6 Best At Home Climbing Workouts to Build Strength and Skill

Looking for an effective at home climbing workouts? Ask for at home climbing workout suggestions on an online community of climbers, and you’ll most likely be told, “Just climb more.” While this response appears annoying, it’s actually the best. The best way to train for climbing is to climb. So, most at-home climbing workouts, particularly non-climbing exercises such as pull-ups, push-ups, squats, bicep curls, and door frame pulls, are merely supplementary.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should skip any non-climbing home workouts that’ll develop your climbing skills. In this article, we’ll share some of the best climbing training routines that you can execute in the comfort of your own home. 

The Importance of Forearm Strength for Climbers

For climbers, having strong and thick forearms is vital. The greater the strength of your forearms, the higher your chances of maintaining your grip on holds for longer periods. In addition, strengthening your forearms will prevent early muscle fatigue. This heightens your endurance, which is necessary for prolonged climbs. 

Can You Get the Benefits of Bouldering Through At-Home Climbing Workouts?

Bouldering, a form of rock climbing, is quite popular among beginner climbers and experts. Some benefits of bouldering include a healthier cardiovascular system, decreased anxiety and depression, and greater flexibility overall.  

While an at home climbing workout can’t replace the experience of feeling the sharpness and smoothness of various footholds while you work your way up the puzzle of rocks, they can improve your handgrip strength and upper body fitness, just like climbing does. 

Best at Home Climbing Workouts for Your Upper Body 

1) Plank

This at home climbing workout doubles as a core exercise.  While doing it, make sure that you activate your core. Avoid collapsing your shoulders, and breathe steadily to delay fatigue. Engage your quads, glutes, and toes to fully simulate the tension on your body during wall climbing, even though your goal is to increase core strength.

Step-by-step Guide 

• Assume a push-up position. 
• Place your forearms on the ground, elbows directly beneath your shoulders, such that your forearms are parallel to each other. 
• Keep your palms facing down.
• Extend your legs straight back. Your toes should be on the ground, and your feet should be hip-width apart.
• Hold this position for as long as you can.
  

2) Inverted Row

You’ll be tempted to ease the pressure on other body parts and let your forearms do most of the work while trying this at home climbing workout. Don’t give in to the urge. Rock climbing demands that you are capable of pulling up your body using your back muscles, especially your lats and traps, not just your forearms. 

Step-by-step Guide 

• Set a pull-up bar set at waist height or find a sturdy edge like a table.
• Lie on your back under the bar, aligning your chest with it.
• Grip the bar with both hands positioned slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Pull your chest toward the bar by squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Keep your elbows close to your sides.
• Stop when your chest is close to or touches the bar.
• Slowly lower your body back to the starting position.

3) Chest Dip

Finding an at home climbing workout that doesn’t involve some sort of pulling motion is a bit difficult. But training for climbing should involve pushing exercises too. These exercises, like the chest dip, help you engage antagonist muscles (those that balance pulling motions). For this at home climbing workout, you’ll need parallel dip bars, rings, or sturdy surfaces that aren’t too high, such as the edges of two chairs, a medium-sized table, or a strong countertop. 

Step-by-step Guide 

• Place your hands firmly on the bars with your palms facing inward.
• Get into the starting position. Lift your body and straighten your arms so that your legs are hanging straight. If you wish, you can bend your knees slightly.
• Slowly bend your elbows and lower your body until your shoulders are slightly below your elbows. In other words, your elbows should be almost perpendicular to your shoulders. 
• Keep your core tight and your back straight to maintain control.
• Press through your hands to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.

4) Dead Hang with Hangboard

If you’ve been yearning for increased finger strength, this at home climbing workout can assist you in achieving that goal. Until you’ve built enough strength, start with medium-sized holds (20-25 mm edges or larger). 

Step-by-step Guide 

• Place your fingers on the chosen edge. Keep them bent in a half-crimp or open-hand position. Avoid a full crimp unless you’re an advanced climber. 
• Slightly retract and depress your shoulder blades in order not to strain them. Avoid a “dead shoulder” position, which can lead to injury to your shoulders and nearby muscle groups.
• Raise your body so that you’re fully supporting your weight with your hands. Lift your legs six inches off the ground (anywhere between two and six inches is fine, though). Don’t let your feet touch the ground. 
• Maintain a straight arm position without locking it out, and make sure your shoulders remain engaged.
  

