How to Get in Shape for Rock Climbing
Find a climbing gym, or climbing locations near you., Track your progress daily in a journal., Immediately after finishing climbing, do hand, forearm, and back exercises., On days you are not climbing (3 other days a week) stretch and go running...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find a climbing gym
Set aside 2 or 3 days a week to climb.
Sessions should be between 1-3 hours of maximum-effort climbing.
This structure allows hypertrophy to occur in the muscles involved, without overtraining. -
Step 2: or climbing locations near you.
Then, always work to achieve a new personal best.
Just like in the weight room, you track your progress and slowly up the weights...
The same concept applies here. (Caution:
Don't overcomplicate it, or waste time.
Keep it simple) , These include: 1) 3 sets of hand grippers. 2) 3 sets of hand grippers in a claw-like motion, with fingers straight, using fingertips and your thumb tip to press the gripper together. 3) 3 sets of pull-ups, to failure. (Once you can do more than 20 pull-ups, start slowly adding weight.) 3B) Then do 3 sets of horizontal pull-ups to failure (also known as "rows"). 4) hanging by fingertips from the hang-board, for as long as possible.
Once you can hang for over 30 seconds, start slowly adding weight.
Eventually, practice "climbing up" the hangboard. 5) Do weighted sit-ups, to work abs and core. 6) Do trunk twists, with weight, to work abs and core.
Both of these ab exercises- 5 and 6- help you to stabilize and rotate your body while climbing. , Alternate between running sprints one day, to greatly strengthen the heart and lungs and burn fat, and also longer distance the next day, to burn fat.
For example, run eight 100m sprints during the sprint day, then run a 1 or 2 mile (1.6 or
3.2 km) run on the long distance day.
Keep the runs extremely intense, but varied.
For example perhaps run hurdles or 40m sprints on a sprint day.
Or maybe run a 5K or 10K once in a while. , After runs, really breathe deeply and stretch as good as you can.
With consistency, you will become more flexible.
The goal is to be able to eventually reach your hands about 4 inches (10.2 cm) past your toes- this level of flexibility is necessary if you ever want to able to "rest" your legs on a ledge above you, during more strenuous climbs.
Overall body flexibility is important as well.
Go through a complete stretching routine post-run. , (Less fat, equals less weight without a loss of strength, equals better climbing ability) For most people, the solution is a low-carb but high protein diet, with ample veggies and some fruits, with an active lifestyle and many small meals.
For a few people, a diet high in both protein and carbs allows them to really shred down.
Also:
Drink a lot of milk regardless (organic, and sugar free if necessary to burn the fat), and add one bone strengthening supplement daily (calcium, vitamin D, and other minerals/nutrients).
This supplement will allow the bones and tendons in your hand to strengthen faster.
Ultimately, you will not be able to climb really crucial stone until your hands themselves can support that kind of strain, so a proper diet is a must. , Learn a route, and then drill it like it is a basketball or a football drill.
This may take away from the "mystique" of climbing but it will get you good.
Do the same thing with specific moves or hand holds.
Practice your slopers, crimps, grips, until you are a master at them.
Practice more at something, if you are bad at it.
Don't avoid it, confront it.
Practice your heel hooks, drop knees, dynos, footwork, etc. , Watch plenty of youtube videos on footwork, especially.
There have been countless times excellent footwork has saved me, or made a hard route become easy.
In fact, youtube videos until the cows come home.
They have so many excellent (and free) instructional videos out there.
With ample learning, and a strict, intense training regimen, you will succeed faster than most. , Legs are added weight- bulky legs do not contribute to a climber's body.
To achieve this, do the running from earlier, and also do box step-ups.
Do 2 sets until failure of each leg, after climbing (do these at the same time you work your back and hands).
Also, do jump-squats- these will help build type II-B explosive fibers, which will not only slim your legs down further (which is good) but they will also give you the explosive power to dyno farther. -
Step 3: Track your progress daily in a journal.
-
Step 4: Immediately after finishing climbing
-
Step 5: do hand
-
Step 6: forearm
-
Step 7: and back exercises.
