Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Tag Archives: weight lifting

Extracurricular Training Part 2: Shoulder Stabilizers

Extracurricular Training Part 2: Shoulder Stabilizers

Last week I posted about PUSH muscle training, and why its important.  Of equal importance is shoulder strength – all those tiny little stabilizer muscles that keep your shoulder in place while you latch a dyno, lay in hard on a gaston, or run laps on horizontal terrain.  Climb long enough and I guarantee you will either sustain a shoulder injury yourself or climb with someone who does.  Sometimes shoulder problems are chronic and creep up gradually as dull, nagging aches that never quite seem to go away.  Other times these injuries occur acutely, resulting from a specific motion or fall scenario.  Regardless of…Read the rest of this entry →

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Extracurricular Training Part 1 – The Antagonists

Extracurricular Training Part 1 – The Antagonists

In the literary world, the “antagonists” represent the bad guy – the person, place, or thing that causes conflict and opposition to the “protagonist,” or good guy.  Lord Voldemort, Sauron, and even Satan are classic examples of antagonists.  It’s no wonder that we as climbers tend to steer clear of training our antagonist muscles…But joking aside, however, this type of training should be a very important component to EVERY climber’s training regimen, from beginners to the elite.  Here’s why. Just like their literary counterparts, antagonist muscles in climbing are the muscles that act in opposition to the main muscles used…Read the rest of this entry →

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