Train like a Climber

Summer with yoga student Tyler, about to climb.

It is July and the sun is finally coming out more often, which means we CAN do many outdoor sports that we can’t do all winter (which in Bellingham, seems to last from about October through June). If you are wanting to get ready for your activity of choice, there are ways that you can condition & prepare your body for it. Some examples of activities to train for are: kayaking, hiking, swimming, even slack-lining. I am going to focus on Rock Climbing to show you how to figure out what exercises to do to train for your activity. Humor me for a moment, and think like an exercise specialist. When finding out what the best training protocol would be, you must first look at the movement being performed and then find the best way to mimic that in a safe environment (a gym or your living room).

When I think of Rock Climbing, I realize that it is a very intense sport that requires a lot of upper body strength, lower body endurance & overall core strength. So, in order to have that muscle strength & endurance ready by the time I bring it to the rock wall, I should probably focus on a few different areas: forearms, legs, back muscles and core.

Summer climbing at Oyster Dome.

One thing that will help you get the most out of your indoor workout is to train at the same intensity as your activity.For example, if I am climbing a rock face and I need to reach for a hold about two feet out of my reach, I am going to have to focus, use my legs to launch me up and then grip efficiently. Keep this mindset of uniting different muscle groups during your workout so that your movements are precise and effective.

For the forearms, some ideas for basic gym exercises are to do wrist curls & reverse wrist curls. If you have a pull up bar, you can do single arm hangs or try and pull yourself partially up. Even better, if you have access to a clubbell – perform rock-it drills or front swings. If you have never heard of a clubbell, I suggest you start googling it, because it is the best performance tool I have ever seen for improving your musckuloskelatal system. I use the clubbell in my private personal training sessions and find that people improve their grip strength & forearm strength naturally in about 3-4 weeks. If you are able to do pull ups from your fingers using a strong door frame, that is a great way to build muscle strength in those tiny muscles.

For the legs, try frog squats (wide leg stance, trunk engaged, touch the floor and jump up high – repeat). You can also work the calves by doing calf raises. Try jumping lunges to improve your muscle endurances (start in a lunge position, jump up and land in a lunge with the opposite foot forward). Wall sits are another way to build endurance for those climbs where you aren’t able to find your ideal grip for a few minutes.

For the back, try pull ups in all sorts of different positions. Make sure your feet aren’t always right underneath of your body. You can switch your hand grip (one overhand & one underhand grip)  or change the distance of your hands, move your feet to one side and pull yourself up. You are mimicking your movement so that you can train specifically for your sport. Lastly, try corner reverse pushouts to strengthen your rhomboids. Stand in a corner (arms bent to 90 degrees and lifted to shoulder height) with your elbows touching the wall and your feet about a foot ahead of your body. Pull your shoulder blades together (which will bring your body directly over your feet).  If you don’t understand this exercise, you can always do seated rows.

For your core, try plank and side plank (make sure your wrist is directly underneath your shoulder joint). Another sport specific exercise would be hanging knee ups (hanging either from a pull up bar or elbow harnesses), starting with straight legs and bringing the knees to chest, then to opposite sides.

To improve flexibility, try taking one of my community yoga classes. Or do a guided yoga workout online or from a dvd.  If you are a climber, a novice or a non-climber, and you have unique exercises that you use for your sport, please comment below. Enjoy your climbs (& workouts) and I will see you at the top.