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Robin O'Leary

@robinoleary

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Performance Rock Climbing Coach
Co-Founder ROAP COACHING
Founder of RocUp Holidays
Founder of the Youth Climbing Symposium
GB Paraclimbing Coach

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Trying to copy my wife (swipe)…

But failing! 😂

I find this specific move pretty hard. @alex_puccio89 runs laps on it…

But, the real question is, who’s got bigger biceps? 😆

📸 @augustus.exposures taken in Boulder, Colorado by @robinoleary

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4 years ago

Tattooed Teardrops V11 ✔️

Went to this one at the beginning of our Lincoln season and felt really good on it, thought it’d go in a session, then the rain came.
Great to return to it yesterday, on our last Lincoln day of the season, and battle it out!

Swipe for the video (camera shifts as I’m topping out), but thanks to Sam, @alex_puccio89 and @fausey for the spots and support.

Psyched to spend time in the front range now. taken in Lincoln Lake by @robinoleary

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4 years ago

@alex_puccio89 and I take warming-up very seriously. You’ll see below our typical routine. Tried and tested over hundreds of hours and uses by many of our @roap.c clients too.
The hangboard is a tool that we use for every warm-up. Sometimes focusing on max effort/strength, but often just focusing on recruitment, consistency and creating healthy, more robust soft tissue.
This warm-up has been adapted over the years, but the initial part is credit to @arniekander who enlightened us to myofascial release and the research around how it can not only improve range of motion and reduce the likelihood of injury, but reduce the temperature build up of your muscles, therefore giving you a longer, more productive session(s).

Your body responds to rituals and routines. Be it a competition and/or a rock-climber, these routines can help prepare your body as best as possible.

Routine:
Myofascial Release
Antagonist Band Work (rotator cuff focus)
Scapular pulls
Two and one arm bar hangs
Progressive hangboarding (all 10 secs with 45-60 secs between holds):
Jugs
35mm open hand
35mm 1/2 crimp
30mm open hand
30mm 1/2 crimp
20mm open hand
20mm 1/2 crimp
Then we move to longer duration holds:
4x 20 sec 1/2 crimp holds on 20mm
Then onto one arm hangs (varying edge sizes and time)
Off to lock-offs and sometimes one-armers.
Then we climb V0-V9 before projecting or focusing on the session at hand.
Enjoy!! by @robinoleary

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4 years ago

ELIMINATION BOULDERS!

We absolutely love elimination boulders, and for so many reasons!

1. 💪 Develop power. By eliminating certain holds, you can force yourself to make bigger, more powerful moves. You’re essentially taking an existing boulder and changing the physical demands of it, without needing a new set!

2. 🧗 Endless possibilities. Whether you’re climbing V2 or V9, there are so many variations to explore. Take away one hold, two holds, or five if you’re feeling ambitious! Eliminate handholds, footholds, or both. One boulder can suddenly become ten completely different challenges. If you are in a small gym or one that doesn’t set often, this can be a game-changer!

3. 🧠 Get thinking! This is one of our favourite benefits. You might know exactly how to climb a boulder with all the holds available, but what happens when you remove one? Does the sequence change? Do you need a different body position, a new technique, or a completely different approach? Now remove another hold. And another!

Better still, try to flash your elimination! Read the moves, visualise the sequence, anticipate the challenges and commit to your plan before pulling on. It’s a fantastic way to develop your route-reading and problem-solving skills.

4. 🙌 And finally, it’s FUN! Especially with a partner. Take turns eliminating holds, challenge each other to flash your creations and see just how difficult you can make an otherwise familiar boulder.

Next time you’re at the gym, give it a go! You might be surprised how much you can get out of a single climb.

Let us know what you think! 👇

#ClimbingTraining #Bouldering #ClimbingTechnique #RockClimbing #ROAPCoaching taken in Movement Baker by @robinoleary

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5 days ago

Fun having @slopersensation in town for some training and for the @g1climbing moonrock comp. But then we found out she hadn’t boulders outside, she extended her trip.
Guanella, Emerald Lake and then a quick hit to clear creek.
She dispatched a new variant on this block and the animal in quick time.
I went to this Boulder in 2020 with Alex, Brooke, Natalia and Robyn, but I never got to climb as I sliced a finger that morning making breakfast.
Fun to do this climb, good movement and had to do this jump, catch and swing beta as all of the high heels and toes to hand were too small!
Return of the Mossman V9/7C.
#climb #bouldering #climbing taken in Clear Creek Canyon by @robinoleary

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20 days ago

I’ve been thinking about RPE in climbing and I’m interested to know how everyone else interprets it.
Obviously RPE is subjective. A V12 for me might be a 10/10 effort, whereas the exact same climb for Alex could be a 6 or 7/10.

But I think the interesting question is whether we can make the interpretation of RPE a little more consistent like it is with weight lifting - using RPE and RiR (reps in reserve).
For example, what’s the highest RPE you’d give a flash?

You did it first go, so can it really be a 10/10? We don’t think so, but feel many may give that climb a 10/10. Maybe a really hard flash, where you barely hold the last move and feel like you couldn’t have given much more, is an 8 or even a 9?

Then take the opposite situation. You’re a V10 climber trying a V11 and there’s a move you simply cannot do. You’re pulling as hard as you possibly can, recruiting everything you have, and you still can’t do the move.
To me, that’s a 10/10 effort. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t actually do it.

Then what about something that takes you most of a session? Multiple attempts, you’re getting close, and eventually you do it. Is that a 9?

Our rough thinking would be something like this:
10/10 = genuinely maximal effort. You might not even succeed.
9/10 = very close to your limit. Something that takes multiple serious attempts or potentially most of a session - maybe even multiple sessions?
8/10 = extremely hard, but there’s still a little bit left. Maybe this is where a really hard flash sits?
7/10 = hard, but you know you had more.

