As climbers, we tend to focus most of our training on our upper bodies. I’m talking about finger strength, pulling power, the strength endurance of the forearm, ect. While these are all important for climbing performance, training programs shouldn’t neglect the lower body. Sure, we all know that we need to use our legs when we climb, but we tend to think that they are only really important in slab climbing. That’s just not the case.

No matter what angle the climbing is, lower body mobility is extremely important. Being more mobile helps you keep your hips into the walls and allows you to use more distant/higher footholds. All of this adds up to more efficient climbing.

To give you some useful lower body mobility drills, here’s a video from the Cafe Kraft.

“As we said in the mobility episode about the upper body: You can only use your existing strength when all joints work at their maximum flexibility. The Japanese climbers are a very good example of effective use of mobility in climbing. We present some proven exercises for the lower body that should be performed at least three times a week if you want to feel a progression. Always warm up a bit before you work on your mobility. And listen to your body carefully because you should only feel a bit of “good” pain in the muscles and joints you’re working on. If you feel strong pain you should immediately stop.” – Cafe Kraft

Lower Body Mobility Drills Video

The video outlines 6 lower body mobility drills that can easily be incorporated into your training routine or used on rest days to help with recovery. The drills themselves focus primarily on hip mobility, but also target hamstring flexibility and thoracic/lumbar mobility. Cafe Kraft recommends doing these drills 2-3 times per week so that you can see improvement.

Watch the video above, but be sure to click through below to check out the rest of Cafe Kraft’s YouTube Channel. They have other useful videos covering topics like warming up and will be updating with new content. Give it a look and try out this mobility routine yourself. You’ll be psyched the next time you’re looking at having to high step next to your face!

YouTube Channel: Cafe Kraft

(video still courtesy of cafekraft.de)

Other Articles You Might Like:

• ClimbFlow: Leg Strength and Mobility Video
• The Climbing Doctor: Thoracic Mobility for Climbers
• Evening Sends: Climbing Mobility with Kelly Starrett
• Natasha Barnes – Hamstring Injuries in Climbers