Calling all rock climbers: improving your climb

Ive just started back climbing myself.

Just keep trying. The more you do it the easier it becomes. Lots if pull ups, push ups, strength training will help but climbing is great at working everything!

My gym has some auto belays so I dont need a partner but when its busy I will bolder. Your only at most 3 feet off the ground. And climb accross the wall. My gym has a column that is a good challange to climb around. It helps develop you skills, strength, and callouss!

Is there an indoor bouldering gym near you?
You don't need a belay partner for bouldering as no ropes are used - I often go on my own.
More social as well generally, as you're not always either climbing or belaying.
You're also doing shorter climbs, so may find you can do more - though of course bouldering 'problems' tend to involve harder moves.
However, any I've been to have always had some pretty 'ladder like' problems at the lower end.

Definitely focus on using your feet as much as possible.
Often, even when doing horizontal overhangs, where you place your body so you can use your feet changes it from impossible to very 'doable'*.

If your legs are causing problems, then some squats would no doubt help.

Losing weight will definitely help - those people better than you I doubt would be anywhere near as good if they were wearing a weight belt. I've put on a bit in the last couple of months and it's noticeable how some climbs are a good chunk harder.

As far as your arms, they often say the best climbing exercise is climbing!
Make sure you're getting plenty of protein if you find your arm strength is giving out on 'jug' (easy) holds.
You could maybe 'practice' going up and down ladders repeatedly, using your arms as much as possible. I 'campus' up the rear of a ladder without my feet as exercise (and I'm not good enough to properly campus on a board just using my fingers.
You could try going up the underside of a ladder, but still using your feet - do be careful, however.

On rope climbing, keeping your arms straight where possible and using your legs as much as possible definitely helps.
First time I did climbing was at Glastonbury Festival - I went up the wall they had set up there twice as I was doing ok. Obviously mostly using my arms because for the next 24 hours I could hardly move them!
A friend who's more experienced that me always says "climb like a monkey" - you don't see a monkey using bent arms, instead they hang off straight arms wherever possible.

Consider not only using your feet, but where your foot placement affects your body. Have a look up 'flagging' in climbing - sticking your leg out to balance so you hand can reach out for a hold without unbalancing your body generally.

Pull up are the obvious exercise to do if your arms are suffering.
I can do 9 pull ups or so in one set and find that I never really suffer from my arm strength - it's strength in my fingers that suffer.
Finger strength will come with time.
I can remember getting frustrated that my climbing wasn't really coming on for a few weeks - then at a different wall found that I was doing a lot of problems that normally I wouldn't have expected to be able to hold on to at all.
There's some programs for training to do pulls ups freely available - they start for people that can't do any at all.
Oh and recently read that you shouldn't do pull ups to failure; when you're doing a few at least.


*As an idea, I was trying a bouldering problem with a couple of people of similarish ability to me.
The problem was on a bit of a slab (sloping so that it's easier to stand up, rather than fall off) with the last move involving lifting yourself up on small spherical volume.
Right hand reaching up to the final hold while the left hand gave you a low and flat octagonal volume at torso height and some very flat holds higher up which you'd have to have VERY strong fingers to make decent use of.
I eventually worked it out by doing it backwards, then working out the opposite actions needed.
It turns out you needed to push yourself upright on to your right foot from the torso height volume, then you could pretty much stand up on your right foot.
The point being that it was 'as easy as' standing up when in the right position, but pretty much impossible when not.

Try bouldering --- VB at Earth Treks are easier routes. You can also practice traversing around the gym. Though bouldering is more power movements and route climbing is more endurance.. So there are differences in the grading by the type of climb / moves, if that makes sense.

Rough grade conversion (but it depends on the gym/route setter)

V0- .9
V0 .10-
V0+ .10+
V1 .11-
V2 .11
V3 .11+
V4 .12-
V5 .12
V6 .12+
V7 .13-
V8 .13
V9 .13+
V10 .14a
V11 .14b
V12 .14c
V13 .14d
V14 .15a

Also, you don't have to make big moves with your feet all the time. Moving your feet up little by little will help your momentum and allow you to move more fluidly instead of a huge leg move. Though high stepping is required for some routes.

Also; it's definitely worth considering your protein intake, especially around when you're doing climbing.

As it is fairly strenuous, it's probably a decent workout for you.
You may also have lost some muscle mass while losing weight.

So making sure you get a good bit of protein (harder for you) around climbing will ensure you get maximum benefits from the strength.
For me, the limit is more tendon strength I think, which takes a lot longer; but you should be able to see pretty quick improvements in overall arm strength fairly quickly with the right nutrition.

Fitting topic. I just went indoor climbing last night for the 1st time. It was a blast. I climbed a little bit outdoors in college, many years ago. I'm looking forward to my next trip to the wall.

Echo most of the above, it will get easier with time. Most beginners use their arms too much. At the lower grades you shouldn't need to with good technique. Best focus on good technique first, your strength and endurance will develope as you practice. You could strength train at a gym and do hangs etc, but there's a big risk of injury in doing this (especially your fingers/tendons). Best bet is to let them develop slowly at first as you improve your technique.

