Unfortunately, one thing we cannot control is our height. No amount of training will actually make you grow any taller. Luckily, there have been plenty of extremely strong shorter climbers (Lynn Hill…) and being below average height certainly does not mean you will not be able to meet your climbing goals. It is just something that has to be accepted and addressed directly.
For any of you shorter climbers out there, Climb On, Sister! published an article by Dana Bleiberg in which she discusses her attempts to address being a short climber and outlines some of the exercises she has incorporated into her training to allow her to work with her height.
“Personally, I stand at 5’1. Over the past six months, I have been working with climbing coach Taylor Reed to completely change my training and climbing style to better benefit my height. It has been a bit of an experiment but one that is working out well! Below are some of my favorite exercises for shorter climbers.” – Dana Bleiberg
The exercises Dana describes (with pictures and/or links to video tutorials) are
- Wide set pull ups
- Wide set lat pull downs
- Box jumps
- Hamstring curls
- Plank variations for core
Follow the link below and check out Dana’s article for yourself. If you’re a shorter climber incorporating these exercises into your training may just make a huge difference.
Click Here: Exercises for Shorter Climbers
(photo courtesy of climbonsister.blogspot.com)
Other Articles You Might Like:
- TBP001: A Talk with Carlo Traversi
- Strength Training: The 4 Basic Movements You Should Be Doing
- Injury Prevention: Climbing Warm-Up
- Review: Send Climbing’s Downgrader KneePad
Leave A Comment