The best exercises for rock climbing training are exercises that help to increase strength, endurance, and flexibility while also targeting muscle groups that are key to the sport. It is very important for rock climbers to have enough strength to propel their bodies up the face of a mountain, hill, or cliff. They also must have the endurance to complete the climb safely and successfully. As rock climbing involves extending the arms and legs in order to find notches for the fingers and the toes, it is also important for rock climbing training to involve a great deal of flexibility training. Finally, it is important to train certain muscle groups in the body such as the muscles in the hands, which must be quite strong so that the climber can firmly grip notches and holes in the rock face while he is climbing.
Weight training and resistance training are two very good ways to increase strength. Rock climbing is a sport that engages a large number of the muscle groups in the body. As a part of rock climbing training, it makes sense to exercise as many muscle groups as possible. The upper body is certainly an important part of rock climbing, so exercises such as chest presses, push ups, overhead presses, and front raises are all good exercises to perform. But also be sure to include exercises for the abdominal muscles and legs, such as crunches, lunges, squats, and calf raises as part of a rock climbing training routine.
There are a number of ways that a rock climber can boost endurance and increase flexibility as part of a rock climbing training routine. Using methods such as interval training and repetition training, a climber can use exercises such as running to increase endurance. It is important to stretch before and after exercises in order to warm up the muscles and cool down, respectively. Not only is this a good practice in terms of keeping the body in good shape, but it can also help to increase flexibility. Practices such as yoga and pilates can also help to improve flexibility.
Chin ups and dead lifts are good exercises for improving grip strength. There are also specialized pieces of hand-held exercise equipment that are intended to be used to improve grip strength. These pieces of equipment can be found in many stores that carry fitness equipment.
