Secrets of Climbers

Jurgen Reis, Austrian Pro-Worldcup Sportsclimber

August 11, 2009 11:53 AM

Are you feeling empty, exploited, and bored after several months of two-fisted "iron training"? You want to have well defined muscle groups and great muscle quality? I myself but also athletes coached by me have the same experience again and again: training with your own bodyweight is the key, it helps you to reach the next level. Now first of all, I hope, that you already read Pavel's great book The Naked Warrior and watched carefully to his awesome DVD with the same "mystic" name. If not?go for it right away!

This article features two exercises from my own book Peak Power (www.peak-prinzip.com).

The Climber's Hanging Leg Raise


Photos: Sebastian Nagel (www.gestaltungssache.at) and Lukas Fabler

You need to be proficient with strict hanging leg raises before tackling this advanced exercise.

Perform a strict HLR as usual, then, when your feet are touching the bar, slowly raise your legs above the bar. It is important to go straight up rather than roll around the bar. Go as high as you can.

Forget the word "momentum". Power, control, concentration, and a huge amount of volition!

You can slowly reverse the movement or make the negative even harder by coming down with your body and legs straight in one line, in a front lever.

The Ukrainian Coin and Bottle Drill

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Photos: Sebastian Nagel (www.gestaltungssache.at) and Lukas Fabler

Ukraine's top climber Maksym Petrenko and his friends showed this exercise in the evening after a championship. This is a very advanced exercise and I presume that you already know how to keep tight and protect your back. If you lose tension or let your back arch you could get a severe injury.

Balance with your hands on two bottles as shown in the photos. Lay the coin a short distance from this starting point. The aim is to slide the coin with your forefinger as far away as possible. You are not allowed to lean on the floor or on the coin or to throw the coin.

The Ukrainian coin and bottle drill makes for a fun competition. Athletes from Eastern Europe are good at emptying bottles so it is always easy to find a few lying around!

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Shoot Jurgen an e-mail to info@juergenreis.at and stop by his website, www.juergenreis.com where you will find several of his books in German.

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