3. Strength and Power Training

Strength and power are two different abilities that muscles may have. Many people confuse the two terms but for the sake of this manual we will use the following definitions to distinguish between the two.

1. Strength - The ability for the muscle to stay contracted under a maximum load.
2. Power - The ability to generate the contraction of strength.

There are many different types of strength involved in climbing:

• Hand Strength - Strength required to hold on.
• Arm/Back Strength - Strength required to bend your arms.
• Core Body Strength - Strength required to keep your feet and hips in place.
• Power - Ability to move quickly.in control.
• Opposing Muscle Strength - Non-climbing muscles that you must strengthen in order to keep joints and muscles balanced.

The strengths can be trained using isolation movements, focusing on a specific set of muscles, while power is best trained using compound movements, possibly numerous muscle groups with movements involving more than one joint. The drills and exercises described below highlight the difference between power and strength training. The drills for strength involve less overall movement while the power drills try to focus on timing and learning to use the different muscles together. These drills are not layed out in a specific workout rather it is up to the climber to determine which drills they wish to do and to structure a workout accordingly. If you need help structuring a workout contact one of the national team coaches.

Wolfgang Gullich said "strength only supplements technique", Ben Moon said "Technique is no substitute for power", but remember power is nothing without control. No matter how strong you become always try to apply your strength to climbing and vary your movements as much as possible.

3.1 Hand Strength

You will probably want to start a general training session (after warming up) by climbing less steep, crimpier routes then moving towards larger holds (slopers and incut, open handed holds).

If you are a very strong crimper but cannot hold slopers then you may want to focus on just slopers for a period of time, thus sacrificing some of your crimp strength to become a better all around climber. The same applies for the other type of grips as well.

Check out http://www.8a.nu/eng/articles/fingerposition.shtml where there is a very good article called Gripping Positions for information on different grips and the related strengths.

In addition to just climbing on different hold types there are also lots of drills that you can do to improve your hand strength:

• Weighted hangs
  Weighted hangs is an incredibly effective drill for increasing hand strength, when done correctly. If done incorrectly you can easily harm yourself so it is best to start out slow and progress as you feel comfortable. In order to do weighted hangs you will need various different grip types and some way of adding weight to your body (attaching a diving belt, weight vests, backpack of rocks...). Start with little or no weight and try and dead hang some of the different grips, you can switch between one or two handed dead hangs if you want more difficulty. Determine which grips are your weakest and which are your strongest. You should be able to hang from the grips for at least 10 seconds before adding any weight. On the grips that you can hold for more than 10 seconds you can start to add weight, increasing the amount until you can only dead hang the holds for 8-12 seconds.
  

  Select three different grip types and do three sets of 8-12 second hangs on each grip type. Rest one minute between sets and three to five minutes between grips. You can do other exercises between the sets to decrease the amount of time required to complete the drills (perhaps some core strength drills).
  

• Hit Strips
  Hit strips are a drill designed by Eric Horst and described in his book "How to climb 5.12". They are distributed by Nicros and offer a great hand strength workout.
  
• System Board
  A system board is a "woody" covered with differnt grips strategicaly placed at varying angles and difficulty. The nice thing about a system board is that you move your feet as you adjust your hand grips so you are actually climbing and practicing climbing movements. To train hand strength focus more on smaller holds than big moves and moving slowly between the holds.

3.2 Arm and Back Strength

Arm and Back Strength Drills:

• Frenchies
  Frenchies is a standard drill for building the strength required to lock off in different positions. Start with a chinup and hold yourself in a fully locked off position for seven seconds, lower down. Do a chinup and lower yourself until the bend in your arms forms a 90 degree angle, hold for seven seconds, lower down. Do a chinup and lower yourself until the bend in your arms forms a 130 degree angle, hold for seven seconds, lower down. One rep is finished when you have held all three lock off positions and lowered down. For this workout try to do three sets of 5-8 reps with a one minute rest in between sets. If you can complete three sets of 8 reps then add a little weight. If you cannot complete three sets of 8 reps then add a chair or footholds to take some of your weight.
  

