How to Weight-Train for Rock Climbing

Rock climbing demands a tremendous amount of skill and a tremendous amount of upper body strength. The aspiring rock climber can build his strength with weight-training, focusing on specific muscle groups. He can target large muscle groups and very small groups. He should work out three times a week for 6 to 8 weeks in order to get ready to climb. The intent is to build core strength, not necessarily muscle mass like a bodybuilder strives to construct. Therefore, less weight and more repetitions are stressed when weight-training for rock climbing. If you can lift a certain amount of weight 10 times before failing, try lifting 80 percent of that weight and getting 13 or 14 repetitions in.

Instructions

    • 1

      Concentrate on working the big muscle groups first, including your upper back muscles and your shoulders. For your upper back muscles--your rhomboids, a great exercise is the seated cable row at shoulder level. You take hold of the cable on a rowing machine and pull toward your body. Try to imagine you are pinching your shoulder blades together as you pull back. At home, tie a resistance band around the leg of a sturdy table at shoulder height while sitting on the floor to get the same effect.
      For your shoulders, nothing can match the standing military press. With feet spread apart, start with a barbell at collarbone level and raise the barbell straight up. Try both exercises for 3 sets, 13 to 14 repetitions each set.

    • 2

      Improve your pull-ups to build pulling power in your forearms, lats, biceps and fingers. The pull-up is the exercise that most closely resembles what a rock climber is all about. A rock climber pulls his body weight up vertically.
      If you have trouble doing pull-ups, try the floor-assisted variety. Stand in front of a squat rack with a bar at chin level. Grasp the bar while lowering your self to the floor. Now pull yourself up, maintaining contact with the floor so that you are not pulling your entire body weight up.

    • 3

      Add hanging knee raises to build core strength in your abdominals and back extensions to build up your lower back. The standing military press also works both of these areas. To perform the hanging knee raise, jump up and grasp a horizontal bar with both hands shoulder width apart and hang there. Slowly lift your knees, bringing them up to touch, or come close to, touching your stomach. Lower and repeat for 3 sets of 13 to 14 reps each.
      For the back extension, stretch out on a weight bench so that your upper torso hangs off of the edge. Place your hands behind your head and touch the floor with the top of your head, then lift your torso back to a horizontal position. Raise and lower, repeating for 3 sets with 13 to 14 reps per set.

    • 4

      Don't neglect your forearms, and the tendons and ligaments of your hands and fingers. "The Farmer's Walk" is exactly what you need. Put a heavy dumbbell in each hand and try to walk across the gym before you put the dumbbells down.