Using that core to keep those hooks in! Photo: Jean Michael Auffant









I have a confession: I hate working out my core. For whatever reason, I find it to be pretty damn miserable. It’s boring, hard, repetitive, and, worst of all, so important for climbing! I have had many experiences where the difference between sending or not came down to my core. We all know, as a rule, how important footwork is when it comes to climbing. What we think about less, perhaps, is how important your core is to your footwork.





This is especially true when climbing steep stuff. If you have ever found yourself unable to keep your feet on a steep climb, that’s core. If you have ever had to stab more than once to get a foot back on after cutting feet, that’s core. If you have ever been unable get your foot out far for that toe/heel hook, that’s core. If you have ever found yourself too stretched out in a roof to move your feet, that’s core. Like it or not, as climbers, we need our cores to be strong.





To that end, here are some tips for working your core, both terms of the exercises themselves and of how to break up the monotony of it:





Timed Rotations

I used to do my core workouts like I lifted weights, by doing sets of reps. This was fine and all, but I eventually found that, on days I was not motivated, I wouldn’t be as likely to get as many reps in. I’d get to 6 or 8 and say, “Screw it, that’ll do.” The fact is, however, that didn’t do.

Switching to timed rotations, I found that I was more likely to get a more complete core workout, evidenced by my aching abs the next day. For some reason, the fact of a countdown makes me push myself a little harder. Also, with timed exercises, you can pause for a breath or two and jump back in, further engaging and breaking down tired muscles so that they will come back stronger.

These are pretty simple. Find an app on your phone (search “Tabata Timer” on whatever store you use) that allows you to set a specific number of timed intervals. I usually pick 4 exercises and do them each 3 times for 30 seconds, which comes out to a total of 6 minutes. It is important that the exercises you choose can be switched quickly and easily, that way you don’t waste time moving from one to the next. Do all four exercises, following your timer, in succession, and then repeat the cycle again twice more. I do two of these every session; the first is always moving exercises, such as leg lifts or mountain climbers. My second rotation is always static, like planks. When these become too easy, see number four, or increase the time intervals.





Work Core into Other Exercises

One thing I have learned recently is that you can find ways to work core while doing almost any climbing based exercise. The virtue of this is that they are more fun since they involve climbing related movement, and we all love that. There are a number of different ways to do this; here are just a few:

L-Hangs During Pull Ups 1.L-Hangs During Pull Ups

Easy enough to do: try and hold an L-hang as you do any of your pull up exercises. a.Easy enough to do: try and hold an L-hang as you do any of your pull up exercises.

Dynamic Climbing 2.Dynamic Climbing

Jumping and holding swings depends heavily on your core to control your body as it flies. Pick climbs, in the gym or outside, that require jumps and focus on trying to minimize your swing as much as possible. Better yet, get in the gym and just make up the craziest jumps you can fathom. a.Jumping and holding swings depends heavily on your core to control your body as it flies. Pick climbs, in the gym or outside, that require jumps and focus on trying to minimize your swing as much as possible. Better yet, get in the gym and just make up the craziest jumps you can fathom.

Cutting Feet While Climbing 3.Cutting Feet While Climbing

This is called the hang-around drill, which I have mentioned in a previous post. All you do is cut your feet every time you move a hand. The act of holding the swing and putting your feet back on makes for a great core workout. a.This is called the hang-around drill, which I have mentioned in a previous post. All you do is cut your feet every time you move a hand. The act of holding the swing and putting your feet back on makes for a great core workout.

Climbing Roofs 4.Climbing Roofs

Having to keep your feet on while climbing in a roof engages the core. By actively spending more time in the cave at your gym, you’ll be getting a core workout without having to suffer through a million crunches. a.Having to keep your feet on while climbing in a roof engages the core. By actively spending more time in the cave at your gym, you’ll be getting a core workout without having to suffer through a million crunches.

Using bad feet on purpose 5.Using bad feet on purpose

Big feet make it easy keep your foot on the wall and requires less body tension to do so. On the flip side, bad feet, footholds you can’t really “grab” at with your shoes, require your core to stay engaged. Look for steep climbs with bad feet to work your core this way. In order to really use bad feet at a steep angle, you’ll have to engage your core, thereby strengthening it while, at the same time, getting yourself used to the generally worse feet you find outside. a.Big feet make it easy keep your foot on the wall and requires less body tension to do so. On the flip side, bad feet, footholds you can’t really “grab” at with your shoes, require your core to stay engaged. Look for steep climbs with bad feet to work your core this way. In order to really use bad feet at a steep angle, you’ll have to engage your core, thereby strengthening it while, at the same time, getting yourself used to the generally worse feet you find outside.





Core Partner

This one seems obvious, but it never occurred to me until recently. Training is almost always better with a partner. It is much easier to motivate and push when someone else is there suffering with you. Recently, my girlfriend and I started doing our core workouts together, and they are quite a bit of fun now. They still suck, and we still suffer, but we suffer through it together by encouraging one another and by having fun with it.





Change It Up

If you look online for core exercises, you’re going to find a million options. Try them all! Changing things up serves two purposes: first, new exercises are fun because they are novel. Second, new exercises are effective because your body hasn’t adapted to them yet. Also, there are exercises that are a little less conventional but still very effective. Things like hands stands and balance-based yoga poses can be a lot of fun to work on and will serve to strengthen parts of your core not touched by more straightforward movements. As climbers, we engage our entire bodies, and we should strive to do that in our core training as well.