-
Step 8: On days you are not climbing (3 other days a week) stretch and go running.
-
Step 9: Practice flexibility- before runs
-
Step 10: do light stretching.
-
Step 11: Change your diet to whatever helps you burn the most fat.
-
Step 12: When climbing
-
Step 13: practice practice practice.
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Step 14: Footwork is key.
-
Step 15: Slim your legs down.
Detailed Guide
Set aside 2 or 3 days a week to climb.
Sessions should be between 1-3 hours of maximum-effort climbing.
This structure allows hypertrophy to occur in the muscles involved, without overtraining.
Then, always work to achieve a new personal best.
Just like in the weight room, you track your progress and slowly up the weights...
The same concept applies here. (Caution:
Don't overcomplicate it, or waste time.
Keep it simple) , These include: 1) 3 sets of hand grippers. 2) 3 sets of hand grippers in a claw-like motion, with fingers straight, using fingertips and your thumb tip to press the gripper together. 3) 3 sets of pull-ups, to failure. (Once you can do more than 20 pull-ups, start slowly adding weight.) 3B) Then do 3 sets of horizontal pull-ups to failure (also known as "rows"). 4) hanging by fingertips from the hang-board, for as long as possible.
Once you can hang for over 30 seconds, start slowly adding weight.
Eventually, practice "climbing up" the hangboard. 5) Do weighted sit-ups, to work abs and core. 6) Do trunk twists, with weight, to work abs and core.
Both of these ab exercises- 5 and 6- help you to stabilize and rotate your body while climbing. , Alternate between running sprints one day, to greatly strengthen the heart and lungs and burn fat, and also longer distance the next day, to burn fat.
For example, run eight 100m sprints during the sprint day, then run a 1 or 2 mile (1.6 or
3.2 km) run on the long distance day.
Keep the runs extremely intense, but varied.
For example perhaps run hurdles or 40m sprints on a sprint day.
Or maybe run a 5K or 10K once in a while. , After runs, really breathe deeply and stretch as good as you can.
With consistency, you will become more flexible.
The goal is to be able to eventually reach your hands about 4 inches (10.2 cm) past your toes- this level of flexibility is necessary if you ever want to able to "rest" your legs on a ledge above you, during more strenuous climbs.
Overall body flexibility is important as well.
Go through a complete stretching routine post-run. , (Less fat, equals less weight without a loss of strength, equals better climbing ability) For most people, the solution is a low-carb but high protein diet, with ample veggies and some fruits, with an active lifestyle and many small meals.
For a few people, a diet high in both protein and carbs allows them to really shred down.
Also:
Drink a lot of milk regardless (organic, and sugar free if necessary to burn the fat), and add one bone strengthening supplement daily (calcium, vitamin D, and other minerals/nutrients).
This supplement will allow the bones and tendons in your hand to strengthen faster.
Ultimately, you will not be able to climb really crucial stone until your hands themselves can support that kind of strain, so a proper diet is a must. , Learn a route, and then drill it like it is a basketball or a football drill.
This may take away from the "mystique" of climbing but it will get you good.
Do the same thing with specific moves or hand holds.
Practice your slopers, crimps, grips, until you are a master at them.
Practice more at something, if you are bad at it.
Don't avoid it, confront it.
Practice your heel hooks, drop knees, dynos, footwork, etc. , Watch plenty of youtube videos on footwork, especially.
There have been countless times excellent footwork has saved me, or made a hard route become easy.
In fact, youtube videos until the cows come home.
They have so many excellent (and free) instructional videos out there.
With ample learning, and a strict, intense training regimen, you will succeed faster than most. , Legs are added weight- bulky legs do not contribute to a climber's body.
To achieve this, do the running from earlier, and also do box step-ups.
Do 2 sets until failure of each leg, after climbing (do these at the same time you work your back and hands).
Also, do jump-squats- these will help build type II-B explosive fibers, which will not only slim your legs down further (which is good) but they will also give you the explosive power to dyno farther.
About the Author
Gary Chapman
Enthusiastic about teaching home improvement techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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