Strength training for bouldering reddit. Some climbers find that lifting .

Strength training for bouldering reddit. Jan 25, 2022 · Welcome to Climbing’s yearlong Training Bible. Climbing uses more core muscles than anything else. Generally, do lifting after (as climbing is the skill training before workouts) and you can modify it depending on how much fatigue was from your sessions. I get pooped out super quick. Sure, it might help you overcome poor technique - but that isn't a good reason to lift. I wouldn't start seriously considering climbing specific strength training till your pushing into the v8+ range. Cruxes require technique, strength, and thoughtful sequences. 5 and 3 hours on working days. Looking back I wish I maintained a more diverse training agenda. Is there any research if such type of training translates to improved grip or fingers strength? Have any of you found this exercises And seeing as how arm and core strength is a big issue for me right now, should I be doing some muscle training as well? Right now I’ve mostly been using just 20 lb dumbbells and resistance bands for some light training after climbing (my climbing gym is in a small town that doesn’t have much in the way of regular gym equipment outside the actual bouldering walls). How to train grip strength Of all the physical components that contribute to your climbing ability, none is more important than grip strength. I currently weigh ~175lbs and deadlift 485 (455 with switch grip, no straps) which seems like reasonable grip strength for my weight. Training can be hard to motivate yourself to do. These training exercises for rock climbing and bouldering will help you build strength and improve balance. However, there are great forearm exercise that you can do that are low impact and great for endurance training. If you just want to get better at climbing, all you need is enough general strength. I know climbing is generally much more explosive movements than long distance running but it does need a lot of stability and balance. Will rock climbing instead of gym grip exercises produce similar results for general gripping strength and endurance? Apr 25, 2019 · Antagonist training—working the muscles that oppose your typical climbing muscles—will reduce the risk of injury and increase climbing performance. I was wondering if climbing would be good for strength training as I don't enjoy bodyweight exercises or lifting weights. How forearm training improves our climbing? I'll start that by forearm training I don't mean any types of static hangs/holds but rather exercises like dumbbell (wrist) curls , reverse curls, wrist rotation etc. My goal is to climb to 4x a week and starting to get comfortable around 5. 2x a week core + strength workouts where I focus on legs and pull up strength (weighted pull ups for sets of 1-3 max) followed by 20-40 minutes of cardio Reddit's rock climbing training community. Stay away from r/fitness, they suffer from bigtime groupthink. Ive been bouldering for about 10 weeks now and I’m currently at the grade V4-V5. Jan 1, 2025 · To increase grip strength for rock climbing, focus on exercises like hangboard training and wrist curls. However, some users suggest incorporating additional exercises or routines to complement the climbing experience and achieve a more complete workout. Just be sure to drink more water to compensate Obviously, early on you want to take it easy because you haven't built up the foundation strength, but even pros hurt tendons. I recommend supplementing your climbing with general strength training and cardio if you want to get a well-rounded workout. Should I give it a try or should I put it off for now? Edit: Thanks guys, I'm gonna give rock climbing a try! I started climbing sporadically about a year ago, and last month I started hitting the climbing gym and crags more regularly. I’m still a beginner and can comfortably do most climbs before the V4-V5 range in my gym. When I was climbing around v8-9, these extra sessions really helped my become a better climber along with building strength. I'm wondering how you all who are into both split up your workout schedule. What are some workputs I can do after… IMO, any climbing cross training should feature endurance work as much as strength work. I do them both for fun. Should I be strength training while also climbing. Don't forget proper nutrition and recovery, as they greatly impact muscle growth. But increased strength on its own did not equal increased grades for me. Otherwise, currently I tend to do pinch training on a non-climbing evening followed by some basic dumbbell work. If you want to get into climbing/mountaineering get the book Freedom of the Hills and start practicing skills. Thursday is project bouldering because it's sandwiched by rest days from pulls. Eventually over time the tendon strength will build to a level where it’s safe to use hang boards to improve finger strength. Oct 18, 2024 · Strength Training Program for Climbers This is a strength training program for intermediate-level climbers who want to get stronger to help