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Rope Climbing


scottmo
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Coach Sommer, can you inform us as to how you are utilizing the rope climb with your gymnastic students? What specific climbing technique do you have them perform, how many repetitions, and how often. What workout and progression would you recommend for the novice climber?

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David Picó García

Ok, not coach here, but i can tell you something about this as at my gym there are truly experts about rope climbing. I asume they started because of police and fireman tests include rope climb and lots of fireman students come there to train. I see the 'picture' of them when they have the capacity of doing 60 rope climbs per training session and I asume there's a lot of adaptation from years of training (their biceps, forearms, and lats tell me so). They do series of single climb, double and even triple (climbing three times without touching the ground). And we also have a rope a pole and a vertical rope ladder. So they do one serie in every apparattus. After three series they go to a 45º wood ladder and start to climb it chainging the position of the hands at every step.

About frequency, the top climbers do this at least 3 times a week if not more.

The technique is a bit different from what we have seen at Cirques videos, as they don't do slow negative, they come down quickly but smoothly. It' seems more a resistance workout for them but if you try is there is a lot strength training involved.

Of course we are talking here about no feet. But they don't do L or straddle climbs. is more simply not touching the rope with legs, and some kipping with the legs are allowed, specially at the dobles and triples.

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Serotonin, That is very informative. Thank you for posting. I currently do my rope climbs with an 8lb vest while straddled. Was very curious about frequency so as not to strain the joints too much. Thanks

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David Picó García

Well not really know what a bachar ladder is, but it's a normal wood ladder (all wood), but we have an horizontal one and an two inclined 45º but hanging from ceiling to wall. And we also have a rope ladder (two ropes with wood steps) but this is vertical.

Take in mind that the frequency i talk about is with guys with some years of this type of trining and have greatly muscular forearms and biceps.

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Gentlemen, this is a Bachar ladder. Basically it's a ladder that will hang horizontally or diagonally. I've heard these are not good to use if you currently have shoulder or elbow injuries ( which many climbers do because of the volume of climbing and overtraining besides working mostly pulling and thus are out of balance ).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/conskeptical/3347938628

To note, my boys work out 2-3 hours a day 2-3 days a week. The "preteam/advanced rec boys" work out 2dx2h where as the team boys do 3dx3h ( with a short 5-15m break for snack. I try to keep it as 5-7 minutes and no more than 10 ).

Anyways, yesterday we did our warmup and basics and then HS work and then 5 rounds of planche and back and front lever. When they were working in the parallel bar/pommel horse area ( which is in the same area as the trampoline ) they would do 1 rope climb attempt after getting off the pommel horse and then moving to the parallel bars. Generally after a few rounds, I tell them they can skip doing the ropes but some boys want to climb anyways. Also when we work on the trampoline, I will send them to go work on the rope after they take a turn.

This equates to anywhere from 4-8 rope climb attempts per workout. My more seasoned guys typically do about 5 while some of the weaker guys only manage about 3. Sometimes this is with legs or doing those "chameleons" [upside down with legs] or doing them with no legs up or down or doing them inverted with the legs in a straddle.

This is fine for me. However, if we don't work rope and end up using rope climbs in addition to static holds for conditioning towards the last part or practice, I will mandate 1-2 rope climbs after back lever hold and we typically do this for 2-3 rounds ( 2-3 rounds of FBE kind of stuff with 3-4 rounds of statics ).

This is probably about the same volume of rope climbs are girls from beginner to intermediate/optional levels have to do. Somewhere around 5-7 rope climbs, maybe a few more. I think it varies because they are supposed to do them without legs but very few can do them that way normally, much less in a circuit conditioning fashion.

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Blairbob, thanks for your input. Have you noticed any carry over in strength from rope climbing to say OAP's or Front Levers with your athletes or yourself? I also wonder if Coach Sommer has any experience with the Bachar ladder or found it of use. I also have heard it is hard on the tendons.

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OAP and FL, no. I have lots of little guys and I'm not at a point to really worry about OAPU. I have worked in the GB wod's, the assisted one arms but OAPU isn't very valuable to me though OAHS would be more so.

General pullup strength with rope climbs and grip strength, yes. I sorely need to do more rope climbs as I believe it would increase my grip strength/strength-endurance.

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David Picó García

The first strength gains you'll notice with rope, is the grip, at first is usually the limiting factor but after a few workouts you have not to worry about it (yes i say worry because at some meters high your grip can't be weak) :wink:

You can see the type of training i was talking about at a video i made of my training, at 3:35 you can see someone climbing the vertical Bachar ladder (not me).

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