climbing useful exercises for circuit training

[genepires]

I was hoping for some of your favorite circuit style exercises that have good benefits for climbing. I don't have access to a rock gym so no need to go there. Obviously, a rock gym is best but how about stuff to do in a garage that has benefit? Or even circuit ideas for general conditioning too?

 

Some that I can think of

Pull ups (obvious) (on rock rings?)

dips (balance the pullups)

get ups (core strength)

burpees and jump ropes (overall heavy breathing)

body weight squats (leg strength)

 

maybe dowel pull ups for winter time

 

any other great circuit training ideas?

[el jefe]

try "knees to elbows". better than pull ups.

[Rad]

Hey Gene,

Maybe you can park in the driveway and build yourself something to climb in the garage. If the weather stays like this you can climb outdoor rock all winter!

Rad

[genepires]

my garage is not tall enough. I can reach up and touch the ceiling. so even with a sit down start (which is silly) I would get 2 or 3 moves in. A artif. wall in my garage would sit unused and just cost a lot on $$$.

I like the idea of just going outside more. If I could only convince my wife that a weekly day to the crags was good for my health. I need to make my little 3yo boy a rock monkey so I got that excuse.

[ryanb]

Hangboarding

Frontlevers

System wall

 

In fact ditch most of the rest of the circuit...

 

http://www.beastmaker.co.uk/training%20page2.htm

http://gravsports.blogspot.com/2009/03/training-sickness-not-good-kind.html

http://www.davemacleod.com/articles/trainingforclimbing.html

http://www.onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/

[John Frieh]

Hey Gene: you better specify what type of climbing you are training for or the sport climbers/boulders are going to tell you how much time you are wasting with that circuit stuff

[ryanb]

John,

 

Lets try and keep this a productive discussion and not another flame war...I do believe that training for climbing should involve almost as much talking about training as actuall training to make sure you are doing the best stuff.

 

Note that the training links I posted are from Will Gadd and Dave Macleod, too of the best mixed/ice climbers climbing today and Dave is no slouch on the gear either having done or established pretty much every hard rout in Britain including stuff well into the 5.14 r/x range.

 

The programs they advise aren't specific to sport or bouldering or really any other discipline...they are simply great ways to increase grip and core strength in a fairly climbing specific way. Training like this alone won't give you success in every discipline but it will give you the basis you need no matter what discipline you focus on.

 

In my own limited experience following a program inspired by theirs enabled me to start climbing 5.11 on gear at index and start thinking about the 12's. I'm not much of an alpine climber or an ice climber but I have lead 5.11 at washington pass and followed some hardish routes in each discipline including the passenger on sews and the cable at banks lake (actually my first ever ice climb)...

 

Circuit training certainly has its place but technical climbing is simply much easier when the holds/tools feel huge compared to the tiny wooden edges you've been hanging off all winter.

 

Perhaps the ideal home training program would be one that used state of the art circuit stuff like you advocate combined with free climbing specific stuff advocated by people like macleod and gadd?

 

 

[Sol]

Taken from Rob James post on ST:

 

Climbing gyms and boulders are great for developing a kong strong grip.

 

Sport routes for developing proprioception and an eye for holds.

 

Weight circuits and strength sessions are awesome when you've that solid playlist and mateship to train with.

 

Pure aid climbing is a great approach to learning how to place decent lead gear.

 

Multi-pitch trad/aid on rock is just mighty fun and worthy adventure.

 

General mountaineering for endurance, footwork and mountaincraft.

 

And multi-pitch alpinism is where it all (sometimes) comes together.

 

[Sol]

I dig these guys's circuit routines as they somewhat maintain a focus on rock climbing....

 

PULLHARDER

 

I also like

.

 

Here's a

get down!

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2010 by Sol

[ryanb]

Those super burpee's look pretty cool.