improve climbing performance. I can't even do one pull up but I'd like to think my legs are decent in terms of strength. Bouldering on a skill day feels a bit overkill as my body seems to react to it like a light full body workout. Due to my weak fingers/forearms and upper body, all of the suggested workouts and training plans that I've read online If you have fitness/strength goals unrelated to climbing, you can absolutely do pull-ups/lifting/other strength training alongside climbing. I’ve been climbing for about a month now, and I want do everything in my power to get better. Many agree that Olympic lifting and powerlifting may not be specific enough for climbing, and that the injury risk is higher compared to the potential benefits. Rock climbing will certainly do more for upper body muscle than say, cycling. I got there pretty fast because I had been going to the gym for 2 years prior and I’ve kept myself at a steady weight of 70 kg at 183cm. Have a day off coaching and thought I’d introduce myself here and drop my 🧠 off to answer some questions if anyone wants some thoughts around strength training, injury prehab/rehab etc around bouldering. Just curious to see how others make time for bouldering while also sticking to a lifting routine and making time for rest days of Bouldering + Strength Training Hey there, I've been stuck on a plateau for several months now and I've been struggling to find a good balance between bouldering in the gym 3 times a week and strength training. Sorry for the wall of However, rather than doing strength training, it's probably better to simply let your climbing do the strengthening itself. Also I really like the advice given in this subreddit :) I have started rock climbing, and so far I have been climbing once a week and doing BW strength training twice a week. With very short climbs from grip and basic strength. Here’s how you improve it. This is a list of 12 great training exercises that come from training books, interviews with professional climbers, social media, Reddit and some of my climbing friends. This will also lower the required strengh overall. By and large the my experience is the Reddit's rock climbing training community. But it’s not necessary to progress as a climber; the best training for climbing is climbing, especially at the beginner level. I’d suggest prioritizing cardio (conditioning) - bouldering (and climbing more generally) has basically none of that. Power/grip strength? Boulder. One of the benefits of bouldering is that, if you do it regularly, you WILL get stronger. These may include functional strength training, antagonist training, and exercises targeting the May 8, 2023 · In Part II, I provide a simple strength training protocol, with variations. Here are some of the best workouts for climbers and boulderers. Oct 15, 2024 · Stuck on tough bouldering moves? Discover how to start strength and power training to enhance your climbing skills and boost your confidence. Training legs is rare for climbers but I guess you Reddit's rock climbing training community. Utilize grip strength tools like grip trainers or tennis balls for specific conditioning. You will see some difference, but you will not really get beyond a novice level of strength. TL;DR: Do any of you train climbing, long distance running, and weightlifting simultaneously? I have found many resources for training both distance running and weightlifting, but not many for training both with climbing. About a year ago, I began indoor bouldering (rock climbing) and coming from a swimming/lifting background my grip strength is severely lagging. 174K subscribers in the climbharder community. Akin to any other sport specific weight training program. Hi guys, basically been bouldering coming up to a year now and want to make my training a bit more climbing specific. I climb 3 days a week. e. 10 leading. Not for finger strength but I find these kind of squeeze exercise things quite good for rehabbing on off days. I’ve found that my biggest weakness right now is my forearm strength. If you get those little kits with the 5 different kind of instruments they do a good job of lightly working out all those lower arm/hand parts Reply reply Basicallydirt • Would you do this on 1-2 rest days per week, on training days immediateley after training, on training days 6+ hours after training, or cut it out all together? More generally, it seems pretty agreed upon that climbing specific strength/power training is #1 (other than time on rock). Second the pinch training at the start of a session. Bouldering was traditionally used as crux training. Training finger strength, weighted pull ups, shoulder stability/strength, and flexibility all helped me improve. Remember, your chosen exercises don’t have to look like rock climbing. Once you get to an advanced level (projecting 5. