Counter muscle exercises

What counter-muscle strength training do you do to help prevent or treat climbing related injuries?

I've been climbing around 2 years, and only recently my shoulders have been tweaked (front-upper area) - likely from going to the bouldering gym 2-3 days/week for the past couple of months. Talking to another climber at the Southern Sun the other evening (MP.com beer night) - he suggested push-ups and vertical-presses (not sure what the correct term is where you bench press but push the weight above your head while sitting or standing).

Until recently, I hadn't paid attention to strength training - and was instead focusing on improving technique. Though obviously I need to change that now... so I'm curious as to what other all-around counter-weight exercises are recommended for climbing.

I do a 15 minute Pilates workout 3 times a week to help strengthen the core and stretch out my body. The routine also targets the antagonistics, and support muscles (rotator cuff). My wife Lauri's book Pilates for the Outdoor Athlete is an excellent resource for climbers looking for muscle balancing exercises, as well as a quick workout that will strengthen your core. It is a great book and her Pilates for Climbers routines are excellent.

I used to use weights for training antagonistics, but I like my current routine better. It is fast and more effective at warming me up. Also watch the lateral raises, as they tend to really hammer your upper traps if you don't use good form.

Also it sounds like you are probably suffering from a small rotator cuff tear, I would get some therabands and start doing the rotator cuff excercises religiously. Those small muscles can shut your climbing down if you do not take care of them. Good Luck!

push-ups and dips...lots of 'em on a daily basis. Reverse wrist curls work pretty well too.
If you do "Vertical-Presses", be careful...it's easy to injure yourself if you technique isn't "perfect".
To reduce the chance of injury be sure you do them as "Arnold-Presses" it will reduce the chance of injury to your shoulders...:Arnold-Presses" are done in a sitting position, but start with you palms facing you - then as you raise your arms rotate your palms outward so you finish with them facing away from your body.

Thanks Kevin and James! I'll be looking into your suggestions, including Lauri's book - I had considered yoga but Pilates could be really beneficial. -Kateri

I suffered with elbow tendinitis for years and really had to limit training and had to cut many days at the crag short. It was pretty dispiriting and I came pretty close to just giving up climbing a number of times. About five years ago I started doing antagonist muscle exercises seriously, even though I had "known" for years before that they were supposed to be good for preventing problems like tendinitis. I wish I had started way earlier -- they have saved climbing for me.

I never used to be able to boulder, or up the training volume. Multi-day climbing trips were a frustrating balancing act. I'm now able to boulder, train hard three days per week and am finally seeing improvements after a very long (like ten years) plateau.

What exercises? At the did the following, and it made a huge difference:

1. Triceps extensions (either with the gym equipment where you put a v-bar or rope on the cable and straighten your arms with your elbows at your waist or with a free weight and your elbow pointing up to the ceiling).

2. Bench press with free weights.

3. Military or "Arnold Presses" as described above.

4. Reverse wrist curls.

Just like with any exercise routine you have to change it up -- doing the above for five years would be incredibly boring and wouldn't necessarily continue to provide benefit. Lately, thanks to the training program at my local gym, I've been using gymnastics rings to do:

1. Push-ups (you put the rings very close to the ground)

2. "Archers" which are like push ups, but as you lower yourself you extend one arm out the side and then as you push up you gradually bring it back in.

3. Dips.

The rings are strenuous, so don't try them until your injuries are healed, but they are great for shoulder stabilization and core strength.

I can also vouch for the value of Pilates as my wife and have been doing a one hour class once per week for the last year and a half. Again, you have to switch it up, because no matter how a hard a routine is, it'll get easy if you keep doing it, so we've changed levels and recently tried a different instructor and that has made it hard (i.e. beneficial) again. I'll have to pick up Kevin's wife's book.

Best of luck getting and staying healthy! It takes some trial-and-error to find what works for you, but it's worth it.

I would agree with pilates being a great way to strengthen the core - which helps immensely in applying climbing technique, and it's also low impact. But something is to be said for weight training which has the added benefit of strengthening bones (weight-bearing exercises), but can lead to repetitive motion injuries if you don't watch form and switch up exercises.

I definitely try to do triceps, but I find dips to be hard on my shoulders (I make sure not to go below parallel, but it still hurts) - plus I can't do unassisted dips as my triceps are weak. It's sad, I have these big biceps (great for climbing straight in hand cracks), but my triceps are puny - probably why I can't hold on to crimpers very well at my waist level while climbing. I usually do tricep extensions and those dips where you keep your feet on the ground on the edge of a bench. I also do bench press with free weights for chest and reverse wrist curls too. Push ups on the big stability ball are also great for both core and chest.