 

The floor half is kind of similar to what the yoga crowd call a Vinyasa (see second definition here: http://yoga.about.com/od/howtospeakyoga/g/vinyasa.htm ... the Mixed Martial Arts crows call this a "hindu push up" ) but with the hop up to mountain pose (standing) included.

 

I've been doing sets of vinyasa's alternating with sets of reapters ( http://www.beastmaker.co.uk/Grip-article.htm ) on the hand board, might have to try alternating them 1 for 1 burpee style and maybe throwing in a short toe touch stretch before hoping back down to plank yoga style ... pausing in plank with elbows at 90 degrees and body held off the floor adds a lot of intensity.

 

In general I don't like to do a lot of pullups because my form tends to degrade and i feel like my elbows start to suffer from it so I like to do more holding off static lock offs like in repeaters. Also been working on the one arm lock offs this winter.

 

Gene, definitely start taking the three year old out as early as possible. My dad started doing light scrambling/top roping with me when i was quite young and I am forever grateful.

 

I'm off to the gym...

 

 

[genepires]

Yes I should specify my goals and they are more alpine rock stuff. cragging at 5.10 is good for me. My concern is more for staying in shape as I get older as well as being able to keep getting up the 5.10's. Not really interested in sending really hard stuff so the hangboard time is of less use to me.

 

But, I hope that this discussion will be of use to many people so if you have sport specific advice, please feel free to add it.

 

How about any of the barbell stuff like deadlifts or clean and presses?

 

How about the kettlebells?

[Kimmo]

if yer already climbing 5.10 and already climbing the difficulty you enjoy in the mountains, i'd imagine it wouldn't take much to keep you there. a few runs a week with hill or stair intervals, some finger tip pull-ups three sets three times a week (and various other pull-up type activities, including intervals), and your usual activity....oh and keeping the weight down.

 

i'd kinda think that would do it. maintenance is a heck of a lot easier than improvement.

[Jake_Gano]

How did I miss this thread?

 

Deadlifts or cleans? Worthless, unless you plan on approaching uphill with a heavy pack (and what pack doesn't feel heavy on steeps?), in which case they're priceless.

 

Got a flight of stairs? DB/KB carries up and down stairs are great. If you've loaded it right, you'll foremarms won't be able to tell that you didn't just climb a pitch of nice. Not to mention it strengthens your shoulders, core, calves, etc., all with a jacked HR. Throw in a clean or thruster at the top and bottom for extra 'fun' and temporary relief for screaming forearms. Or try holding a KB in a racked position, and doing a "Goblet-Squat" shuffle sideways up and down the stairs. Or any of a number of variety or tortures that you can dream up with stairs.

 

 

You say that you don't have access to a rock gym. How often can you get out and climb then? I'm lucky enough to be able to climb in the rock gym and outside a few times a week. I've found in my case that doing a lot of pullups really is a waste of time.

 

You say you are interested in staying in shape as you get older? Assuming you still climb fairly often, I'd try to keep the volume of work you do for you pushing muscles comparable to that of your pulling muscles. Pushups and dips may be simple, but they've been a mainstay for a long time for a reason.

 

I try not to script my workouts around simple maxims, but if there is one that I truly believe, it's "Every time you train, train your core." This could be as much as making heavy deadlifts the meat and potatoes of your workout, or as easy as doing some crunches and supermans after cragging. The payoff to time ratio of core work is hard to beat.

 

Finally, I think JF hit the nail on the head. Identifying your needs is the key to formulating a good training plan. I'm sure Tommy Caldwell, Steve House, and Cris Sharma all have intense training programs that only share a passing resemblance to each other. I like to write down five or so routes I hope to do in the next six months. One should be fairly gimme, one should be pretty far out in my imagination, and the others should be somewhere in-between. Solicitations for advice on this forum comes up pretty often, but it will help others to help you if you list some of the types of routes you are training for.

