Gymnastics rings are an
incredibly versatile training tool for rock climbing. While they won't train
your finger strength, they do work a lot of important muscles, like your arms,
shoulders, back, and core. They also build a high strength to weight ratio,
which is important to gymnasts and climbers alike.
I bought my own pair of
rings four years ago and haven't gone back to conventional weight training
since. Not only do they provide a tremendous workout, but they are also simply
more fun to use than free weights. In fact, I found that rings target more
muscle groups at once and build strength more efficiently than traditional
weight lifting.
You can use rings for
pull-ups, muscle ups, pushups, leg raises, levers, and more. In addition, the
inherently unstable nature of rings requires all of your muscles to work
together, so your whole upper body is engaged instead of only isolating one
muscle at a time.
John Gill, the
"Father of modern bouldering," was a trained gymnastic and trained on
rings throughout his life. He was famous for his one armed pull ups and front
levers. These powerful moves allowed him to excel at bouldering like no one had
before him.
While there are many
other important aspects of climbing to focus on as well, incorporating some
ring training can efficiently boost your overall strength and might well find a
way into your regular climbing training.
Getting started with
rings
Gymnastics rings are
simple to set up and get started with. Although the movements performed on them
can be extremely difficult, the rings themselves are a simple device. The
popularity of rings as a workout tool outside of gymnastics has been growing.
You don't need the
professional set up that gymnasts use; most basic rings consist of a nylon
strap that runs through the ring with a buckle on the end. They can be
purchased easily online, and for the amount of versatility and training they
provide are fairly cheap too. Set up is simple, you simply throw the strap over
a beam, branch, or other horizontal pole, and fasten the buckle. The rings can
then be lowered for pushups or raised for pull-ups and dips.
Exercises on gymnastics
rings
While there are many
advanced moves that can be performed on the rings, I will stick to describing
moves that can more directly help with rock climbing training. On the most basic
level rings can be used simply for pull ups. If you don't have a pull up bar
available then rings are great!
Muscle Ups
One of the first
advanced tricks to learn is the muscle up. Muscle ups work the chest, arms,
back, and core... pretty much everything! They start from a dead hang on the
rings and proceed like a pull-up. However, when you reach the top of the pull
you continue pushing yourself up into the dip position. Done correctly this
looks smooth and easy, but don't be fooled! Your first time attempting it will
most likely end with wobbling and flailing.
If you do succeed you
will most likely find your arms shaking uncontrollably as you try to hold
yourself up. I've taught many people muscle ups, and every one of them
struggled and wobbled their first few times! It really makes you appreciate how
many different muscles gymnastics rings target.
Technique is very
important when attempting a muscle up. It is important to use a false grip,
where your wrist is over the top of the ring, in order to easily switch from
pulling up to pushing into a dip. Practice your dips and pull-ups separately
until you can transition from one into the other in a successful muscle up.
Hanging Leg Raises
Leg raises are my go-to
core workout. They can be done on many things, from pull up bars to railings,
but my favorite is leg raises from the dip position of the rings. Not only does
it give your abs a great workout, but it also challenges your back, chest, and
arms to stabilize you in the process.
As a warning, these are
difficult to do. They first require you to be able to do a muscle up and dips.
Once you've accomplished that though, give leg raises a try. Remember to keep
your back straight and your elbows locked as you bring your legs up as high as
you can. Mentally focus on contracting your abs as much as possible to get the most
out of it.
Hanging knee raises are
also valuable. Performing them on rings adds so much difficulty that most often
I do these instead of the whole leg. After a few sets my abs are burning and my
arms and chest are beat. That's a good workout!
Front Levers
The front lever is a
difficult skill to master. It involves holding your body horizontally from a
bar or rings. This requires incredible strength in your arms, back, and core,
making it an ideal climbing exercise. John Gill famously performed this skill
one handed... now that requires serious strength!
The strength that front
levers build is great for climbing training. To perform one, hang from the
rings with straight arms. Then lift your body up until you are horizontal to
the ground. The tough part is keeping your body straight!
It will be impossible
to do a full front lever the first time you try it. Instead, you will have to
progress towards the full lever in stages. Start with the normal lever position
but pull your knees in and keep them tucked towards your chest. After you can
hold that position for thirty seconds, work on slowly progressing to holding
your legs out flat. Keep a flat back and lock your elbows.
When you get close to
the full lever you can try an exercise called ice cream makers. Hang in the
pull up position and pull yourself up into the front lever position, hold it
briefly and then lower yourself back down. Sets of these will help to improve
your lever.
More Possibilities
These are the main
exercises that I use gymnastics rings for. There are many more cool strength
moves on the rings, such as the iron cross and planche, but the strength that
these require doesn't help with climbing well enough to justify training them.
If you have the desire though, there are hundreds of movement variations on the
rings you can find.
If you're looking for a
chest workout, one of my favorites is archer push ups. To do these, lower your
rings to the ground and get in the push up position. Extend one arm straight
off to the side while lowering yourself with the other arm. Push back up and
alternate arms. This is basically an assisted one arm push up and demands much
more strength than normal push ups. Rings also allow the extra challenge of
lowering yourself below your hands, which works a larger range of motion. For
added difficulty try elevating your feet behind you; this adds weight to your
push up.
The iron cross is one
of the most famous ring movements. It involves holding yourself in the air with
your arms extended straight out horizontally. This is a much more difficult
move and takes a lot of time to develop. Care must be taken when training for it
because the move places high stress on your shoulders and elbows. It is easy to
injure yourself if your technique is wrong, so be careful if you attempt it.
Overall, small workouts
on gymnastics rings can be used very successfully in a climbing training
regiment. The bulk of your training should still be on climbing and finger
strength, but rings provide a great opportunity to build body strength. They
are a very efficient exercise because of the stabilization required, and just a
few sets a weeks will show results. Try them out, and see how much easier
overhangs, lock offs, and stabilization become!
Eli Hart.
[http://RockClimbingStrength.com]
At Rock Climbing
Strength [http://RockClimbingStrength.com] we keep you updated with the latest
climbing training, gear, news, and more! Stop by to check out our newest rock
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