[Schnell]

Following on from various recent threads I've realised my posterior chain strength probably is not up to scratch. I'm good at core stuff hanging from bars, leg raises, wind screen wipers etc, but I feel like I'm not as good at keeping feet on and pushing through feet on steep ground.

So, seems like deadlifts, other weighted stuff would be ideal but I've no access to a gym and can't afford to a membership at the moment. What exercises can I do on the floor/at the wall. So far supermans (supermen?) seem like a decent suggestion, any others?

[tomtom]

8 point planks..

Hip raises..

[fried]

Something like that?

[Willy]

Glute ham raises

[Schnell]

Something like that?

That would require sufficient flexibility to squat with my arms over my head. I'm not even close. Obviously something to work on in itself.

Thanks tomtom, though I should have mentioned that I try to avoid any form of exercise that involves sustained effort, ie planks for over a minute, because they're so dull. Despite this I recently started doing a plank routine that was linked on here somewhere, alternating 15 sec raising one arm, leg etc for a total of 90 sec. I can get through it but find it tough. I would have thought planks were more 'core' in the conventional sense though, ie abdominals.

I've also got access to rings at the wall if there's any good exercises involving these.

[Sasquatch]

Glute ham raises

[tomtom]

The 8 point planks really work my lower back and arse (glutes?) more than my front...
I never do more than a minute.. its dull and I'm not sure you need to do more than a min...

[SiWitcher]

Single-leg squats aka pistol squats, or progressions towards them, are another way of working your posterior chain if you don't have access to a bar and weights. Examples here:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/pistol-perfect-one-legged-squats-and-beyond.html

[SiWitcher]

walking lunges are worth a go too, especially through the middle of a busy climbing wall

[Sasquatch]

Under people bouldering.  Helps motivate

[Nibile]

Pistol squats are great but flexibility can be a hindering factor.
I prefer to do single leg squats with the other leg behind, or even better single leg hip hinges or Romanian deadlifts.

[Nibile]

Best posterior chain excercise with bodyweight is obviously uphill sprints.
D'oh.

[SiWitcher]

Spot on Nibile. Two more: box jumps / depth jumps

[mrjonathanr]

Best posterior chain excercise with bodyweight is obviously uphill sprints.
D'oh.

A lot of stress on high hamstring insertions, I'd be cautious with this.

[LB]

On Rings: Back Lever.

Bridges. Although the position of your shoulders, being a climber, can make these both harder and dangerous.

Broad Jumps.

Maybe consider one or two posterior chain exercise in a finisher.

[rodma]

On Rings: Back Lever.

Bridges. Although the position of your shoulders, being a climber, can make these both harder and dangerous.

Broad Jumps.

Maybe consider one or two posterior chain exercise in a finisher.

If you have issues with overhead squat due to rom, then forcing the arms into the back lever position using your bodyweight would be an interesting thing to film, so you could show us all the exact moment that you had to quit bouldering forever

[Stubbs]

As you included 'at the wall' how about climbing on steep ground for the majority of your sessions? I've seen people make drastic improvements by doing this for a month.

[Nibile]

Best posterior chain excercise with bodyweight is obviously uphill sprints.
D'oh.

A lot of stress on high hamstring insertions, I'd be cautious with this.

Stressful of course. But sprinting uphill is a lot less stressful on the hamstrings than flat sprint, due to the shortened action.
Cheers anyway. I only use them as finishers, when warm up is not a problem. When I used to do them as a recruitment for fingerboarding sessions, it was very tricky to get properly warmed up and I've had some little hamstring issues.

[Oldmanmatt]

On Rings: Back Lever.

Bridges. Although the position of your shoulders, being a climber, can make these both harder and dangerous.

Broad Jumps.

Maybe consider one or two posterior chain exercise in a finisher.

