Sorry I never posted yesterday! It was one of those crazy days when nothing gets done… but I will post double today to make up for it. I am continuing on my never-ending quest for the perfect workout, and today I will post a workout combo that I have created but have yet to try.
- Warm Up: Thoroughly stretch your whole body, including your fingers. If you need finger stretches, click here to go to a finger yoga site. I usually only perform the backwards, forward, and splits exercises for a fun warmup. After stretching, traverse three laps in the bouldering cave. Traverse for thirty easy hand moves, then thirty hand moves of medium difficulty, and finally thirty hard hand moves. Rest for two and a half minutes between each circuit.
- Grip Strength Workout: Hang on a hangboard using eleven different holds if possible. Follow this pyramid guideline, adapted from Eric Horst’s book, Training for Climbing. This is your pattern: 2 sec hang, 5 sec rest, 4 sec hang, 5 sec rest, 6 sec hang, 5 sec rest, 8 sec hang, 5 sec rest, 6 sec hang, 5 sec rest, 4 sec hang, 5 sec rest, 2 sec hang, 2 and a 5 minute rest. Repeat this three times per hold, remembering to slightly initiate your arms with your elbows slightly bent as you hang. Try to perform these at your maximum difficulty; hang by one arm or add weight if you must. If you hang by one arm, this workout will take a little longer because you will need to repeat the same cycle per arm.
- Core Workout: Perform ten different core exercises, resting for two and a half minutes between each type. Count out fifty reps per exercise; try not to rest during your fifty reps for the maximum effect.
- Shoulder Workout: At my home gym, there are three wood strips fastened under the hangboard. I place one hand on a jug on the hangboard and the other on the highest wood strip for assisted one-arm pullups. Using a setup similar to this, perform as many assisted one-arm pullups as you can with your right hand on a jug. After a one minute shakeout, repeat with your left hand on the jug. After a two and a half minute break, repeat. Continue this cycle until you can no longer do one assisted pullup. Be careful to alternate which arm you begin with, as to evenly work both arms.
I am calling this the “Hard Core Workout.” 🙂 The challenge for this post is to try this and let me know how it goes in the comments. Most of all, I would love to know how long it takes and how hard the shoulder portion of the workout is.