When learning to rock climb, you need to get into a regimen of working the very muscles you will need to climb. Keep in mind that to rock climb, your goal is not to build muscle and gain muscle mass. The goal with your workout is to gain strength and endurance through a number of specialized exercises. Therefore, developing cut muscles and great definition has nothing to do with the body you need to rock climb.
To become a good rock climber, you need strength and balance. After all, you will be pulling yourself up in some challenging positions. Therefore, we recommend you push yourself, training on and off rocks. The exciting aspect of rock climbing is that this activity teaches you to rely on you, your own strength that comes from literally every muscle of the body.
When first getting started, you will find that you feel sore, often discovering muscles you never even knew existed before. From the top of your head to the bottom of your feet, you will feel the strain placed on the body. However, the most important areas to concentrate on include the hands, arms, and upper torso. As you climb and challenge your body to perform, the first sign of fatigue will be felt in the forearms, the part of the body required to hang on. Then, your hands, triceps, biceps, back, shoulders, and abdomen will soon follow.
Since these are the areas of the body that will do the majority of the work while rock climbing, they are also the very parts of the body that need the most strength training. Whether working out in a gym or at home, focus on the upper body, arms, and hands. We recommend you strength train at least three to four times every week, faithfully. In addition, work on isolated exercises, which would include things such as crunches and pull-ups.
Although you may get tired of all the workouts, the first time you get on rock and rely on those muscles to pull you up, you will be glad you made the effort. You can also use a specially designed fingerboard to work your hands and fingers, becoming more and more skilled. Even leg lifts will help, providing you with lower body strength that will help support the upper body during a climb. For forearm strength, use a tennis ball, squeezing it while watching a movie or driving in the car.
Remember, just as crucial as it is that you be in excellent shape, specifically strong in specific areas of the body, the one thing you want to avoid is over training. Obviously, you want to be in great shape but you do not want to push yourself to the point of exhaustion. You also want to make the workout time enjoyable so that as you go to climb, you enjoy that as well. Often, over training will create risk of burnout or other types of injury.