Strength Training Exercises for Crack Climbing sans-crack?

I imagine a similar topic exists here already, and if I'm pointed in such a direction I'll promptly lock this thread, but:

Does anyone have any recommendations for exercises or general conditioning tips for crack climbing when one has access to neither actual nor simulated cracks? Apart from general climbing fitness and anaerobic endurance, are there any specific exercises - on or off the the wall - which work the same muscles as a hand or finger jam might? Is hangboarding useful for finger cracks?

Thanks in advance!

Core including back training mixed in with closing your limbs in a door could work. 

Albert B wrote:

Core including back training mixed in with closing your limbs in a door could work. 

Will start slamming fingers in doors stat   

I find that my thumb fitness drops dramatically when not in “crack shape”. Using pinch blocks help build up the strength again lessens the dreaded Thumb Pump of hand or ringlock cracks. A 2 inch block of wood with a $2 eye-bolt where you can deadlift weights or water off the ground will do.

Training 2/3 finger hangs or open hand pockets on the hangboard can get one confident to trust two fingers at a time. Once you know where the pods or money jams are, hard ringlock and finger cracks can feel ~almost~ like sporty pocketed faces climbs with no feet.

Lastly, because of the different arm positioning found in vertical splitters, one’s shoulder health matters a lot too. Seriously work on your overhead mobility to make an extended jam position go from strenuous to restful. 

Lattice just posted a video on this (the end has stuff on cross-training I think). 

OP: What are your local climbing areas, and what are your crack climbing goals?  "Crack climbing" is an incredibly broad category, and the physical requirements for a slabby tips seam versus a long vertical layback corner versus an invert offwidth are so different it doesn't even really compare. So, having some knowledge of this will allow for better suggestions.

For most "normal" crack climbing, the physical requirements aren't notably different from face climbing - it is just the skills and technique that are different. Auden's suggestions are good. Go bouldering to get strong, go sport climbing to get fit for endurance, and get a bunch of crack climbing mileage to build crack technique and dial in your gear placement skill and trad headspace. When you have all of these factors in place you should be ready to climb some hard cracks.

Regarding finger cracks and hangboarding: Yes, this can be useful. Strong fingers are good for almost all kinds of climbing. For hard finger cracks, training pocket pairs (back 2, front 2, etc) on the hangboard will translate well. And the nice thing is that is isn't "just" for crack climbing - this strength applies to many other climbing goals you may have also.

Certain goals will have some specific needs. On OP's profile I see several long routes in Squamish. For these, long-day work capacity for climbing many challenging pitches in a day is helpful. And strong legs and feet would be quite valuable on The Shadow. As well as general granite trickery and skills. For all of these specific needs, the best way to acquire them is lots of actual climbing on granite.

JCM wrote:

OP: What are your local climbing areas, and what are your crack climbing goals?  "Crack climbing" is an incredibly broad category, and the physical requirements for a slabby tips seam versus a long vertical layback corner versus an invert offwidth are so different it doesn't even really compare. So, having some knowledge of this will allow for better suggestions.

For most "normal" crack climbing, the physical requirements aren't notably different from face climbing - it is just the skills and technique that are different. Auden's suggestions are good. Go bouldering to get strong, go sport climbing to get fit for endurance, and get a bunch of crack climbing mileage to build crack technique and dial in your gear placement skill and trad headspace. When you have all of these factors in place you should be ready to climb some hard cracks.

Regarding finger cracks and hangboarding: Yes, this can be useful. Strong fingers are good for almost all kinds of climbing. For hard finger cracks, training pocket pairs (back 2, front 2, etc) on the hangboard will translate well. And the nice thing is that is isn't "just" for crack climbing - this strength applies to many other climbing goals you may have also.

Certain goals will have some specific needs. On OP's profile I see several long routes in Squamish. For these, long-day work capacity for climbing many challenging pitches in a day is helpful. And strong legs and feet would be quite valuable on The Shadow. As well as general granite trickery and skills. For all of these specific needs, the best way to acquire them is lots of actual climbing on granite.

Thanks for the help, and direction prompt: I started this thread as I am to be moving back to Squamish in the spring, which, for a period, is where most of my climbing will be. As such, my goals are to get back into climbing longer, more difficult routes, in the mid/high 5.12 zone, as you've astutely observed. Here, specifically, there are a lot of hard, steep finger cracks, and some more overhanging hands, and so I am specifically looking to build a base level of conditioning over the winter.

Having previously spent a number of years climbing in Squamish at a moderately difficult level, I have acquired a certain literacy in the granite trickery that is required for such routes. So, at present, given my lack of access to actual stone, my focus is to train what I can for the time being in an attempt to be in the best shape possible for when I actually arrive back in town and can start logging hours on the cracks there.

Riley Weaver wrote:

Thanks for the help, and direction prompt: I started this thread as I am to be moving back to Squamish in the spring, which, for a period, is where most of my climbing will be. As such, my goals are to get back into climbing longer, more difficult routes, in the mid/high 5.12 zone, as you've astutely observed. Here, specifically, there are a lot of hard, steep finger cracks, and some more overhanging hands, and so I am specifically looking to build a base level of conditioning over the winter.