 

 

 

[Bronco]

I copied these out of a John Frieh post:

 

Body weight movements (small space/no equipment. Might need a stopwatch):

 

Leg Blaster (1 round = 20 squats, 10 lunges per leg, 10 jumping lunges per leg, 10 jumping squats). Max rounds in ? minutes

 

10 push-ups 10 sit ups 10 squats - 10 rounds for time.

 

200 air squats for time.

 

Tabata squats and tabata pushups (Tabata = 20 sec of work/10 seconds of rest/6 – 8 times)

 

Tabata ___pick one or two: pushups, pullups, squats, lunges, burpees, tuck jumps___

 

5 push ups 5 squats 5 sit ups, 20 rounds for time.

 

21-15-9 of air squats and push ups for time.

 

3 vertical jumps 3 squats 3 long jumps - 5 rounds for time.

 

Handstand 30 seconds and 10 squats, 8 rounds for time.

 

10 vertical jumps 10 push ups 10 sit ups 4 rounds for time.

 

100 burpees for time.

 

20 burpees walk 5 meters 19 burpees walk back 5 meters 18 burpees, etc etc until done. Enjoy.

 

Max burpees in x minutes

 

4x 25 jumping squats

 

10 push-ups 10 squats 10 sit ups 10 rounds for time

 

100 push ups for time.

 

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Burpees and Sit ups.

 

10 walking lunges 10 push-ups 10 rounds for time.

 

50 split jumps for time.

 

“L” sit off the floor. 10 rounds of 10 seconds. If you can’t do it sit with your legs straight out and try to lift your heels of the ground for 10 seconds instead.

 

7 squats 7 burpees seven rounds for time.

 

250 jumping jacks for time.

 

100 jumping jacks 75 air squats 50 push ups 25 burpees for time.

 

20 jumping jacks 20 burpees 20 air squats 3 rounds for time

 

Max 1 set of push ups…tight body chest to the floor…full extension! Set is over once you break position. If you cannot do “men’s style” do your pushups from the knees. After that do 100 air squats for time.

 

Running + Body weight movements (nice weather and/or a track. Might need a stopwatch):

 

Run 1/2 mile 50 air squats - 3 rounds for time.

 

Run 1 mile for time.

 

Run 1 mile for time but lunge 30 steps every 1 minute on the minute.

 

Run 1 mile for time but 10 air squats every 1 minute on the minute.

 

Run 200m 10 squats 10 push ups 5 rounds for time.

 

Sprint 200m and do 25 push ups. 3 rounds for time.

 

10 Handstand push ups and a 200m run 3 rounds for time.

 

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sets of sit-ups and a 100 meter sprint between each set. For time.

 

10 push-ups 100M dash 10 rounds for time.

 

5x 400M sprints. Each one for time. Rest exactly 2x as long as it took you to run the prior 400M

 

10 X 100 m sprints. Each one for time.

 

10 vertical jumps run 400 meters 5 rounds for time

 

Sprint 100 meters walk 100 meters 10 rounds for time

 

50 sit-ups 400 meter run or sprint or walk 3 rounds for time.

 

10 burpees 100 meter sprint 10 rounds for time.

 

Run 1 mile with 100 air squats at midpoint, for time.

 

[Kimmo]

good lord people, he wants to climb 5.10 alpine style (which he is already capable of doing); he's not training for the cross-fit olympics!

 

a couple of hours a week or less would keep him in shape for doing this, without the mad suffering the above indicates....

[John Frieh]

Gene:

 

How tall is the ceiling in your garage?

What equipment do you have so far?

 

PS: Steve House recently started a training blog that doesnt deal so much with specific exercises as it does program design (at least so far). Worth checking out IMO

[matt_warfield]

 

Perhaps the ideal home training program would be one that used state of the art circuit stuff like you advocate combined with free climbing specific stuff advocated by people like macleod and gadd?

 

 

Gadd recently did a 24 hr. ice session on TR in Ouray, doing 194 laps with about 25,000 ft. of vertical. I would definiely look at his regimen for endurance.

