NICROS - Training Center

The muscles that are antagonist in most climbing movements include the pectorals of the chest, deltoids and trapezius of the shoulders and upper back, the triceps on the back of the upper arm, and the finger extensors located on the outside of the forearm. Strength and flexibility in these muscles is fundamental to controlled, precise movement and for maintaining joint stability. Unfortunately, few climbers regularly engage in training of these antagonist muscles--the agonist pull muscles get all the attention. Growing imbalance subsequently develops around the elbow and shoulder joints, thus increasing risk of injury due to joint instability and a growing tendency for poor body positioning and technique. Outside of the fingers, the most common injuries among climbers are elbow tendinosis and shoulder impingement and subluxation. You now know why.

As common as injuries are in this sport, it surprises me that so few climbers commit to regular training of the antagonist muscles. The time commitment is minimal, and the exercises themselves are not that difficult. On average it would take only about twenty minutes, two or three days per week, to gain all of the benefits of antagonist training. Any more than this is unnecessary and undesirable, since excessive antagonist training and use of extremely heavy weights would gradually build heavier, more bulky muscles.

Upcoming are five exercises for strengthening the antagonist muscles that help support optimal function of the elbow and shoulder joints. Not addressed in this article are exercises for the smaller muscles of rotator cuff--learn more on these important exercises: Cuff #1 and Cuff #2.

#1: Reverse Wrist Curls
The musculature of the forearms is some of the most complex of the human body. Climbing works these muscles in a very specific way that, over time, can result in tendinosis on either the inside or outside of your elbow. The first two exercises will strengthen the finger extensor and forearm pronator muscles—these are two small but highly important muscle groups. If there are two supplemental exercises that every climber must do, they are these. Use of the Reverse Wrist Curl, in conjunction with daily stretches of the forearm extensor muscles, will vastly reduce your risk of lateral elbow tendinosis. Consider doing one set of Reverse Wrist Curls during your warm-up for climbing and two more sets as part of your cool-down.

Sitting on a chair or bench, rest your forearm on the far end of your thigh so that your hand faces palm down and overhangs the knee by several inches. Firmly grip a ten- to fifteen-pound dumbbell, and begin with a neutral (straight) wrist position. Curl the dumbbell upward until the hand is fully extended. Hold this top position for one second, then lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Avoid lowering the dumbbell below a horizontal hand position. Continue with slow, controlled reverse curls for fifteen to twenty-five repetitions. Perform two sets with each hand, with a two- to three-minute rest between sets. Use a heavier dumbbell if you can easily execute twenty-five repetitions. An alternative exercise, though perhaps less beneficial, involves opening your fingers against the resistance of a strong rubber band. This method is best used as a preclimbing warm-up. Store a thick rubber band in your car or climbing pack, and do a set of finger extensions before you perform your warm-up stretching.

#2: Forearm Pronators
Arm-pulling movements naturally result in supination of the hand. If you perform a pull-up on a free-hanging set of Pump Rocks, you’ll discover that your hands naturally turn outward or supinate as your biceps contract. Consequently, training forearm pronation is an important antagonist exercise for climbers to maintain muscle balance across the forearms. There are several different ways to train forearm pronation, but the easiest is with an ordinary three-pound sledgehammer.

Sit on a chair or bench with your forearm resting on your thigh, hand in the palm-up position. Firmly grip a sledgehammer with the heavy end extending to the outside and the handle parallel to the floor. Turn your hand inward (pronation) to lift the hammer to the vertical position. Stop here. Now slowly lower the hammer back to the starting position. Stop at the horizontal position for one second before beginning the next repetition. Continue lifting the hammer in this way for fifteen to twenty-five repetitions. Choke up on the hammer if this feels overly difficult. Perform two sets with each hand.

#3: Shoulder Press
The next three exercises are vital for maintaining balance in the larger stabilizing muscles of the shoulders and upper torso. Regular use of these exercises will go a long way toward maintaining the necessary balance and, hopefully, the health of your shoulders through many years of rigorous climbing. If you have an existing shoulder problem, these exercises may help mitigate the pain and prevent further injury. Still, it’s essential that you to see a doctor or physical therapist for guidance on rehabilitation for your particular affliction.

