Home workouts for rock climbing might seem less appealing compared to the beauty of outdoor climbing—the fresh air, sunshine, and incredible views. It’s easy to assume that the best climbing training is outdoors, too. However, it’s better to train for climbing indoors. Indoor training offers a greater variety of exercises and allows you to easily switch up your routine, whether in a climbing gym or in the comfort of your own home.
Home workouts, in particular, come with several benefits. They provide flexibility to train anytime without worrying about weather or gym hours. You save time and money on commuting, and you can customize your space and equipment to suit your specific needs. Plus, working out at home allows for focused, distraction-free sessions that can accelerate your progress.
Eager to try a rock climbing workout at home? In this article, we’ll introduce six climbing exercises that you can execute at home. Each home workout lends a unique contribution to the development of skill sets that come in handy when you’re actually climbing rocks outside. Let’s begin.
Top 6 Climbing Workouts
1) Dead Hang (with a Hangboard)
Two of the upper body muscles that are most involved in rock climbing are your hand and finger muscles. Unlike other sports, rock climbing demands that you grip holds of varying sizes and traction. Therefore, we recommend climbing exercises like the dead hang to develop grip strength.
This rock climbing workout at home encourages you to train in a controlled environment (the hangboard), where there are different hold types and sizes that mimic the jugs, edges, crimps, pinches, and pockets on a rock. To mimic the impact of gravity on your body weight, you may add weight to your body while performing the dead hang.
However, adding weight to home exercises like the dead hang is only recommended when you’ve reached a plateau in your rock climbing workout at home where you’re not seeing much progress with body weight hangs.
Step-by-step Guide
- Warm up your fingers, wrists, and forearms.
- Choose a hangboard with holds that match your current finger strength.
- Grasp the hangboard with your palms facing away from you.
- Extend your arms straight down.
- Engage your core muscles to prevent swinging.
- Maintain a slight bend in your elbows.
2) Pull-up with Climbing Holds (for Upper Body and Forearm Strength)
Choose your preferred type of holds for this at home rock climbing workout. You may use bolt-on holds, screw-on holds, or a hangboard with varied grip options, e.g., jugs, crimps, pockets. Attach the holds securely to a wooden beam, pull-up bar, or hangboard mount.
If you want to enjoy the ease of completing a standard pull-up with a regular pull-up bar, use larger climbing holds. At the end of a study on the biomechanics of pull-ups with climbing holds, researchers found that there wasn’t much difference in the level of difficulty that was experienced when doing a pull-up with a pull up bar and when doing it with large-sized holds.
However, if you’re willing to challenge your fingers while simultaneously strengthening the muscles in your forearms that are responsible for hand and finger flexion and working your upper back and biceps, use smaller climbing holds.
Beginner climbers may want to add crash pads underneath the workout area for safety reasons.
Step-by-step Guide
- Stand directly below the beam, pull-up bar, or hangboard. Place your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Reach up and grasp the chosen holds. Make sure your grip is secure.
- Engage your core muscles to maintain a straight line from your head to your feet. This helps you remain stable and prevents swinging.
- Keep your shoulders relaxed and slightly pulled back. Don’t shrug.
- Like you did in the first rock climbing workout at home, maintain a slight bend in your elbows. Don’t fully lock them out.
- Using your back and arm muscles, pull yourself upward until your chin clears the holds.
- Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.
3) Front Lever Progressions
Core training affects climbing performance, and the front lever is an excellent rock climbing workout at home to build core strength. Before you attempt a front lever, you must be able to do pull ups perfectly. Also, try performing hanging leg raises and straight leg raises to work that core. Build core stability through planks as well by getting into a plank position and holding it for 30 to 60 seconds.
Step-by-step Guide
As previously mentioned, there are several levels to this at home rock climbing workout. The first one is the tuck front lever. To perform it:
- Hang from the pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you.
- Bring your knees towards your chest, tucking them in tightly.
- Lean back and engage your core to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from head to knees.
- Hold this position for as long as possible, aiming for 10 to 30 seconds.
Advanced variations of this rock climbing workout at home include the one-leg extended front lever, the full front lever, and the straddle front lever.
4) Forearm Curls with Dumbbells (Beneficial for Bouldering and Traditional Rock Climbing)
While building finger strength is crucial when training for climbing, you need to work on your forearms too. The forearm curl, which targets your brachioradialis, is the perfect rock climbing workout at home to help you strengthen your forearms.
