Unfortunately, climbing every route in the gym doesn’t always cut it in our efforts to become stronger climbers. And, if you are truly on the hunt to bring your strength to the next level, you might need to take a step into the (non-climbing) gym—yes, the deep dark depths of the weight room. We know, it’s certainly no where near as much fun as actually climbing things, however, it does open the door to really great opportunities to build strength and muscle in a highly effective manner. We promise, you won’t turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger. But it might just be the key to transforming you into an ultra crusher …
Not any ole’ weight-lifting regimen will help you reach those goals though. You need to focus on the areas that are most vital to climbing strength; including your back, shoulder, forearm, and of course, your core muscles.
If you are up for the challenge (and it’s definitely not an easy one), here’s a 3-day a week climbing-specific strength training workout that we recommend you try out:
Day 1:
Wide grip lat pull-down (10 reps | 3 sets)
Chin-ups (8 reps | 3 sets)
Seated v-bar cable row (8 reps | 3 sets)
Back extension (10 reps | 3 sets)
Machine preacher curl (10 reps | 3 sets)
Wrist roller (5 reps | 3 sets)
Decline crunch (20 reps | 2 sets)
Flat bench reverse ab crunch (20 reps | 2 sets)
Full hanging leg raise (20 reps | 2 sets)
Oblique crunch (2 reps | 20 sets)
Day 2:
Machine military press (10 reps | 3 sets)
Lateral raise (8 reps | 3 sets)
Dumbbell shrug (8 reps | 3 sets)
Leg press (10 reps | 3 sets)
Leg extension (10 reps | 3 sets)
Seated leg curl (5 reps | 3 sets)
Weighted calf raise (20 reps | 2 sets)
Day 3:
Hammer strength bench press (10 reps | 3 sets)
Neutral grip decline dumbbell bench press (8 reps | 3 sets)
Cable crossover (8 reps | 3 sets)
Tricep dip (10 reps | 3 sets)
Tricep pushdown (10 reps | 3 sets)
Decline crunch (20 reps | 2 sets)
Flat bench reverse ab crunch (20 reps | 2 sets)
Full hanging leg raise (20 reps | 2 sets)
Oblique crunch (2 reps | 20 sets)
Have fun, and don’t hurt yourself. This is just a suggested workout, and you shouldn’t push yourself if you’re not ready to!
