In reply to John Kettle:
Hi John
Thanks for bringing this up. I use the term “antagonist training” broadly to describe pressing and lifting. However, we press and occasionally lift when we climb, so technically pressing and lifting exercises are also climbing, body weight exercises. It is just that we pull more, especially if we boulder and sport climb indoors. It is important that I make that clear.
I did a quick search and found an article in JOSPT that tested the strength of extensors (pulling muscles) and flexors (pressing/lifting muscles) in sport climbers vs non climbers. The article states the obvious that the climbers were stronger than non climbers, however, they did mention that the extensors were significantly stronger than the flexor groups amongst the climbers, which would be expected from climbing as it is extensor (pulling) dominant sport. They do not correlate this with injury or injury prevention. I could not find research that supports doing antagonist training to prevent injury. I will keep looking however, and I will look amongst the gymnastic population, as rock climbing is quite similar and many regards to this form of sport. Perhaps I need to research this myself...!
It is reasonable, however, to hypothesize that working the climbing “antagonists” (pressing and lifting muscles) can help prevent some repetitive strain climbing injuries by working shoulder stability, avoiding the “Quasimodo like” climbing posture you occasionally see (hollow chested, rounded upper back and internally rotated shoulders), as well as, help lengthen wrist and finger flexors after a climbing session.
Pressing exercises preformed in a closed kinetic way (hand/hands fixed to the floor or piece of equipment with the body moving around the fixed hand and wrist) is an excellent way to train shoulder strength and stability (the ability of the shoulder and elbow joint muscles to compress and hold from all directions their associated joints, and keeps them centered, or well aligned). This is obviously a good strength to have to ensure the joint and tendons are robust.
The “Quasimodo” as I call it, climbing posture, is not due to tight pecs, as some may think. This is due to underdeveloped pecs and front shoulder muscles. Climbers often have over developed, muscly lats and back muscles. This posture is apparent when the front muscles are undertrained.
A lot of pressing/lifting exercises like press ups and hand stands involve a flat hand on the floor, which places the much used climbing flexors on stretch. Kill two birds with one stone..... Sometimes people who don’t start pressing early enough in their climbing career will be too tight to do this....
To oppose all the pulling you do in a session is not necessary, as long as you do something. Some pressing and lifting will be better then none, and going until you are tired, or can’t do anymore can be even better. Hopefully this will also make the keen climber exhausted and more sore the next day, so it convinces them to rest a bit more!! I feel juniors these days, as well as the climbing wall climbers, climb too much! And as I said before, you actually press and lift a little bit when you climb anyway, just not as much as the pulling. So, you don’t actually have to do the same volume of pressing and lifting as pulling after every session. My point is to do some sort of opposition exercises to equalize forces applied to your soft tissues.
Most climbers are blissfully unaware of the more common injuries, we - as climbers, suffer from. In this article, climbing coach Robin O'Leary and physiotherapist Nina Leonfellner get to the bottom of shoulder impingements. What they are, how they happen and how to rehabilitate them.
