Top 12 WORST Exercises for Climbers (THAT EVERYONE DOES!)
Hooper’s Beta Ep. 116
INTRODUCTION
In general I never want to discourage people from trying things out or doing the exercises they love. But, if your goal with training is specifically to get better at climbing, there are some common exercises that I do recommend you avoid.
So we made a list of our top 12 worst exercises for climbers and ranked them from “probably not ideal” to “actually terrible.”
The purpose of this list is not to discourage anyone, but to help you identify “dead weights” in your training that may be working against you and your goals.
Plus, for each one, we’ll recommend some better alternatives!
PROBABLY NOT IDEAL
A = there are better alternatives out there
B = this exercise is biomechanically poor
F = this exercise is not that functional for climbers
Coming in at #12, a two-for-one: kettlebell swings & snatches.
12. Kettlebell Swings & Snatches (F, mild A, Possibly B?)
Why: I see these aaalll the time at the gym as they’re popular for getting your heart rate up, engaging large muscles, building some core strength, developing a mild amount of hip thrust power, and burning calories. So why are they on this list? Remember, our goal here is to do things that will make us better at climbing, not general fitness. These kettlebell exercises will tire us out quickly, but not in a way that’s all that similar to climbing. While the hip thrust powering the weight up is semi-useful for climbing, the lowering component is mostly a non-specific, rapid (and sometimes uncontrolled) eccentric hip hinge that is often taught as an “introductory” move. In my opinion, there are far more efficient alternatives that are more functional for climbers and a little less risky too.
Alternative: Inverted rows would be a great choice instead. It works the posterior chain, something we rely heavily on in climbing, in a way we can easily see reproduced on the wall. You can slow it down to work on strength, or you can still speed it up to work on a bit more power. Overall a much better functional alternative.
11. Deadlifts (mildly A, mildly F?)
Why: The deadlift is one of my favorite exercises! It’s great for making a lot of noise in a quiet gym, getting swole, impressing weak smoll passerbyers, and filming sick IG reels! But seriously, deadlifts actually are great for building posterior chain strength and coordination and may have a positive hormonal effect. The reason they’re on this list is because they can be tricky to incorporate into your training. Intense, compound exercises like the deadlift can be very fatiguing. Though it’s more functional for climbers than kettlebell swings (in my opinion), deadlifting still suffers from the problem of using up valuable resources that are frequently better spent in other areas, like finger strength or pull-up strength.
Alternative: Rather than provide an alternative, I would actually recommend you just use deadlifts wisely. If you notice significant climbing gains, by all means, deadlift away! If you want to use them to simply increase posterior chain activation and awareness, do lighter-weight deadlifts to avoid massive recovery time. If you’re mainly concerned with hamstring strength, Romanian deadlifts are a simpler, less resource-intensive variation. But if you’re doing deadlifts without a specific purpose or because they feel like a gnarly workout, you might want to reconsider if, you know, climbing harder is your ultimate goal.
10. Bench Press (A, mild F)
Why: The bench press is another fantastic exercise in general and can be a great antagonist activity for climbers if you really want to hone in on that chest and tricep push strength. However, there is an alternative exercise that still works those muscles but adds in some useful shoulder stability training, and is more functional for climbing.
Alternative: Tricep dips on Olympic rings would be my recommended alternative for most climbers. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a vendetta against the bench press. I just prefer tricep dips for climbers because they’re a modified closed chain activity and because the movement is more similar to what we encounter on the wall (think mantles, stems, large vertical spans, etc.).
9. Single Arm External Rotation in Neutral Position (A)
Why: There’s nothing inherently wrong with this exercise, except that there are far more interesting, efficient, and functional alternatives for improving external rotation strength.
Alternative: I recommend bilateral external rotation with scapular retraction. This will work both arms simultaneously while focusing on healthy scapular mechanics. You can then progress it by bringing the arms up to ~45 degrees and doing a W exercise, or take it up another notch by performing it at 90 degrees of abduction, which emulates the demands of climbing on our shoulders even more!
8. Bicep Curls (A, B)
Why: You obviously want to have strong biceps for climbing, how else are you supposed to do your celebratory one-arm fist pump hang off the top of the proj when you finish? While doing bicep curls in isolation may not be a bad thing, I simply want to offer a potentially more efficient and functional method for climbers who don’t have the time, energy, or patience to train tons of muscles in isolation.
Alternative: Do chin-ups! You’ll still get a solid bicep workout in AND all the other benefits such as increased activation of the core, lats, and rotator cuff muscles. Nice!
REALLY NOT ADVISED
Okay, moving on to the next level: these exercises are really not advised if you’re trying to get better at climbing.
7. Situps/Crunches (A, B)
Why: This is such a common misconception in climbing because it’s easy to confuse “ab strength” with “core strength.” In reality, ab-only exercises will not do much to help your climbing, nor will they magically unlock a front lever for you (that’s your lats). Yes, abs are important for lifting your legs up, but for keeping tension on footholds and not cutting feet in the cave, you want posterior-chain strength (calves, hamstrings, glutes, lats, low traps, etc.).
