Wall climbing or bouldering is a sport for people who want to improve their strength, coordination, or body balance. A sport as demanding as it is interesting, it can be treated as entertainment by a group of friends. As a beginner there are a few things you need to work on, of course, it is about both strength and body balance. We’ll look at what balance exercises for climbers to get good results.
So what balance exercises for climbers are good? We can do exercises in our home such as standing on one leg, squats on tiptoe, or the so-called swallow, even single elements of yoga will be suitable.
Why is balance important in climbing?
Whether you are rock climbing in the backcountry or a climbing hall, balance is essential with any climbing. In addition to strong arms, it is a balance that allows you precisely to hold on to the wall, not infrequently in very small areas and different positions. Sometimes we also need to stand up on one leg and reach very high.
The ability to balance is a muscular function, but as we age, our muscles become flabby and atrophy. This is why older people are more likely to fall. The reduced amount of muscle also makes the bones more likely to break (no cushion in the form of muscle tissue to cushion any fall or contusion). What balance exercises for climbers you do has a huge impact on your body balance or coordination.
What exercises for climbers are good?
Maintaining the correct posture and keeping your balance when changing. There are many factors involved in maintaining the correct posture and balancing when changing body position: vision, the vagus, and special receptors in the muscles and joints.
It is thanks to this set of receptors that we can determine not only exactly what position we are in, but also the precise position of each body part in space and how they are positioned about each other. This awareness is called Proprioception. There are quite a few balance exercises, I will list a few here, we will list the 6 best exercises here:
1) Standing on one leg, stand on one leg, lift the other leg slightly above the floor and stay in this position for as long as possible. Hold in this position for 20 seconds and then change legs. You can also try a more challenging version of this exercise by just standing on your toes.
2) Toe squat – Link your feet together. Straighten your back, pull your abdomen in, tighten your glutes and lower your tailbone slightly – as if you were stretching your spine. Spread your arms out to the sides, stand on your toes as high as possible, and do a deep squat from this position. Try to do this without faltering. Then return to a standing position and do 5 repetitions.
3) Swallow, stand with your legs together. Lean forward and at the same time pull one leg back. Spread your arms out to the sides for better balance. Your body and leg should be parallel to the ground. Hold for about 6 seconds and then change leg. Repeat three times on each side.
4) Exercise with an exercise ball – Place an exercise ball in front of you and kneel on it, additionally supporting yourself on straightened arms. Sit on your heels and try to hold this position for as long as possible. Balance your body so that you do not lose your balance. Your goal is to stand on the ball for 15 seconds without falling.
5) One-legged lunges – Stand straight with your legs together and your arms out to the sides. Lift your right leg to the side. With the same leg, take a step forward, placing your foot diagonally to the left. Bend your knees, lift yourself and return to the position with your leg lifted to the side. Then take a step backward, also diagonally. Bend both legs and return to the starting position.
6) Swinging your legs out to the side – Stand on your left leg and, with your right leg straight, swing it forwards and backward. Then change direction and swing it from left to right. Once you’ve been able to do this exercise in each direction for 10 seconds, change the rhythm and do the swings randomly once front to back, then left to right, in any order. Do five sets of 10 seconds each.
Climbing is not only about strength, but also fitness and balance, and for the latter, we have listed here the 6 best exercises. Do them regularly over a long period, and you’ll feel the difference, taking your climbing to the next level is the best motivation to keep practicing. Here you can read about another important exercise, the bar lift, which will come in handy when climbing or bouldering.
In Summary – What Balance Exercises For Climbers?
Whether you are a beginner or an advanced climber, these top 6 exercises described above will help you improve your skills. Climbing isn’t just about strength, it’s also about body balance and coordination, and these skills are worth focusing on.
We already know what balance exercises for climbers should be done regularly, but balance exercises should be in every athlete’s training plan. No matter what sport you do – running, team games, skiing, aerobics – proper body stabilization increases the efficiency of your movements and prevents injuries.
