Essential Elements to Rock Climbing Training
January 21st, 2010 | by admin |If you are like most rock climbers you have begun to get frustrated with all the different types of training for climbing routines out there. You are thinking to yourself could this really be this complicated? Well, it doesn’t have to be because there are certain climbing principles that are proven and others that are simply time wasters.
For decades rock climbers have been trying to figure out what rock climbing training exercises work and what exercises are simply a waste of effort. In this article I am going to give you 3 of the best and most essential training for climbing exercises.
To start this exercise might seem pretty basic, but it is essential none the less. This simple yet extremely effective exercise is the the traditional pull-up. Rock climbers have been doing pull-ups since the beginning and they have been proven to develop excellent upper body strength. If you cannot do 20 pull-ups right now we really need to get to work. This exercise can be done at the gym or at home and should be done 3-5 times a week. You can do as many reps and sets as you want you goal is to get to the point where you can do 3-5 sets of 20 pull-ups with a minute or two rest in between.
Now the next essential climbing exercise has to do with developing finger strength. Now there are really two incredible exercises for developing finger strength. Here we will actually cover both of these for you because that is how important they are. First you should focus on doing some bouldering in addition to your roped climbing. The power and pure difficulty of individual bouldering moves will develop great contact and finger strength. To become a more balance rock climber try to do as many different styles of bouldering as you can. The will improve all the areas of finger strength that you need. Second, you need to start doing hangboard workouts. Hangboards are designed specifically by rock climbing companies to mimic rock climbing handholds. You can use this as a tool to focus on individual grip and hand positions, which allows you to control your development of finger strength. We recommend that you have a balanced mix of bouldering and hangboard routines into your normal rock climbing efforts.
Finally the third essential rock climbing training exercise has to do with something most rock climbers neglect and that is their flexibility. In rock climbing how flexible you are can help you out in many areas. Being flexible is essential to helping your recover quicker from your grueling climbing sessions and workouts. As well as helping you to avoid injury in all areas of your body especially your fingers, shoulders, elbows and knees.
Even though you probably already knew these simple climbing training exercises my guess is you are not practicing them. If you are you most likely are not practicing them enough and probably not improving on them each time you do them. Take into consideration the power of these exercises and really commit to adding these to your rock climbing training routine.