to walk away empty-handed after pouring everything into it was devastating. Prior to 2022, I had probably contemplated quitting climbing a dozen or so times, with every instance resulting in a short break and an eventual rebound. Following that competition the rebound took longer than expected, but I eventually found some love for the sport again. I qualified for Youth Worlds in mid-2022, but the day before my flight departed I swung on a hold and heard a loud pop, badly straining the lumbrical through my left ring finger and cancelling my competition plans.

Since then, I have not had a moment where I can remember climbing fully pain-free. It’s been torturous trying to remain motivated while constantly dealing with these injuries. I’ve had 3 major finger injuries and probably a dozen minor strains and tears, not to mention smaller issues with my knees, shoulder, and achilles. Every time I feel like I am making real progress I encounter a new issue, and it truly feels like my fingers have not gotten a bit stronger since I was 18. The last time I did a hard boulder was at the end of 2023, and two weeks later I got my worst injury to date. The cycle feels like it is never ending.

(cont. in comments)

^video from finger injury in 2023 on Confluence V13 in LCC by @qualified.suspect

2k

37

4 months ago

TL:DR - I’m cooked and I need to get better

My IFSC season is over aside from the World Championship in Korea in late September.

Prague was a huge slap in the face and a needed reality check about what it takes to compete at this level. The qualifiers were aggressive, confusing, and at a difficulty where my top % in a timed round is much lower than it needs to be.

Boulder and Score Breakdown:

B1 - z3, V12/8a+ power, no-tex pinch match— misread beta because I assumed the pinch wasn’t usable in the way it was intended. Additionally, I did not believe I had the finger/hand strength to engage in full crimp on the zone, and it was absolutely necessary to stick the following move. This is a huge issue and a primary goal to be addressed over the summer.

B2 - t1z1, V9/7c power, very straightforward and easy

B3 - t1, V7/7a+ to the last hold, matching the top hold was V12/8a/+. I think I climbed to one hand on the finish 6 times and I was genuinely dumbfounded by how bad the top pinch was. I knew I needed to sit on a high left heel to match, but I didn’t believe that I could pull enough on the top hold to set and engage my heel. This is probably a commitment issue, not everything is going to feel good and I need to move without hesitation in these rounds even when it’s uncomfortable.

B4 - z6, Hard to grade, run and jump into no-tex hand jam and then awkward press slab—I think it only got two tops? Absolutely heinous.

B5 - z0, V9/7c, Slab strikes again, it’s clear I need to get better and have slab as my primary focus. I got caught up in trying a beta that felt incredibly close but ended up burning precious minutes of time. Skill issue.

Once again, finger strength and slab prove to have the biggest negative impact on my performance.

Continued in Comments ⬇️ by @qualified.suspect

371

26

a year ago

Off to Prague and feeling confident in my preparation thus far. Salt Lake WC qualifiers was a tough round for me, primarily due to easy power boulders (and one unfathomably hard one) and a mid-level slab that I couldn’t quite get done. I definitely have a lot of room to improve on slab both from a skill and mindset perspective, and I imagine that will be my main focus over summer.

On another note, I feel like I’ve reached an adequate level on almost all overhang boulders, but on the two hardest (roughly V13/8b) boulders I’ve faced over my three rounds this year it has become apparent that my fingers are not strong enough. Admittedly, being injured on and off for the past few years has taken a serious toll on finger strength progression, but I’m hoping with continued PT and a focus on staying healthy I can make significant improvements throughout the summer.

Anyway, done with the rambling and here are a few boulders from the past couple weeks. 🪨 by @qualified.suspect

253

7

a year ago

Figure I’ll start using this old board account for more training-related content—I’ve had to take a break from the boards to allow my fingers time to recover 😔. On a positive note, I’m more psyched on climbing than ever and am motivated to push throughout Summer looking toward World Champs in Seoul (and for Salt Lake/Prague WCs).

1. Weighted Pull-up PR +200lbs - Really surprised at this one, I’ve been lightly cutting and am weighing around 175lbs @ 6’ (or 5’11.72” 😐) so the strength to bodyweight ratio is pretty solid (+1.14x).
2. TC spin move. Estimating -1000 odds that this move or the slab foot-going-between-arms-to-standup sequence that has been featured 1 million times on various instagram accounts will be seen at a World Cup soon ( Curitiba 👀).
3. One of my hardest moves ever (Top 50?). Check the thumb readjustment to bolt hole mid swing. Please try if you’re in salt lake.
4-6. Slab at Fort Union
7-9. Vids I didn’t get around to posting since China. China WC was eye-opening and made me feel like I can be competitive at that level. Semi-finals was an absolute train wreck for me but I can see the small and large adjustments that need to be made to perform well at those comps. Keeping everything in mind for the next three months. taken in Salt Lake City, Utah by @qualified.suspect

348

14

a year ago