Good luck! I don't have the same pain as you in the shoulders but I have had them give out while bouldering (I've had them both momentarily dislocated while playing soccer) - but I do get pain in my shoulders when doing some tricep exercises - so be careful.

If you ever want to go climbing - shoot me an email - I'd love to actually climb with other women!

Pilates is a great routine for core strengthening... but, will it really counter-balance the issues in your shoulders? Maybe, but doesn't sound as likely. If I had to guess, I'd guess core strength isn't your issue. Call it a personal hunch. Then again, Kevin's talking about 45 minutes a week.

Maybe it's a genuine shoulder strength (but not muscle mass) issue, or futhermore, a muscle imbalance with pecs/front of the shoulder for a strong back. Massage might help, if you've not had any lately?

Curious... are you stretching before you climb? If not, maybe try some shoulder and pec stretches before your next few sessions... just brainstorming here. If you find that helps, yoga with the right instructor (which is kinda key) will not only help with the flexibility/limberness/posture, but also has the value-added benefit of de-stressing ones mind (!)... I never got that source of relaxation from my short exposure to Pilates, but others might.

-A

I've had awesome success with Pilates and Yoga. While Pilates typically is "core" focused, performing a good routine has the benefit of diverting training time to "balancing" exercises, rather then doing more climbing, which is the cause of the problem to begin with. Often, when presented with the choice of whether to use the alloted time to climb vs. train opposing muscles, stretch, etc., we often tend to choose climbing at the long-term detriment of our overall climbing ability.

If you want a really great yoga routine that is power and tricep/chest focused, and avoids all the renew-age guruism, check out the Power-Yoga (Ashtanga yoga) book by Beryl Bender-Berch. It has a great routine that you can cycle through that will leave you burning.

Another option is to check out the Thera-Band website for the exercises that focus on the rotator cuff. These are great for helping to prevent blown-out shoulders.

Hope this helps!! Happy climbing!!

Kateri,

Many people have given you some great ideas (although I do believe you should be doing lower body strength training as well--wait until you strain a hamstring on a heel hook or sprain an MCL during a drop knee to wonder why I recommend this).

However, many of the recommendations here work just fine for healthy shoulder joints and musculature; BUT-- I would suspect by the location of your pain that you have either a rotator cuff issue or bicipital tendonitis. Pain is commonly felt in the front of the shoulder with RC injuries and with BT. A doctor would need to determine which problem you have. They are often associated to boot--i.e. BT can result due to RC damage.

Most people I see doing rotator cuff exercises on their own with no original instruction from a health care provider or educated trainer do them incorrectly--sometimes profoundly incorrectly. If you don't want this problem to become worse, it would probably be worth your time to visit your doctor and get some instruction from him/her on what you need to do and/or visit a physical therapist once or twice.

If you do, indeed, have RC injuries right now, I would DEFINITELY AVOID doing things suggested like push ups, shoulder presses, front or side raises, dips, and many yoga poses, esp. ones like downward dog. THESE WILL ONLY MAKE YOUR PROBLEMS WORSE until you have sufficiently recovered your shoulder stabilizer strength.

Also, someone suggested stretching before you climb. I definitely DISAGREE--especially if you have a rotator cuff injury!!! First of all, stretching injured tendons will serve to make your problems WORSE by further de-stabilizing your joint and damaging your connective tissue. Secondly, I never recommend people stretch before climbing (or any other performance activity) anyway--the majority of the literature coming out in the last 5+ years shows strong evidence that people suffer profound DECREASES IN POWER AND STRENGTH when they stretch prior to physical activities. Stretching healthy tissue should be reserved for post-activity periods.

Don't get rutted in thinking rotator cuff injuries just "go away"; like a bad nightmare, they come back again and again w/out treatment. Good luck.

*** wrote: I've been climbing around 2 years, and only recently my shoulders have been tweaked (front-upper area)

I had the exact same problem, mine was BT. And as stated above exercise can futher damage your shoulder. I strongly recommend you stop climbing for at least six weeks, I did and it really helped. I didn't start with counter muscle exercise till after the six weeks. Also, part of my problem was that i needed to lose about 5 or more pounds(you couldn't tell by looking at me). So i focused on cardio during my break(lots of hiking with and with out a weighted pack & jogging), lost a little weight, and then slowly got back into climbing while doing some LIGHT weight training. It has been over a month since the 6 week break and I feel stronger than ever. As hard as it is for climbers to rest, it is probably the best thing for it.