• Typewriters
  For typwriters you need two grips of equal size placed between 1.5 and 2 times shoulder distance apart. The greater the distance, the greater the difficulty of the drill. Grab the two holds and hold yourself on one hand at a full lock off for three seconds, using the opposite hand to take as much weight as possible. Slowly shift your weight from one hand to the other and hold yourself at a full lock off for three seconds. One rep is completed when you have held yourself at full lock off on both hands. Remember to try and keep your chin above your hands when moving back and forth between the two grips. To increase the difficulty you can increase the distance between holds or add weight. To decrease the difficulty you can decrease the distance between holds or add a chair/footholds to stand on.
  
• Power Ladders
  Power ladders are a great drill for combining hand strength training with arm and back strength training. This drill is best done on different walls of varying angles. Create a ladder of similar holds spaced 2-3 feet apart in vertical distance. These holds should be placed for left and right hands and shoulder distance apart horizontally. Do this for three or four different ladders using different hold types for each ladders. The ladders should be between 4-10 moves in length. To do this drill you start with one hand on and place you opposite foot on a hold that will allow you to reach the next hold. Lock off the first hold, hold it for 5-8 seconds and then grab the next hold. Bring your opposite foot up and lock off, hold for 5-8 seconds and repeat until you are at the top. If you have not done 8-12 moves then downclimb in a similar fashion until you have reached 8-12 moves.
  

  For example I start with my left hand on a pinch and my right foot on a foothold down and right. I lock off my left arm and reach up with my right hand. Once my left arm has been locked off for 5-8 seconds I grab the next pinch with my right hand and place my left foot on. My right foot comes off and I lock off my right arm. Once my right arm has been locked off for 5-8 seconds I grab the next pinch with my left hand and continue.
  

  Do this drill three times for each power ladder with a one minute rest in between attempts. Take 2-3 minutes before switching to the next power ladder.
  

  When doing this drill concentrate on pulling hard with you opposite foot and learning how to maximize the weight that your legs can take. The more weight on your legs the less weight on your arms.
  

• Lock off Boulder Problems
  This drill is similar to power ladders but offers a variety of moves. To do this drill either make or find some boulder problems 6-10 moves in length. For each move you lock off the hold with one arm for 5 seconds and then try and move statically to the next hold. You will have to experiment with different boulder problem to see which ones this works with. Try and find the three most difficult problems that you can do this on. Do each problem three times with a one minute rest in between attempts and a 2-3 minute rest in between problems.
  

• Campusing
  What would strength training be without a reference to campusing. This section will talk about campusing for strength but you can also campus for power (see section below).
  

  When campusing for strength try to keep your movements slow and as large as possible. Try not to match hands but concentrate more on using your lower arm to help move to a lock off with your upper arm. Hold the lock offs and move slowly to the next hold. It is always a good idea to down campus slowly.
  

  Campusing should not be attempted if you cannot hold a lock off. If you are deadpointing out of control for holds then you run the risk of shock loading your elbows or wrists and injuring yourself. Smaller and different hold types can be used to make campusing more difficult.
  

• Offset Pullups
  Offset pullups allow you to isolate one arm more than the other. Start with one hand on a hold and have the other hand holding something below and shoulder distance apart from the first hold. You can use a knotted rope, a piece of webbing, or another hold for the lower hand. When you do the pullup lock off the upper hand and use the lower one to help hold yourself there for 3-5 seconds. Do this in 3 sets of 8-12 for each arm. Concentrate on holding the lock off and isolating the upper arm as much as possible.

