If you have ever watched a gymnast perform a ring routine, their upper body and core strength are extremely apparent.  While being able to hold an iron cross isn’t necessary for hard climbing, using rings or TRX trainers to train for climbing can produce some serious results.  Because the rings and TRX systems introduce instability into your training, they are really effective at targeting all of the same stabilizing muscles we use when climbing.

To give you an introduction to training on the rings, here’s a video from EpicTV and Manuel Huber that takes you through a beginner/intermediate ring workout.  The video outlines and demonstrates each exercise in detail so you will be able to start training on the rings or TRX even if you have never tried them out before.

“This Tutorial will teach you the Best Beginner Exercises for Climbing Specific Core and Upper Body Training on the Rings (often referred to as TRX). The Rings are particularly suitable for this kind of training because in contrast to other devices such as the Pull up Bar, which has a very static character, the Rings are hanging free. This results in a lot of undesired motion while executing the exercises, which has to be outbalanced by the athlete. Even the tiniest Core and Upper Body Muscles are activated while attempting to attenuate the typical shakyness, which would stay untouched otherwise.” – EpicTV

Rings/TRX Exercises Covered:

While there are loads of exercises that can be done on the rings and TRX trainers, not all of these exercises are as applicable to training for climbing.  To give you a starting set of exercises to use in your ring training, this video covers a basic series that will target the major muscle groups in your upper body and core in a climbing specific way.  The specific exercises are:

• Push ups
• Flys
• Rows
• Dips
• Inverted Pull ups
• Skin the Cat

Some of these exercises are more difficult than others and it is important to follow the progressions Mani describes in the video.  If an exercise is too difficult for you to perform, it is better to build up the required strength on an easier version.  As with all training, proper form is the most important thing.  Not only does it maximize the effectiveness of a exercise, but it also is the best way to ensure you aren’t working yourself toward an injury.

Rings/TRX Video:

Click through below to check out the original video and to check out the rest of Mani’s training videos.

Full Article: Ring/TRX Session Video

(video still courtesy of epictv.com)

Other Articles You Might Like:

• Climbing – Suspension Training Circuits
• Ask Kris 005 :: Improving Core Strength for Climbing
• Gymnastic Rings: Strength Training for Climbing
• Anderson Brothers Core Training