Strength Training for Climbers: 101

Climbing movements primarily target your back muscles and biceps, but it is a full-body sport. When you’re on the wall, all your muscles are working to stabilize you - from engaging your core to maintain body tension, pushing onto your tiptoes and firing your calf muscles, or throwing up a heel hook and engaging your hamstrings.

There are nine major muscle groups I look to target with strength training:

1. Calves

2. Hamstrings

3. Quads

4. Glutes

5. Back

6. Chest

7. Biceps 

8. Triceps 

9. Core

A great full-body exercise routine will target all major muscle groups through multiple compound and complex movements. Compound movements are exercises that involve multiple joints or muscle groups. Complex movements combine two or more compound movements to create a more advanced exercise. 

Barbell Deadlift to Row 

Target Muscles: Back, Hamstrings, Core

Movement Type: Compound and Complex

The barbell deadlift to row combines a classic lower-body move, the deadlift, with a classic back exercise, the row. For climbers, the row builds strength in critical back muscles, including the lats, traps, and rhomboids. Stronger back muscles can help improve your lock-off strength and overall muscular endurance. Hamstring strength is crucial for effective use of heel hooks and for generating power during dynamic moves. 

Bicep Curl to Overhead Press

Target Muscles: Biceps, shoulders

Movement: Compound

Strong biceps and shoulders are the cornerstone of an advanced climber. Every type of movement will feel easier with increased strength in these muscles. Some of the more notable areas of improvement will be with campusing and cutting feet. 

Weighted Walking Lunges

Target Muscles: Glutes, Quads, Calves, Hamstrings, and Core

Movement: Compound

Lunges are fantastic for climbers because they build unilateral leg strength. Often, climbers find themselves in a position where they must stand on one leg or generate power with one foot higher than the other. These on-the-wall scenarios are similar to a lunge. Adding weight to your lunges also forces you to engage your core. Depending on the weights used, it can also challenge your forearms. 

Barbell Backsquats 

Target Muscles: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, and Core

Movement: Compound 

Barbell back squats are a quintessential compound exercise that effectively strengthens your lower body and core. Incorporating these exercises into your routine will increase lower-body power for jumping moves. The more effectively you can use your legs when climbing, the less taxing it will be on your upper body. 

Deficit Push-Ups

Target Muscles: Chest, Triceps, Anterior Delts

Movement: Compound

To be a serious climber, you have to invest in injury prevention. Climbing significantly works your back muscles more than your chest muscles, which can lead to muscle imbalances and increase the risk of injuries, especially in the shoulder. Deficit push-ups increase the range of motion, providing a greater stimulus to the chest muscles. Perform them with dumbbells for an added stability challenge that engages your core.

Dumbbell Cleans

Targets: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Caves, Traps, Biceps, Forearms

Movement: Compound and complex

Dumbbell Cleans combine a Romanian deadlift, a clean, and a step-up. They help improve power, explosiveness, and build strength across almost all major muscle groups. The heavier the dumbbells, the more your upper body and core will have to work. 

If you are a climber looking to level up your training, it’s worth adding in full-body strength exercises to help you become a stronger, more powerful climber. If you want help programming your workouts, using proper form, or ensuring progress, schedule your FREE 15-minute consultation call with G!