Step-by-step Guide
- Start by sitting in a chair, close to its edge. A sturdy chair without arms is ideal. Your feet should be flat on the floor.
- Grab your dumbbells. Hold one dumbbell in each hand using an overhand grip (palms facing up).
- Place your forearms on your thighs, just above your knees. You should be resting your forearms against your legs with your knees hanging off the front of your thighs.
- Slowly curl your wrists up towards your body.
- Pause briefly at the top of the movement, squeezing your forearms.
- Lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position in a slow and controlled motion.
5) Elevated Push-up
Performing this rock climbing workout at home will help you improve in so many ways. First, the inclined push-up position shifts more emphasis to the upper portion of your chest muscles, which play an important role in upward pushing movements often used in climbing.
Elevated push-ups also heavily recruit your front shoulder muscles. Without these muscles, you can’t flex your shoulders or reach for high holds while climbing.
Step-by-step Guide
- Find a stable, elevated surface. This could be a sturdy chair or bench. If you have neither, use a stair or a low wall.
- Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the edge of the surface. Your fingers should be pointing forward.
- Step your feet back with your legs extended behind you until your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Make sure you keep your legs straight.
- Keeping your core engaged, slowly lower your chest towards the surface by bending your elbows.
- If you’re a beginner climber, aim to hold this position for one or two seconds. To get more out of this rock climbing workout at home, try holding the position for three to five seconds or longer.
- Push through your hands to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
6) Dumbbell Lunge
The traditional lunge activates muscle groups that are crucial for stabilizing your body during climbing. These muscles include your calves, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core.
This rock climbing workout at home takes the classic lunge to the next level by forcing your leg muscles to work harder. It does not only strengthen your legs but prepares you for the demands of multi-pitch climbs and trains your ankles to be more stable.
Step-by-step Guide
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides and palms facing your body.
- Keep your core tight and your back straight.
- Take a controlled step forward with your right leg, keeping your torso upright.
- Ensure your right knee doesn’t extend beyond your toes.
- Bend both knees simultaneously until your front thigh is parallel to the ground and your back knee is bent at an angle of 90 degrees.Â
- Push through your right heel to return to the standing position.
- Switch to your left leg.
Easier Alternative Exercises for Climbing Training
With some creativity, you can simulate many climbing moves. Try lifting one leg and one arm at a time, alternating sides. For a core workout, lie on your back, hands behind your head, feet off the ground, and lift your legs six inches. Then, try lifting one leg at a time.
You can try footwork drills too. Practice standing on one foot, then the other, to improve balance. For higher intensity, try lifting one leg while standing on one foot. Remember to go as far as you can and slowly lower them back down to complete one rep.
Frequently Asked QuestionsÂ
What are the disadvantages of rock climbing?
Climbing is physically demanding and carries a risk of injury, particularly to your fingers, shoulders, and back. Climbing gear can be expensive, and access to suitable climbing locations may be limited.
How does rock climbing change your body?
A regular rock climbing workout at home can transform your physique in several ways. It’s a full-body workout that engages various muscle groups, leading to increased muscle definition in your arms, back, shoulders, core, and legs.
Can rock climbing make you strong?
Climbing requires you to lift and pull your own body weight against gravity, which places significant demand on your muscles. This leads to increased strength, particularly in your upper body, core, and forearms.
How quickly does rock climbing build muscle?
The rate at which you build muscle through a rock climbing workout at home varies depending on individual factors such as your current fitness level, the intensity and frequency of your workouts, and your nutrition. However, with consistent effort and a well-structured routine, you can expect to see noticeable improvements in muscle definition and strength within a few weeks.
How many times should you rock climb a week?
Beginners should rock climb 2-3 times a week, while intermediate climbers may increase their climbing frequency to 3-4 times weekly. For an effective rock climbing workout at home, aim for 2-3 sessions per week. This frequency allows for adequate rest and recovery between workouts, which is essential for muscle growth and injury prevention.
Final Thoughts on the Best Rock Climbing Exercises for Climbers
Even if the weather has got you down, your rock climbing training doesn’t have to suffer. Engaging in a rock climbing workout at home is an excellent method to build strength, preparing you for your next climb. Strong climbers know that rest is also important, so take your time to rest when necessary. For more training tips and ideas, check out our other articles. If you have any questions or tips to share, leave a comment below.
