Climbing
Rock climbing workout: Strength, grip and balance exercises
Ready to conquer the wall? This rock climbing workout guide will help take your climbing skills to new heights. Let’s go!
Rock climbing is a full-body challenge requiring strength, agility and endurance. Crafting a focused rock climbing workout routine can dramatically improve your performance, whether you're scaling bouldering problems in the gym or taking on multi-pitch climbs at a canyon. Red Bull climber Natalia Grossman knows training off the wall is as essential as climbing itself.
“I love how every time I go to the gym I have the opportunity to try something new,” Grossman says.
Natalia Grossman
© Daniel Milchev / Red Bull Content Pool
Following her lead, let’s dive into how to design a rock climbing workout that works for you and can help you build strength, improve balance and climb with confidence.
Understanding climbing-specific muscles
Rock climbing works your entire body, but certain muscle groups do the heavy lifting.
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- Forearms: Critical for grip strength and endurance, the flexor digitorum and flexor pollicis longus muscles help support your body weight as you swiftly climb from rock to rock.
- Shoulders: Both shoulders are essential for pulling motions and maintaining stability during dynamic climbs, specifically the deltoids, rotator cuffs, and trapezius (trap) muscles.
- Back: The upper back muscles get the most intense workout of any other muscle group in climbing — but your lower back plays a key role too. Both the latissimus dorsi in your upper back and erector spinae in your lower back are essential for maintaining proper posture and leveraging momentum on any pulling moves.
- Core: The core muscles, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis, keep you aligned, balanced, and in control. It helps the lower and upper body work together, especially for steeper rock walls.
- Legs: Your legs drive upward movement and stabilize your body on uneven surfaces, allowing you to pull off more complex technical moves. Your calf muscles in particular are pivotal to avoid slipping, as they help provide a steady foot position.
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Grip and forearm strength training exercises
Grip endurance is the foundation of climbing success, no matter where you’re climbing.
Sasha DiGiulian
© Marcelo Maragni
- Finger hangs: Use a hangboard to increase finger strength. Start with short-timed hangs to build up your grip strength, then gradually increase the time. Beginners can use a chair under one leg, so they don’t have to support their full weight at first. Hang for as long as you can without overdoing it.
- Farmer's carry: Hold a dumbbell or other kind of weight in each hand and walk a set distance back and forth. This simple exercise builds grip and forearm endurance. Try to complete three to four reps, and adjust the weight as you feel less resistance.
- Wrist curls: Kneel beside a bench. Rest your forearms on it with your wrists hanging over the edge with your palms up. Hold kettlebells or similar weights, like YBells, in a top lock grip. Keep your back straight, engage your forearms, and curl your wrists up as you exhale, then lower them as you inhale. Eight to 10 reps is ideal for this exercise.
- Finger extensions: Use a resistance band to work opposing muscles, which balances out repetitive gripping motions. Place your fingers in the band around the tips. Spread your fingers apart, hold the position, and then bring them back in. Try to hold three sets for five to 10 seconds each, totaling 30 seconds overall. Be sure to keep your fingers straight or the entirety of this exercise.
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Upper body and core strength workouts for stability
Back and shoulder conditioning
These muscle groups are essential for pulling yourself upward and maintaining stability on the wall, especially during dynamic or overhanging climbs.
Sasha DiGiulian in Kalymnos, Greece
© Alex Grymanis / Red Bull Content Pool
- Lat pull-downs: This gym exercise mimics the pulling movements in climbing, targeting your lats and improving your ability to pull yourself upward on the wall. Sit at a lat pull-down machine, grip the bar with your arms wider than shoulder-width apart, and pull the bavr down to your chest while keeping your back straight. Aim for two or three sets of eight to 10 reps each. Adjust the weight as you feel the resistance improve.
- Scapular pull-ups: Build scapular strength and stability — crucial for maintaining proper form during climbing — with this exercise. Start by hanging from a pull-up bar with straight arms. Engage your muscles by pulling your shoulder blades down and together without bending your elbows. Complete three sets of six to 12 reps each.
- Shoulder shrugs: This move strengthens trap muscles, which support shoulder and neck stability and endurance during extended climbs. Hold your arms at your sides and shrug your shoulders upward, pausing briefly before lowering. To add a layer of difficulty, hold a pair of dumbbells or weights while shrugging. Start with three sets of 10 reps each.
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Core-focused workouts
A stable core is a climber’s secret weapon, a must for staying balanced on even the most challenging holds.
Natalia Grossman competes in Innsbruck
© Erich Spiess/ASP/Red Bull Content Pool
- Hollow body holds: Learn to to maintain tension, which is essential for keeping your body close to the wall. Lie on your back, lift your shoulders and legs off the ground, and hold your body in a banana-like shape for about 30 seconds. Two sets at a time are plenty to start.
- Hanging leg raises: Target your lower abs and improve core strength for controlled climbing movements. Hang from a pull-up bar and slowly lift your legs straight in front of you until they are parallel to the ground. Aim for 10 reps.
- Bicycle crunches: This works your obliques and abs, muscle groups that support twisting and maintaining balance on uneven terrain. Lie on your back and bring your opposite elbow to your knee in a pedaling motion. Repeat the same motion on the other side of your body. Try to complete three sets of 12 to 20 reps each.
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Dynamic leg and lower body power exercises
Legs aren’t just for pushing upward; they’re the foundation for your balance and power on the wall. Training your legs also ensures that you’re less reliant on your arms, conserving energy for longer climbs.
