This is the sixth 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!
I think of stabilization, as it applies to climbing, in two major categories:
1) Stabilization of individual joints and muscle groups - smaller muscles around the joints serve to stabilize the joints and protect them from the strength of the larger muscle groups, making a thorough warm-up very important. Joint stability and adequate range of motion are essential to both improving your climbing and preventing injury. Women generally have more joint elasticity than men, so we need to keep the stabilizers strong, as they serve to protect the joints. Warming up the muscles around the joints, particularly the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints can go a long way in building strength and preventing injury. I use light-resistance elastics as a warm-up for my shoulders, and the gripstik for elbows and wrists before every climbing session - indoor or out. Be sure to take the joints through their full ranges of motion so that you're warming up the muscles all the way to the attachments - not just the belly of the muscle. I make sure my hips, knees and ankles are warm by going for an easy jog, or performing 15 minutes of light calisthenics as part of my warm-up, and I also incorporate a few twists and supported backbends to prepare my spine and back muscles for climbing. Your off-the-wall warm-up can be relatively brief, but it should never be skipped completely.
2) Stabilization of the body as a whole - a great deal of which comes from the core. The core serves to stabilize the entire body in and through many positions while climbing. Imagine climbing in a steep roof, going for a hold and losing body tension in the core - your feet fly off unexpectedly and all your weight is on the hands and arms as you fight to kick your feet back on. Core strength acts as a stabilizer when you're climbing, and is the link between your upper and lower body. In the middle of that steep move you need to be able to rely on your core to stabilize your entire body so that your feet stay on while you execute the move. You can work on and off the wall to build core strength. Exercises that mimic climbing are more effective than infinite crunches. I recommend performing abdominal work from a suspended position: either suspended from the elbows in a knee raise/dip machine, or from the hands (hanging from a bar or holds on the wall). I like suspended crunches and L-seats, and also exercises on the wall in which you hang on two holds and kick target holds in front and to your sides. Lateral movement is as essential as forward movement to build the strength and coordination needed for hard climbing.
In addition to core strength, your body positioning on the wall has a lot to do with how stable you are while climbing. If you feel that you are often out-of-balance, and that your hands and arms are taking too much of your weight while climbing, you need to begin to focus more on body position. One very simple rule to remember is "lead with the hips." It's simple to remember, sometimes difficult to execute. The general idea is to place as much of your body mass directly under your supporting hand (the one that isn't about to move). This way when you let go, you have as little swing as possible. Of course this rule doesn't apply to all types of movement, and the harder you climb, the more aspects of movement you'll need to learn. But thinking about placing your hips in space before you go for the next hold will get you thinking about how to stabilize your body position BEFORE you move, rather than wasting strength trying to stabilize the excess motion that results from being too far out-of-balance.
For the next couple weeks focus on getting a good warm-up, work on building core strength, and think about your hip positioning each time you climb. I think you'll find that these fundamentals will make you feel stronger and more stable on the wall and the rock!
Check back on Wednesday, Feb. 3 for "Power Training - Part I!"
Visit me at www.brandiproffitt.com or brandiproffittfitness.com.