Part 3: Arm and upperbody isolation training
In this series on developing your weaknesses, last issue looked at the fingers which are the primary connective link to the rock in climbing. Aside from technique, strong fingers are always the number 1 priority since they are the 'funnel' through which all other types of body strength are channelled. However some climbers will find that finger strength has never been an issue for them. They can hang small holds without a problem but what they lack is the necessary umph in the arms and upper body to help propel them upwards. These climbers show the exact opposite physical attributes to those who were described last issue, they lack the upperbody musculature for pulling up either because they have a light, skinny, ectomorphic build, or, more simply because they have avoided climbing on steep rock which enables this type of strength to be developed. This article will deal with the training methods which can help climbers with disproportionately weak arms to target the offending muscle groups directly in order to bring their overall climbing strength back into synch.
The extent to which you train your upperbody in isolation from your fingers will clearly depend on it's relative deficit in strength; in other words, the weaker your upperbody relative to your fingers, the more time and effort you will need to spend training it separately and the greater the variety of exercises you will need to use. The relevant exercises can be categorised in order of specificity to climbing. A fairly balanced climber with only a marginal weakness in the arms would be advised not to bother with any other upperbody isolation exercises than the most relevant ones which are described in this article. However, someone with a more severe strength deficit in the upperbody may need to develop a more general foundation of overall strength from basic weight training.
The first and most important step in compiling a successful arm and upperbody training program is to identify the common protagonist muscle groups in climbing, (ie: the chain of muscles which are used most frequently) and then to prioritise the methods which enable you to train them. For example, in the vast majority of climbing situations, the 'pulling muscles', ie: the biceps, upper-back and rear shoulder muscles are the upperbody protagonists. And hence, their opposition or antagonist muscles are the 'pushing muscles', namely: chest, shoulders and triceps. At a first glance it would seem to make sense to concentrate our training efforts purely on the pulling muscles. However there are many situations in climbing where the pushing muscles suddenly become protagonist; for example when performing mantleshelves or press-moves. For this reason it vital not to ignore the pushing muscles completely in your training, both for the sake of balancing your climbing performance and for maintaining muscular symmetry in the interest of avoiding injury.
The remainder of this article will concentrate exclusively on exercises for training the common climbing protagonists (ie: the 'pullers'), whereas next issue will look at the importance of maintaining the balance with the common antagonists.
The idea of tensioning a rope ladder with adjustable rungs at an angle of between 20 and 30 degrees overhanging and using it for arm isolation training was first developed by American training guru, John Bachar in the mid '80's. Although his invention enabled those who were in on the act to gain a considerable strength advantage, it also became notorious for causing serious injury. But in support of Bachar, there was nothing intrinsically dangerous about his method, the problems incurred were derived from it's misuse for endurance work; or worse still with sloppy form, especially when descending. If used correctly, with control and appropriate, rest and set structure Bachar ladders can provide a safe, fun and highly effective means of developing relevant upperbody strength and power for climbing.
The basic exercise is to climb the ladder using alternate rungs, preferably footless or with one foot for assistance if required. This simulates the biomechanical pattern of climbing far more effectively than a basic pull-up, primarily because the arms are at different heights. This creates a continuous coordinative switch between pulling (with the leading arm) and pushing (with the trailing arm), as well as a further switch between dynamic strength (when pulling up) and isometric strength (when locking off and reaching up). In addition, if climbed at speed using the deadpointing technique to move between the rungs, Bachar ladders can be equally effective for developing explosive upperbody power and reaction timing.
Training tips:
The best approach with Bachar ladders is to climb footless until such a point where you fail and then stick a foot on, just to help you through that last little bit. In general it is preferable to do this rather than altering the rung spacing higher up the ladder so that it becomes too close. It is vital always to train the full range of motion, ie: from arms fully straight right through to fully locked. It is that crucial ability to lock right in deep that you will fail to train if the rungs are too close. If you still find the exercise too difficult, even using your feet, try matching hands on each rung rather than climbing alternates. Providing you are working through the full range of motion this will still have a worthwhile training affect.
Use a Piramidal to structure for your sessions; ie: do 2 move work with a weight belt to train maximum recruitment. Then move on to perform sets of 4-8 move work with slightly less resistance and then to finish with one or two 10-12 move sets, perhaps with a foot on, to work the tie-in with endurance.
