Do your arms get too fatigued while climbing? Try this technique tip

Ok, today we’re talking about climbing with straight arms versus climbing with bent arms.

If you find yourself moving up the wall by grabbing a hold and using your arms to pull it down to you all the way up the wall, we have news for you! There is a much less tiring way to climb! Let’s learn how to climb with straight arms.

But first, let’s go over why it’s so exhausting to climb with bent arms. Have you ever tried to do a one arm lock off on a pullup bar?

It’s really hard to hang like that!

Now, think about how long you can hang on something with outstretched arms. Climbing with straight arms and only bending them when absolutely necessary will save you a ton of energy on the wall.

Now that you can see why you should climb with straight arms, let’s go over what to think about so you can incorporate it into your climbing.

do this: move your whole body

Think about using your whole body, not just your arms. If you twist your torso so that your right shoulder and right hip is closer to the wall (and visa versa), you can create room between your hands without bending your arms much. As we mentioned earlier, you’ll save energy, but it will also give you more reach, so you can get to a hold that may seem like it’s too far away.

not that: move just your arms with hips facing the wall

In the video above, the climber’s shoulders and hips are facing straight into the wall and he’s using the strength from his bent arms to pull himself up the wall.

For more tips on climbing more efficiently, head to your gym's website. From the menu, click on the climbing tab and select classes to find our Intro to Technique classes.