Injury Prevention

Heidi Wirtz, pro climber and yogi, shares 5 reasons climbers should take up yoga

Climbers must build strength, encourage flexibility, and practice proper movement patterns—throughout the body—to prevent injury.

A proper warmup will help you make the most of your climbing session and prevent long- and short-term injuries. Here's how to get started.

To climb longer and stronger, it’s important to understand our hand anatomy and how pulley injuries happen, as well as how to prevent and treat them, and to restrengthen an injured digit.

As our chest becomes tighter, the shoulders and back become more rounded, and a forward head posture can develop. While not inherently harmful, these traits can put climbers at higher risk of shoulder or neck injuries.

In recent years, there has been an uptick in indoor-bouldering injuries among newer climbers. Use these tips to help you boulder safely without getting injured.

A proper warm-up will target mobility and stability in both the wrists and fingers. Here's how to do it right.

This 15 minute "prehab" routine can reduce the rate of shoulder injury and increase your performance on shouldery moves.

It's easy to push your training too far, and get injured or see negative progress because you are doing too much. Knowing when to end a training session can be subtle. A climbing coach's tips for guiding you through these murky waters.

Michaela Kiersch discusses the importance of running, weight lifting, and injury prevention exercises to her training regimen.

We all want to rock climb into our old age. To do that, we need to stay healthy. Movement mechanics, myofascial tissue mobility, nutrition, and hydration can all play crucial roles in maximizing joint health.

Bottom line, climbing is an athletic activity and you need to treat yourself like an athlete.

Climbing gyms make fantastic training and practice environments, but they also reward some bad habits that can be downright unsafe outside. Jump-start your transition to outdoor master by avoiding these five common mistakes.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

The heel hook is a common and very necessary move in climbing, especially on overhanging rock. But it's also the source of much woe, from hamstring tears to knee injuries. Do these three simple exercises every week to prep for heel hooking and prevent injury to your legs.

Studies have shown that the common technique of wrapping fingers to support the tendons doesn't work. Here's a better way.

It’s heinously easy to overdo it on a bouldering board... and overdoing it negates any gains you might make. Planning and discipline play important roles in a healthy board practice.

Climb and stay injury free by following the doctor's advice.

The causes of climbing injuries often fall into predictable patterns, and are preventable by taking a few simple precautions.

Check out Dr. Julian Saunders's author page.

Check out Dr. Julian Saunders's author page.

Belaying can strain your neck, causing a host of health issues.

Steve Hong, prolific first ascentionist and career dermatologist, explains the best way to heel splits, gobies, and worn tips

Train on a train, at a desk, in the car, in a chair, on the plane. Seriously. You'll actually see benefits.

Check out Todd Bushman's author page.

Achieve even strength on both sides of your upper body for harder sends

Check out Jeff Giddings, PT's author page.

Check out Kevin Corrigan's author page.

Check out Matt Samet's author page.

Check out James Lucas's author page.

Check out Jonathan Siegrist's author page.

Improve performance and reduce the risk of injury by training the muscles that oppose typical climbing muscle.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Don't just stand there—spot!

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Your shoulders are crucial to climbing—they are the axles around which all upper-body climbing movement rotates. We ask a lot of them and their fragile ligaments and tendons. Strengthening them is imperative to progressing.

Elbow pain is a common climbing malady, but you don't have to live with it, and you don't even have to get it.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Check out Climbing Staff's author page.

Check out Climbing Staff's author page.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Coach Justen Sjong weighs in on the potential benefits of pumping iron.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Check out Dr. Jared Vagy's author page.

Part one of a weekly five part series about outside elbow pain (lateral epicondylosis).

Check out Hailey Moore's author page.

Check out Climbing Staff's author page.

Check out Climbing Staff's author page.

Modify standard exercises for climbing-focused gains

Prevent common injuries with simple movement and technique upgrades