Vary the pace - do slow climbs for strength and fast climbs for power but always emphasize control, especially on the latter type where it is tempting to use sloppy form.
The critical point to emphasize for Bachar ladders is control and the following points should provide a guideline for making maximum gains whilst staying out of trouble.
Avoid climbing down footless unless you are extremely smooth and controlled. Never drop down onto your joints. Avoid endurance work unless you are very strict with your recovery times between attempts, and between training sessions. Warm-up thoroughly and gradually using your feet to help you.
As well as being something which young climbers do to supplement their income, bar work is also a type of training which is perhaps more versatile than any other for gaining climbing-specific strength and power in the arms and upperbody. The basic concept of bar training has been around since training for climbing began but it's more specific uses and advantages are a recent discovery. The new ideas were adapted from training methods for gymnastics where the athlete performs three basic types of exercise: concentric movements, eccentric movements and isometric work, or even a combination of the three.
All you need is a bar or single handed grip which must be as easy to hold as possible. The only variable for intensity is simply the eccentric loading, ie: the amount of assistance or resistance. Assistance is given with the use of a bungee stirrup, a knotted rope for the free arm, or a small additional hand or foothold and additional resistance comes from the use of a weight belt. Most Bar work should be performed using an 'over-hand' or 'front-on' grip in order to maximise it's specificity to climbing.
a) Concentric Pulls
These are simply pull-ups performed with appropriate assistance in order to make the repetitions conform to the guidelines for strength work, ie: between 1 and approximately 8 reps. The strong will need to perform 1-arm work in order to keep the reps down whereas weaker climbers will use both arms. Use the piramidal repetition structure starting off with 1-rep max work with max resistance and working through to finish with 8 rep work. Slow movements can be performed for strength and fast work for power. Obviously a lower resistance will always be required for faster power work. Partial reps can also be performed as an effective way to isolate the lower, middle or upper part of the pulling movement, depending on your specific weaknesses.
b) Negatives (eccentric movements)
This is essentially a pull-up in reverse. The idea with negatives is that you are unable to resist the eccentric loading and hence, having started in a fully locked position, you have no option but to lower yourself downwards, whilst fighting to make your descent as slow as possible. So clearly, to make a negative movement effective, the eccentric loading must be greater than the climber's maximum isometric strength. Although less specific to climbing research, shows that negative movements are a superb system shocking device because they subject you to far higher eccentric forces than you would normally encounter. Negatives can also be used to assist the transition from 2-arm concentric training into 1-arm training.
c) Isometric work ('Lock-offs')
Quite simply, these are static 1-arm locks on a bar, designed to build relevant isometric strength. It is advisable to train at a minimum of three different arm angles to prevent an imbalance in strength from occurring. These are: Full-lock, 90 degrees and 120 degrees. Hang for between 2 and 10-12 seconds using exactly the same rep and set structure that was described for deadhanging last issue. The importance of performing this type of exercise for no longer than 15 seconds must again be stressed.
Supersets
For a highly intensive training effect it is possible to combine the training affects of all three of the above exercises in a form of superset. For example, a set of concentric pulls is performed with three static locks on the negative part of the movement. After failure on the last positive rep, the set is continued with use of a bungee stirrup to enable negatives to be performed to a point of secondary failure. Needless to say, this represents the upper limit of 'safe training' so go carefully, use strict form and don't do too many sets.
Travelling pull-ups
A worthwhile variation on the standard 2-arm pull-up is simply raise your chin to each hand alternately at the top of each pull-up and to lock it as deeply as possible. The slight switch of emphasis between the arms will not only be more specific to climbing but it will prevent your stronger arm from 'carrying' your weaker arm. A further alternative is to simply travel from side to side at the top part of the movement without going down. 'Typewriters', as they are sometimes known, are ideal fo concentrating on the upper range of motion, but it is important to combine them with standard pull-up work to prevent the lower part of the movement from becoming out of synch.
Summary
Remember above all else that the objective of the arm isolation exercises described in this article is merely to help you target this particular area of weakness and they are by no means a substitute for climbing itself. However the weaker and more out of proportion your arms are in relation to your fingers, the more you will need to rely on them. Climbers with a less severe deficit in the arm department will still find that steep 'locky' boulder problems on large but widely spaced handholds and poor footholds are invariably a more productive way of keeping their upperbody strength up to scratch than bars and ladders.