Oh, and defiantly go see a Doc and I agree with throwing pilates into your plan.

Couldn't add anything useful, except to be careful.

Case in point: My right shoulder blade is currently loose (due to climbing, weird story), and inhibiting my right arm's strength. Since not climbing has never been an option for me, I've been trying to compensate for my injury with my left arm, which has, naturally, led to a fun new pain in that shoulder as well.

If I had taken the time to heal in September and fore-go the rest of the climbing season last fall, I'm pretty sure I would have been fine by now. However, I thought I could just put less pressure/force/weight on my right arm and use my left arm instead...and now I've really got a problem on my hands...shoulders...arms...haha

This is just to say, be careful not to over-do things, thinking you aren't really injured that badly, as I had presumed. Physical therapy may be a good option if you're recommended to it, because they can help you develop your strength and you'll have consistent advice from a professional.

Thanks to everyone for your input. I'm taking a couple weeks off from the bouldering gym and will see a doctor. When the timing is right I'll be working on yoga/pilates/counter-muscle strengthening/PT - whatever it takes. I really didn't anticipate shoulder issues since my arms have always been kinda beefy for a woman my size, I'm not overweight, and I've been climbing consistently rather than just throwing myself gung-ho into bouldering. Perhaps this is a good time to focus on leggy sports like hiking & snowshoeing (which my dogs will appreciate). -Kateri

*** wrote:I really didn't anticipate shoulder issues since my arms have always been kinda beefy for a woman my size, I'm not overweight, and I've been climbing consistently rather than just throwing myself gung-ho into bouldering.

Yeah, unfortunately these kind of preconceptions really have nothing to do with why people get rotator cuff injuries, impingement syndromes, bicipital tendonitis, shoulder bursitis, and so on. Rather, they are a function of overuse, especially in overhead athletes (which climbers are, although not in the traditional sense we think of), sometimes there is a lack of good, general, all around conditioning and fitness in the joint musculature, anatomical predispositions, and there is always a fundamental strength ratio imbalance between the joint's stabilizers and the joint's primary movers--which has nothing to do with your weight, arm size, etc.

Word, chica--go have fun with da dogs!

Eyes Of Green wrote:I never recommend people stretch before climbing (or any other performance activity) anyway--the majority of the literature coming out in the last 5+ years shows strong evidence that people suffer profound DECREASES IN POWER AND STRENGTH when they stretch prior to physical activities. Stretching healthy tissue should be reserved for post-activity periods.

These words have been stuck in my head the last few days! I find it hard to believe that stretching before any activity would be discouraged. By no means am I an expert in this area, but I stretch 1-2 times/day, regardless of but always before and after climbing, strength or aerobic exercise, though I do like to warm up a little first. Maybe it's just the wear & tear accured through the ages (no longer "healthy" tissue?), but my body tells me it appreciates it greatly! I feel energized and ready to move after stretching because I have worked out the little aches & kinks in muscles that clearly would leave me less able to execute a particular movement.

If there is a decrease in power & strenghth, I wonder how significant it really is, if it is offset by a gain in flexible muscles that are ready to work, and because of this, are less likely to be injured?

Any thoughts?

Eyes Of Green wrote:I never recommend people stretch before climbing (or any other performance activity) anyway--the majority of the literature coming out in the last 5+ years shows strong evidence that people suffer profound DECREASES IN POWER AND STRENGTH when they stretch prior to physical activities. Stretching healthy tissue should be reserved for post-activity periods.

NjC wrote: These words have been stuck in my head the last few days! I find it hard to believe that stretching before any activity would be discouraged. By no means am I an expert in this area, but I stretch 1-2 times/day, regardless of but always before and after climbing, strength or aerobic exercise, though I do like to warm up a little first. Maybe it's just the wear & tear accured through the ages (no longer "healthy" tissue?), but my body tells me it appreciates it greatly! I feel energized and ready to move after stretching because I have worked out the little aches & kinks in muscles that clearly would leave me less able to execute a particular movement. If there is a decrease in power & strenghth, I wonder how significant it really is, if it is offset by a gain in flexible muscles that are ready to work, and because of this, are less likely to be injured? Any thoughts?

