How to Train For Crack Climbing, With No Cracks

1. Reverse Bicep Curls

When you finger jam, or do the twisting action in a "cup & twist" hand jam, you use the muscles on the ‘thumb side’ of the forearm (brachioradialis). You'll often find you get pumped in this specific area rather than the belly of the forearm (as you would for standard climbing).

A great exercise for this is reverse bicep curls or reverse forearm curls.

• The Movement Option: Do a bicep curl but instead of having your palm facing towards you, face your palm towards the ground.
• The Static Option: Keep your arm in a static 90-degree bend and flex your wrist so the back of your hand moves towards you.

2. Bachar Ladder

Oh yes, this old-school training exercise is still excellent for modern-day cracks. The Bachar ladder is great because everything is in a straight line, exactly like a crack.

• The Crack Specific Beta: To really make it crack-specific, place your hands in the centre of each rung as you move up it.
• The Campus Alternative: If your gym doesn’t have a Bachar ladder, ‘laddering’ up a campus board also does the job. Remember to keep each hand in the centre of each rung (placing one directly above the other, simulating a crack line). You’re not working finger strength here, so use the biggest rungs you can find!

3. One-Arm Locks

When you are climbing cracks, having plenty of time to place the next jam perfectly is crucial, you don’t want to be snatching for the jam. Placing a jam takes a little more time than grabbing a normal face hold, so being strong in a locked-off position is incredibly useful. It gives you the "time on route" to lock off, reach up, and find the sweet spot of the next jam.

• The Exercise: Lock off with 1 arm, for a set amount of time. I like to do 5-10 seconds and then swap hands repeatedly for 30 seconds to a minute. If you can’t lock off with one arm yet, use both arms or use a resistance band for assistance.
• Pro Tip: Like the ladder exercise, keep your hands as central as possible to the centre line of your body to simulate the body position of climbing a crack.

Happy jamming