- Bulgarian split squats: Build unilateral strength and balance by training one leg at a time. Stand in a split stance with your rear foot elevated on a bench and lower your body into a lunge, keeping your front knee aligned over your ankle. For newcomers, do two sets consisting of six to eight reps each. Increase to three sets with 12 reps each as your stamina increases.
- Step-ups: Step-ups mimic the action of stepping onto holds, improving your leg strength. Step one foot onto a sturdy surface like a box or bench, drive through your heel to lift your body, and then lower back down with control. Use ankle weights to increase the intensity. Aim for three sets of 10 reps each.
- Box jumps: Box jumps develop explosive leg strength for dynamic moves and high steps. Stand in front of a sturdy box, squat slightly, swing your arms, and jump onto the box with both feet. You want to land softly with bent knees during this exercise. Two sets of three reps each is a good starting point, and you can increase from there.
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Climbing-specific mobility and flexibility moves
Tight hips, shoulders, or hamstrings can limit your ability to reach holds or adapt to awkward positions, which makes mobility as key as strength for climbing.
Shauna Coxsey at Red Bull Dual Ascent
© True Color Films/Red Bull Content Pool
- Hip openers: Enhance hip flexibility for high steps and wide stances. Sit with your legs in a butterfly position or perform lunges with a side stretch to release tension in inner thighs and hip flexors.
- Leg swings: Leg swings loosen up the hip flexors for smoother movements. Stand on one leg and swing the other leg forward and backward or side to side in a controlled motion. Complete 10 to 20 reps per side.
- Shoulder dislocates: Hold a resistance band or stick with a wide grip. Keeping your arms straight, rotate the band over your head and back. Try these exercises eight to 12 times to improve shoulder mobility and range of motion.
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Balance improving exercises
When tackling small footholds or tricky maneuvers, good balance is a necessity for stability and to reduce unnecessary muscle fatigue.
- Slackline practice: Slacklining is a great way to develop micro-adjustment skills for steady foot and arm placement. To perform, secure the slackline between two sturdy anchors, stand on it with one foot, and practice balancing by shifting your weight and using your arms for stabilization. For beginners, keep the slackline close to the ground and raise it as the balance challenges become easier.
- Balance board work: Stand on a balance board with feet shoulder-width apart, keeping the board level as you shift your weight from side to side or front to back. The balance board will help strengthen stabilizing muscles in the ankles and legs.
- Single-leg squats: These squats enhance unilateral stability and control, mimicking the demands of foot placements on holds. Balance on one leg, lower your body by bending your knee and hip. Keep the other leg extended forward. Push back to the starting position in a controlled manner.
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Endurance circuits for long climbing sessions
Climbing isn’t just about short bursts of power. Endurance is critical for staying on the wall during longer routes or multi-pitch climbs. Build your stamina with these basic, yet incredibly effective, workouts:
- Pull-ups (10 reps per set)
- Planks (30 seconds eaech)
- Burpees (10 reps per set)
- Bodyweight squats (15 reps per set)
Try to repeat the circuit two to 10 times with a bit of rest between rounds to simulate the sustained effort required in climbing. Over time, you’ll notice increased vertical endurance and overall energy levels.
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Incorporating climbing-specific tools into your routine
Climbers looking to take their training to the next level can do so with the right tools.
Natalia Grossman at the USA Climbing Training Center in Salt Lake City
© Daniel Milchev / Red Bull Content Pool
“For climbing, physical strength is a necessity, especially finger and upper-body strength. So once or twice a week, I’ll do hangboarding, where I hang by my fingers off a wooden board,” Grossman said.
Start with low intensity and gradually progress to avoid tendon strains or other injuries.
- Hangboards: These are ideal for building finger strength and grip endurance. They’re important, but don’t do them every day — rest for one to two days between each hangboard exercise to prevent overtraining.
- Campus boards: These boards improve explosive power and upper body strength. Consider incorporating campus boards into your routine two to three times a week.
- Fingerboards: Training with fingerboards targets finger tendons and forearm muscles, but they’re not necessary for beginner climbers. Fingerboards are a good tool for advanced climbers, as they use finger and forearm muscles more during difficult climbs.
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4 tips for promoting recovery
Climbing can put immense strain on your body, particularly your fingers, shoulders, and elbows. Consistent recovery strategies help give your body adequate rest between climbs.
- Stretching: Warming up with dynamic stretches prepares your muscles and joints for climbing, as tight muscles resist the movements needed to climb. Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds. After your climb, perform static stretches. Here, you’ll hold a pose for 60 to 90 seconds, pushing how far you can stretch. You can also do active stretches for 10 to 15 seconds by using one muscle to stretch another, like hamstring movement.
- Foam rolling: After climbing, relax your muscles with a massage from a foam roller. This can increase blood flow and reduce muscle tension.
- Proper hydration: Keep cramps and headaches at bay. Have water and electrolytes before, during, and after climbs to stay hydrated. If you’re climbing during warmer weather, make sure to drink extra water.
- Rest days: Overtraining leads to similar results as dehydration. Taking 48 to 72 hours to relax your muscles allows them to recover properly.
Get climb-ready with these essential rock climbing workouts
A well-rounded rock climbing workout routine isn’t just about getting stronger — it’s about becoming a more efficient, balanced and confident climber. By focusing on bouldering exercises, core stability exercises and vertical endurance training, you’ll notice improved performance in indoor and outdoor rock climbing. Take it one step at a time, stay consistent, and make recovery a priority. With dedication, you’ll see significant results.
Ready to tackle new heights? Explore different types of climbing and find inspiration for your next adventure.