Having previously spent a number of years climbing in Squamish at a moderately difficult level, I have acquired a certain literacy in the granite trickery that is required for such routes. So, at present, given my lack of access to actual stone, my focus is to train what I can for the time being in an attempt to be in the best shape possible for when I actually arrive back in town and can start logging hours on the cracks there.

In my experience the physical demands of Squamish trad climbing aren't anything too specific or special. Just being fit for general climbing is sufficient. Many of the classic crack pitches and cruxes of classic multipitches are quite burly and physical with lots of sustained laybacking type movement, so the full-body strength and endurance built by steep burly bouldering and sport climbing translate well. But there is also plenty of delicate slab/face climbing too that depends more of fingers and toes than on biceps. So you need a pretty well-rounded set of capabilities. All-day work capacity is important for the sustained long routes.

Climbing on harder routes in Squamish I like to rile people up with the claim that "Crack climbing is a myth". This is of course an overstatement, but the general idea is that even on the crack climbs you don't spend that much time (especially on the crux bits) pure jamming with both hands and both feet. The pure crack bits are (usually) the easy part, and the parts that make you fall off look a lot more like face climbing.

Anyway, so maybe not the super-specific training advice you want, but my suggestion is to just follow a more generalized training plan and plan to be strong, fit, and healthy in the spring. The one specific adaptation I would suggest is to focus a bit more on volume, endurance, and work capacity for the long routes, rather than maximum explosive power. Once you arrive in Squamish you can use on-the-rock time to dial in that "raw material" of fitness to specific granite application. This is the approach I have used for my better Squamish trips - just show up really generally fit from sport climbing and dial in the details once you are there. It actually isn't ideal to get too specific too soon - time spent worrying about overly specific details (training for ring locks) may take away from time spent on more generally useful strength and fitness. 

I'll also make a quick note of tactics - shoe game, skin etc. Having this dialed in makes multiple letter grades of difference in abilities. In particular, correct use of Antihydril (and/or Rhino Skin) was the single factor that made the biggest difference in Squamish climbing for me. The combination of coarse rock and humid conditions is hard on the tips for thinner climbing, so having correct skin condition is quite important. 

My non-climbing training for finger and off-finger sized cracks mainly consists of a lot of lockoff and lockoff endurance training (alternating lockoffs, assisted lockoffs, frenchies, etc) as well as core endurance training through hard plank variations (extended planks, TRX straight arm body-saws, standing ab-wheel rollouts, etc). I also usually throw in some type of rotational core training like lying windshield wipers, although I don't think I've noticed those translate as much to feeling stronger crack climbing.

In terms of specifics, for strength exercises you'd be well served by following a standard hangboard program (whichever one you like - they are all fine) with a 1/2 crimp edge grip, a couple open-hand pocket pairs, and a pinch. Combine with some pull/lockoff and core work (such as what Chuck describes above), some antagonist work (OH press, etc) to keep the shoulders healthy, and some stretching mobility work, and  you have a pretty solid general climbing strength program that will be valuable for almost any form of climbing (including crack climbing). 

If you are so inclined, compound barbell lifts such as squats and deadlifts are gaining popularity within the strength-for-climbing world, and while their direct applicability to climbing is debated, they certainly do contribute to a stronger and healthier body. They are valuable in moderation, but don't let them detract from actual climbing (whether on rock or plastic).

Speaking of actual climbing - are you just doing off-the-wall strength training for the winter season, or do you also have climbing gym access?

JCM wrote:

In terms of specifics, for strength exercises you'd be well served by following a standard hangboard program (whichever one you like - they are all fine) with a 1/2 crimp edge grip, a couple open-hand pocket pairs, and a pinch. Combine with some pull/lockoff and core work (such as what Chuck describes above), some antagonist work (OH press, etc) to keep the shoulders healthy, and some stretching mobility work, and  you have a pretty solid general climbing strength program that will be valuable for almost any form of climbing (including crack climbing). 

If you are so inclined, compound barbell lifts such as squats and deadlifts are gaining popularity within the strength-for-climbing world, and while their direct applicability to climbing is debated, they certainly do contribute to a stronger and healthier body. They are valuable in moderation, but don't let them detract from actual climbing (whether on rock or plastic).

Speaking of actual climbing - are you just doing off-the-wall strength training for the winter season, or do you also have climbing gym access?

Thanks for all the super helpful tips, and for taking the time to share!

I do have access to a bouldering gym, the likes of which I try to go to 3-4 a week. It's not an especially large facility, but I do my best to focus on volume and power-endurance, in addition to some pure strength training. Apart from that, I trail run and do core/antagonist exercises and general weightlifting/conditioning on a two day rotating basis. I'm starting to hangboard, and so will be coming up with some sort of program for that, keeping in mind your suggestions, as well as focusing more on lock-off exercises.

Ringlocks to Fist Jams

A large, adjustable wood clamp that you can hang weights from.

maybe some ideas here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3xHMkcOAVc&t=200s