To the top: take your fitness program to new heights with wall climbing - Brief Article

American Fitness, July-August, 2002 by Lisa Wolfe

Being knowledgeable of the different forms of exercise is important for a fitness trainer. One form of exercise increasing in popularity is rock climbing. While climbing intimidates many people, we can make it fun and approachable for fitness participants by beginning training on an indoor climbing wall. Climbing is a workout that challenges the mind, body and raises one's self-esteem. The feeling of accomplishment--reaching the top of the wall--makes us feel like we can do anything!

The best training for climbing is climbing. Hand and finger strength, aerobic endurance and anaerobic capacity are all necessary for climbing. Climbing until our fingers are almost taxed, resting and climbing again will train anaerobic capacity. Train aerobic endurance by picking a well-known route and repeatedly ascending it as fast as possible.

What to Wear

While rock climbing shoes make it easier to grip the wall, athletic shoes can be used as well. Clothing should be comfortable and loose enough to allow movement, but not so loose they interfere with climbing.

Bouldering

A great way to get the "feel" of the climbing wall is bouldering. In bouldering, we climb no higher than I 0 to 16 feet and horizontally, as opposed to vertically. Bouldering allows us to learn hand and foot techniques as well as increase our strength for more difficult climbs.

Top-Roping

When we begin top-roping (i.e., climbing with a rope secured to our harness, that goes to a clip on the ceiling and down to the belayer), a well-fitting harness is the most important piece of equipment. A belayer holds the end of the rope, hooked to his or her karabiner and through the belay device, to take up rope slack as the climber ascends the wall. The belayer holds the rope tight to keep the climber suspended in the event of a fall. We tie into our harness using a figure 8 knot. An instructor can demonstrate how to properly tie this knot.

Climbing also challenges the mind. Only a certain sequence of moves will get us to the top of the wall, therefore we need to plan them according to what holds are available. Indoor top-roping have routes set with colored tape. To get the most challenging climb, use the holds marked with the designated colored tape. The routes are rated by increasing level of difficulty from 5.3 to 5.12, most indoor climbs ranking between 5.7 and 5.8.

When climbing, our feet should be placed securely in a hold before placing our hands. It is important to maintain three points of contact by having either two feet and one hand or vice versa on the wall.

The following are some of the foot holds we can use:

* Bent knee--the knee drops below the foot, which is secure in a hold, keeping the center of gravity close to the wall.

* Heel-hook--using the heel of the foot to hold onto the wall.

* Smearing--pushing the foot against the wall, using friction to provide support.

* Edging--using the inner or outer edge of the foot instead of the toes to hold on to the wall.

* Swapping feet--a small jump to place the right foot in the hold the left foot was occupying or vice versa.

To help climb, a small bag holds chalk used to make our hands less slippery. Some hand holds we can use are:

* Jugs--large holds you can curl all the fingers of one hand over.

* Finger holds--holds you can only get your fingertips or half the length of your fingers into.

* Slopers--holds you cannot get any fingers into, therefore, must palm and use friction to hold your hand in place.

* Under cling--any hold you can get your fingers or whole hand into from underneath.

* Pinch--a hold held between the fingers and thumb.

* Pockets--holes in the wall you can insert one or two fingers into.

Certain calls used when climbing are:

* "On belay?"--the climber is asking the belayer if the rope is tied in.

* "Belay's on"--the belayer's response that the rope is tied in and secure.

* "Climbing"--the climber is informing the belayer he or she will begin climbing.

* "Climb on"--the belayer's response signaling the climber to begin climbing.

* "Take"--the climber is telling the belayer to take in any rope slack.

* "Slack"--the climber is telling the belayer to put out more rope.

* "Watch me"--the climber is informing the belayer to pay attention during a difficult sequence of mores.

* "Rest"--the climber wants to rest and the belayer should take in the rope slack and weight.

* "Rock"--the climber informs people that something is falling.

Warm-Up

Warming-up before climbing is important. Walking around the room, wiggling your fingers, wrists and arms, as well as stretching the hands, forearms, legs and back help warm-up the upper body. Staying well-hydrated is also important.

Supplemental Exercises

Other exercises can help develop muscular strength for climbing. For example, pull-ups are a wonderful upper body and hand strengthener. Hanging knee raises also strengthen the hands and keep the abdominal muscles tight, which help hold our hips on the wall. Bicep curls and tricep extensions develop arm strength, while leg presses and squats develop necessary leg strength to more the body up the wall.