Ideas for climbers training in isolation

Get creative with home training! Ever tried a human climbing Frame?

Let’s talk a bit about how we can train indoors during isolation to keep strong for when we next grip rock.

Now first things first, if you have your own training room equiped with finger board, campus boards and training equipment, you’re laughing. The internet is chockablock with professional climbers YouTubing power training, endurance training and you name it, so it’s simple to find. It’s important to find a work out that fits you. Over training comes with more problems than under training and if you try to copy a silly work out you’re not ready for, you may end up isolated and unable to train due to injury, or worse a visit to the hospital… 

So how do you pick the right routine? Knowing yourself is key. If you’re  struggling to do something, stop. So as an example, say you’re training arm power, and you’re finding it easy to do 12 pull ups on a bar, but you’re finding it an effort to pull up 6 times on small edges, and you’re struggling to do one pull up on crimps. This means the bar is helping you build a certain bit of endurance, but is too easy. The edges are helping your power nicely, if you’re training responsibly and the crimps are going to hurt you. So if mister Johnny super climber is doing 6 pull ups on the smallest crimps on your finger board, you need to do 6 on the holds you can perform 6 pull ups on in control, like he’s doing on the crimps. You’ll be on his holds one day, but not in two weeks so just don’t.

Now how do we train if we don’t have the training room of our dreams and a personalised training plan on the walls?

Power – Worried you’re going to struggle doing a single dynamic move, slip and pop off during every deadpoint, or fail to stick big moves? Well do you have a sturdy table, or chair? Well then you have a power boulder problem in your home! I did Say sturdy though.. Made safer with cushions this is a fun way to get some power training, byciling a leg with both feet, hooking toes or even heels on the floor you can do pull ups, campus your hands around the edge and get a pump on! Do you have an anchor point on the ceiling, up some stairs or on the side of your house? You’re a climber right, You know a good anchor point when you see one? Well get a bed sheet tie knots in them an hang it up. Now you have your very own pull up rope! Also stay close to the ground. If your bedding rips you’re better landing happily on your arse. This technique has been used by Princesses in isolation for years.

Endurance is is pretty easy, burpees, push ups, planks pretty much any at home workout video is going to burn calories and maybe gain some endurance. A 20-30min work out with no break is good for endurance, think being on that long pitch with no ledges, and the end of the work out is the top out! But again, if the work out is too hard, stop and find an easier one or take it a bit slower, being injured is not fun, trust me! Do you have that sturdy table or somewhere to pull up, or even just pull up a bit? Well you can train power endurance in your arms by stopping mid way through your pull up and holding it until you arms get tired, have a rest then repeat. Locking off is a great way to train for climbing, look up locking off or power endurance on YouTube for a bundle of vids to keep you going.

Stamina, running on the spot, star jumps a million other things, no one has an excuse not to be able to keep their stamina up.. look up home exercise, or longer simpler work out videos you feel gets you a good sweat on.

These are just a few ideas on how to home train for a climber without equipment for home training and I’d love to here ideas that are keeping us fit. So if you’ve got a cool work out or table climbing vid let me know I’d love to see an share it!

Don’t over do it in your solitude, ask mum if you can do pull ups on her door frames an offer to cover the bill if you break the house doing so.

For more fun ideas on climbing in solitude, stay with Ambleside wall.

Stay safe and happy,

Ambleside climbing wall

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