Using core

I hear a lot about using your core while climbing, but I haven’t been able to find much about what this actually means or how to implement this while climbing. Does anybody have any good training tips or ways to think about this while climbing? It seems kind of counter intuitive, especially on stuff that is less steep.
thanks
ash

Ashley - just a few items maybe to get your own creative juices flowing.

Body tension is created using your core, ALL of your core - including your back. Body tension can make all sorts of moves easier (think of lifting a person who is completely limp vs. a person who is able to help)

You can also use your core to change your body's center of gravity. This is a big concept, and can make an impossible move easy as pie. If you move your center of gravity such that your base of stability is larger, the move becomes easier. You see the good climbers do it all the time when they turn thier hips in towards the wall on the steep or overhung, or push thier stomach directly against the rock (using thier core)

See: The Self Coached Climber for more (a LOT more) info on these ideas

Helpful?

Great thanks!
does that mean actually touching the rock with your hips/stomach, or just being close?

yes, using your core whilst climbing typically means you want to utilize your stomach and back muscles as extra sources of friction. So learning to crimp with your belly button, or "palm down" on a sloper with your lower back/sacrum are two skills you'll want to first practice in the gym before taking to your local crag.

germsauce wrote:yes, using your core whilst climbing typically means you want to utilize your stomach and back muscles as extra sources of friction. So learning to crimp with your belly button, or "palm down" on a sloper with your lower back/sacrum are two skills you'll want to first practice in the gym before taking to your local crag.

The one example I can think of off the top of my head is smearing on steep slab. Often your feet can't carry the full weight of your body and you have to pull some crazy little crimp or nubbin with your finger tips to take weight off or change the direction of forces at your feet. This basically requires that your whole body is almost rigid to be able to transfer force from fingertips to toes. Moving from these kinds of positions is really slow and delicate. I feel sore in my core after climbing this kind of route.