u/Anxious-Phase-1770

Hi there!

I’ve been climbing for about a year now and usually mix in some upper body training with it, mostly pulling work and core.

Before I got into climbing more seriously, I used to do strength training and had pretty decent leg strength back then.

But since focusing more on climbing, I’ve almost completely stopped training legs directly. Right now it’s maybe one deadlift session a week and some occasional running, but overall my leg training has dropped off quite a bit.I think part of it is that climbing already uses legs a lot, and mine tend to respond pretty quickly anyway. So I’ve been intentionally putting more focus on my upper body to work on that imbalance.

Lately though, I’ve been wondering if I should start adding some lower body training back in. The thing is, I really don’t want my legs to get bulky like before. I’d rather focus on control, stability, and movements that actually translate to climbing.I’m also a bit concerned that adding too much lower body volume might affect my climbing performance, since more muscle could mean more weight.

Do you train your legs specifically for climbing? If so, what kind of workouts do you find helpful?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!