Alternative: There will be a few posterior chain recommendations in this video, so instead of putting another one here I’m going to recommend plank mountain climbers. I’m not saying this is the best exercise ever, but if you reeeaaally want to work on those abs, this is a better way to do it in my opinion because you’ll get hip flexor and core activation which will help when you need to get those feet up high on the wall.
6. High Face Rows (A)
Why: This one is easy peasy so let’s just fly though it. High face rows will get you some mid-trap strength, but by making a small change you can get so much more out of this, it’s a no-brainer!
Alternative: Do face pulls instead! You’ll hit that rotator cuff for added external rotation strength (something we need a lot of in climbing!) and you’ll still get great mid-trap activation as well! Plus, they are clearly quite functional for climbers! And as an added benefit, you’ll instantly become my friend if you also love face pulls.
5. Standard Plank (A)
Why: As a PT I love approachable exercises that are closed chain and engage multiple muscle groups for my patients and climbers alike. But for getting better at climbing, planks might be too approachable. [Joke scene about Jason planking for 9 hours while Emile and Anna leave.] Basically, planks are just not convenient to overload and don’t target climbing weaknesses very effectively.
Alternative: Rather than recommend a single alternative to planks, I think it’s better to just ask yourself what you were trying to accomplish with planks in the first place. If it was core strength, or if you were under the impression that this would help you with your overhanging project, you might want to reconsider now that you know you need more posterior chain strength to keep you on the wall. If it was for a bit of shoulder stability with the bonus of core strength, I recommend some BOSU push-ups with a plus instead. And if you’re just doing it because it seems tiring, remember that doesn’t necessarily mean it will help you with your climbing.
PLEASE DON’T
On to the next section. These exercises are not only kinda lame for climbers, they also come with some level of biomechanical risk.
4. Behind the Neck Overhead Press (B, A, F)
Why: Aside from the possibility of dropping the bar on your spine, or straining your neck awkwardly, what’s the issue? You’re fighting your own anatomy. You’re often slightly flexed forward in the upper part of your spine, but the shoulder position of this exercise requires extension of that region of the spine. So you’re trying to flex your spine while your shoulders want to extend it. This sets you up for problems when done repeatedly.
Alternative: A great alternative is an Arnold press or modified Arnold press. The rotation improves the mechanics but also helps to cue scapular retraction. Scapular retraction, in case you didn’t know, is essential for a healthy overhead press. It increases lower trap activation which improves the biomechanics and accomplishes the goal of strengthening the shoulders in a safer, overhead pressing motion.
3. Shoulder Shrugs (F, mildly B)
Why: These are great for training the upper traps, levator scap, and deltoids. This is fantastic if you’re protecting your head from impacts, such as with American football or rugby. But, the upper traps and levator scap are definitely not a source of weakness in climbing. In fact, over-engagement of those muscles can lead to problematic compensations during scapular retraction and even the dreaded “earmuffs” while climbing hard.
Alternative: You don’t need an alternative for shrugs because you don’t need to do them. Buuttttt if you were using them to train the deltoids, do shoulder scaption with resistance instead. That will also get the supraspinatus involved and the biomechanics are slightly better than standard delt raises.
2. Tricep Dips on Bench (B, A)
Why: This variation of dips is just…. Not ideal. It’s typically chosen because it’s an easier variation than full body weight dips on Olympic rings or dip bars, but it places the shoulders in extreme degrees of shoulder extension, which places excessive stress on the anterior capsule of your shoulder and can cause shoulder pain or mobility issues over time. Not good!
Alternative: Instead, do the dips on rings or bars but remove some weight if needed with either a band or pulley. This variation allows you to get your chest further forward which reduces the amount of extension during the movement.
ACTUALLY TERRIBLE
Last but not least, we finally arrive at the one common exercise I see that I truly believe is terrible for climbers. That honor goes to:
1. Upright Rows (B, A, F)
Why: These exercises nearly place you in the same position we use to test for subacromial pain or impingement. In other words, this position is used in the rehab world to actually provoke pain. Why? Because you’re elevating the shoulder while also forcing it to internally rotate. This won’t necessarily cause you immediate pain or injury when you do it, but if you repeatedly compress that subacromial space you’re going to eventually create an issue. Why would you want to incorporate that into your training? On top of that, it’s just not functional for climbers, so it’s a total lose-lose exercise.
Alternative: If you were trying to target your upper traps with this exercise, you hopefully know now that’s not a good idea for climbers. If you were targeting deltoids, do scaption. Or… just do face pulls! And finally, if you don’t know why you were doing them, that’s totally fine, because now you know! And making mistakes along the way is all part of the learning process.
CONCLUSION
Do you agree with this list or did we miss something? Did this video make you rethink any of the exercises you’ve been doing? I’d love to hear your thoughts and personal experiences down in the comments.
Also, if you haven’t seen Anna’s YouTube channel and Instagram yet, I highly recommend you check it out for quality climbing fun.
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