If you have issues with overhead squat due to rom, then forcing the arms into the back lever position using your bodyweight would be an interesting thing to film, so you could show us all the exact moment that you had to quit bouldering forever

I'd never seen the rom issue on squats before, until yesterday.
My training partner yesterday could not squat safely at all. In order to get to 90* at the knee, he had to bend so far forward, he gave me a heart attack.
I'd already had to step in about his lifting technique.
Given that he is a martial artist, climber and boxer (who otherwise seems quite supple and strong) it was a shock.
A quick test up against the wall, showed almost no groin flexibility, despite his regular use of one of those groin stretching thingy machines and a good static stretching programme.

Weights!

They'm good!

[Schnell]

Re range of motion when squating, I've got particularly tight ankles and calves because I cycle a lot but also due to a never properly healed broken ankle. I do the occasional foam roller session on the lower calves which helps a bit.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried some bridges last night and could hold decent (I think) form for about 10 sec, no idea if that's reasonable but it did feel like it was working the right areas. I  wanted to try some glute ham raises but couldn't convince my girlfriend to hold my legs down.

[Schnell]

As you included 'at the wall' how about climbing on steep ground for the majority of your sessions? I've seen people make drastic improvements by doing this for a month.

I climb mostly on the steep as it is because I tend to enjoy the style though at the same time find it challenging. Being a skinny, lanky fella techy vert and slabs tend to come a bit easier

[Schnell]

walking lunges are worth a go too, especially through the middle of a busy climbing wall

there was a guy doing some sort of crawl/ crab style lunging at the wall the other evening. trying to present a bigger target than the average lunger I suppose.

[Muenchener]

I tried some bridges last night and could hold decent (I think) form for about 10 sec,

Are you doing shoulder bridges or full bridges on the hands? The latter is really hard to do with decent form - i.e. without crushing the lumbar disks - if you have ROM issues in the shoulders/upper back.

A good option is doing one-legged shoulder bridges with the other leg up in the air, making a real effort to actively push up with the glute of the supporting leg and not just passively hold the position.

[Oldmanmatt]

walking lunges are worth a go too, especially through the middle of a busy climbing wall

there was a guy doing some sort of crawl/ crab style lunging at the wall the other evening. trying to present a bigger target than the average lunger I suppose.

I didn't know John Cleese was a climber...

[tomtom]

Its nice to know that next time I'm so pissed I can't walk, that crawling along is good for my posterior chain (interspersed with uphill sprints of course).

[Nibile]

I'm not sure that crawls involve much posterior chain.
I use to do crawls, with a weight vest on, and they mainly work triceps, pecs, shoulders, abs and quads.
+1 for one legged shoulder bridges.

But really, do uphill sprints. Geez, they're so cool and you'll feel as cool as the coolest motherfucker on Earth. Like, girls literally fall at your feet. Like. Plus, you're allowed to wear lycra.

[Schnell]

Its nice to know that next time I'm so pissed I can't walk, that crawling along is good for my posterior chain (interspersed with uphill sprints of course).

following expert advice my preferred regimen is: get pissed, uphill sprints to vomit in the bathroom upstairs followed by crawling into bed.

[Schnell]

I tried some bridges last night and could hold decent (I think) form for about 10 sec,

Are you doing shoulder bridges or full bridges on the hands? The latter is really hard to do with decent form - i.e. without crushing the lumbar disks - if you have ROM issues in the shoulders/upper back.

A good option is doing one-legged shoulder bridges with the other leg up in the air, making a real effort to actively push up with the glute of the supporting leg and not just passively hold the position.

I'm doing full bridges on the hands, I don't have any shoulder rom issues that I'm aware of, it's my hips and especially calves that limit me when I squat. I'll definitely try the one-legged shoulder squats as a seemingly less risky alternative though.

[Sasquatch]

Its nice to know that next time I'm so pissed I can't walk, that crawling along is good for my posterior chain (interspersed with uphill sprints of course).

following expert advice my preferred regimen is: get pissed, uphill sprints to vomit in the bathroom upstairs followed by crawling into bed.

