Arm and Back Strength

Here arm and back strength refers to the muscle strength required to bend your arms, lock off, and move your upper body while climbing. Some of the common names of the muscles required for this are biceps, triceps, lats, and pectorals (pec minor and pec major).

Arm and Back Strength Drills:

Frenchies

Frenchies is a standard drill for building the strength required to lock off in different positions. Start with a pull-up and hold yourself in a fully locked off position for seven seconds, lower down. Do a pull-up and lower yourself until the bend in your arms forms a 90 degree angle, hold for seven seconds, lower down. Do a pull-up and lower yourself until the bend in your arms forms a 130 degree angle, hold for seven seconds, lower down. One rep is finished when you have held all three lock off positions and lowered down. For this workout try to do three sets of 5-8 reps with a one minute rest in between sets. If you can complete three sets of 8 reps then add a little weight. If you cannot complete three sets of 8 reps then add a chair or footholds to take some of your weight.

Typewriters

For typwriters you need two holds of equal size placed between 1.5 and 2 times shoulder distance apart. The greater the distance; the greater the difficulty of the drill. Grab the two holds and hold yourself on one hand at a full lock off for three seconds, using the opposite hand to take as much weight as possible. Slowly shift your weight from one hand to the other and hold yourself at a full lock off for three seconds. One rep is completed when you have held yourself at full lock off on both hands.

Remember to try and keep your chin above your hands when moving back and forth between the two grips. To increase the difficulty you can increase the distance between holds or add weight. To decrease the difficulty you can decrease the distance between holds or add a chair/footholds to stand on.

Power Ladders

Power ladders are a great drill for combining hand strength training with arm and back strength training. This drill is best done on different walls of varying angles. Create a ladder of similar holds spaced 2-3 feet apart in vertical distance. These holds should be placed for left and right hands and shoulder distance apart horizontally. Do this for three or four different ladders using different hold types for each ladders. The ladders should be between 4-10 moves in length. To do this drill you start with one hand on and place you opposite foot on a hold that will allow you to reach the next hold. Lock off the first hold, hold it for 5-8 seconds and then grab the next hold. Bring your opposite foot up and lock off, hold for 5-8 seconds and repeat until you are at the top.

If you have not done 8-12 moves then downclimb in a similar fashion until you have reached 8-12 moves.

For example I start with my left hand on a pinch and my right foot on a foothold down and right. I lock off my left arm and reach up with my right hand. Once my left arm has been locked off for 5-8 seconds I grab the next pinch with my right hand and place my left foot on. My right foot comes off and I lock off my right arm. Once my right arm has been locked off for 5-8 seconds I grab the next pinch with my left hand and continue.

Do this drill three times for each power ladder with a one minute rest in between attempts. Take 2-3 minutes before switching to the next power ladder.

When doing this drill concentrate on pulling hard with you opposite foot and learning how to maximise the weight that your legs can take. The more weight on your legs the less weight on your arms.

Lock off Boulder Problems

This drill is similar to power ladders but offers a variety of moves. To do this drill either make or find some boulder problems 6-10 moves in length. For each move you lock off the hold with one arm for 5 seconds and then try and move statically to the next hold. You will have to experiment with different boulder problem to see which ones this works with. Try and find the three most difficult problems that you can do this on. Do each problem three times with a one minute rest in between attempts and a 2-3 minute rest in between problems.

Campusing

What would strength training be without a reference to campusing. This section will talk about campusing for strength but you can also campus for power. When campusing for strength try to keep your movements slow and as large as possible.

Try not to match hands but concentrate more on using your lower arm to help move to a lock off with your upper arm. Hold the lock off’s and move slowly to the next hold. It is always a good idea to down campus slowly.

Campusing should not be attempted if you cannot hold a lock off. If you are deadpointing out of control for holds then you run the risk of shock loading your elbows or wrists and injuring yourself. Smaller and different hold types can be used to make campusing more difficult.

NOTE: I am strongly against any under 18 using a campus board and novices should be fully supervised in the use of them, the BMC have some guidance notes here; http://www.thebmc.co.uk/campus-boards-guidance-on-use  

Off set Pullups

Off set pull-ups allow you to isolate one arm more than the other. Start with one hand on a hold and have the other hand holding something below and shoulder distance apart from the first hold. You can use a knotted rope, a piece of webbing, or another hold for the lower hand. When you do the pull-up lock off the upper hand and use the lower one to help hold yourself there for 3-5 seconds. Do this in 3 sets of 8-12 for each arm. Concentrate on holding the lock off and isolating the upper arm as much as possible.