Wall Yoga*

Here is an exercise form that is especially (but not solely) good for rock climbers.

A lot of climbers practice yoga, and the real deal can't be beat if you find the right teacher. But if for whatever reason you can't take a class you can still "improvise" with moves like those in this video clip (see below, you may have to zoom in).

What is shown in the vid are just a few basic moves that are often encountered when rock climbing. When I do this routine I get pretty creative with the positions and try to make it as hard as possible - think out of the box and go for it. All you need to do this is a wall.

Try holding each position, relaxing and breathing slowly. Go for balance moves and stretch moves, try it with a pack on, as I said be creative and try to work in a lot of different (and contorted) positions. These should also take a certain amount of strength to perform. The blank wall helps you balance and gives you a feel similar to facing a rock slab on a mountain cliff.

Of coarse it doesn't really take the place of actual climbing, but it does help make up the difference when your day at the crags doing laps gets washed out by the rain and you don't feel like hitting the stinky (and very expensive) indoor climbing gym.




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