Training for high-stepping

Do you? How?

I've started using an adjustable step that my gym has. Set it fairly high, try to rock onto it and stand up from a deep one-legged squat. Can't quite do it under just the leg's power, yet.

Yoga

Simon sez do TWO steps when you go up stairs.

Shorter legs are a help! Sorry, short Old lady couldn't resist.

Are you facing the step, or sideways! I think the latter comes up far more often. I don't quite have it, yet, where the leg can power on up there, but if I can leverage just anything at all...: )

What has helped me a lot is spending time every indoor gym session doing traverses, but the sort where your side faces the wall. Basically take a "walk" along a stretch of the wall, then do it "walking" backwards. Helps the feet work with the side, too, which is just where those high steps seem to end up once I'm facing a wall and trying to go up. Again, though, leg out front, leg to the side...

I'm really new and this is just my two cents, hope it's useful. Very best, H.

I tap the lower foot against the wall as I crank up.

On gym walls, it can be fairly loud, but that's the way I like it (keeps the belayer attentive).

In general, unless I have a good hold above, the hand on the same side of the body as the high step is kept low, near the foot. In fact, you can often put that hand right on the high foot to help you crank up.

3 little steps are usually better than a high step for those who don't have short legs

Front squats with a pause at the bottom. Deadlifts on a short plyo box so you can go lower than you would standing on the ground.

Pistol squat on a balance board.

kevin neville wrote:Do you? How? I've started using an adjustable step that my gym has. Set it fairly high, try to rock onto it and stand up from a deep one-legged squat. Can't quite do it under just the leg's power, yet.

Two thoughts:

1) Be careful not to injure yourself trying to do this. I remember, way back, that you can tear something in your knee (meniscus?) pushing too hard with a fully bent knee. I'd also recommend starting from a less-deep position so you can actually complete a dozen reps so you can build strength gradually.

2) It's not clear to me at all WHY you want this ability. In every case I've ever encountered there's always something to help you stand up. Bumping the other foot (Jon N), mini-mantle, using your calf to bounce, smearing your palm, etc.

If you spend a month in the Gunks you will become a high stepping master.

If it's a strength and body mechanics issue rather than skill I like pistol squats

A friend of mine is very good at this. Apparently he does lots of one legged squats to train for skiing.

Toby Burgess wrote:A friend of mine is very good at this. Apparently he does lots of one legged squats to train for skiing.

Yes - it really is about strength.
The balance and technique will come easily if you first have the strength.
. (and my first reason for doing one-legged squats was skiing).

What I do is vary both resistance (weight) and range-of-motion distance. Actually I think RoM is more important.
I do it at home with body-weight and extra weights in a backpack (not with machines or equipment at a gym).

Ken

P.S. Life is full of trade-offs ...
If you do one-legged squats seriously, you might develop extra mass in your leg muscles (or maybe not much: depends on your personal biochemistry). It has been suggested to me that I could climb harder if I lost some muscle mass in my legs. I love skiing (both uphill and downhill and skating), so I have no intention of doing this.

Brush you teeth with a foot on the counter.

Turn your hips toward the high step.

Stretch more.

I like deadlifts. I think you can go with high weights on deadlifts and squats without gaining a pound if you keep the reps low. 5 reps max. Check out the 5x5 protocol on Strong Lifts.

John Byrnes wrote: 1) Be careful not to injure yourself trying to do this. I remember, way back, that you can tear something in your knee (meniscus?) pushing too hard with a fully bent knee...build strength gradually.

Yes, definitely be careful. I like to go into a deep pistol squat on a shorter plyo box, so that i can have my other leg on the floor guiding it. then, when i have enough leverage, i can fully use the leg on the box. this way, you can choose whether or not to use the leg, or if you lose balance, its right there to help so you dont fall, land on a hand, etc.

video to help with progression

youtu.be/HmUHIhX50iM

from this website...
gmb.io/pistol-squat/

John Byrnes wrote: Two thoughts: 1) Be careful not to injure yourself trying to do this. I remember, way back, that you can tear something in your knee (meniscus?) pushing too hard with a fully bent knee. I'd also recommend starting from a less-deep position so you can actually complete a dozen reps so you can build strength gradually. 2) It's not clear to me at all WHY you want this ability. In every case I've ever encountered there's always something to help you stand up. Bumping the other foot (Jon N), mini-mantle, using your calf to bounce, smearing your palm, etc.

