Climbing and training place serious physical demands on our upper body. These demands result in continual wear and tear on joints like shoulders and elbows. One only has to look at the ever-increasing number of shoulder injuries in climbers to see this situation needs to be taken seriously. Ultimately, the best way to do this is through upper body mobility work.

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

“You can only use your existing strength when all joints work at their maximum flexibility. We present some proven exercises for the upper 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.” – Cafe Kraft

Upper Body Mobility Drills Video

The video outlines a series of upper body mobility drills. Mobility drills like these should be a central component of all training plans. Ultimately, this video only covers the upper body and while it’s a good place to start these drills should be part of a greater mobility practice that covers the entire body.

The drills themselves focus on shoulder and thoracic spine mobility. As Cafe Kraft suggests, you need to do these drills consistently if you want to see improvement and feel their benefits. Personally, I like to incorporate my mobility work into my strength training sessions (during the rest between hangboard or weight lifting sets) and as part of my rest day recovery routine.

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. Your shoulders will thank you!

YouTube Channel: Cafe Kraft

(video still courtesy of cafekraft.de)

Other Articles You Might Like:

• How Shoulder Mobility Affects Your Climbing
• The Climbing Doctor: Thoracic Mobility for Climbers
• Evening Sends: Climbing Mobility with Kelly Starrett
• Shauna Coxsey and Alex Megos Training Video