About

Words: Natalie Siddique

Images: Unsplash and Flickr Crea<ve Commons | cover photo: Alex Indigo

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Disclaimer: Rock climbing is an inherently dangerous ac<vity; severe injury or

death can occur. The content in this eBook is not a subs<tute for learning
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6 Training Games for All
Levels of Climbers
Not all of us are at the stage where we're ready to jump
on the hangboard or scale our bodies up the campus
board at the gym. While many of us want to get stronger,
the last thing any of us need is to walk away from the
wall with an injury, only to stare longingly at rocks we
can't climb for the next few months. Moreover, on plenty
of days, we just don't feel like climbing the same routes
or problems that have been up for weeks at the gym.

To remedy these <mes, here are 6 training "games" for

the gym that climbers of any level can enjoy. You'll have
more fun doing these with a partner or a group of
friends, so rally up some pals and get to it. Warning:
youre in store for a surprisingly tough workout!

Adam
Alex
Kubalica
Indigo
#1: Climb Everything

How
This one is great for both bouldering and rope climbing.
Simply choose a grade within your ability and do every
single route of that grade in the en<re gym. Depending
on the size of your climbing gym and your level of psych,
you can challenge yourself by adding other grades to
your indoor "mul<-pitch" adventure and se^ng a <me
limit in which to nish.

Why
This one's great for endurance training and ensuring that
you'll get in a solid amount of climbing on your visit to
the gym. Perfect for anyone training for their next big-
wall adventure!

Steve Wilson
#2: Straight Arms

How
Climb with completely straight arms un<l you can climb
no more. In this game, you must learn to rely heavily on
your legs and torso rather than your upper body to get
you anywhere. Climb un<l you fall!

Why
Learning how to climb eciently can enable you to climb
longer, harder, and more technical routes/problems.
Climbing with straight arms allows you to save much
more energy than when you have your arms bent, an
important skill to have to clip bolts eec<vely. By forcing
yourself to use your feet and legs through use of drop-
knees, twists, and other body movements, you can train
yourself to be less dependent on your arms to climb.

Parker Knight
#3: Four-by-Fours

How
Choose 4 boulder problems that are of grades within the upper limits of
your ability that you can climb well consistently (e.g. if the hardest you climb
is V4 or V5, choose several V3s and a V2). The objec<ve is to climb each
Related: A Rest Day
problem 4 <mes, as fast as you can, with minimal <me in between each set
Workout for Climbers
of 4. If the 3rd climb in each set feels easy, then you should increase the Who Hate Rest Days

problem by a grade. It should feel really dicult to nish. Hopefully, you'll

have your friends nearby to cheer you to the top!

Why
Good ole' 4x4s are a great way to improve your climbing power endurance
and exhaust any remaining energy you have with you at the gym. It's great
when you're short on <me, but want to squeeze in a tough workout.
#4: Twister

How
A spin o of the tradi<onal game, you select a wall to climb with a group of
friends and designate one friend to use the standard Twister spinner and
randomly select the color of the next hold you must use with a specied
Related: 10 Tips to
hand/foot. Whoever stays on the wall the longest without falling or chea<ng
Climber Harder by
wins. Climbing Smart and
Eciently
Why
Twister is great to work on your balance, endurance, and general ability to
withstand awkward posi<ons as you climb. You'll nd yourself adap<ng to
the art of juggling between comfortable jugs and awful footholds to bear
down on.
#5: Add-On

How
This one is best for the bouldering wall. Simply start on a hold and make one
move. Then, have your friend repeat that move and add another one onto
the end. This cycle con<nues un<l eventually only one person remains able
Related: Core Up! What It
to remember and complete all of the moves set by the group. You can play
Means and How to Do It
this with one or as many friends as you like, and can also make this more
dicult by playing the campusing version, where no feet are allowed.

Why
Add-On puts your memory and muscles to the test. When climbing outside,
many of us oken fail to think about the moves we are making, leaving us
without any las<ng beta for us or our friends. Add-On, however, forces you
to remember where others and yourself need to move next. Be prepared;
this one can get pumpy and compe<<ve!
#6: Eliminator

How
Eliminator is basically the opposite of Add-On: you take
away. This is best with a group of about 4 climbers who
climb at roughly the same level. You start by choosing a
route and having one person select a hold to remove.
Each climber has 3 tries to do the climb without the hold.
You then con<nue to remove one hold at a <me un<l no
one can climb the route or there are no holds remaining.

Why
This game tests and improves your strength and
perseverance in climbing. The compe<<veness of this
one will encourage you to reach further and pull harder.

Joshua Kruger
#8: Bonus materials

AddiKonal Free eBooks

We have several free, downloadable eBooks. Download, share, enjoy.
Related: 25 Books Every
Climber Should Read
7 Mistakes to Ul6mate Guide to
Avoid as a New Climbing Knots,
Climber Bends, Hitches

6 Training Games
for All Levels of
Climbers
Videos
We add 1-2 new videos to our collec<on each week. You can explore them
here. For technical informa<on, Canadian Mountain Guide Mike Barter has a
brilliant YouTube channel, lled with a steady dose of humor.

Learn ArKcles
Beginner and expert <ps alike, there is a wealth of free knowledge buried
within the Learn sec<on of our website. Take <me to explore and dont be
shy in leaving commentswe read them all and will always respond.

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Thank you
We're small here. Only a couple of us running the show, but supported by
climbers like yourself. We appreciate you taking the <me to give this eBook
a read and to check out Moja Gear. Best of luck on your climbing endeavors
and have fun out there!

Upward,
Sander DiAngelis & Natalie Siddique | co-founders
15