I've not heard a fully bent knee is necessarily bad, at least in the loading direction we're talking about, but certainly any type of twisting load (i.e. getting in & out of a deep drop knee) can easily tear the meniscus.

As for 1 leg squat, there're a couple situations where your other leg can't really help: getting established on lower angle ground above an overhang & in general, when you need to flag the other leg for balance.

Downtownt wrote: video to help with progression

Hmm, most people I've seen that work on their legs (2 legged squats) are easily strong enough to do 1 legged squat (at least with some balance assistance). Some may be a bit inflexible, but can at least get in & out of the start position. I once recommended a guy to use small dumbbells in his hands for balance & he was able to do a couple pistols right away.

Thanks for all the advice/feedback.

My legs are fairly strong for conventional squats and leg presses. I can do one-legged squats to a 90 degree knee. But I'm trying to gain power out of a much more deeply flexed position. What I'm doing now, I mostly face the step (about 3 feet high; I'm pretty tall), with my knee turned out so the foot is in fairly close to the hip. Rock on to the big toe and part of the forefoot. If I'm high-stepping right, the left leg stays straight down, and I've got my left hand on a pole for balance and assistance. Right now I can provide 85 or 90% of the force with the leg, but I still need some help from the hand. I'd like to reduce or eliminate that.

I've started yoga/stretching as well. That might help to establish the foot on a higher hold. But the stand-up is a power (and balance) limitation.

kevin neville wrote:I've started yoga/stretching as well. That might help to establish the foot on a higher hold. But the stand-up is a power (and balance) limitation.

I think yoga and stretching could really help. There are poses that stress "stand up power". Warrior 3 and revolved half moon come to mind. Make sure you're well warmed up first.

Working on mobility in your hips can help too. I found this relatively easy to train and I noticed a big difference fairly quickly once I started do yoga regularly.

kevin neville wrote:What I'm doing now, I mostly face the step (about 3 feet high; I'm pretty tall), with my knee turned slightly out and the foot in fairly close to the hip. Rock on to the big toe and part of the forefoot. If I'm high-stepping right, the left leg stays straight down, and I've got my left hand on a pole for balance and assistance.

I've been doing this for the past ~3 weeks, as 1 or 2 sets of 5 to 8 reps each side, providing as much assistance with the arm as I need. Lower slowly and in balance, to a full stop at the bottom. When I started, the leg could provide ~80% of the power for the first rep, ~65% by the eighth. That's up to about 90% and 80% respectively.

I've also started spending some time doing simple balance work on the step -- one big toe, and as little of the forefoot as I can get away with. My weight room shoes are not as stiff as climbing shoes, so it's harder to direct power out the big toe, but good exercise for the foot muscles.

Why? I want to be able to rock onto some little thing and know that I'll be able to stand up. Right now I'm not strong enough, I need 20 or 30 lbs from something (bad hands, a scumming foot). I hate worrying about whether the hands will be "good enough" or not. I want my leg alone to be able to supply bodyweight + 25 or so (the more the better, but that seems a good goal). With good balance, which mine isn't yet.

Oh, and I'm trying to be more regular about stretching/yoga. Flexibility has never been a strength, but this year I'm trying to improve it.

I think it comes naturally. When I first started I had to physically grab my leg and move it up to high holds.

20 years later and I can't remember the last time I had to do this.

I'm way less agile than I was at 17. I think if you try it enough, eventually your body will learn what to do.

Just finally got up one of my gym projects that had a nasty high step move and it made me think of this thread. For me, it turned out to be a technique (and finger strength) issue, which I think people have a tendency to overlook. It was a high left step on extremely marginal sloper-crimps. What finally got me past the move was actually pivoting my right foot from inside to outside edge. Once I did this, bringing my right hip into the wall, I suddenly felt like I had a ton more of flexibility and strength in my left foot, allowing me to rock onto it and reach the next handhold. It felt counterintuitive to bring your right hip into the wall for a big reach to the left, but worked extremely well. Something to consider!