3.3 Core Body Strength

Core Body Strength Drills:

• Leg Lifts
  Dead hang from good holds and lift your legs straight in front of you, bending at the waist. Lift your legs until your body forms a 90 degree bend and lower slowly. Try not to swing or kick your legs up. If you cannot stabilize yourself have a partner stop your swinging. If you cannot do a leg lift with your legs straight then bend your legs at the knees to 90 degrees. Keep your knees bent at 90 degrees for the whole range of motion both up and down. Do this until failure or repeat as many times as possible in one minute (if you cannot do this for a minute straight). Complete three sets with a one minute rest between sets.
  

  A good climbing variation on this is to find a roof and grab a large hold with both hands. Lift your feet off the ground and lift one foot at a time and place it on a foothold. To make this harder put the feet farther away and practice accuracy with your feet. Modify the holds from underclings, sidepulls, and straight downpulling so simulate different climbing movements. The key is to place your feet directly onto a hold, tighten up (let your feet take some weight) and then release.
  

• Banana Boats
  Lie on your back and extend your arms straight above your head. Straighten your legs and then bend at the waist about 20 degrees (form a banana). Slowly rock back and forth keeping your lower back on the ground and pointing with your toes and fingers. Try to move slowly and don't let your head or feet touch the ground. Do this until failure or repeat as much as possible for one minute. Try to do this in sets of three with a one minute rest in between.
  
• Swimming
  Lie on your stomach and extend your arms straight in front of you. Move your arms and legs up and down in a small range of motion trying to keep your quads off the ground. Try to keep your legs straight, but your arms may be slightly bent.
  
• Superman
  Start on your hands and knees. Raise opposite arm and leg (left arm, right leg) at the same time to a horizontal position. From there lift the arm and leg in a reverse crunch and lower back to horizontal (one rep). Without letting you hands or feet touch the ground pull up again and repeat until failure. Do this with the other leg/arm for a minimum of one minute each side. Try to do three sets of this exercise for each side.

3.4 Power

Power is a combination of timing and strength. The timing of when to contract different muscles is something learned through practice and training. Generally as you work a boulder problem you are not getting much stronger but you are getting more powerful, learning how to use the strength at the right time. Strength does not come quickly but gradually over time.

There are some key times when power is very useful:

• Deadpointing
  Deadpointing is when you move dynamically for a small hold and must be accurate. To complete a deadpoint you must be able to generate the momentum required (power) and be able to slow down your momentum, tighten up, at the last instant in order to grab the hold correctly. This requires both timing and power.
• Dynos
  Yes there will be competitions out there where you may be required to do small or large dynos. This means generating enough momentum to be able to reach a hold that you can't reach statically. The difference between dynos and deadpoints is that with deadpoints you can usually keep your feet, and one hand on and are going to a small hold.

• Campusing
  Campusing is when all your momentum is being generated by your upper body and is a very useful application of power on some routes. There are instances where it is easier to campus a move than to try and keep your feet on. If the feet are too far away or perhaps too high it may help to have the ability to campuss

Power Drills:

• Deadpoint Drill
  As described earlier deadpointing is when you move dynamically to potentially a very small hold. You must be accurate and be able to tighten up at the right moment to stick the hold. In order to practice this set up different small holds about eight feet off the ground. Place several good holds between four and five feet off the ground, and then place lots of good and bad footholds between two and three feet off the ground.
  

  Now make some moves from the good holds to the bad ones that require you to be dynamic. Start by using good feet until you are comfortable sticking the bad hand holds, then move to progressively worse feet. Swith the type of holds that you are going to, pocket, pinces, edges, slopers etc... to help increase your ability to latch these holds. You can also increase the distance to these holds and force yourself to blow your feet off in order to reach the holds.
  When you are starting do not try to deadpoint to a hold that you must crimp. This can lead to injury very easily and is an advanced skill. Only attempt this from large feet first even then do not try to weight the crimp too much right away.
  

  A good variation on this if you are limited for space is to climb one handed along a wall or just in a fixed area. You will need to generate momentum with one hand and then move it very quickly in order to be able to grab the next hold. Move around between differnent hold types.
  