While the three following exercises can all be performed on standard health machines, I would not advise that you buy a club membership just to gain access to the necessary machinery. Instead a onetime investment in a few dumbbells is all that you need. Alternatively, you might ask the climbing gym you patronize to purchase a few sets of dumbbells for the purpose of training the antagonist muscles of the forearms and upper torso.

This third exercise, the shoulder-press, involves a motion that is almost exactly opposite that of common pulling motion of climbing—thus no exercise is more central to antagonist-muscle training. Although you can execute this exercise with a common health club shoulder-press machine, performing dumbbell shoulder presses provides a more complete workout of the many small stabilizing muscles of the shoulders. Here’s how to do it.

Sit on a bench with good upright posture and feet flat on the floor. Begin with bent arms, palms facing forward, and the dumbbells positioned just outside your shoulders. Press straight upward with your palms maintaining a forward-facing position. As your arms become straight, squeeze your hands slightly inward until the dumbbells touch end-to-end. Lower the dumbbells to the starting position. The complete repetition should take about two seconds. Continue this motion for twenty to twenty-five repetitions. Strive for smooth, consistent motion throughout the entire set. Rest for three minutes and perform a second set.

Women should start with five-pound dumbbells and advance to ten- or fifteen-pounders when they can do twenty-five reps. Most men can begin training with fifteen- or twenty-pound dumbbells and then progress to twenty-five or thirty pounds as they are able to achieve twenty-five repetitions. Over the long term it’s best not to progress to higher amounts since this may build undesirable muscle bulk that will only weight you when climbing for performance.

#4: Bench Press (or Push-up)
The bench press is a staple exercise of power lifters and bodybuilders, but it’s also useful to climbers wanting to maintain stable, healthy shoulders. The key is to use only moderate weight—begin with a total equal to about 25 percent of your body weight and progress up to 50 percent (never more). For example, a 160-pound climber would begin training with two 20-pound dumbbells (40 pounds total) and progress up to training with, at most, 40-pound dumbbells.

Lie flat on a bench with bent legs and your feet flat on the floor. Using an Olympic bar or two dumbbells—really, using dumbbells is ideal since they bring more stabilizing muscles into play--begin the exercise with your hands just above chest level and palms facing your feet. If you’re using a bar, your hands should be a few inches wider than your shoulders. Press straight up with a slow, steady motion. If using dumbbells, squeeze your hands together to touch the ends of the dumbbells together upon reaching the top position. Return to the starting position, pause for a moment and then begin the next repetition. With a bar, be careful not to bounce the bar off your chest. The goal is slow, controlled movement that takes about two seconds per repetition. Continue for twenty to twenty-five repetitions. Rest for three minutes before performing a second set.

As an alternative, if free weights are unavailable, you can use push-ups to provide a workout similar to the bench press. Begin with your hands shoulder width apart and build up to doing two sets of twenty-five repetitions. If necessary, move your hands closer together to increase training resistance.

#5: Dips
Dips are an excellent exercise for strengthening the many muscles of the upper arms, shoulders, chest, and back. What’s more, the dip motion is quite similar to the mantle move in climbing and thus provides a very sport-specific benefit! Some health clubs and gyms possess a parallel-bar setup ideal for performing dips. Alternatively, you can use the incut ninety-degree corner of a kitchen counter, or set two heavy chairs in a parallel position. A set of free-floating Pump Rocks or gymnastics rings are my personal favorite, as they provide a more dynamic (and difficult) workout.

Position yourself between the parallel bars, Pump Rocks, or other apparatus. Jump up into the straight-arm starting position with your hands drawn in near your hips. Slowly lower until your arms are bent to ninety degrees—do not lower beyond this point! Immediately press back up to the starting position. Continue this up-and-down motion, with each repetition taking about two seconds. Strive to complete ten to twenty repetitions. If you are unable to do at least ten dips, enlist a spotter to reduce the resistance as needed so that you can reach this goal. The spotter should stand behind you and lift around your waist or, more easily, pull up on your ankles (bend your legs and cross them at the ankles to facilitate this). Perform two or three sets with a three-minute rest between each.

And, BTW, don’t believe the rumors that dips is a dangerous exercise to be avoided. If done correctly and with control—that is, don’t bounce dynamicly through this exercise and never lower beyond a ninety-degree elbow angle—dips are a safe and highly effective exercise….a favorite of gymnasts, a wide range of professional athletes, and many top climbers.