As climbers, we often obsess over finger strength and pulling power. But what about that subtle, almost invisible ability that ties everything together? We're talking about body tension, a concept that goes far beyond simply keeping your feet on an overhang. It's the ability to stabilize your body to generate effective tension that connects feet and hands, allowing you to initiate and absorb movement with fluidity and control. This is a crucial quality, especially in overhanging climbing and bouldering, and its importance grows as difficulty increases, since many moves involve generating momentum toward unstable balances.

"Body tension" is expressed through the stability of two key joint complexes: the pelvic girdle (the "core") and the shoulder girdle. The force generated by the whole body is what allows you to optimize force application on holds and, at the same time, stay on them.

What is joint stability and why is it so important in climbing?

Joint stability is the ability of a joint to maintain balance when subjected to destabilizing forces. It's a crucial training component for several reasons:

Movement efficiency: Good stability competence allows you to apply force at favorable angles and use momentum to your advantage, controlling eccentric movement. This makes climbing more efficient and prevents the required force from continually increasing. If you can't control a movement or generate the necessary force quickly, your grip strength will be negatively affected.
Reduced injury risk: The inability to actively stabilize joints, especially under muscular fatigue, is a common cause of injuries. Therefore, it's vital to develop the ability to stabilize joints using voluntary muscular tension.

Although there's no direct correlation between shoulder or pelvic girdle strength levels and climbing ability, these competencies are key training components.

Stability vs. strength: a crucial distinction

It's essential to differentiate between stability and strength, especially in the lumbopelvic region.

Stability is an active but reflexive concept, meaning involuntary and automatic. It doesn't require conscious attention. When we talk about "core," we refer to actions that demand stability.
Strength, in contrast, refers to actions that require movement.

According to Henneman's Size Principle, at low intensities (and slow speeds), mainly slow (tonic) muscle fibers are recruited, responsible for maintaining posture and stability. At higher intensities, both slow and fast fibers are recruited to generate movement.

If the deep stabilizing muscles don't fulfill their function, the superficial muscles (designed for movement) take over, but on an unstable base. This increases the risk of injury to the superficial muscles. In climbing, joint stability is required at relatively high intensities and fast speeds. Therefore, it's recommended to first gain competence by working the tonic muscles at low intensities (<25%) and then progress to more complex exercises starting from competent stabilization.

How to train stability? The path of proprioception

To train stability, the key is to focus on proprioception—your body's ability to recognize its posture and balance itself. Exercises should be challenging enough that you lose balance if you don't pay attention.

Progression is achieved by gradually increasing the instability of training situations through:

Modification of surfaces and platforms: Using balls, rollers, boards, sand, or slippery surfaces.
Unstable tools: Such as TRX, ropes, bands, or kettlebells.
Short and intense demands: Exercises that require stabilization for short periods, progressively increasing intensity.
Distance from the center: Increasing instability from points close to the body's center to more distant points.

The "core": beyond visible abs

When we talk about the "core," we refer to the stability of the lumbopelvic region, involving up to 29 muscles. This includes the transverse abdominis (deep), diaphragm, multifidus, pelvic floor, quadratus lumborum, obliques (especially internal), glutes (maximus, minimus, medius), and even the psoas. It's important to note that the rectus abdominis is not considered a core muscle in the context of stability, as its main function is to generate movement.

Why does a lack of competence in core stabilizing muscles occur?

Inadequate training: Continuously performing dynamic, high-load exercises on predominantly slow-twitch (postural) muscles can force the recruitment of fast fibers, leading to a transformation from slow to fast fibers. This decreases the muscle tone needed for stabilization. The solution is to predominantly work tonic fibers by controlling intensity.
External factors and lifestyle: Habits like heavy meals or chronic intestinal problems can relax the tone of the deep abdominal wall. In these cases, a specific nutritional approach is needed.

Mobilizing lower body strength and dynamic abdominal training

If you notice a lack of strength to keep your feet on an overhang or move them (not a stability issue), then you need strength training for the abdominal muscles and posterior chain. This is strength (movement) training, complementary to stability.

Exercises include leg raises, hanging side twists, dynamic planks, deadlifts, etc. A specific exercise could be simulating foot placement on an overhang and holding the position, or even releasing a hand once stabilized, thus combining stability and strength.

Shoulder girdle stability: the foundation of your arms

Shoulder girdle stability mainly refers to shoulder stabilization, a "floating" joint complex. The muscles that stabilize this joint include the rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor), serratus anterior, and lower trapezius. Larger muscles like the pectoralis, biceps, and deltoids also contribute.

Training progression for stability (core and shoulder)

The progression for training stability, both core and shoulder, follows a clear approach:

Initial stability work: Start with general, low-intensity exercises to improve tonic fiber capacity (e.g., with an effort level that allows 5-10, or even 15-20 reps if dynamic, to train slow fibers).
Proprioception: Once basic competencies are achieved, progress with proprioceptive exercises following instability guidelines.
Higher intensity demands: Finally, work with exercises that require prior stability before a brief, high-intensity demand, always maintaining focus on stabilization before movement.

It's crucial to remember that the starting point isn't necessarily linked to athletic level. An elite climber could have strong abs but poor stability at rest. Therefore, individualized assessment is key for a progressive and effective approach.

Conclusion

Stability of the lumbopelvic and shoulder girdles is a fundamental pillar for any climber. It not only improves movement efficiency by allowing you to apply force optimally and absorb momentum, but it's also your best ally for reducing injury risk. Understanding the difference between stability and strength, and applying progressive training that prioritizes tonic fiber work, proprioception, and finally high-intensity demands, will allow you to climb with greater control, power, and—most importantly—health!

Beyond Grip: Mastering Body Tension