THE PRINCIPLE OF POSTURE

This post is a follow up to the core strength development. The idea of improving your core strength for climbing should be based on athletic performance, not pool-side “Hollywood muscles." What are “Hollywood muscles?" Muscles that look strong, but don’t actually do anything other than look good.

So how do you improve your core strength for climbing? It is not as intuitive as doing 20 crunches every morning after getting out of bed. You need to do a “needs analysis” for your climbing. Is your objective, or habit, to climb severe overhangs, or to climb something near-vertical? Both require strong core musculature, however, overhangs will require an increase in posterior (backside) tension, whereas near-vertical climbing requires strong hip flexion and flexibility.

Stephanie Marvez on a severe overhang with high tension posterior posture and good external hip mobility
(Chuck Fryberger photo)

Of course I am generalizing, because many times an overhang climb will require distal (far away) toe contact while the other foot needs to elevate for a high heel-hook or toe in, for example. Conversely, sometimes a near-vertical climb will require posterior tension to maintain contact with sloping crimpers.

Chuck Fryberger with good overhang posture and distal toe contact to maintain poor hand holds. In your minds'-eye, picture his center of mass away from the rock and what that would do to his finger contact.

The difficult part: if you don’t have good technique, you can’t take advantage of your new core strength. Technique and strength are intertwined in athletic performance. For those of you who have spent many years in athletics, you have no doubt been witness to someone who appears to have an Olympic physique, only to be shocked at their inability to highly perform. This is where postural practice comes into play while warming up and transferring that habit to more difficult climbing.

Rob Pizem bouldering in France displaying good posture on near-vertical with good external hip mobility
(Rob Pizem photos)

NEAR VERTICAL POSTURAL AWARENESS

Rob Pizem's posture in this case is not abdominal flexion, but posterior tension initiated with his gluteal muscles and low back spinal erectors (my educated guess is that he also has some low level hamstring tension).
(Rob Pizem photos)

Look at Rob Pizem's straight-line posture on near-vertical. This is not high tension, rather good technique and body awareness
(Rob Pizem photos)

So, you can visually see that in some cases tension is low and sometimes tension is high. To make the case for increased core strength is the same argument for any increase in strength for any climbing specific musculature; the increase in strength allows the climber to focus on the postural AWARENESS rather than the deficit in strength. This can be said for any increase in climbing specific strength...the increase in strength allows for higher technical awareness and analysis.

1. ISOMETRIC POSTERIOR POSTURE

Mercedes Pollmeier holding a "Supine Floor Bridge" creating a perfect posterior line of tension from her shoulders through the heels

Mercedes Pollmeier holding a "Supine Floor Bridge with one foot extended" creating a higher and "contralateral" line of tension. It is important in this position to maintain horizontal or flat hips and thighs parallel to each other.

This is a weighted "Supine Hip Bridge" using a physioball and a weight plate for added posterior tension.

2. DYNAMIC POSTERIOR POSTURE

Sarah Marvez finishing a stiff legged dead-lift with perfect posture. The weight on the Anterior (front side) creates posterior (back side) tension in an overload fashion.

Stephanie Marvez with the barbell just below the knees on her way back up. Feet are straight forward, not externally rotated as a traditional or Sumo deadlift.

3. ISOMETRIC ANTERIOR POSTURE

Notice a forward flexion to the posture. There is high frontal or anterior tension NOT RELAXATION!!! The back should have an appearance of an "angry cat".

4. DYNAMIC ANTERIOR POSTURE

With an initial flexion/tension in the shoulder girdle and elbows, bring the knees to the elbows for a vertical postion.

5. OBLIQUE OR SIDE POSTURE

This side bridge further develops the oblique lines of tension. The body should be perfectly straight from the ankle through the shoulders, no jackknifing at the hips!

The number and variation of these exercises or beyond the scope of a blog or article, but you can use your improvement in strength to advance to labile (instability) or load of each exercise to fit your needs.

The reason to use external weight is to "super compensate" or overload, whereas using body weight exercises help develop greater body awareness through the line of tension.