Training for Climbing, 2nd: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Performance (How To Climb Series)

inches. Mount small rungs about 6 to 8 inches apart; the largest rungs are best spaced about 8 to 12 inches apart. I’d advise you purchase campus rungs from one of the indoor training companies—these rungs are quite affordable, and some companies provide detailed construction plans.
    The three primary campus training exercises are Laddering, Lock-Offs, and Double Dynos. Gradually introduce yourself to this new training method over the course of a few months. Begin with laddering during the initial sessions and progress to Lock-Offs and Double Dynos as your strength and confidence allow.
     
    Perform a total of six to twelve hand moves, never more. To increase difficulty, skip rungs as you hand-over-hand up the board or, if available, use smaller-size rungs. (Laddering on small rungs tends to train contact strength more than upper-body power, whereas longer reaches on larger rungs better isolates one-arm power and lock-off strength.) Rest for three to five minutes before you engage in a second set. Limit yourself to a total of three sets during your initial campus workouts. As you gain conditioning, you can do up to six sets or begin a gradual shift to training with the Double Dynos.
CAMPUS LOCK-OFFS
     
    Campus Lock-Offs, also known as Campus Touches, train contact strength and the one-arm lock-off ability that’s often called on for making a long reach on steep climbing terrain.
    Begin by hanging with both hands from the bot tom (or second to bottom) rung of the board. Pull up forcefully with both hands, and then in a fast, continuous motion lunge up with one hand to grab the highest rung possible (usually the third, fourth, or fifth rung, depending on the spacing). Engage the high rung for an instant, and then drop back down to the starting hold and lower to the starting (hanging) position. Immediately, pull back up and lunge with the opposite hand to grab a high rung. Again, engage the high rung for a moment, before dropping down to the starting hold and lowering to the starting position. Continue in this alternating fashion for up to twelve total touches (six per hand).
     
    Campus Lock-Offs

     
    1. Hang from a lower rung.
     

     
    2. Lunge up to grab a high rung.
     

     
    3. Drop back to the lower rung.
     

     
    4. Lunge up with your other hand.
     

    Rest for three to five minutes before you perform another set. Do two to four sets. You can make this exercise much harder by touching, but not grabbing onto, the high hold at the top of each lunge. The goal is to hold the one-arm lock-off position for one second before dropping back down to the bottom position. Hard!
CAMPUS DOUBLE DYNOS
     
    This dynamic up-and-down, fully airborne exercise is most recognized as true campus training, and it’s the most effective at producing neural disinhibition and building maximum contact strength and pulling power. This is also the most stressful and potentially injurious exercise that climbers engage in, since the dynamic double-handed drops generate a force several times your body weight. Are your fingers and tendons ready for this level of stress? It’s my belief that the answer is no for over 95 percent of climbers. If you think you are ready for this exercise—are you an elite climber with no recent finger, elbow, or shoulder injuries?—then introduce it gradually and cautiously.
    Begin by hanging from the third or fourth rung on the campus board. (It’s good to number your rungs beginning with the bottom rung as “number one.”) Simultaneously let go with both hands and drop to catch the second rung. Immediately explode upward with both hands to catch the third or fourth (harder) rung. This is one full repetition, but don’t stop! Without hesitation, drop down to and again catch the second rung. Explode back up to the third or fourth rung. Continue this double-handed, drop-down-and-explode-up sequence for up to six repetitions (up-down couplets). Stop prematurely instead of risking a failed downward catch—and have a bouldering crash pad in place just in case.
     
    Campus Double Dynos

     
    1. Hang from the third or fourth rung.
     

     
    2. Drop down two-handed to the second rung.
     

     
    3. Immediately explode upward.
     

     
    4. Catch starting rung and repeat.
     

    Rest for three to five minutes before you engage in a second set. Perform a total of just two or three sets during your formative workouts; however, you can build up to six or eight sets as you gain conditioning and confidence. Limit