Sample 6-week climbing strength training plan below!

Rock climbing is a challenging sport, whether at a climbing gym or in the great outdoors. It’s a fun way to get your heart rate up and improve your general fitness while enjoying the fresh air. It also provides a sense of adventure and accomplishment that will keep you coming back.

Whether you’re a new climber struggling to make it up the rock face or a seasoned pro, strength training can improve your climbing.

You need more than finger strength to pull yourself up the climbing wall. You need muscular and cardiovascular endurance to propel you through long climbs. And you have to develop explosiveness to move from one area to the next. Balance and stability are also essential to prevent slips and falls.

The best way to become a better climber is to climb. But climbing is not something we always have time for or access to, especially during the work week. Thankfully, you can do exercises to make yourself a stronger, more dynamic climber in your off time.

Strength Training Exercises for Rock Climbers

Strength training can benefit any athlete in any sport, including rock climbing. Strength training improves stability, explosiveness, and muscular endurance—all the things you need to be an effective climber.

Compound and Unilateral Movements

A climbing training program should focus on developing overall body strength.

Compound movements cause two or more joint groupings to move in tandem. This can lead to greater muscle activation throughout the body. These exercises will be your primary lifts.

The ideal program will also include single-arm/leg exercises. Unilateral movements are essential for rock climbers who often rely on single-limb strength.

Exercises that strengthen the core are also important. Core movements work well as a warm-up or finisher to a workout.

The Best Warm-Up for Rock Climbers

The bear crawl might be the best warm-up for rock climbers. What is climbing if not a vertical bear crawl? The bear crawl can develop balance, coordination, and motor skill development.

The Exercises

• Thruster
• Kettlebell Swing
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Step-Up with Calf Raise
• Pull-Up with Dead Hang Superset
• Single Arm Row
• Dumbbell Fly with Plate Squeeze
• Bench Dip
• Farmer’s Carry
• Plank
• Hanging Leg Raise
• Dead Bug

Thruster

An undervalued area of strength training for rock climbers is the legs. The legs hold you in place, propel you upward, and allow you to spring from position to position. They anchor the body, enabling the climber to pull into position along the route.

To become a stronger, more explosive climber, start from the bottom up.

The thruster is one of my favorite exercises for rock climbers. In rock climbing, the thruster mimics the spring of a climber to reach the next route position.

How to Do the Thruster

• You can do the thruster with a barbell, kettlebells, or dumbbells.
• To perform the thruster with a barbell, get into a standing position. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward.
• Position the bar at shoulder level with a shoulder-width, pronated (overhand) grip.
• Squat down to parallel or lower if you have that range of motion available to you. Now, explode upwards, driving the bar up in an overhead press as you reach the top of your stance.
• As you lower the barbell, squat down so the bar is again in front of your shoulders at the bottom of the squat. Repeat.

Single Kettlebell Variation

If you only have one kettlebell at your disposal, follow the below steps.

• Hold the kettlebell in one hand. Raise your arm so that your hand is next to your ear.  Your palm is facing outward, and the kettlebell is resting against the backside of your wrist.
• Stick your other arm straight out to the side for balance. Squat down, keep your back straight, your eyes forward, and your chin up.
• Explode upward from the heels of your feet. Drive the arm holding the kettlebell into the air like you would in a standing shoulder press.
• In one motion, lower your arm holding the kettlebell as you squat back downward again. As you reach the bottom of your squat, your arm should reach the bottom of the press.

Switch hands and perform your reps with the opposite arm.

Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is a full-body movement. Swings build muscular strength and endurance in your legs, lower back, and shoulders.

How to Do the Kettlebell Swing

• Place the kettlebell on the floor about a foot and a half in front of you. Place your feet shoulder-width apart in an athletic stance (toes slightly outward and knees with a slight bend).
• Grip the kettlebell with both hands in a pronated grip (palms facing your body). Tip the kettlebell toward you so it is no longer flat on the ground.
• Squat down, keeping your spine neutral until you feel a slight tension in your hamstrings. Engage your lats by dropping them down (packed).
• Hike the kettlebell back like you are hiking a football.
• Drive upward using your hips (hinge). Keep your elbows at a slight bend. Once the kettlebell reaches chest level on the upswing, let it float before the downswing.
• Hinge forward on the low swing. Allow the kettlebell to swing through your legs. Drive upward, keeping your lower back straight and flexing your glutes as you reach the top of the motion.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Sometimes, in rock climbing, one leg balances the weight of the body.  Climbing requires single-leg balance and force to help move your body along the route.

