3 Proven Climbing Workouts for Modern-Day Training

When it comes to improving climbing performance, some workouts have proven their effectiveness over the years and remain invaluable for climbers today. This post explores the benefits of incorporating three classic workouts. Frenchies, 4x4s, and the Campus Board into your training routine.

If you're a beginner or an experienced climber struggling to find the right workouts to enhance your strength, endurance, and power, this article is for you.

By the end of this piece, you'll understand why Frenchies, 4x4s, and Campus Board workouts are still relevant and how they can significantly improve your climbing abilities. You'll learn how to integrate these exercises into your training regimen effectively, ensuring a comprehensive approach to building strength, endurance, and power.

Through my experience and the adoption of these classic workouts, I've seen firsthand the benefits they bring to climbers at all levels.

Frenchies - Building Upper Body and Lock-Off Strength

Frenchies are a popular climbing-specific workout designed to build upper body strength and improve lock-off strength, which is crucial for maintaining control and stability while climbing. Here's how to perform Frenchies:

How to Perform Frenchies

Start Position: Begin by hanging from a pull-up bar or climbing hold with your arms fully extended.
Pull-Up and Lock-Off at 90 Degrees:
- Perform a pull-up and stop when your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Hold this position (lock-off) for 5 seconds.
Return to Start Position:
- Lower yourself back down to the starting position with your arms fully extended.
Pull-Up and Lock-Off at 120 Degrees:
- Perform another pull-up and stop when your elbows are bent at approximately 120 degrees (about halfway between a 90-degree lock-off and fully extended arms).
- Hold this position for 5 seconds.
Return to Start Position:
- Lower yourself back down to the starting position.
Pull-Up and Lock-Off with Chin Over the Bar:
- Perform another pull-up and bring your chin above the bar.
- Hold this position for 5 seconds.
Return to Start Position:
- Lower yourself back down to the starting position.

Complete One Set

Performing the sequence of lock-offs at 90 degrees, 120 degrees, and with your chin over the bar counts as one set.
Aim to complete 3-5 sets in a workout session, depending on your fitness level and training goals.
Rest for 2-3 minutes between sets to allow adequate recovery.

Benefits of Frenchies

Upper Body Strength: Builds strength in the arms, shoulders, and back.
Lock-Off Strength: Improves your ability to hold static positions on the wall, which is crucial for making controlled and precise movements.
Endurance: Enhances muscular endurance, allowing you to maintain strength throughout longer climbs.

Tips for Performing Frenchies

Warm Up: Ensure you're properly warmed up before starting, as this workout places significant stress on your upper body muscles.
Controlled Movements: Perform each movement slowly and with control to maximise strength gains and reduce the risk of injury.
Progression: If you're new to Frenchies, start with shorter hold times (e.g., 3 seconds) and gradually increase to 5 seconds as you build strength.
Assistance: If you find it too difficult initially, use a resistance band for assistance or perform the exercise with your feet on a chair for partial weight support.

Incorporating Frenchies into your training routine can significantly improve your climbing performance by developing the necessary upper body strength and endurance for challenging routes and problems.

4x4s - Enhancing Power Endurance

Four boulder problems climbed back to back, four times through, with short and deliberately incomplete rest between sets. It trains power endurance: the ability to keep producing near-maximal force once your forearms are already loaded.

The protocol is simple; getting the intensity right is not, and it's where almost everyone goes wrong. Pick problems 2-4 grades below your flash grade, keep the clock honest, and run it as a block rather than a year-round staple.

Full detail on set-up, rest intervals, progression and who shouldn't be doing them yet is in 4x4 Climbing Training: The Complete Guide.

Campus Board - Developing Explosive Power and Finger Strength

Campus Board workouts are designed to improve power, finger strength, and explosive movement, which are crucial for dynamic climbing moves. Here’s a comprehensive campus board workout that targets different aspects of climbing strength:

Campus Board Workouts

Ladders
- Goal: Improve overall power and coordination.
- Execution:
  - Start with both hands on the lowest rung.
  - Move one hand to the next rung and then the other hand to the same rung.
  - Continue up the board for 5-10 rungs.
- Sets: 3-5 sets with 2-3 minutes rest between sets.
Max Reach
- Goal: Develop explosive power and reach.
- Execution:
  - Start with both hands on a lower rung.
  - Explosively move one hand as high as possible, skipping rungs if necessary.
  - Match with the other hand.
- Sets: 3-5 sets of 3-4 reps per hand, with 2-3 minutes rest between sets.
Touches
- Goal: Enhance finger strength and control.
- Execution:
  - Start with both hands on a rung.
  - Move one hand up one or two rungs, touch, and return to the starting rung.
  - Repeat with the other hand.
- Sets: 3-5 sets of 5 touches per hand, with 2-3 minutes rest between sets.
Bumps
- Goal: Improve dynamic hand movements.
- Execution:
  - Start with both hands on the lowest rung.
  - Move one hand up to the next rung and then immediately move the other hand to the same rung.
  - Repeat by "bumping" each hand up one rung at a time.
- Sets: 3-5 sets of 5 bumps per hand, with 2-3 minutes rest between sets.
One-Arm Ladders (Advanced)
- Goal: Build maximum strength in each arm.
- Execution:
  - Start with both hands on a lower rung.
  - Move one hand to the next rung, then bring the other hand to the same rung.
  - Continue with one arm leading the movement.
- Sets: 2-3 sets per arm, with 3-4 minutes rest between sets.

Tips for Campus Board Training

Start Slow: If you’re new to campus board training, start with fewer sets and lower intensity to avoid injury.
Focus on Form: Maintain good form to prevent overloading your tendons and muscles.
Rest and Recover: Allow adequate rest between sessions. Campus board training is intense and can lead to injuries if overdone.
Mix it Up: Incorporate campus board workouts with other forms of training to maintain a well-rounded climbing fitness regime.
Listen to Your Body: If you experience pain (especially in your fingers or elbows), stop and reassess your training intensity and technique.

By incorporating a campus board workout into your training routine, you can significantly enhance your power, finger strength, and explosive movements, all of which are crucial for advancing your climbing skills.

The above workouts have been around for a long time and aren't trendy but are still really solid and shouldn’t be dismissed when planing out your training.

To take things a little further you could customise each workout to mimic climbing-specific movements and intensities that align with your goals to maximise their effectiveness.

For example instead of performing Frenchies on a standard pull-up bar, use a hangboard with different grip positions (crimps, slopers, pockets). This variation can target specific finger and grip strength needed for climbing. With 4x4s you could tailor the intensity to align with your current outdoor project and with the Campus Board instead of using the same rungs for the entire workout, incorporate different types of holds (crimps, slopers, pinches) to develop finger strength that’s more applicable to diverse climbing scenarios.

By incorporating these adjustments, you can make your training more relevant to your climbing goals.

Do you have a favourite climbing workout that has stood the test of time?