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. How to implement a simple strength training regimen Choose a handful of exercises and use them for a handful of months. I’m planning on cutting back volume, increasing intensity of climbing, and leaving behind the big lifting sessions, but feel like a small portion of targeted off-the-wall training could fit well into that plan. There is *some* overlap between grip training and finger training (climbing-specific) but, if you're looking to improve your ability to pull down on small holds, spring loaded grip training tools are likely a waste of your time/capacity to recover. You could do something similar to what Emil talks about in this video at 7:20. First of all, raw strength isn’t as big a concern for most climbers since bouldering is more about relative strength, but training for raw strength - usually weightlifting- still has its place. Apr 10, 2024 · Free climbing training programs available for download as a supplement to the book Training For Climbing by Eric Horst. Pretty much everyone who climbs V4-V5 does finger strength training but I haven’t done it. Because sloper strength is so complex- compared to crimp strength at least- I personally just like climbing a lot of sloper climbs to improve. AND that climbing with compromised grip strength leads to injury. I think this is likely true from a statistical sense. I believe having greater awareness has helped me apply my strength gains more easily. I am thinking about maybe exchanging one of the strength training days with an additional climbing day (I do not have time to work out more than 3 times a week). Bouldering will give you functional strength though, you'll get used to being able to generate core power from weird positions and your grip will crush. The most efficient way to improve strength is to dedicate training specifically to building strength (i. Strength probably isn't the limiting factor at 7 months in. So I've been climbing for about 8 months now and I climb around V4/V5 but I've never actually had proper training or anything aside from watching a couple videos when I first started. Mar 26, 2025 · Problem is i love the Recommended Routine and it’s really beneficial to my climbing. I like the idea of hypertrophy training using whatever you want, but the published data indicates that gripper training is at best tangentially beneficial to climbing. Plus, the recovery time is lower, so it impacts your climbing less and it has other huge health benefits. rock climbing is fun but is a terrible replacement for a real strength training workout. triceps), that’s less important if you’re climbing a lot imho. Jan 19, 2024 · Looking for how to approach strength training for bouldering? Maybe you've hit a plateau? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Despite that, I'd really like to give indoor bouldering a try. Bouldering twice a week is plenty for a beginner, and you might should not do additional training, because it could hurt your recovery. Unfortunately, the only advice I’ve found is that to build this, you have to continue climbing. Either that, or what I do (when I have the option to do so in my current frustratingly scheduled work-life balance) is train finger strength in the morning/noon before a climbing session in the afternoon/evening. So, I've been bouldering since 6 years, 3 years of those more consistently with 2-3 sessions a week. For this I wanted to first do a max strength testing session via the crimpd app. If you did a lot of high effort bouldering you might not need as many sets of strength training or you can eliminate some upper body pull work for example. It's very doable to get to double digits without anything but a lot of climbing. Saturday is power endurance. While strength training is also worthwhile (especially legs and muscles that don’t get used much in climbing e. While learning those skills, get out and just start moving. Is it specifically to improve your climbing, to get strong, to look good? If you are just starting out I'd recommend doing a full body workout like Stronglifts, you do two alternating workouts, Squats, Bench, Rows and then Squats, Overhead press, deadlifts. I’m all on board the strength train when it comes to slopers: four and three fingers open hand, plus wrist, shoulder, chest, and upper back/lat strength. Trap bar deadlift, and pushups. Aug 20, 2021 · Angie Payne, three-time national bouldering champion and first woman to climb V13, teaches us how we can level up our bouldering game. How should I structure my schedule to train weights without being too fatigued for climbing and vice versa? Just be careful, and recognize the best strength training exercise to improve bouldering is bouldering. honestly dont expect any aesthetic changes to your body from climbing other than forearm gains. Also notice how the excersises work the antagonistic (opposing) muscles in your hands and forearms, this helps to prevent repetitive strain injuries. Route climbing requires you to get through multiple cruxes of varying difficulty. i will do strength training 3 days a week and on and weeks i'm going 4 days that extra day will be dedicated only for climbing and improving my technique my main question here is about my strength training program, do you guys think its enough? have any suggestion for another