Wall Climbing

Wall Climbing is a blast.  This safe and thrilling activity tests your strength and endurance.  Whether you're indoors or out; you can get a great workout from climbing.

 

To get the most out of your climbing experience and justify those cool, expensive, technical shoes you bought, you should train for the climb.  Here's how:

 

Cardio

 

Climbing is hard on the cardiovascular system.  You're hardly moving but about a third of your major muscles groups are in full flexion at any given time.  You will move like a sloth but breathe like a race horse.  You need to keep heart and lungs in top shape for climbing.  Get out and run.  Or bike or just go to your basement and do 150 burpees.

 

Grip Strength

 



This is what its all about...almost.  If your grip is weak you should probably find another form of recreation.  Here are a couple of good grip strength building exercises:

 

Get a piece of wood.  A sturdy screwdriver and a couple cruelly long screws.  Screw the screws into the wood.  And then screw them back out.  Do this for 20 minutes.  Your forearms will burn.

 

Seated Cable Rows are a superb exercise for your grip strength.  After a couple of lighter warm-up sets, increase the weight and then haul out 3 sets of 10 reps.  Start at full extension and draw the handle slowly toward your abdomen.  This is a great back workout too.

 

Lats

Your Lats are the big powerhouse muscles which are going to do a lot of the work on the wall.  Lats are the large "batwing" muscles on your back that give you that svelte v-taper.  They pull you up or pull things down toward you...depending on which end budges first.  Here are a couple of nice Lat exercises:

 

Pull-Ups

If you were kidnapped and held captive in a small cell but you could do Pull-ups...do them.  Tons of them, so that when you get a chance, you can get your captor in a crushing headlock.  They're great for climbing too.  Grab a pull-up bar in an overhand grip (or any grip really).  Start at full extension and pull yourself up as high as you can.  Repeat as many times as possible.

 

Dumbbell Rows

 

You need to be a little angry to do Dumbbell Rows.  They're not fun.  They're kind of hateful.  Like when you're yanking the pull-start on a stubborn lawnmower.  Go heavy on these.  Lean over and brace your free hand on something solid.  Grab a respectable dumbbell (hint: if you can curl it - its too light).  Pull the dumbbell up to your side.  Lower it slowly to full extension.  Repeat for 3 sets of 8 reps.

 

Glutes

Step-ups are a good glute exercise that you can do almost anywhere.  Use a chair or any sturdy low platform.  Place one foot onto the top of the platform and then push yourself up.  Do 12 on one side and then switch to the other leg.  Then take a quick break and repeat two more times.

Hate Me Now - Thank Me Later 

 

Tom

 

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