Climbing Warm Up and Core

Hello Internet Readers

This blog post is a dynamic warm up and core workout that I've constructed for my local climbing gym's girl group. This warm up can be used for pretty much any work out (other than the climbing part!). For the core workout you need a pull up bar.

Do the following exercises for 45seconds-1minute. For a longer warm up, cycle threw the circuit twice.

1. Shoulder Complex "Swings": Keep arms parallel to the floor with the elbows slightly bent. Cross your arms in front of your body then swing them back closing your shoulder blades. Make sure the core is activated (i.e., contract your abdominals) and you focus on contracting your back and pec muscles.

2.  Lateral High Step Oblique Warm Up: Touch your knee to your elbow on the outside of your body, alternate right and left sides focusing on the height of your foot rather than bringing your elbow down to meet the knee and balance on one leg.

3. Diagonal Oblique Warm Up: Bring your knee up and across your body and touch to opposite elbow. Focus on one leg balance.

4. Butt Kicks: Hands behind your back kick your knees to your bum. This is to get your heart rate higher.

5. Forwards and Backward Arm Rotations: Do 8-10 forward cycled with 8-10 back. Make sure you focus on engaging your shoulder and abdominal muscles rather then just swinging your arms.

Wall Warm Up

* Finish your warm up on the wall doing the following exercises....

1. First, pick a climb that is 2-4 grades below your max effort (e.g., if your max is 5.9, climb 5.7 or lower)

2. While climbing focus on the following..

•  Climb as slow as possible, paying specific attention to foot and hand placement
• Try to keep your arms as straight as possible the entire time, focus on body rotation and foot placement to move you up the wall (climb like a sloth)
• Down climb if possible or quickly (safely) lower and re-climb the same climb 2-5 times using the same technique.
• When re climbing climbs, try to get to the top using different strategies to wake up your movement patterns for climbing.

Now you're ready to send!

After you crush that 5 *insert desirable grade here*  you've been working on for the past 3 months it's time to do some core.

Core Work Out

*Do each exercise until fatigue (or 30sec-2 minutes)

1. Static Lock Off Leg Raise: Grab the pull up bar in whatever grip you are strong enough to lock off in (close grip palms towards you is the easiest, palms away close is harder, palms away wide is harder still). Slowly do a pull up and lock off (i.e. stay in a static position at full pull up). Extend you legs infront of you and hold until fatigue.

• Modification 1: Just raise your knees if holding your legs out is too difficult
• Modification 2: Do not do the lock off if you are not strong enough yet
• Modification 3: This entire exercise can be replaced with leg raises on the floor if you are a beginner.

2. Hanging Sit Ups: Using the pull up bar (and a spotter) hang upside down by your knees (easier) or feet (harder). Perform crunch (easier) or sit up (harder) in this position.

3. Plank: Hold the standard plank until fatigue.

Repeat each exercise 3-4 times


There you go! I hope this helps

Any questions/comments/concerns let me know!

Byn