program maybe? strength training tips specific for climbing? I'm not as unfit as I used to be but I'm still really out of shape. MembersOnline • IlluminationRock ADMIN MOD There have been a half dozen climbing specific studies that indicate grip trainer strength does not correlate to hangboard strength or to on-the-wall performance. MembersOnline • HarryCaul ADMIN MOD Bouldering is too much fun, and the problem-solving is addicting, especially since there was a bouldering gym that opened up next door to where I worked. There’s a lot of technique in sloper climbing, but those same positions are often murder on your shoulders, so it helps to have good movement/mobility and strength in very wide positions. Focus on lifting correctly rather than lifting heavy and progress with the weight. Max finger strength is your ability to grab a hold for five to 10 seconds. 12s?), you might consider talking to a climbing coach if you want to up your grade and incorporate things like fingerboarding and ARC training and advance training techniques like I think climbing will develop strong back and biceps/forearms on its own, so it might be efficient to focus on "push" muscles like pushups, bench, and shoulder presses to both balance physique (prevent hunched climbers back and build chest that climbing doesn't) and build accessory strength that pairs well with climbing / prevents injury. How do I actually train for climbing? Especially now that im stuck home for quarantine. I want to incorporate strength training into my schedule since it is a limiting factor for me (31F with spaghetti arms) I have three evening slots per week (about 4 hours each). Some climbers find that lifting We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. g. I am starting to do more of the crimpy problems and what I So my question is: have you guys successfully implemented a balanced routine between bouldering and weightlifting / strength training? If so, how? Additional context: I want to progress in my bouldering skills, but I do not necessarily want to have the best possible shape for bouldering. Those who do combine the sports, how do you segment your training throughout the week? Of course training specific things helps a lot too. In general, I think training box jumps (single and double-leg) carries over well for climbing, since a lot of routes and problems can have dynos. Thought about doing one high Favorite core strength exercises What do you do for core strength and how much has training core improved your climbing ? Currently been working on my ab roller and L-sit, and I think that the for as long as I've been training it (2 months) I've definitely seen gains in my climbing ability. - Even if your grip strength is absolutely terrible, static hangs aren't the ideal exercise right now (until you're really working on problems at the gym that require grip strength, avoid hang boards all together). ), you're typically holding on with 2 hands, so you're also Reddit's rock climbing training community. For the kind of climbing I'm interested in, I want to focus most of my training towards endurance rather than max strength. One thing you can do is stretching/flexibility training. Reddit's rock climbing training community. This is normal, just keep climbing and focus on technique. Do you recommend starting or waiting a year to avoid injuries because that’s my To me a basic non-sport strength/power training program for climbing should try to do a few basic things: strengthen our trunk, particularly in positions where we have to express flexibility in our hips. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. com Apr 25, 2023 · "The Climbing Doctor" provides ten science-backed exercises to become the most powerful boulderer of your life. And always work on your technique (especially footwork!). I usually mix 2 bouldering sessions a week with gym workouts in between, but wanting to know best sort of workouts that will compliment climbing. 62x BW 1rm chinup and working on OAC) ? Redditors generally agree that bouldering can be a great workout for overall strength, particularly targeting the back, shoulders, and core muscles. I used chatgpt to create a training program for me: Day 1 climbing Day 2 Legs Day 3 rest Day 4 climbing Day 5 push Day 6 rest Day 7 climbing Hi everyone! So I've been into lifting for a couple of years now and I just recently got into bouldering. ) Focus your bodyweight training on the most efficient exercises and parse it down to fit in a day, but what you have Supplementing with creatine monohydrate (5g/day, no need to load) can help build muscle faster and help speed in muscle recovery, you will gain a little water weight until you stop taking it but that'll just aid in the strength training aspect of climbing by giving you more to lift (and I think the strength gains will outweigh the water weight). The crux of the "climbing as primarily a strength sport" idea is that most people can acquire the climbing skill over enough time to climb hard (lets say V-double digit) but many fewer people will be able to build that appropriate amount