The sprints are better once warmed up and as a finisher, so I'd add in Bridges and one leg squats while getting pissed.  May I suggest 5-8 rounds of 16. 

[mrjonathanr]

Best posterior chain excercise with bodyweight is obviously uphill sprints.
D'oh.

A lot of stress on high hamstring insertions, I'd be cautious with this.

Stressful of course. But sprinting uphill is a lot less stressful on the hamstrings than flat sprint, due to the shortened action.

I don't think you are correct Nibs. As I understand it when running uphill the hamstring tendons are bent more acutely round the ischial tuberosity due to the position of the leg ie anterior to the pelvis.  There is thus both a stretch and high contractile stress on the high hamstring insertions. 


In your case, I expect there is a better adaptation to load already than someone just beginning this training.

A hurt hamstring would not be trivial.

Read this guy's story:
http://www.running-physio.com/my-pht/

[Nibile]

I don't know myself, that's what I've always read about uphill sprints. I understand what you say, but I think that a key factor could be that when sprinting uphill there cannot be a full extension of the leading leg due to the angle of the surface, so the muscle itself remains less stretched.
 
Knocking on wood and making other apotropaic gestures right now.

[Sasquatch]

I don't know myself, that's what I've always read about uphill sprints. I understand what you say, but I think that a key factor could be that when sprinting uphill there cannot be a full extension of the leading leg due to the angle of the surface, so the muscle itself remains less stretched.
 
Knocking on wood and making other apotropaic gestures right now.

I feel really dumb.  I just learned a new english word from an italian. 

While sprints are indeed a posterior chain strengthening exercise, they are also heavy on the quads, flexors, and calves whcih for most climbers are not really critical for strengthening.  if you tend to put on leg muscle easily(like myself), then I wouldn't recommend them. 

[TheTwig]

Even overhead air squats with a broomstick or something is good. I really struggled to get started with OH squats with an oly bar and did this for a bit and it seemed to help get used to the different position required.

[Nibile]

I feel really dumb.  I just learned a new english word from an italian. 

You shouldn't, the Italian word is just the same as in English with a vowel at the end.

[jwi]

I feel really dumb.  I just learned a new english word from an italian. 

You shouldn't, the Italian word is just the same as in English with a vowel at the end.

It's all Greek to me.

[tomtom]

I feel really dumb.  I just learned a new english word from an italian. 

You shouldn't, the Italian word is just the same as in English with a vowel at the end.

It's all Greek to me.

Que?

[rosmat]

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/how_to_build_posterior_chain_power

[blamo]

Good link!  I am going to add some of those in! 

[jwi]

I feel really dumb.  I just learned a new english word from an italian. 

You shouldn't, the Italian word is just the same as in English with a vowel at the end.

It's all Greek to me.

Que?

I recognise a Greek loan word when I see it (ἀποτρόπαιος). They sound much “earthier” than words with latin root to my ears.

 

[Nibile]

In fact, I learnt that word first in Greek, I didn't know the Italian word before. It was a long time ago. Now I'm envious, how do you post on here with Greek alphabet?

[jwi]

I can easily switch between keyboard layouts and keymaps on my Mac. The forum software works quite well with unicode so I should be able to write 日本語 as well....  (I use greek letters quite a lot when writing reports/lecture slides etc. but I don't know any greek at all. Recognise the letters, but I pronounce Greek words using the closest equivalent in my rural far-north swedish dialect as an approximation of the sound of each letter. Much to the amusement of Greeks... )

[Nibile]

 
My knowledge of Greek - I can read it but can't translate it without a dictionary - is limited to ancient Greek and came at the cost of six hard, long years spent in high school studying Latin and ancient Greek most of the time.

[mrjonathanr]

I feel really dumb.  I just learned a new english word from an italian. 

You shouldn't, the Italian word is just the same as in English with a vowel at the end.

You should proof-read more. 

[Muenchener]

Skinning uphill on skis or a splitboard. Did this for the first time yesterday, decidedly sore glutes today.