Best at Home Climbing Workouts for Your Lower Body

At home climbing workouts for your lower body are just as important as those that target your upper body muscles. While there’s nothing wrong with relying on your upper body muscles for climbing motions, having a strong lower body will enable you to push off footholds more easily. As a result, you’ll save some of that upper body strength for when it matters. 

In addition, as you perform lower-body at home climbing workouts, your lower body muscles become more flexible. Lower body flexibility enhances fluidity and precision when completing dynamic moves, such as high stepping, flagging, dynamic stemming, etc. 

1) Static Lunge Hold 

For you to build strength in your lower body through this at home climbing workout, you need to prioritize good form. Always check to make sure that your front knee is directly over your front ankle. Simply put, you should bend your front knee to approximately 90 degrees.  

Step-by-step Guide 

• Stand upright with feet hip-width apart.
• Put one foot forward and the other backward into a staggered stance.
• Ensure your front foot is far enough ahead that both knees will form 90-degree angles when you lower into the lunge.
• Slowly bend both knees, lowering your hips until your front thigh is parallel to the floor, your front knee is directly above your ankle, and your back knee is about 1–2 inches off the ground.
• Tighten your core and glutes and relax your shoulders while keeping your torso upright.
• Hold the position for as long as you can to get maximum gains from the at home climbing workout. 

2) Pistol Squat 

Of all the at home climbing workouts highlighted in this article, the pistol squat is the most demanding. You have to learn how to balance your body weight on just one leg while ensuring that the non-working leg remains in position. Thankfully, you’ll reap the benefits of increased flexibility in your hips, knees, and ankles.

Step-by-step Guide 

• Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart.
• Extend your arms straight out in front of you for balance.
• Extend one leg straight in front of you. Keep it parallel to the ground or as high as flexibility allows.
• Point your toes forward and ensure the leg remains straight throughout this at home climbing workout.
• Slowly bend the knee of the standing leg, lowering your hips toward the ground.
• Push your hips back and keep your chest upright.
• Continue to lower until your hips are just above the heel of your standing leg, or as far as your flexibility and strength allow.
• Return to the starting position by pressing through the heel of the standing leg. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How to practice climbing at home? 

While nothing replaces actual climbing, an at home climbing workout can help you build strength and improve technique. If you have a hangboard, practice different grip types and hang positions to improve finger strength. Include pull-ups and core work, stretching, and footwork drills. 

Can you get fit by just climbing? 

Climbing is a fantastic full-body workout. It builds strength, endurance, and flexibility. However, a well-rounded fitness routine might also include cardio and some targeted exercises for areas climbing doesn’t fully address.

How long should a climbing session be for a beginner? 

Start with shorter sessions, around 1-2 hours, including rest breaks. As you build strength and endurance, you can gradually increase your climbing time. Listen to your body and don’t push yourself too hard, especially when starting out.

How many times a week should you climb as a beginner? 

2-3 times a week is a good starting point for beginners. This allows your body to adapt and recover between sessions. As you progress, you can increase the frequency, but always prioritize rest and recovery to prevent injuries.

How to progress fast in climbing?

Climb regularly and challenge yourself with progressively harder routes. Focus on technique for efficient climbing, and complete a regular at-home climbing workout from time to time to build strength and endurance.

Conclusion: You Don’t Need a Climbing Gym to Train for Climbing 

Maintaining your climbing strength and conditioning at home is entirely possible with the right approach. 

In addition to the workouts mentioned above, exercises like wrist curls—performed by sitting in a chair or on a bench, placing your forearms against your legs with your wrists hanging off the front—are excellent for targeting forearm strength. Curl your wrists towards your body, then slowly lower them back down to complete the movement. This will ensure that your wrists go through a full range of motion. 

Adding one-arm pull-ups or tricep dips to your at home climbing workout can help balance your training, while practicing footwork and core exercises, like handstands or holds with your feet off the ground, further rounds out your routine.

If you have the space and budget, you can also consider installing a home climbing wall in a spare room or garage so that you can practice and assess the effectiveness of these workouts firsthand.

Incorporating these movements with good form reduces the risk for injury and builds the strength you need for the crag, even if you’re stuck at home. Remember to keep your body warmed up, focus on technique, and challenge yourself just enough to go as far as your limits allow. With every round, you’re one step closer to staying climbing-ready. Have questions or tips to share? Leave a comment!