It’s essential to include single-leg exercises for rock climbers. Especially those that require a degree of balance.

The Bulgarian Split Squat does precisely that.

How to Do the Bulgarian Split Squat

• Find a bench, box, rock, or high curb to perform the Bulgarian Split Squat.
• Place one foot on the elevated surface, with the sole of your foot facing upward.
• Place your other foot facing forward. Ensure your foot is far enough from the elevated surface to lower your body at a natural angle, not so far away that you cannot lower yourself. And not so close that you have to hinge forward to lower yourself.
• Keep your back straight and your body balanced on your front foot. Keep your chin up. Keep your eyes lowered to a place 10-20 feet away on the ground.
• Lower your body, bending your knee until you reach a comfortable depth. Then, drive upward through your heel until you reach the top of the movement.
• Keep your core tight and pause at the top to maintain your balance.
• Don’t lower yourself again until you have regained your balance. Maintain proper form throughout.

For added resistance, hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand or use a barbell.

Step Up with Calf Raise

We don’t always give our calves enough attention. But calf exercises for rock climbers are essential. That extra calf raise can mean reaching the top of the route.

The step-up portion of the set will help build quad and glute strength. The added calf raise at the end of each step up will ensure your calves get the attention they need.

How to Do the Step-Up/Calf Raise

• Holding a dumbbell in each hand, face an elevated surface (plyobox, stairs, bench, etc.)
• Step up with one leg, lifting your body off the ground. As you reach the top of the elevated surface, explode upward with your calf, extending it as far as possible.
• Return to the ground on your opposite foot. Lower the lead leg you stepped with so you are again in the starting position.

Perform the same movement with your other leg.

Pull-Up with Dead Hang Superset

The pull-up is one of the most essential exercises for rock climbers. Rock climbers need strong back muscles. If you can’t pull, you can’t climb.

The pull-up involves using a pronated grip in which your palms face away from you. A standard pull-up involves a wider grip than shoulder width.

How to Do the Pull-Up

• Stand facing the bar. Raise your arms above your head. If you are tall enough, grab the bar. If not, use something to step on to reach the bar. Use a pronated grip by wrapping your fingers around the bar with your palms facing away from our body. Wrap your thumb around your fingers. Allow yourself to hang from the bar. You need to bend your legs if your feet touch the ground.
• Keep your eyes up toward the bar. This will help to keep your spine aligned and prevent you from hitting your head on the bar as you explode upward.
• Pull upward until your chin is above the bar. When pulling, imagine pulling the bar to your chest.
• Keep your core tight. This will help prevent swinging like a pendulum as you raise and lower yourself.
• Lower yourself to the full extension of your arms.

The Dead Hang uses the same grip as a pull-up to hang from a bar with extended arms. Dead Hangs are great for improving grip strength. Being able to hang for extended periods is critical for rock climbers.

After you finish your final pull-up rep, continue hanging on the bar. Grip the bar tightly and increase the amount of hang time each week.

Single Arm Row

You can do single-arm rows in addition to pull-ups. Or, you can do rows as an alternative back exercise if you struggle with pull-ups. You can do them with a dumbbell or a kettlebell.

How to Do Single-Arm Row

• Use a bench or chair to stabilize yourself by placing your left knee and left hand on the bench. Pick up a dumbbell in your right hand.
• Keeping your spine aligned, pull the weight up to your rib cage. Use a controlled motion (don’t jerk the weight).
• Squeeze your right lat at the top of the movement, then lower the weight back down. Perform all reps on the right side before switching to the left.

Dumbbell Fly with Plate Squeeze

Our pectoral muscles help us to squeeze. As you move your body along the route, you will have to squeeze to stabilize yourself. The ability to squeeze is as necessary as the ability to hang.

How to Do the Dumbbell Fly with Plate Squeeze

• Lying flat on a bench, hold a pair of dumbbells together over your chest.
• Lower the weight down and out while maintaining a slight bend in the elbow.
• Reverse the movement to return to the starting position. Imagine you are trying to wrap your arms around a beach ball.
• Plate Squeeze: Hold a five-or-ten-pound plate in each hand. Extend your arms in front of your chest, leaving a slight bend in the elbows. Squeeze the plates together and hold this position for as long as possible time.
• Each week, add five seconds to the amount of time you hold the plates in place after each set of dumbbells flies.

