This guide will take you through 25 exercises for climbers to get you loosey goosey and ready for climbing.
Why stretch before climbing?
Imagine if you wern't expecting someone to jump out at you from round the corner (pretty scary right?) now imagine if they still jumped out at you but you knew it was going to happen (not so bad now) warming up and stretching is basically like telling your muscles to get ready.
Climbing like most sports puts stress and strain on your muscles. If you haven't been doing anything your muscles tend to be tight and not expecting having to go from compressed to fully extended in a matter of milliseconds.
The Exercises For Climbers
We recommend you start with these stretches, then climb lower grade climbs for a little while, to get your muscles nice and limber, then jump on your project climbs.
Each exercise = 10 reps - rest - 10 reps - Rest
Each stretch should be held for 10 seconds - rest - 10 seconds (repeat twice)
Finger & Wrists Exercises for Climbers
These are the most obvious things you need to warm up. Below are a few simple diagrams for you to follow.
Put your wrists to the ground with your fingers pointing to your knees, slowly edge you body backwards.
In a prayer stance, keep your hands flat together while rotating your wrists pointing your fingers up and down.
Extend your arms outward, push your fingers down as far as you can go, then point your fingers upwards (hold each position for a few seconds)
Extend your fingers as far as they you then slowly scrunch them up as shown above.
Interlock your fingers together, keeping the palms together rotate your wrists clockwise & anti-clockwise.
Arm & Shoulder Exercises for Climbers
every climber knows that feeling of not warming up properly, then jumping on a really shouldery climb and realising they haven't warmed up properly, few simple warmups will get rid of that feeling. See our handy diagrams below.
Find a ledge or wall, while keeping your hands in the same place, try to push your shoulders and head down to the floor slowly (as shown above)
Move your head to one side while going the other way with your shoulder, repeat in the opposite direction.
Place your arm across your torso, bring it in closer to your body by slightly pushing on your elbow with your other hand, swap your hands and repeat.
Place your arms around your back, grab a wrist ans pull slightly towards your hip (as shown above) switch it around and do your other arm too
Kneel on the ground, put your arms out front, push down to the ground with your body.
Shrug, that is all.
Sit on the ground and lean forward while keeping that ass on the ground!
Dead hang, find a bar or even a few holds on an over hang and just hang from them.
place your hand on the small of your back. Push your back forward and your shoulders back.
Interlock your hands, shoot them up to the sky, while moving your head down.
Hold your hands around your back, slowly twist your elbows in.
Find a doorway, place your hands to the side and push through the hole.
Leg Exercises for Climbers
These are the most overlooked exercises, but since legs are where most your climbing power comes from they are just as important as fingers.
Find a wall to help with balance, bring one leg up and squeeze up into your body, repeat with other leg. Bonus points if you do it without a wall.
Feet slightly wider than your shoulders, move your weight over to one side, keeping your feet planted. (do both sides)
Find a ledge or table just under hip height, leg up on the ledge, move your body slowly down. This could be done with a slab or flat wall and a jug hold in the right place.
Sit like a Buddha, ok not quite but close. Ass on the ground, put the base of each foot flat together, slowly push your knees to the ground and hold.
Stand feet together, take one big step forward and go down to the ground as shown above.
Ass and legs on the ground, try and touch your toes without bending your knees. its ok if you cant reach them as long as you feel the stretch
Similar to the last one but standing. Feet together, try and touch your toes without bending your knees.
if you haven't already check out our hand guide on how to use climbing tape properly link here
Did you know that we have these handy tips printed on handy little leaflets to keep in your chalk bag? we put them with every order so grad a bag of our chalk today.