This is the seventh part of a twelve-part training series written exclusively for Redpoint Nutrition by professional climber, Certified Personal Trainer and Nationally Accredited US Climbing Coach, Brandi Proffitt. Please visit the list of topics in the Women's Climbing Series and the date's they'll be posted here. Don't want to miss out on future posts? Send us an email and let us know you'd like to be added to the Women's Climbing Series email list. We'll ping you everytime a new post is added!
When you're ready to incorporate strength training into your program, it's important that you understand how to choose exercises, volume and intensity that is specific to your sport. Because women naturally have less testosterone flowing around their bodies, and a naturally lower relative muscle mass and density than men, we can really benefit from supplementing our climbing with sport-specific strength training. Let's face it: it's difficult to achieve certain levels and styles of climbing without being able to do a single pull-up. Of course this doesn't mean that women don't bring some serious strength, technique, balance and poise to the table; it just means that we often have to work a little harder to achieve the sheer strength piece of climbing fitness. In this article I will address off-the-wall strength training: how to create a sport-specific workout, how and when to perform it, and how long to keep strength work in your overall schedule.
Choosing your exercises: I've chosen not to prescribe workouts with specific exercises because I don't feel that I can convey them accurately enough to ensure proper form and execution. I've included some exercise suggestions, but without any information on specific form. I'd like to give you a general format to follow, and ask that you do some of your own research to fill in the specific exercises. Be sure to pick a mix of exercises that are difficult for you, but that you are able to complete with good form, and which don't hurt your body. As always, you are your own best judge!
I typically create sets of varying exercises for each workout, and never repeat the same exercise twice. This method not only requires my body to constantly adapt, but also motivates me to give my best effort on every single exercise, since it will be the only time I complete that exercise in a given workout. Varying your exercises from one workout to the next is a great way to ensure that you get the most from your strength sessions. Find the balance between mastering an exercise so that you can increase intensity and see improvement, but also keeping your body adapting by changing exercises in each workout.
Building climbing-specific supersets: A "superset" is a group of exercises designed to be performed back-to-back with little or no rest between exercises. I recommend workouts consisting of 4 supersets, 4-5 exercises each, with some rest interval between sets (more info on rest to follow).
· I like to begin each superset with a pulling exercise because pulling is the dominant movement in climbing and I like to complete that exercise while I'm the freshest. (These can be any version of 1 or 2-arm pull-ups - assisted or unassisted - as well as pulling external weight, such as a seated row, lat pull-down, or dumbbell row). Perform 8-10 reps.
· Follow your pull with a pushing exercise (like any form of body-weight push-up, or push external weight in a bench press position or an overhead press). Perform 12 reps.
· Follow the push with a core exercise (don't forget that core is the body's entire trunk area which includes mid-low back and hip flexors). Perform 10-12 reps.
· Finish with a lower body and/or balance/stabilization exercise. Your 4th exercise can be for the lower body, like squats, lunges or plyometric (jumping) exercises, or can be something to work your balance and stabilization, like a yoga tree pose. You can also include one of each in your superset for a 5-exercise sequence. Perform 12-15 reps of lower body or plyometric exercises.
Frequency: If your strength training intensity is relatively high, you shouldn't need more than 2 strength sessions per week, with a minimum of 2 days between sessions. I typically strength train Thursdays and Sundays after climbing because those are my power days (I strength train after bouldering), and because the following days (Fri/Mon) are rest days for me. When you first begin a strength program I think it's best to save some energy after climbing for your strength work. Don't go into a strength session completely exhausted from hours of hard bouldering. As you get stronger and your body is more well-adapted to the hard work after a climbing session, you can go a little harder in your climbing before strength work. Until then, focus on a good warm-up, some moderate bouldering and/or route climbing, then follow with strength. Strength training can also be performed on non-climbing days; just be sure to get an adequate warm-up first.
Periodization: I debated about getting into lengthy descriptions of macro-, meso- and micro-cycles, and then ultimately decided that I couldn't possibly address the needs of every climber that way, and would absolutely bore you to death in the process of trying. So instead, I've decided to give you a general 6-week cycle to follow and let you decide if that feels like the proper amount of time for you between rest periods. It works well for me, so I'm hoping that it will at least be a good starting point for you! Here's a sample 6-week strength training cycle:
Weeks 1-2: 2 workouts of 4 supersets of light to moderate intensity exercises, taking adequate rest between sets - go by how your body feels; take enough rest to feel relatively fresh at the start of each new set.
Weeks 3-4: 2 workouts of 4 supersets of moderate to high intensity exercises, introducing a timed format to your workout - try giving yourself 6-minute intervals to complete each set (if you finish your 4-5 exercises in 4 minutes, you'll have 2 minutes to rest between sets).
Weeks 5-6: 2 workouts of 4 supersets of high intensity exercises, dropping your time to 5-minute intervals if possible.
Week 7: Rest from strength training - you can continue to climb, do cardio, yoga, stretch, etc.
Week 8: Evaluate your training schedule and the impact that the 6-week cycle has had on your body and climbing. If you are feeling gains, and no recurring pains, begin another 6-week cycle starting with moderate to high intensity work. You can increase the intensity of exercises during this cycle if you like, as well as your volume - try increasing each workout to 5 supersets instead of 4. 5 supersets at moderate to high intensity is typically the most I will do in any strength workout. When working at this level of intensity, I never perform more than 2 strength workouts per week.
I typically train strength in 2-3 6-week phases at a time, then take anywhere from 2-3 months off. I often reduce my strength training to only once per week (kind of a "maintenance" schedule) when I'm focusing more on outdoor sport climbing and endurance. As my climbing goals and physical health and wellness change, so does my strength training schedule. In other words, I do my best to listen to my body while pursuing my strength and climbing goals.
A note about core work: I like suspended work because it's most relevant to the sport of climbing. For example, you can perform crunches or L-seats hanging from a pull-up bar or gymnastics rings. Sometimes I combine core with my pulling exercise - like climbing a rope or performing pull-ups in an L-seat position. Also remember that "core" includes the body's entire trunk, so you may also want to do things like supine leg raises for the hip flexors, or supermans for back extension work.
Expectations: Expect to see a brief drop in power in your climbing sometime during the first few weeks of incorporating strength training into your program. This is normal as your body adapts to the increased volume of strength work. After your body has adapted to your new training schedule (for most people this will occur around the 3rd week) you'll begin to see gains in your strength sessions and then in your climbing.
Nutrition and Supplementation: Just briefly, remember to support your increased output with proper nutrition, hydration and supplementation. Be sure to take in enough carbohydrates to sustain your workouts, and enough protein to support the body's effort to rebuild muscle fiber after a session. Redpoint Nutrition carries several products that are fabulous for pre- and post-workout supplementation, including First Endurance Ultragen, CRANK Forearm Fuel and NUTRIEX Sport.
Product recommendation: Check out a really good new product for suspension training - the Freestyle Trainer Pro by Power Athletes (http://ringtraining.com/shop/freestyle-trainer-pro.html). This is a super light-weight and affordable product that offers versatility and portability, and comes with a video that includes about a million ideas for every type of exercise that you could ever want to incorporate in your strength training program! I use it all the time in my own training and with clients, and I love it!
Please visit www.redpointnutrition.com often, and be sure to check back on Wednesday, 2/17 for "Power Training Part II" where we will discuss on-the-wall strength training!
Visit me at www.brandiproffitt.com or brandiproffittfitness.com.