[John Frieh]

 

Perhaps the ideal home training program would be one that used state of the art circuit stuff like you advocate combined with free climbing specific stuff advocated by people like macleod and gadd?

 

 

Gadd recently did a 24 hr. ice session on TR in Ouray, doing 194 laps with about 25,000 ft. of vertical. I would definiely look at his regimen for endurance.

 

Training for the endless ascent: 1/24/10 blog post

 

I felt a lot stronger even after only a couple of months of Crossfit--I think that at my advanced age (42) I had a host of weaknesses in my body's basic function (jumping, squats, presses, etc. etc). Crossfit put the light on those weaknesses, and helped correct them. CF isn't perfect, but it's damn effective for general physical fitness. I have no affiliation with CF.

[ryanb]

Gene:

 

How tall is the ceiling in your garage?

What equipment do you have so far?

 

PS: Steve House recently started a training blog that doesnt deal so much with specific exercises as it does program design (at least so far). Worth checking out IMO

 

Great find John!

 

"The truth that remains from all of this is that the best way to make large gains in fitness is to do the least fun, least glamorous, most boring kind of training: Long-Slow-Distance."

-Steve House

[Blake]

Hey Gene,

 

For two bodyweight exercises that you can do anywhere either to warm up (base of the crag on a cold morning), or get a workout, I really like one-legged squats and King Deadlifts.

 

One Legged Squat ->

 

King Deadlift -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOyqz1Tzils

 

Too often when I am trying to do bodyweight-only workouts, I focus on stuff like pushups, situps, pullups, and ignore my legs. These are both good ways to counter that tendency. The one-legged squats, in particular, seem to translate very well to one's ability to high-step onto a small hold in climbing, and smoothly stand up on it. It teaches balance in addition to strength. Obviously you can use a wall or beam as support if it's hard to do one with full range at first.

[eldiente]

Gene:

 

PS: Steve House recently started a training blog that doesnt deal so much with specific exercises as it does program design (at least so far). Worth checking out IMO

 

The amount of cardio he's doing makes me feel like going for a run, right now!

 

 

[John Frieh]

Gene:

 

PS: Steve House recently started a training blog that doesnt deal so much with specific exercises as it does program design (at least so far). Worth checking out IMO

 

The amount of cardio he's doing makes me feel like going for a run, right now!

 

 

I had the same thought and swapped a few emails with him about it... Ill fwd them to you. Long story short for his current climbing objective (K2) the "weak link" in his climbing skill set is cardio performance @ altitude and/or performance on a limited calories hence the amount of cardio volume.

 

That said just because Steve (or insert your favorite pro climber) does it doesnt mean you should also... we all have different training backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses and as a result should all follow different training cycles with different emphasis. Figure out what your goals are, where you are at as an athlete (strengths/weaknesses/etc) and then build yourself a program!

 

 

[genepires]

Yeah John, my ceiling is about 10 feet. I got rock rings hanging from it (as high as possible) and my feet are still on the ground. I got some barbell stuff, a couple light KB's, a couple sandbags, DB's, a car tire sled setup and recently got a big ass tractor tire and sledgehammer. Good fun especially when the neighbors look from behind curtains.

 

I love that long list and will pick some stuff for sure.

I have been trying the 1 legged squat every once in a while and can only do it off of a box. I like the one legged deadlift though.

[Bronco]

Yeah John, my ceiling is about 10 feet. I got rock rings hanging from it (as high as possible) and my feet are still on the ground. I got some barbell stuff, a couple light KB's, a couple sandbags, DB's, a car tire sled setup and recently got a big ass tractor tire and sledgehammer. Good fun especially when the neighbors look from behind curtains.

 

Hi Gene:

 

Do you have any trees to hang a thick rope for climbing? The other option is to just attach it to your tire sled and pull it accross your yard. Dunlap Supply on the Everett waterfront will give you old 2" - 3" rope if you ask.

[genepires]

sweet! thick rope is hard to find. thanks!