Matthewismith

Ever noticed how a standing forward fold and a hanging leg raise are basically the same shape - just flipped upside down? 🤔

Same shape - with a completely different training stimulus.

Develop both - passive and active - to truly own your range.

We spent the first 6 months of 2021 working with pro climbers on the world cup competition circuit, national team coaches as well as industry leaders Lattice Training.

They coached our climbing. .jchandler and I coached their mobility & flexibility.

We made a couple of videos with Team GB climber , and from aimed at a more beginner level. They can be found on the Lattice Training youtube channel.

Thanks everyone for the incredible sessions full of pro tips 🤙

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For the more elite level, here are some interesting observations for climbers to consider about the side split (these are stereotypes based on an elite population climbing 8a or higher):

• I call them "crabs" because they're amazing at everything sideways but shocking at everything front-back → pike/pancake is a notable weak point and correlates with lacking the hip flexion to tilt the pelvis enough in a side split. This limitation can cause a bone jamming sensation when using the feet flat position.

• Climbers are very active in holding their ranges of motion but can lack the strength to lift → train with gravity resisting.

• Some of the worst I've seen for being able to relax and let go of tension in a position → train passive and/or contract-relax.

• Being good at tailors pose seems to be standard among those climbing higher grades → this correlates with the 'frog pose' often used by climbers but has much greater programming and loading potential.

• Side splits can allow you to break the beta and/or find extra rests.

• This split is often used on the wall with back leg like a side split and front leg the same as in a front split. We've been calling this version the "climbers split".

One of the many beauties of practices such as climbing is its ability to maintain your range of motion without you having to do much extra work. The range you gain in your side splits and squats will be relatively easy to keep through using it when you climb.
Once you develop your range with the strength to control it = more time climbing, less time stretching.

Full article can be found in the Mobility & Flexibility Toolkit. Link in bio.

Mix up your handstand kickups with the cartwheel to handstand.

There are few instances that a handstand isn’t entered head on, opening the doors into soft acrobatics and more creative uses of a handstand rather than just getting really good at staring at the floor ;)

The trick is to place the hands slightly behind the line of the feet. The feet start and end on one train track whilst the hands are placed on the other. Similar to split leg balance for the basic kickup, straddle is much easier with this move for very similar reasons.

Eventually it can be slowed down into a side on entrance to an easier press. When pressing to handstand in this manner, the more straddle flexibility you have the easier it will be as the top leg counterweights the press. For the more flexible people this can become almost effortless as the top leg is shifted over enough to take most of the weight away.

For more detail on the cartwheel to handstand and other creative ways of entering the handstand. Checkout the Handstand Toolkit, link in bio.