I don’t think there’s necessarily a right answer here, which is why I’m interested in what everyone thinks.

What’s the highest RPE you’d give a flash? And what does a 10/10 actually mean to you?
Is the hardest you’d give a limit flash an 8/10 or would it be higher? taken in Coal Creek Canyon by @robinoleary

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a month ago

We have so much fun taking friends and clients to areas they’ve not been before and getting on the classics. I’m especially OK repeating climbs (indoors and out) right now as I’m treating this distal biceps tendinopathy (holding Rya injury) with shockwave treatment.
This one shows the classic Potato Chips V7 in lower chaos, RMNP. Fun to throw a few laps on it and not fall 😂.
Think this one would be so good (and prob a little scary) without the dabby block behind it.
Still a fun challenge sucking up the bum and making sure you don’t just dab the whole way up!

#climb #bouldering #climbing #roapcoaching taken in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado by @robinoleary

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a month ago

3 drills to help you from being so front on!
1. Stationary pivoting. Place your feet well (big toes) and swing your hips creating a pendulum. As your hips go from side to side, pivot your toes so they go from facing left to right (and vice versa)
2. Traverse pivoting. Same principle as the first drill, but this time traversing the wall. Your feet will go from facing right (bringing left hip closer to the wall and moving left hand), to the left (and opposite hip/hand).
3. Two parts:
Pt1. Vertical Inside edge and open hipped drill: feet stay on the same foot holds for drill. They will be facing outwards (inside edges) with knees over toes. They should be going along the wall, NOT into the wall.
Use momentum and rockover your toes - bring hips over toes and swing side to side, moving hands up the wall and back down.
Pt 2: as with pt 1, but traversing the wall. As you rock over, make sure your toes go in line with the wall and knees over toes.

Enjoy!

#climb #bouldering #roapcoaching #climbing #training taken in Movement Climbing and Fitness by @robinoleary

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2 months ago

Tips for staying strong when you go away!
Research paper:
Check out the research from Spierling et al J. strength Cond Res 2021
Caveats: we are talking *maintaining, so there’s the assumption that you have trained strength and got to a certain level.
Next, you have to eat, drink and sleep well.
Remember, we are talking strength, so a short and intense session is ideal, but here are some ideas for you.

Suggested tools:
@tindequipment some carabiners, slings, portable board (@tensionclimbing block used here) - harness optional for isometric squats etc
Exercises: (warm-up progressively first)
1. Jug pulls. These can be performed on a straight arm and pull so that your hand wants to uncurl (yielding isometric) or actively pulling into the block (overcoming). You’re more likely to actually perform a row doing this.
2. Open-handed yielding isometrics. Pull away from the edge for 3-5 seconds (can perform 6-8 reps with equal rest between and each one can be progressively harder than the last). Build to a solid 8 or 9/10 RPE
3. 1/2 crimp yielding isometrics. Again, these can be performed as above with 6-8 progressive reps of 3-5 second pulls.
4. Finger curls. These can be performed at varying intensities: as a lighter warm-up to get the blood flowing, and all the way up to fairly high intensity. Actively pulling into the edge. We’d suggest slowing the reps down and pull into the edge over 3 seconds, then releasing slowly. Rest for 5 seconds and repeat for 6 reps. Ideally looking at a contraction at 7-9/10 RPE.
5. High DIP joint angled pulls. Helps stiffen the soft tissue. 3 seconds with equal rest. 6 reps. 6-8/10 RPE
If we are talking maintaining strength, the focus should be on intensity and not a long session. Can be performed over a week.#climb #bouldering #roapcoaching #climbing #training taken in Scottsdale, Arizona by @robinoleary

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2 months ago

Qigong V10/7C+
87f/30c - I really wanted to get out and it said it was raining everywhere (including here), but I went.brutally hot. Dripping with sweat.
My knee pad was slipping off. I had to start on a heel instead of a toe as my shindex was so long.
Knee slipped a fair few times and it chewed up my leg (hence the tape).
But it’s a great climb.
Not recommended in these temps 😆 🥵
Genuinely used a bag of @frictionlabs to climb it!
#climb #bouldering #climbing taken in Eldorado Canyon State Park - Colorado Parks and Wildlife by @robinoleary

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3 months ago

80-90 degrees, who hits the Scoop?!
3hr climbing window means we do!
Post training session for @ryansmitclimbs and joined by @james_lucas 📸 taken in Coal Creek by @robinoleary

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3 months ago

Do your DIP joints hyperextend on small holds?

When the DIP joint collapses into hyperextension, the fingertip becomes a less effective structure for applying force to the hold. You lose applied strength, forcing the supporting tissues to absorb more load while increasing the mechanical demand on the finger.

The good news? This is often trainable.

In this video we cover:
• Why DIP hypermobility can reduce performance.
• Why it may increase injury risk.
• How to progressively build control by supporting the DIP on larger edges before gradually reducing that support.
• DIP clawing to improve active control and maintain a stronger finger position.
• No-hang protocols to progressively strengthen the supporting tissues with precise load management.

The goal is to stiffen soft tissue as well as to improve your ability to actively control the joint and maximise applied strength when it matters most.

This Reel is taken from our latest YouTube video, where we dive into the biomechanics, the evidence, and the complete training progressions. Check it out for more protocols.

Have you noticed your DIP joints collapsing on small holds? We’d love to hear your experience below. 👇

🎥 Watch the full video via the link in our bio.
🖥️ edit by @hayden.nichole
#climb #bouldering #roapcoaching #climbing #training taken in Movement Centennial by @robinoleary

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3 months ago