Rock Ring Workout

An effective 10 minute training sequence for all abilities!

This training routine has been developed by the team at Metolius and the key to it’s success is following it religiously. The specific hold details in this workout relate to the Metolius Rock Rings, but the principles apply to any portable training grips. 

For those who are new to climbing training, it could take up to 8 weeks for you to become comfortable and capable of completing the sequence. But don’t worry! With persistence, you’ll get there. It’s important not to rush yourself as over-exerting could lead to injury. 

If you find some of the holds give you pain, avoid them and be prepared for your fingers to get very sore! Like regular bouldering and climbing, it may take a few weeks for your skin to callous up. 

Installing the rock rings

The principle behind this routine is repetition and dedication, so choosing the right location for your workouts is key, freezing garages or garden sheds, may not be very appealing come winter! 

Warmth, light, music, or whatever you enjoy to get you in the mood for a workout will make things so much easier.

Rock rings or any portable training grip can be hung from any solid anchor point. Here a few pointers to consider:

• the rings should hang at or above the height of your full reach 
• the anchor points must be strong enough to withstand your weight 
• the rings should not slide or move around when in use

Body Position Key

The picture below shows a key demonstrating the names and sizes of each hold for the Metolius Rock Rings. 

Exercises

Dead Hang: 

• Never completely lock out your arms
• To avoid injury, make sure to keep a slight bend in your arms 

Bent Arm Hang: 

• Try this one at various angles
• Pull yourself up to the required angle and hold your position

Offset Hangs: 

• Start the same way as above
• Shift your weight all the way to one side and hold 
• Swap position to the other side, without lowering your body and hold for equal duration. Repeat. 
• Try varying the angle of your hold, duration and number of reps

Pull-ups: 

• Don't jerk, kip, swing, or cheat in any way
• Keep your lower body still
• Don't lock your arms out
• The focus of this exercise should be on keeping perfect form and less about the number of reps

Offset Pull-ups: 

• Position yourself with your weight under one arm, as if to do a one-arm pull-up. 
• Choose a lower hold with the other hand and give yourself just enough assistance to complete the exercise.

One-arm Pull-ups: (for one when you’ve mastered offset pull-ups)

• Follow the same guidance as for pull-ups 
• If you can't quite do one-arms, do an offset pull-up, but lower yourself as a pure one-arm. 
• High risk of injury on this one, so keep things smooth - don't bounce!

L-Hang:

• Choose a hold that you're comfortable with
• Either a dead hang or bent arm hang is needed for this one
• Pull your legs up from the hips, keeping your knees straight and your toes pointed. 
• Hold with your legs at 90 degrees to your torso or do slow repetitions raising your legs as far as you can but only lowering to about 45 below horizontal. 
• Make sure not to lower your legs all the way as this will take the tension off your abs 
• Bend your knees at a 90 degrees if straight leg raises are too difficult

Front Lever: 

• You may need to work up to these by trying them first with both legs bent at the knees, and then with one leg straight and one bent. 
• If you can do a good front lever, try it with one arm.

image source: Rock and Run

Warning - Training on Rock Rings carries risk of injury to fingers, arms, shoulders and the joints connecting them. Take every precaution to avoid damage to yourself; warm-up, stretch, don't overtrain and listen to your body.  

Routine:

 Click here to download a printable version from Metolius 

Ready to start?

Here at Dyno, we currently stock a wide range of climbing training aids. For this routine, we recommend the following products:

YY Vertical Training Grips

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Metolius Rock Rings

Buy Now