I'm also a little perplexed by E of G's comments. Perhaps the issue has to do with stretching to prepare muscles and joints for activity vs. stretching to increase range of motion...? I would agree that stretching when completely cold could be a problem, even to the point of causing acute injury, but I also feel like light stretching is OK after about 10 minutes or so of some kind of warm-up (e.g., light jogging). However, heavy stretching to improve range of motion should probably be reserved for the end of the activity, as suggested by E of G. Any thoughts E...?

Hi NjC and Richard,

Yes, whenever I make statements like these, it's very, very difficult for people to accept since for so long we have been told and believed that stretching prevents injury and makes for a good "warm up" somehow. But, unfortunately, flexibility science is one of the least researched topics in the exercise science realm; therefore, as more studies are finally getting funded and carried out, the evidence has begun confounding such long held beliefs! (which, apparently, were based on virtually nothing all these years--since they probably originated long before research into stretching even began!)

However, many individual studies + a recent meta-analysis now strongly point to the following evidence:

1) Static stretching does zero to prepare a body for physical activity--it is NOT a warm up

2) Static stretching prior to physical activities that involve muscular strength and/or power outputs actually DECREASES performance

3) Static ranges of motion do not appear to correlate with an individual's dynamic flexibility, although the relationship (or lack of) is not well understood

4) Static stretching does not appear to prevent injury in most sports

This is not to say static stretching is useless or unnecessary. I still do it myself and recommend it, but I only do it after aerobic activities when my muscles are very warm but I have already cooled down (i.e. heart rate is resting).

Athletes tend to see the best performance when they engage in a dynamic, multi-planar warm up that progresses in intensity and which includes dynamic stretching only, not static stretching. (Endurance athletes who perform in primarily single planes of movement [like runners, cyclists, and swimmers] may not typically need to warm up in the same kinds of drills used by athletes in more complex and multi-dimensional movements).

NjC wrote: If there is a decrease in power & strenghth, I wonder how significant it really is, if it is offset by a gain in flexible muscles that are ready to work, and because of this, are less likely to be injured?

It can be SIGNIFICANT--up to 10% decrease in power output!!

No, it is not offset by any flexibility gains. No, there is no evidence that it has a protective effect against injury. There is little evidence to suggest that stretching before activity increases measurable flexibility over the long term, anyway. Further, static stretching in no way increases blood flow to the muscle or increases core body temperature or heart rate--all of which are signs the body is "ready to work."

Light stretching after a warm up may be reasonable if you are planning to do rhythmic, aerobic-type exercise. Otherwise, I would forego it and do a better, more comprehensive warm up that mainly includes dynamic stretching. (Most people don't think of dynamic stretching as "stretching," however, although technically it is.)

Hope that helps explain things a bit better! =)

Eyes Of Green wrote:as more studies are finally getting funded and carried out, the evidence has begun confounding such long held beliefs! (which, apparently, were based on virtually nothing all these years--since they probably originated long before research into stretching even began!) However, many individual studies + a recent meta-analysis now strongly point to the following evidence: 1) Static stretching does zero to prepare a body for physical activity--it is NOT a warm up 2) Static stretching prior to physical activities that involve muscular strength and/or power outputs actually DECREASES performance 3) Static ranges of motion do not appear to correlate with an individual's dynamic flexibility, although the relationship (or lack of) is not well understood 4) Static stretching does not appear to prevent injury in most sports

So, I am curious to learn more about this -- as it contraticts what we were raised to believe. In some aspects, it also contradicts some of the proposed benefits of long-term stretching such as yoga.

Can you cite the sources so we can locate and read the articles ourselves?

Yes, I'd love a reference to some of these studies, too.

Also, I find myself confused with the terminology, ie, how would you define static vs. dynamic multi-planar stretching, and Richard, your differentiation between light and heavy stretching.

If stretching does not promote increased flexibility, what does? And why is it people who stretch often can demonstrate much more flexibility than those who do not.

And why am I able to relieve little muscle aches by gently stretching? Again, when I stretch out the tight spots after a light warm up, I feel less pain and more fluid in my movements, whatever they may be.

It's an interesting topic and I appreciate the responses!

NjC wrote:...and Richard, your differentiation between light and heavy stretching.

What I meant was that "light" is when you gently and repetitively move a joint through its range of motion, but without trying to extend its range of motion. I think this is what EoG means by "dynamic" stretching. Imagine rolling your hands around before climbing or doing gentle "windmills" with your entire arm. There's a similar thing I do with my knees before running which seems to really help my abused knees quite a lot. I think the idea is to get the juices flowing, so to speak, to prepare the joint for what's to come. "Heavy" stretching is what I think EoG means by "static" stretching; i.e., when you're doing the touch-your-toes kind of thing to improve range of motion, and which should be done only when your body is pretty warm.