If you haven't already, you should include cardio in your training. This will help with your endurance on the wall, weight loss, and walk-in's if you do head outdoors. I think outdoor climbing is tougher to be honest, here in the UK anyway. Long walk-ins, often hilly, carrying a pack of gear, dealing with the weather etc. But that's coming from someone who doesn't like indoor climbing very much

Good point re focused training. I would do it with the guide of an instructor at a climbing centre and not just start attempting dynos on the campus board. )

Something that martin said re endurance, next time you're at the wall, pick a really easy route and go up and down (climb down) a few times. This will help build your endurance. Tis a good warm up and cool down. I've been climbing for a few years and do this at the start and end of each session picking a really easy route (4+ for instance). (But then I climb with someone who does day long multi-pitch routes in Europe.)

Another thing to try for warm ups: pick a slabby route for beginners.
1) climb up and down anything
2) quiet feet - no clonking, shuffling or scraping of shoes
3) flow - one limb must be moving all the time
4) high feet - grab holds with hands, then feet keep moving as high as you can before you have to move your hands; great for improving balance. Ideally, your feet should be inches from your hands and you're crouching or bending over awkwardly.

I agree wit this. I just want to also say to follow #4, high feet are good -- but don't think you always need to high step to get them up there. You can walk your feet up bit by bit with smaller movements, which will help with #3.

Good point re focused training. I would do it with the guide of an instructor at a climbing centre and not just start attempting dynos on the campus board. )

Something that martin said re endurance, next time you're at the wall, pick a really easy route and go up and down (climb down) a few times. This will help build your endurance. Tis a good warm up and cool down. I've been climbing for a few years and do this at the start and end of each session picking a really easy route (4+ for instance). (But then I climb with someone who does day long multi-pitch routes in Europe.)

Another thing to try for warm ups: pick a slabby route for beginners.
1) climb up and down anything
2) quiet feet - no clonking, shuffling or scraping of shoes
3) flow - one limb must be moving all the time
4) high feet - grab holds with hands, then feet keep moving as high as you can before you have to move your hands; great for improving balance. Ideally, your feet should be inches from your hands and you're crouching or bending over awkwardly.

I agree wit this. I just want to also say to follow #4, high feet are good -- but don't think you always need to high step to get them up there. You can walk your feet up bit by bit with smaller movements, which will help with #3.

Oh I didn't mean do the step in one go. I can't do that!

As I say, if in doubt, heel hook!*













*- results may vary.

If your arms are getting a decent work out, it may be best to leave at least one rest day between climbing so your muscles can recover properly.

Some more to consider/confuse:
Always try and keep 3 points of contact with the wall is a fairly basic 'rule' of climbing, which of course is made to be broken in some cases, but good for the moment.
From that; always, where possible try and keep your weight centred above a foot on a decent foot hold. This will help ensure you're using your legs not your arms to get up the wall. Often the arm may be more used to hold yourself upright over said foot hold.


These are maybe less likely to be an issue with the climbs you are doing:
In some cases it can be better to 'flag' a leg out so it's touching the wall but not a foot hold, to keep you better balanced on a good foot hold as you move one of your hands. This can also give you better reach.

It can also be worth practising swapping feet so you can most comfortably reach a hand hold.
The technique (which I had to have explained by my climbing-instructor friend) is to place the 'loose' foot just above your other foot, then whip your lower foot out. Previously I would pull myself up with my arms to swap feet, which really sapped strength. Doing this at best it uses a teeny bit of strength, but often can be done with just bravery .

Some tips..

1. Use your feet. Climbing is actually all in your legs. You hands are to help you keep your balance and stay on the wall.
2. Use straight arms.. It will allow you to use your bone structure than tire out your muscles
3. You don't have to death grip the holds. You can relax your grip and it will save energy
4. Use your toes, and put them on the footholds so you can swivel your feet
5. Climbing outdoors is different, more natural
6. The more you do it the better you will get..
7. Watch other climbers -- you can pick up techniques from them.
8. Do ab/core work, your core is very important in climbing..

There are plenty more tips, I could give, but these are some off the top of my head.

Steph and others give some awesome advice. My first rule of climbing happiness is to never compare myself to other climbers. I am my own climber with my own set of skills, and I will set my own goals and advance at my own pace. It took me a long time to figure this out but has made a difference in my attitude and advancement. Since I adopted this approach, I never feel self-conscious at the gym or outdoors.

I will echo some of the following tips that really help me:
1. Take a few minutes to look at the climb before you start. Identify where you might be able to see big holds where you can take a minute to rest. Plan your route.
2. Straight arm rests. You are using your bone structure rather than pumping your muscles out while doing this. Use this as an opportunity to shake out your arms. This will help with endurance. If you can conserve energy through the easier moves, you will have energy to make the crux moves.
3. Look at your foot placement. Most beginners are under the impression that they need to put their whole foot on a hold like a lever. You can use the edge of your foot, your toe or simply smear your toes against the wall for balance. Look at how other climbers use their feet. And that brings me to:
4. Watch other climbers. Look at what moves they do or how they use their body.
5. Read book and magazines. When I first started climbing (I started outdoors) I wanted to learn as much as I could about technique, training and anchor setting. There are a lot of tips in magazines and online, too.
6. Climbing will make you a better climber. The more you do, the easier it will come.

Enjoy your experience! There is a ton of good advice in this thread!