Use of gymnastic rings to train for rock climbing

Gymnastic rings are an incredibly versatile training tool for rock climbing. While they won’t train your finger strength, they do work many important muscles, such as your arms, shoulders, back, and core. They also build a high strength-to-weight ratio, which is important for both gymnasts and climbers.

I bought my own pair of rings four years ago and haven’t been back to conventional weight training since. Not only do they provide a great workout, but they’re also more fun to use than free weights. In fact, I’ve found that the rings target more muscle groups at once and build strength more efficiently than traditional weight lifting.

You can use rings for push-ups, muscle ups, pull-ups, leg raises, barbells, and more. Additionally, the inherently unstable nature of the rings requires all muscles to work together, so the entire upper body is activated rather than isolating just one muscle at a time.

John Gill, the “father of modern bouldering”, was a trained and trained gymnast on rings throughout his life. He was famous for his one-arm pull-ups with front levers. These powerful moves allowed him to excel in bouldering like no one before him.

While there are many other important aspects of climbing that you need to focus on as well, incorporating some training in the ring can efficiently increase your overall strength and might well find a way to work it into your regular climbing training.

First steps with the rings

Gymnastic rings are easy to set up and get started. Although the moves performed on them can be extremely difficult, the rings themselves are a simple device. The popularity of rings as a training tool outside of gymnastics has been on the rise.

You don’t need the professional setup that gymnasts use; most basic rings consist of a nylon strap running through the ring with a buckle at the end. They can be easily purchased online, and for the amount of versatility and training they provide, they’re pretty cheap too. Setup is simple, simply loop the strap over a beam, branch, or other horizontal post and fasten the buckle. The rings can then be lowered for push-ups or raised for pull-ups and dips.

Exercises on gymnastic rings.

While there are many advanced moves that can be performed on the rings, I will limit myself to describing the moves that can most directly help with rock climbing training. At the most basic level, rings can simply be used for pull-ups. If you don’t have a pull up bar available, then rings are great!

muscles

One of the first advanced tricks to learn is the muscle up. Muscle ups work your chest, arms, back, and core…pretty much everything! They start from a standstill on the rings and proceed as a pull-up. However, when you get to the top of the pull, you continue to push yourself up into the dip position. If done correctly, it looks smooth and easy, but don’t be fooled! Chances are the first time you try it you’ll end up wobbling and flailing.

If you are successful, your arms will most likely shake uncontrollably as you try to hold on. I have taught many people muscle exercises, and every one of them struggled and wobbled the first few times! It really makes you appreciate how many different muscles the gymnastic rings target.

Technique is very important when attempting a muscle up. It’s important to use a false grip, where your wrist is over the top of the ring, to easily go from pulling up to pushing into a sink. Practice your dips and pull-ups separately until you can transition from one to the other in a successful muscle up.

Hanging Leg Raises

Leg lifts are my main workout. They can be done on many things, from pull-up bars to rails, but my favorite is the leg lift 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 yourself in the process.

As a warning, these are hard to do. They first require that you be able to do muscle ups and dips. However, once you’ve accomplished that, try leg raises. Remember to keep your back straight and your elbows locked as you raise your legs 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 in rings adds so much difficulty that most of the time I do these instead of the whole leg. After a few sets my abs are on fire and my arms and chest are bruised. That’s a good exercise!

front levers

Forward stick is a difficult skill to master. It involves holding your body horizontally from a bar or rings. This requires incredible strength in the arms, back, and core, making it an ideal climbing exercise. John Gill performed this skill with just one hand…now that requires a lot of strength!

The force that the front levers build is great for climbing training. To perform one, hang from the rings with your arms straight. Then raise your body until it is horizontal to the ground. The hard part is keeping your body straight!

It will be impossible to do a full front lever the first time you try it. Instead, you’ll need to work your way up to the full lever in stages. Start in normal lever position, but pull your knees in and keep them close to your chest. After you can hold that position for thirty seconds, slowly progress to keeping your legs flat. Keep your back flat and lock your elbows.

When you get close to full lever you can try an exercise called ice cream makers. Hang in the pull-up position and lift yourself up to the front lever position, hold briefly, then lower back down. Sets of these will help improve your lever.

More possibilities

These are the main exercises for which I use gymnastic rings. There are a lot more great strength moves on the rings, like the iron cross and plank, but the strength these require doesn’t scale well enough to justify training them. However, if you have the desire, there are hundreds of ring movement variations you can find.

If you’re looking for a chest workout, one of my favorites is archer pushups. To do this, lower the rings to the ground and get into the push-up position. Extend one right arm out to the side as you lower yourself with the other arm. Push up and alternate arms. This is basically an assisted one arm pushup and requires much more strength than normal pushups. The rings also allow for the added challenge of getting below the hands, allowing for a greater range of motion. For added difficulty, try raising your feet behind you; this adds weight to your push up.

The iron cross is one of the most famous ring movements. It is about holding yourself in the air with your arms extended horizontally. This is a much more difficult move and takes a long time to develop. Care must be taken when training for it because the movement puts a lot of stress on the shoulders and elbows. It’s easy to insult yourself if your technique is wrong, so be careful if you try it.

In general, small gymnastic ring workouts can be used very successfully in a climbing training regiment. The majority of your training should continue to be climbing and finger strength, but the rings provide a great opportunity to build body strength. They are a very efficient exercise due to the stabilization required, and just a few sets a week will show results. Give them a try and see how much easier overhangs, locks, and stabilization become!