Avery Nelson wrote: So, I am curious to learn more about this -- as it contraticts what we were raised to believe. In some aspects, it also contradicts some of the proposed benefits of long-term stretching such as yoga. Can you cite the sources so we can locate and read the articles ourselves?

Avery, are the proposed benefits of long term yoga things objectively studied or things espoused by people who have a vested interest in people doing more yoga? Most of the studies I've seen on yoga have to do with its effects on management of chronic illness, not sport performance. Likewise, most of the benefits I've seen advertised are by people who make their living somehow through yoga. (Not saying it doesn't have benefits, however.)

Njc wrote:Also, I find myself confused with the terminology, ie, how would you define static vs. dynamic multi-planar stretching

Static stretching is just what it sounds like: you hold a stretch statically for x amount of time. What most people think of as "stretching," in other words.

Dynamic stretching involves moving a joint dynamically through its range of motion. For instance, dynamically stretching your shoulder could involve swinging it (in a controlled manner) into furthest flexion and extension, horizontal abduction and adduction, etc. Another example-- a common dynamic stretching technique used to complete the warm up of professional baseball players is the tin soldier drill (which I also use when warming up my lower body to lift in the gym): walking while extending each leg like a tin soldier during the step forward. This is a dynamic stretch for the hamstrings and calves (and glutes to some degree)--an excellent way to prepare the body for explosive power output involving the lower body but w/out the detrimental effects a static stretch to the hamstrings would cause.

Dynamic multi-planar warm up drills are those which do not just utilize one plane of motion (jogging or biking are examples of non-multi-planar warm ups). Since many sports and exercises require us to move our joints not just front to back, but also side to side and in twisting (transverse) motions, we need to give them a similar warm up for optimal performance. Joints have receptors that monitor "where they are in space" in order to provide us with our kinesthetic awareness. They seem to provide better feedback to our brains when we provide them with initial stimulus in multiple planes of movement. Climbers already often do extremely specific, multi-planar warm ups unconsciously by climbing easy, "warm up" routes before they get down to business. Unless a route is a jug haul, they will probably have done movements in their warm up route that include moving straight up, moving sideways, and twisting--wah la! Multi-planar.

Additionally, there are other types of stretching which are more complex like proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, contract/relax/agonist contract (CRAC), etc., but I won't get into that! ;-)

NjC wrote: If stretching does not promote increased flexibility, what does? And why is it people who stretch often can demonstrate much more flexibility than those who do not.

Stretching appears to promote flexibility when it is done as a separate activity with time and focus put on it, esp. after the muscles have become warm and pliable. Stretching "cold" muscles results in virtually no change in long term resting length of the muscle. Stretching muscles when they are very warm (i.e. why I do it after cardio workouts) and as a separate activity unto itself is what research tends to find promotes long term flexibility, i.e. long term changes in resting muscle length. When I stretch after a workout with the goal as being just to stretch, you better believe I put a lot more time and effort into it than what I see people do when they use it as a so-called warm up.

NjC wrote: And why am I able to relieve little muscle aches by gently stretching? Again, when I stretch out the tight spots after a light warm up, I feel less pain and more fluid in my movements, whatever they may be.

Stretching typically always feel good, regardless of whether it actually improves your performance in whatever activity you're doing directly afterwards. And its effects on muscle pain are not the same as my initial point--in fact, they are totally separate topics. However, if you don't care about possible performance decrements and you like how pre-activity stretching makes you feel, it's unlikely to harm you. However, consider that perhaps your warm up routine is sub-optimal and, if you were to have a different or better one, you would feel just as fluid and energized, while still maintaining your stretching routine post-activity for its additional benefits on muscle tension/aches.

I will provide you guys with some links later once I have the time to locate them!

Those clarifications are helpful, but also new thinking for me (which translates into I'm interested but need to learn a little more and apply it to my situation). Some dynamic or light stretching movements were actually passed on to me recently as a pre-climbing routine. Stretching for pain or tight muscles does make sense as an different objective.

To the person who posted and deleted the post: You may have re-thought the how or what of the thoughts posted, and I respect that, but there were a couple concepts thrown out I had wanted to google and didn't take the time to write them down.

If anyone has other thoughts, opinions, references, or specific pre-climb routines, I'd love to hear about them!