of elite finger and hand strength. But if you can only make it to the climbing gym once a week and you are looking for beneficial things to do during your 3x a week workout, then "improve your footwork" is not the right answer. I’m a newbie climber. Since bouldering is quite expensive, I can only afford to the climbing gym So getting back into climbing, so got some training to do. For volume climbing i do 3 climbs 2 grades under my flash 2 climbs 1 grade under my flash 1 grade at flash, reverse it. However, I’m already doing 3 multi hour sessions of indoor climbing + 1 day of outside sport climbing a week. It really depends on what you want to gain from lifting. strength training). What is an efficient way to train finger strength for a climbing beginner who has a decent amount of pulling strength from Callisthenics (1. Dedicated to increasing all our… He recommends something like: [Monday] Integrated strength training -- which uses "supersets" of hangboarding, strength (deadlift, bench press, core), and mobility exercises (example video). My next cycle is going to be more focused on turning strength back into more bouldering skill in preparation for a spring season. 14 votes, 14 comments. I’d drop it down to two weight training days (running either full body or an upper/lower split) and maybe a light cardio day. As long as you have a solid base of climbing experience (climbers just starting out will find maximum benefit from just climbing), finger strength training is an excellent addition to a climber’s training regimen. After that I wanted to have like maybe two pinch "sessions" a week. I've found that focussing on technique while climbing and training strength with dedicated, trackable exercises is more successful in training periods. I would be interested on how other people are combining their training+bouldering. What are some fun bouldering workouts you all like to do that keep things interesting? I know the classics…4x4, limit, flash practice,etc. Sure, I agree with you that climbing is great training for climbing. I do hollow body and windshield wipers and foot stabs for core. r/griptraining is a super knowledgable community and has a section in the sidebar specifically addressing grip training for climbing. Finger Strength Training I’d like some feedback on integrating hangboarding to my climbing/training routine. I do climbing but i want to get into bodybuilding to weigh up for the pull strength i get from climbing. This complete eight-phase training series will coach you through specific workouts based on periodization, a proven approach to training that results in peak climbing performance on the rock and in the gym. … I train following the book training for the new alpinism it's might be overkill for just climbing but it's whipped me into shape helping me build upper body endurance. Moonboard twice a week and limit boulder. It’s not about arm strength, it’s about general fitness. So I’ve been watching many videos on ways to train your fingers like routines, what you do before and after a session and all things like that so I wanted to ask you guys what you do for your fingers in terms of training for more strength. Around 2 hours climbing, 1 lifting. 11-5. If your goals revolve around bouldering, I would combine your push and pull day into one 'stregnth' day, and spend your other training days on climbing specific training (bouldering, endurance, power endurance, recovery, etc. Technique is important from the start, and best trained when you aren't strong enough to muscle through. Weight training for bouldering specifically is more focused on building strength to help your bouldering. Functional training for climbing will look much different than than powerlifting and bodybuilding, two of the biggest influences in the US culture of exercise, particularly strength training. How would you mix the two? See full list on 99boulders. Whenever you hang from pinches (hangboard, system board, etc. Hike local mountains, head to local climbing gym and start meeting people. I've been bouldering for about 3 years now and I think I've arrived at a point where finger strength has become a limiting factor for We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. But I don't look that much different from an aesthetic point of view because of my diet (maybe a bit smaller but nothing major). Your fingers are all tendons and it takes a long time to build tendon strength, so the advice I got was to keep climbing but once they hurt, stop climbing crimpy routes for the day. it pretty much only involves pulling muscles and your limiting factor will almost always be your finger strength. 20 votes, 20 comments. Check it out! I want to get stronger with weight training and also want to start pushing grades. Do you have some tips and/or recommendations for pinch strength training? As I am into bouldering, I thought about training max strength. As a bouldering newbie who is brand spankin' new to the sport (zero climbing experience, still learning the climbing lingo, and learning how to do V0s), I was looking for some kind of training plan, conditioning plan, or beginner friendly workouts to help improve my climbing. Your grip strength is determined by forearm strength and the tendons in your fingers, hands and wrists. 