  The biggest thing about deadpointing is the timing so as you do these drills concentrate on what feels good and efficient. Some times you will go past the hold, sometimes you won't reach it. Try to determine when you are pushing with your legs, when you are pulling with your arms, and when you start to tighten up in order to grab the holds. Eventually you will not have to concentrate on these factors when you are deadpointing. This is why good climbers make it look easy, timing.

• Campusing
  Campusing is a very good way to build dynamic ability and timing. Here you will have a different goal than the campusing described when strength training, you should be trying to move dynamically and do bigger moves. It is okay to match hands and throw as far as possible. Modify the holds that you are throwing to, and from. The smaller the holds the harder they are to catch, and the harder they are to generate momentum from.
  

  There are four really good variations on campusing for power:

  • Big Throws - Start with both hands on the same hold and throw as far as possible to catch a hold, then campus back down to the match and go up with the other hand catch the hold and back down. Do this in sets of three to failure. If you are doing more than 10 reps per set (10 per hand) then you should make the moves bigger, or holds smaller. Do not add weight when campusing.
    

    This drill focuses more on the generation of mementum from the lats and biceps.

  • Go Agains - Start with both hands matched on a hold. Go up with one hand, catch a hold and then go up with the same hand again. Go as high as possible (you'll have to fall a couple times to figure this out) then come back down one hold at a time. Then go up with the other hand in the same manner.
    

    This drill focuses more on generation of momentum from triceps and lats.

  • Both Hands - Start with both hands matched on a hold. Go up to a hold about 2-3 feet away with both hands at the same time. Go as high as possible, and come down with both hands at the same time as well, but try to do smaller distances.
    

    A good variation is to go up two feet, down one foot, up two feet... with both hands always.

  • Bouldering - Try to campus boulder problems that you have already done. This will mean that you have to generate momentum laterally as well as vertically, and have to grab holds from many different angles. You will have to experiment with this one but it can be very effective.

• Bouldering
  Last but not least is bouldering itself. Bouldering is a very fun and efficient way to gain power. If you want to build hand strength set a problem with small holds, if you want power set a problem with big moves. Varying the style of climbing will allow you to have a fun and motivating workout. Not only that but it is easy to take a problem down and put another one up.
  

  Try to approach a bouldering workout like any other. Have a goal, a set approach and make sure that you regulate the time between attempts and rest times. Do no try a problem a hundred times in 10 minutes. If you are trying a single move then it may make sense to try it three times in one minute separated by a three to five minute rest. You may need to stay warm during this time so try and climb other easier problems if you are getting cold.

3.5 Opposing Muscle Strength

• Back of Your Forearms
  The muscles on the back of your forearm are generally very weak compared to your muscles on the front of your forearms. This can lead to wrist problems because the wrist joint is not stabilized properly.
  

  To strengthen the muscles on the back of your forearm there are several good drills.
  Reverse wrist curls where you keep your palms facing the floor and curl your hand back towards your elbow. This can be done with or without weight, or by rolling a weight up with a broom handle or something similar.
  Pushing and opening your hands in sand. This is great for constant resistance throughout a range of motion. Place a closed hand in a pile of sand and push down and out with your fingers as you open your hand.
  Just openning your hand and extending your fingers as far as possible. Try to keep the back of your hand in line with your forearm as you do this. This one is good because it can be done anywhere; at school, in a car, or even at the dinner table.

• Triceps
  While triceps are used alot when climbing they are not as utilized as your biceps and this can lead to elbow problems. Triceps are easy to strengthen. Chair dips, pushups, and tricep presses are all ways of strengthening these muscles. Not only that but stronger triceps will increase the range of motion in your lockoffs.
• Lower Back
  Look at the core strength section above for some drills to strengthen your lower back. Core Strength

3.6 Strength Training References

Some good books:
How to climb 5.12, Eric Horst.
Flash Training, Eric Horst.
Performance Rock Climbing, Dale Goddard.