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Hooper’s Beta Ep. 101
Anatomy of the Climb Ep. 5
Intro
Welcome to another episode of Anatomy of the Climb! In this episode, we tried a very different style. We asked you, the viewers, to submit your favorite classic Red Rock climbs (and fails). Dan and I then reviewed them and broke down some of the most important aspects of each climb and provided tips on how you can improve your climbing! Let us know what you think of this new style!
Climb Info
Climber: Miguel Climbs
Climb: Porkchop
Grade: V3
While this is mostly a technical climb, I just want to point out that I see loads of patients that are quite weak in an open hand position and this may give them some difficulties because you aren’t really crimping anything here. It’s about good mobility, footwork, and some open hand strength. Don’t ignore that training!
Climber: Geoff Lyman
Climb: Dusty Coffee
Grade: V4
Hip mobility and ankle mobility are important for the high foot movement that he eventually uses to rock over
If you feel you are limited in that region we have full length videos on ankle and hip mobility for you to check out
Climber: Natalie Gilmore
Climb: Welcome to Detroid
Grade: V4
Specific Notes:
The first attempt to get the heel hook it’s actually really helpful to have good hamstring strength in both legs. No only for her to settle the heel hook in, but also with the right leg she is standing on. Pulling herself in towards the wall with your right leg would take weight off the right hand and allow her to settle into the heel hook easier.
Training: Single leg RDLs, deadlifts, and nordic hamstring curls
Climber: Amanda jaramillo
Climb: The Pearl
Grade: V5
Specific Notes:
I love how in this climb she does a wonderful job of repeatedly positioning herself so that the hips can be close to the wall so she can keep more weight in her feet and rely less on her hands.
She also submitted to us a great send of Monkey Trench, a V10 climb, so this is not at her limit (unless this is a very old clip!) but it brings up a great training drill of mastery. Picking a climb that is 50-75% or so of your skill level and doing it in different ways until you can master it. Helpful hints with this would be to record yourself or have friends watch you move and then see if there are ways you can improve upon that movement. Find a challenging spot and work on it until it becomes easier. Hence, mastery
Climber: Max Takano
Climb: Vino Rojo
Grade: V6
Specific Notes:
Pinch training! The first undercling has a sweet pinch. I hardly see anyone I work with training their pinches and it is quite valuable to be strong and be able to engage your thumb. 5 strong fingers is better than 4!
Especially in this instance because he has to maintain that undercling pinch the entire time. Now, what is driving him up? Obviously his feet, but having good strength and hold on that pinch will also create a line straight up to the next holds he is moving to . This can basically add to multidirectional strength which is fantastic!
Another cool point is the hip positioning when his feet cut. We have talked about open hips for stronger heel hooks but look at this example with his right foot. He uses the heel and then toe strongly to get his right hand up, but when he flags his left foot underneath you’ll see the hop rotate a bit. Now his right foot isn’t pulling in the proper direction and so it blows.
Climber: Geoff Lyman
Climb: The Dirty Rail
Grade: V7
Specific Notes:
Having the strength and generating force in that position can be practiced by doing inverted rows, especially if you can create a ledge just to put your toes on as if you would a climbing hold
Training Tip:
Inverted rows with toes on a step / edge
Climber: Marcel DeWet
Climb: Monkey Wrench
Grade: V7
Specific Notes:
There are a few cool points in this like great hip mobility and the mantle move he does later. The frog stretch is once again a great one for these type of positions while climbing and tricep training is helpful and often ignored with climbers BUT here is ann important one. We are going to look at his shoulder stability when slightly extended overhead
You can see the inferior and and even the medial border of the scapula protrude off of the thorax as he is engaged. This is a sign of some weakness in the serratus anterior and possibly the rhomboids. We will actually have a really great comparison of this later with someone doing a dynamic movement. But overall, lot’s of cool training tip for this:
Tricep strengthening
Frog stretch
Serratus anterior strengthening with push up plus or plank shoulder taps
General midback strengthening
Climber: Samuel Chow
Climb: Bubblebut
Grade: V7
Specific Notes:
@20 seconds you can see an opposite example of Marcels, good engagement of the shoulder reduces the inferior angle prominence Instead you just see good engagement of the Teres Minor/major, rhomboids, and serratus anterior to keep it close
Training Tip:
Keep those shoulders strong to make movements like that safer. Serratus anterior strengthening such as the Plus of a push up plus can go a long way!
Same thing around the 30 second mark
Climber: Nat Steel Fingers
Climb: American Exotica
Grade:
Specific Notes:
We have to talk about the underclings right? Theta re all over on this climb! This can be really tricky for people because they want to just power through it with the biceps. But, keeping great tension throughout the body is really helpful here. Engaging your midback will take some force out of the shoulders. Keeping your core engaged distributes that force even more. Using your feet to help pull you INTO the wall will also help. Use the entire body to generate tension here, don’t just force your biceps brachii, brachialis, and forearms to do all the work here.
Training Tip:
Practice underclings while creating tension in your core and midback
You can use a TRX to help with this as well or just find an isolated move on the wall
A really cool move here would be to do a bit of an inverted row but put your hands in an undercling position. Put your feet up on a step or edge and feel the difference when you really engage your feet and hamstrings to pull yourself up!
For an even more advanced setup, grab a couple of rock rings and attach them to your TRX and perform the rows from there
Climber: Jake Love
Climb: Fear of the black hat
Grade: V9
Specific Notes:
Wonderful strength in the left heel that helps him make multiple moves
@36 seconds great shoulder and midback strength helps keep him closer to the wall. Looks like a W position to me!
Training Tip:
Train the heel hooks! Have strong hamstrings! Nordic Hamstring Curls but also Copenhagen planks to train the adductors as well
Scapular Retraction with External Rotation @45-90 degrees of abduction AKA W’s (similar to face pulls but elbows a little lower)
Climber: Connor
Climb: Red Wave
Grade: V10
Specific Notes:
Contact strength! Way to resist that elongation of the tissue :)
Also, look at that fantastic overshoot! Nice bent elbow really helps keep everything engaged and the muscles stronger and more efficient!
Let’s not neglect those triceps too, folks. That top out with the lock off, people forget that it is really helpful to train triceps to get that last pull and into that push!
Training Tip:
Simple tricep pull downs perhaps on a single leg balancing to force more core engagement
Contact strength
Overshooting dynos
Climber: Amanda Jaramilla
Climb: Monkey Trench
Grade: V10
Specific Notes:
Good energy conservation in the beginning, moving smoothly but quickly, while also keeping arms more extended
Minimal time readjusting on holds. This seems very rehearsed and that she has the beta locked in
Great use of the right toe and hip mobility to help keep her closer to the wall
I believe the left hand is a bit of a pocket
Training Tip:
Train for the climb you want to do. This involves a pocket like hold so use it in your training to prepare and set yourself up for success
Climber: Jorge Loredo Duran
Climb: Sleepwalker
Grade: V16
Specific Notes:
Keep trying bro, dream big,
Disclaimer:
As always, exercises are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting new exercises.
Written and Presented by Jason Hooper, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CAFS
IG: @hoopersbetaofficial
Filming and Editing by Emile Modesitt
www.emilemodesitt.com
IG: @emile166