306 votes, 150 comments. Jun 27, 2022 · Climbing requires good cardio, strength, and endurance. r/climbharder climb harder - ideas and structured training to get better at climbing Reddit's rock climbing training community. Climbing-wise, roughly speaking, Tuesday is a light day either drills or slab because it's a beast of a lifting day. One day I do volume climbing. You don’t need a climbing gym, as all exercise variations can be done with regular free weights and your body weight. [Wednesday] Limit Bouldering (trying low percentage, max effort moves). Day-to-day lifting doesn't impact my climbing performance much, but I can lessen the amount of training volume (and/or intensity) I do over a couple months to peak my strength for climbing. This will increase fore arm strength and wrist stability. In fact, I did a project on it in an undergraduate psychology class. . Redditors' opinions on Bouldering for Strength are mixed, with some praising the benefits of weight training for climbing, while others argue that climbing itself is the best way to improve in the sport. I was listening to a Training Beta episode recently (no idea whose, sorry!) in which they recommended pinch blocks (either 2x4s or you can get climbing holds and hang weights from those instead if your gym has any retired ones for sale) instead of any type of hanging. Between 2. You want to spend every ounce of your training capacity climbing, which will improve your grip strength, but also your movement vocabulary and general technique. You get the point. Normally I'm lifting in the gym 5 days a week roughly, with a push pull legs split. Do that until i get really tired. Also, pinch strength is quite width-specific, so I'd have to train multiple different widths to get better at all of them. I don't bother training pinches at all, because I don't encounter them often climbing around here. By following these We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Have fun! Limit bouldering builds top end strength, these sub-max days (on still hard boulders) builds overall climbing strength. You will also gain muscle from climbing regularly. However, ring work in addition to training open hand on a hang board can do the same thing if you don't have access to a gym that sets slopers well. Some of the training exercises require rock-climbing grip training equipment or other exercise tools but most of them can be found in your local climbing gym or inexpensively online. (I. 11 TR and 5. Nothing complicated, but its fun for me and easy In addition to campus bouldering, I have found weighted pull-ups and ladders or max reaches on the campus board to be helpful. My long term objectives are mountaineering and alpine climbing? Currently, I do LSD ( long slow days) 2x a week, 3x a A lot of trainers suggest strength training for climbing in the context of being more resilient to injury and generally athletic, rather than thinking about it for direct gains on the wall. The thing is most alpinism fitness training programs I’ve looked into require around 3-4 days/week of cardio and strength training, each session being several hours long. but what are some others that keep you engaged? What about climbing specific/ on the wall exercises? I’ll do pinned hands/feet and some ab work on a training board but are there others you like? For Reddit's rock climbing training community. Assuming your primary goal is to improve climbing, I’d try schedule climbing days after rest days or easy cardio sessions. Incorporate various grip types, such as open hand, crimp, and pinch, to target different muscles. It's not worth taking so much time/effort away from other climbing/training. light weight many repetitions etc) I have trained Calisthenics in the past also to note so pull up variations and dips etc are Overall, this training plan seems like way too much volume. The pull-ups help to develop that overall power, and the campus board trains more explosive power and immediate recruitment. While everyone's body is different, I put on significant muscle mass from just climbing. If you can't get to the climbing wall/crag often enough, you could do some hangboarding, but only if access to climbing is what limits the amount of training you can do. Although this is only for strength building phase, but periodisation is a bit too advanced and something to discuss with r/climbharder Mar 26, 2025 · Fingers of steel are the foundation of harder climbing. For super hard sport climbing, sometimes calf training is also key (ie Ondra had to focus on his calf strength when he trained for Silence). As much as people hate to hear it, when it comes to grip strength in the early years of climbing, climbing is the best training for climbing. I’ve been climbing for ~4 years with a focus on bouldering and generally climb 3-4 days per week, now at a v5-7 level (indoors). ujmca ngd jgpx cucqz usj anv bbok xrzz rywjzce fib