Indoor climbing is enjoying a boom鈥攊n the past five years, more than 150 new gyms have opened across the U.S. While pulling plastic is a solid workout, most of these new facilities have more to offer than just a big wall. 鈥淓ven if you鈥檙e not going to climb, any athlete can find ways to move and improve at the climbing gym,鈥 says Justin Andrews, a personal trainer at in San Francisco. With a little creativity, you can use the space for a full-body session. Here are three maneuvers to get you started.
#1. Pegboard Pull-ups
Why: A pegboard is more fun and effective than a pull-up bar for strengthening your back and arms. 鈥淲orking out in a 颅traditional gym, you lift a weight and set it down,鈥 Andrews says. 鈥淎 pegboard makes you slow down and control your body position and movements.鈥
How: Insert both pegs into the board about a foot above your head and, with one hand on each peg, do a pull-up. Take one arm, remove the peg, and insert it into a higher hole. Now pull up on that arm, remove the opposite peg, and place it in an even higher hole. Continue until fatigued. For an added challenge, skip holes or move laterally instead聽of vertically.聽
#2. Deadhang Leg Lifts
Why: This works your core but also your forearms, which are impor颅tant for more than just climbing, Andrews notes. Strong forearms and hands benefit mountain bikers, paddlers, and聽even ultrarunners. (Try holding a water bottle聽for 12 hours.)
How: On an overhung聽section of wall, find two good jug holds, ideally about two feet above your head. Reach up and dangle from them, facing the wall. Now pick a hold in front of you about waist high as a target, and slowly raise one leg聽until your toe touches it. Lower and repeat with the opposite leg. Pick another target and go again. Repeat five to ten times.聽
#3. Slackline Squats
Why: Almost everything you do outdoors鈥攆rom running to biking to climbing鈥攊s improved by sturdy stabilizer muscles. Enter the slackline, a staple of most climbing gyms. 鈥淎nything as unstable as a slackline is going to work your entire body,鈥 Andrews says.
How: Balance one foot聽on the line and slowly bend your other leg at the knee. Squat down until your bent knee touches the line, then stand up slowly. Do ten to fifteen reps on each leg.