The Power Cycle: Stay-At-Home Routine Day 2
Day 2 of a 28-day power-training cycle for the climber looking for strength at home.
Day 2:
Yesterday’s training marked the first day of high-end isometric loading in our power cycle. Isometric loading is defined by the muscles around a joint working to maintain joint stability. These exercises, such as those routines done in a locked off position, on a hangboard or in a front lever are each high stress exercises that we should refrain from practicing every day. The reason for this is that we must allow our bodies to heal so that when we return to isometric training after a rest day, we will be able to execute good reps.
As such, we shall operate on a repeating, three-day cycle: isometric loading, conditioning, rest. This will allow us to increase our strength, maintain our fitness, and rest before embarking on another high-load exercise. As such, tomorrow will act as a rest day and the day after we will return to the hangboard. We will strive to complete lock-offs more frequently than the other isometric exercises as they are lower stress than levers and hangboard. Do not complete the lock-offs if your elbows feel pain.
The following conditioning exercises should be fairly familiar as they will reflect the exercises from the last 28-day cycle. It is important that this routine is done in the order it is written.
Warm Up:
- Warming up will likely differ between people, but these are a few good warm ups.
- Shoulder rolls
- Rotations: hold arms out perpendicular to the length of your body. Your arms should be parallel to the floor. Begin by rotating your wrists clockwise while your arms are straight. Then increase the rotation from the shoulders, maintain g your straight arms. Steadily increase the radius of rotation until your arms are wind milling, then reverse the direction.
- Hang on a bar and retract and relax your shoulders
- Complete a number of pull ups that would warm you up but not tire you out
Agonist muscles:
Once your biceps and shoulders are fully warm, or so warm that you could pull as hard as you would want, begin off-set pull ups.
Pull-ups: High Intensity
Over the course of this routine, you will strive to complete each exercise, resting 30 seconds between exercises. You will work to complete all three pull up variations a total of three times in a row.
- Pull-up: complete 5-10 repetitions
- Wide grip: complete 5 – 10 repetitions
- Archer pull-up: complete 6 – 10 repetitions.
- archer pull ups are defined by a wide grip. First engage your shoulders as you would while hanging from a wide-grip position. Once you have done so, complete a repetition by pulling up, and bringing your sternum in line with your left hand. Release, and complete your second repetition by bringing your sternum to your right hand.
Lock-Offs:
Once your offsets are complete, rest for five-minutes and begin your lock-offs.
Try and hold a lock-off with one arm bent at 90-degrees. If this is too challenging, complete the exercise in a full lock-off on one arm. If this is too difficult, complete ten negatives.
- Negatives: Hold a full lock-off with two arms at the top of the bar. Let one arm go and try and resist gravity with the other arm. You will either hold the lock-off or slowly descend to a straight arm position. The goal of a negative is to increase the time it takes to descend.
- Complete ten one-arm negatives on each side
- Lock Offs:
- If you are able to complete the lock-off, then…
- Aim to hold lock for 10 seconds. 3 sets a side.
Antagonist Muscles:
Push-ups: High Intensity
Complete 5, 7, or 10 repetitions depending on your skill level per exercise. Once that is established…
Complete the following exercises three times in a row for a total of nine sets. Your total push-up count for the day will be either 45, 63, or 90 repetitions.
- elbows-back push-ups: complete 5-10 then rest 30 seconds
- diamond push-ups: complete 5-10 then rest 30 seconds
- archer push-ups: complete 5-10 then rest 30 seconds
Core:
For Day 2 we will maintain a fairly high level of repetitions in our core exercises. We will reduce this number slightly in an effort to perfect our form. On the leg-lifts especially, strive for perfect form. Remember, perfect form means no swing and straight legs.
Hanging leg-lifts:
Beginner: 10 sets of 5 repetitions: bring the legs up so that your body makes a 90-degree angle
Moderate: 10 sets of 5 repetitions: bring your feet to the bar
Expert: 10 sets of 10 repetitions: feet to bar
Cardio:
Run for 45 minutes at a moderate intensity.
Flexibility:
Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds:
- Straddle Splits: This stretch is important to climbing as it increases a climber’s lateral flexibility for moves like stemming in a corner.
- Hamstring: keep your legs straight and bend down to your feet. Keep your back flat for an alternate version of this stretch.
- Hip-flexor: Flexible hip-flexors allow a climber to high-step.
- Quadricep: preventative against injury
- Triceps stretch: preventative against injury
- Shoulder stretch: increases mobility
- Calf stretch: increased heel-hooking mobility
Featured photo by Peak Experiences of @theliftingmurse.
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