Three Shoulder Exercises Many Climbers Miss

Looking to build strength and stability in your shoulders this winter training season? You’re probably doing pull-ups, some TRX or band work, and a range of antagonist exercises. There may be a few key exercises that you’re missing out on, however, that are great for building strength, stability, and proper movement patterns in the scapula (AKA the shoulder blade).

Poor muscular stability around the scapula leads to undue stress on the arm, wrist, and fingers. Strengthening the muscles around the scapula is therefore key for climbing performance and avoiding injury. Here are three great pulling exercises for working the muscles around your scapulas that are surprisingly often overlooked by climbers.

1. Scapular Pull-Ups

Climbing coach and author Eric Hörst says the scapular pull-up is “perhaps the best climbing exercise that almost nobody does.” To learn how to perform the scapular pull-up, watch the short video below by Hörst. He breaks downs the exercise’s benefits and shows both beginner and advanced variations.

In Hörst’s invaluable book, Training for Climbing, he explains that regular use of the scapular pull-up will help you develop “better kinesthetic awareness of your scapula position and enable you to climb harder and longer with good form, despite growing fatigue.” The exercise also helps train your scapula to stay in the correct position during dynamic movement, which we all know can be taxing on the shoulders.

As you’ll see in the video, to perform a scapular pull-up, you begin by hanging from a bar in a normal pull-up position (palms facing away with arms shoulder-width apart). Starting from a relaxed hang, draw your shoulder blades together. The best way to think about this motion is to try and bend the bar (or hangboard, if that’s what you’re using). Your blades will come together as your head tilts back and your chest raises slightly. Be sure to keep your arms straight. Your body’s upward motion is coming from your scapular movement, not your arms. Hold the top of the flexed position for one second and then come back down. Perform three sets of six to 12 reps.

2. Hanging Shoulder Shrugs

Another great exercise is the hanging shoulder shrug, or scapular shrug. To begin, hang from a bar (or hangboard), palms facing away with arms shoulder-width apart. Your arms should be straight, with just a slight bend to prevent locking-out the elbow joint. Starting from a relaxed hang, draw your shoulder blades down. This will lift your entire body vertically without creating any bend in the arms. Unlike, scapular pull-ups, your torso and legs will stay in a vertical orientation and not lift forward. Watch the video below for a quick demonstration of form.

Move back and forth between the disengaged and engaged positions with control, holding each position for a second or two. Maintain good form throughout, squeezing your abs and your glutes. Perform three sets of six to 12 reps. One you get comfortable with this exercise, it becomes a fantastic addition to any climbing warm-up routine.

If bodyweight two-armed shrugs feel too easy for you, trying adding weight to a climbing harness or dipping belt. If that still feels too easy, try one-armed shrugs. Be sure not to shock-load the hanging arm if performing one-armed hangs. Slowly released your weight onto the arm, and be sure to start in the engaged position for safety. Before attempting one-armed shrugs, you should be able to comfortably hold the one-arm engaged position isometrically. If bodyweight one-armed shrugs also feel too easy, try holding a dumbbell in your non-hanging arm to increase resistance.

3. Inverted Rows

While pull-ups are one of the most common exercises for building pull strength in climbing, they’re surprisingly not that similar to climbing on steep terrain. One of the best exercises for specifically focusing on overhanging pull strength is the inverted row. Like pull ups, inverted rows strengthen the lats, but they are also great for targeting the rhomboids and traps. See the 30-second video below for a quick intro on form:

You can perform inverted rows using gymnastic rings, a TRX system, or a squat or bench press bar locked in place. To first try out the exercise, set your rings/TRX/bar around waist height. Get under and grab the rings/TRX/bar with a palms-away grip and plant your heels firmly into the ground with your legs straight out in front of you. Throughout the exercise, your body should be held in a straight line from heels to shoulders.

To start the movement, engage your shoulders down and back. Also engage your quads, glutes, and core. You initiate the pull with your back muscles. Pull your chest up to the rings/TRX/bar, hold it there for a second or two, and then lower back down. Do not disengage your shoulders at the bottom of the lower—keep them engaged and move directly into your next rep. As you pull up and release back down, do not over arch your lower back or let your butt sag.

You may feel that basic inverted rows feel way too easy. No fear, there are many things you can modify to increase their difficulty:

Raised Feet

The more your body’s starting position becomes parallel with the ground, the harder the rows will be. Once you are nearing parallel in your body angle, instead try moving your feet onto a box or raised platform. If the rows are still too easy, you can start to move beyond parallel, with your feet on a higher box or platform.

One-Arm Isometrics

This progression builds additional shoulder and core stability and is good for helping developing lock-off strength on overhanging terrain. To perform it, at the top position of the row, simply take one hand off and hold the one-armed position for two to three seconds. Your form should not slip when you take your hand off. Your back should stay square (i.e. 90-degree angle between arm and chest). If you’re using a TRX, make sure both ends are fixed! After the hold, put your hand back on and lower back down with two arms.

Rows for Posterior Chain Strength

The next progression is excellent for building posterior chain strength in climbing. This is the strength needed for keeping your feet pressed firmly on tiny footholds in overhanging terrain. For this progression, instead of keeping your heels on the box, use your toes to grip the edge of a box or push into a sturdy platform or wall. You can also try this with just one foot on at a time for extra difficulty. This progression really activates the core and builds the toe-to-shoulder tension needed for steep climbing. You can try the one-arm isometric holds in this progression as well.

No Feet

The next progression is to attempt the rows with no feet on. Tuck your legs up into your body, still keeping your back straight and perform the rows. Next, you can try this same position with one leg sticking out straight to further stress the core. Finally, if you’re at a very advanced level, you can attempt full front-lever inverted rows.

One-Arm Inverted Rows

A variation of the inverted row is to perform the entire exercise one-armed—the pull, the hold, and the lower down. This variation is best performed on a fixed ring or TRX grip rather than a bar. This variation is a real step up in difficulty from the two-handed version and is especially good for building back and core strength and shoulder stability. Try it out first with a higher angle, perhaps 45 degrees or so. All the same fundamentals apply—keep engagement through the quads, glutes, and core. Also keep your back square throughout the movement (i.e. a 90-degree angle between arm and chest).