Reader Jonas posted:
I’ve got friends who are into climbing. Most of them are skeptical against non-specific strength training: they feel it would add bulk.
The strength training that they do is focused on the upper-body, and using the campus board for finger strength. I think they would frown upon the Squat.
I’ve gotten the impression that most climbers have the opinion that the best training for climbing is climbing.
Reader Patmanpato replied:
I believe strength training in the gym is only productive once you’ve reached a certain level in your sport. Just my observation of others and experiences with various martial arts and strength training.
As for needing to work lower body for rock climbing… unless you’re very unfit, it’s not as important as upper body.
Strength Training for Sports. Years ago, coaches believed the best way to train for a sport was doing that sport. Today they know better. You learn a lot about how athletes train by looking at their physiques, compare:
- Pele vs. Ronaldo
- Carl Lewis vs. Ben Johnson
- John McEnroe vs. Rafael Nadal
Ben Johnson did Squats with 620lbs at 200lbs body-weight. Tiger Woods Bench Press 300lbs. Check out Rafael Nadal's arm & leg development.
Rafael Nadal. Image credit: rickydiver78
The Squat. Power comes from the hips. Your core helps power transfer. The Squat builds hip & core strength. Both are critical in sports.
- Volleyball. Lauren plays Volleyball professionally. She does Overhead Squats, Power Cleans, Bench Press, etc.
- MMA. Fighters on Sherdog recommend Squats & Deadlifts for overall body strength & development.
- Gymnastics. James from BeastSkills lifts weights. His personal bests: 375lbs Squat, 450lbs Deadlift & 285lbs Bench Press.
Climbing. Experience climbers will recommend you to move your feet before moving your arms. You'll wear out too fast if you use your arms solely. You need to climb using your bigger & stronger muscles: the legs.
You can't always use your legs, so you need finger & Pull-up strength. But neglecting leg strength is playing half the field. Squats are your friend. They won't get you bulky. Calories do.
