I’ve been helping climbers with various injuries for 3+ years now. I believe most climbers would benefit from adding “off the wall” strength training into their regular training routine. What that looks like is going to vary from person to person, but I think most climbers will see a big return by adding strength training 2-3x/week, either as part of a gym warmup routine, or separate training session entirely.
Reason 1: Adaptation
“In order to lift heavy things, you must lift heavy things.”
Muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones are living tissues. They respond to stress and become stronger over time. Over time, exposure to increasing loads tells your body what to expect, and it builds up those areas accordingly. In order to reduce risk of injury, this needs to take place over the long term.
Reason 2: Efficiency
“Strength training increases your max effort, so your climbing represents a lower relative effort.”
Strength training increases your efficiency on the wall because as you get stronger, those same efforts that were once at or near maximal effort, are now a smaller percentage of your new max effort. By increasing your 1 rep max, or the ceiling of your effort, then everything that falls underneath that takes less effort, AKA you get less fatigued.
Reason 3: Versatility
“Train to be a more well rounded athlete.”
Climbing primarily works your pulling muscles of the back, shoulders, and arms. Opposing muscle groups may end up weak and/or tight. Training the full body helps reduce risk of injury and avoid muscle imbalances that can cause pain and stiffness. On top of that, stronger legs and body will allow you to access different movements and positions more easily.
Reason 4: Lifetime goals
“Think big picture. What do you want to be able to do when you are 60, 70, 80 years old?”
You’ll likely reach your peak muscle mass and bone density in your 20s and 30s. Without an intentional strategy, these numbers will decline for most people starting in their 30s.
Starting the habit of strength training now can help you maintain current levels and slow down changes into the future. I want to be able to run, hike, ski, climb, and wrestle with my grandkids when I’m older. As a physical therapist, I've seen too many older adults who can barely get out of bed because an illness or injury hits them hard and they had very little reserves to begin with. Strength training now is an investment to good quality of life as I age.
What do you want to be able to do when you’re older? I can all but guarantee that strength training will help you towards that goal.
You don’t have to be perfect at this. Learning movement patterns is a gradual process. If you start with appropriate weights and guidance, you’ll learn to do things correctly over time. Do you remember learning to walk, ride a bike, or climb? Perfection isn’t required. It’s a learning process. But the only way you can improve upon it is to start now.
If you have questions about building a training program that supports your life and fitness goals, let’s work together!
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