Bench Dip

Dips can strengthen multiple upper body groups at the same time. Dips involve the chest, triceps, and shoulders. The best thing about dips is you can perform dips on any elevated surface.

How to Do Bench Dips

• Place the palms of your hands on a bench, chair, or plyo box with elbows extended. Place your heels on the ground in front of you with your legs extended.
• Lower your body so that your elbows are at 90 degrees. Pause. Then, drive yourself upward through the palms of your hands.
• Squeeze your triceps at the top of the movement. Repeat.

Farmer’s Carry

Like rock climbing, the farmer’s carry involves the coordination of multiple regions of the body.  This includes the core, glutes, wrists, arms, lats, shoulders, traps, spine, and legs.

Performing a farmer’s carry is about as simple a movement as it gets.

How to Do the Farmer’s Carry

• Find two weights of equal poundage, like kettlebells, dumbbells, or plates.
• Hold a weight in each hand.
• Adjust your posture as you would when trying to stand up straight. Keep your eye’s forward and chin up.
• Then, walk at a comfortable pace.
• Keep your core tight as you move forward and your shoulders back. Let your arms, shoulders, core, and legs do the work.

If your neck tightens, put the weight down and give yourself a break. If your neck tightens in the first few steps, consider reducing the weight you carry in each arm.

Choose a distance or time that you will carry the weight at a moderate-to-quick pace. I like to start with 30 seconds and work my way up from there.

Plank

Last but not least is the plank. I love putting the plank at the end of a workout when you’ve already exhausted the rest of your body. That is what it can feel like toward the end of a climbing route. Stabilizing the entire body when every muscle is screaming will get you to the top of a large rock face.

How to Do the Plank

• Start in a push-up position.
• Lower your arms to your elbows so that your wrists are flat on the ground and your palms are flat.
• Maintain this position as long as possible. Don’t let your hips dip toward the ground.
• End each workout with a few rounds of planks. Each week, attempt to add 5 seconds to your plank time.

Hanging Leg Raise

Since the grip is such an essential aspect of rock climbing, it can help to include multiple hanging exercises.

The hanging leg raises will help develop grip, shoulder, lat, and core strength.

How to Do Hanging Leg Raise

• Grip a pull-up bar about shoulder-width apart like you will do a pull-up.
• Keep your hips positioned in front of you and your core tight to prevent swinging.
• Keeping your legs straight and your feet together, raise your legs so your body forms an “L” shape.
• Lower your legs back down to the starting position in a controlled manner.

If you can’t perform this exercise with straight legs, bend your knees and raise your knees toward your chest.

Dead Bug

The Dead Bugs is a challenging and effective core workout despite the name.

How to Do Dead Bugs

• Lay flat on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your knees bent.
• Raise your lower back off the ground to engage your lower abs.
• Extend your right leg, lowering it toward the ground without touching it.
• At the same time, move your left arm back toward the ground behind you. Bring your leg and arm back to the starting position.
• Repeat with your left leg and right arm.

6-Week Climbing Strength Training Plan

If you’re new to strength training, give my three-day-a-week training cycle a try. I designed this climbing strength training plan to be completed over six weeks.

You will complete four exercises on each of the three days. Each training day includes a full-body workout. Include a climbing session 2-3 times each week on non-strength training days.

FAQs

Should I do a warm-up before I start training?

You should always start with a 10-15 minute dynamic warm-up to prepare your body for strength training. A warm-up increases core body temperature and primes the muscles for more intense work. A warm-up is also an essential aspect of injury prevention.

How long should I rest between sets?

Start resting for 1-2 minutes between sets. You can increase rest time as you increase weight throughout the training plan.

When should I increase the load?

Try to increase the load you use each time you perform the workout. For timed exercises, try to increase the time by a few seconds for each workout.

If you need more time to get ready to increase the weight, try increasing the reps for each workout by one each week. For example, if you did eight thrusters on week 1, shoot for nine during week 2 with the same weight.

Can I substitute the exercises in the training plan for a different exercise?

Of course! Substitute whatever exercise you need to.

How many rest days should I take?

Take 3-4 rest days from strength training each week. Give yourself time to recover from the weight room.

Why are most of the exercises in the 6-12 rep range?

I prefer to use a moderate rep range with a moderate load for beginners. As the individual’s strength improves over several months, I then transition them into a more traditional strength training rep range of 3-5 reps.

If you enjoy other mountain sports, check out our strength training articles for hikers and mountain biking.

Rock climbing is hard work. Strength training can help even the best climbers reach the next level.