by KRISTY PARRISH
Rope climbs. A flash back to Physical Education classes of old, and a movement that comes up in CrossFit just often enough to be stressful each time it does. Because let’s be honest -even if you are lucky enough to be at a box that has a rope (or multiple ropes), how often does it cross your mind to get in rope climbing practice at the end of a WOD or lifting session? Learn why this gymnastic skill should be in our repertoire and how to get up and down a rope gracefully… and without rope burns.
Rope Climbs: Not Just for P.E. and Obstacle Courses
Did you know?
Rope climbing was an Olympics gymnastics event until 1932.
Rope climbing was an Olympics gymnastics event until 1932.
Why should you learn to climb a rope, other than that CrossFit WODs sometimes ask you to do so?
Rope climbing is an effective exercise for the arms, upper back, core and legs and is used in the military as a confidence building tool as well as for physical training. Becoming popular in nonmilitary circles such as martial arts and hardcore fitness enthusiasts, climbing ropes are usually between 20 and 30 feet high and two to three inches in diameter—the thicker the rope, the greater the grip challenge.
If you have ever attempted to climb a rope, either in a practice session or within a WOD, you know that it places incredible demands on your entire body, and sometimes even more so on your mind, since you cannot simply let go of the rope if you feel suddenly tired. Because this is a bodyweight movement, it automatically qualifies as a gymnastic skill.
Basic Techniques
Progressions with feet on the floor:
You can vary the challenge of this sub depending on how much you bend your knees and/or hips while you are pulling your body up.
Watch Annie Sakamoto in an old-school CrossFit HQ video demonstrate a full range of rope climb techniques in a breezy 2.5 minutes. The first techniques she shows include a basic “PE” style; the monkey wrap (not highly recommended because it is difficult to maintain good foot grip); and the thigh grab. What do all of these styles have in common? Watch how she reaches up with her hands, then uses her core to bring her legs up, re-grip the rope, and stand.
She moves on to demo advanced legless techniques – including an L-sit legless climb – and finally shows beginner progressions with feet on the floor:
So how do you go from little or no rope climb experience to getting up a rope even partway? First, let us figure out if you can sustain your bodyweight on the rope for a few seconds at a time.
A Quick Strength Test
Many folks are intimidated by the sight of the rope for a multitude of reasons, including the height, the demand on grip strength, etc. While it may take time to develop the upper body pulling strength to climb a rope without leg assistance, never fear: you can learn techniques that will still allow you to climb efficiently.
Keep it hanging:
The leg extension check is to ensure that you can support yourself hanging while your feet re-grip the rope during a climb.
If you are not sure whether or not you are strong enough (yet) to make an attempt at a rope climb, try out this testfrom Carl Paoli of GymnasticsWOD: On the rope, reach your hands as high up as you can, then pull your legs up into a hanging tuck that lasts at least five seconds. If that is manageable, then try pulling up into the tuck, and try extending each leg one at a time. If you can do this, then you have enough strength to rope climb.
Brief Beginner Lesson
Baby steps:
For someone new to rope climbing, doing partial climbs up the rope is fine for safety and developing confidence.
If only all of us could experience 1-on-1 instruction with legendary firebreather Greg Amundson, we would probably all be better at CrossFit and at life, for that matter. If you are a newbie to rope climbs, or have been too nervous to attempt it previously, watch Greg coach an athlete who has never climbed before and get her halfway up the rope in less than five minutes.
First they work on a “no-leg rope climb” with feet firmly on the ground, and he quickly progresses her to practicing the S-wrap (also known as the Spanish wrap) with her feet for a static hold. In no time she is pulling herself up the rope.
For someone new to rope climbing, doing partial climbs up the rope is fine for safety and developing confidence.
The S-Wrap & the J-Wrap
Coaching tip: For either wrap style, kick or extend your leg away from you as you re-grip to avoid burns.
The names do not matter as much as the concept of finding secure footing with the rope. Many of the coaching videos you encounter will emphasize “pinching” or “mashing” the rope with the feet, which gives you a stable platform and allows you to rest on the rope comfortably if your arms grow weary.
The S-Wrap (Spanish Wrap)
CrossFit Bartlett describes how the S-wrap works; this acts like a written version of Greg Amundson’s coaching video above.
Climbing the rope is about being able to do some sort of knees to elbows, and standing up. If you can raise your legs more than I’d say two inches you can climb. The true key to this is all about how you wrap your leg around the rope. The first wrap is called the S-wrap, or at least that’s what I call it.
Step 1: Determine what foot you are going to wrap. Usually you will wrap the foot that you step out front of you during the jerk. If you don’t know what foot you jerk with, do a walking lunge right now. The foot you stepped out with is probably your dominant foot.
Step 2: Take the rope and feed inside your dominant thigh. At this point the rope will just be between your legs.
Step 3: From here wrap it around your dominant leg so that is laying on the top of your dominant foot.
Step 4: Step on it. You are now locked in. As long as you keep one foot on the other you are not going anywhere.
Now the S-wrap is incredibly secure but you may not feel comfortable climbing all the way to the top right away. That’s ok. There is an easy way to practice. Start off by reaching as high, on your tip toes. Then hang and find your lock. This will enable you to feel what it is like to be off the ground without being unsafe. Once you are comfortable with that, reach high [again], but this time bring your knees to your elbows and find your lock. From there stand up. You are now officially climbing the rope. From there reach high, and this next part is very important: Let go of your lock, bring your knees to your elbows, and find your lock again.
To descend, lock your feet in as you did when going up, sit down on your heels, and walk your hands down the rope.
Climbing the rope is about being able to do some sort of knees to elbows, and standing up. If you can raise your legs more than I’d say two inches you can climb. The true key to this is all about how you wrap your leg around the rope. The first wrap is called the S-wrap, or at least that’s what I call it.
Step 1: Determine what foot you are going to wrap. Usually you will wrap the foot that you step out front of you during the jerk. If you don’t know what foot you jerk with, do a walking lunge right now. The foot you stepped out with is probably your dominant foot.
Step 2: Take the rope and feed inside your dominant thigh. At this point the rope will just be between your legs.
Step 3: From here wrap it around your dominant leg so that is laying on the top of your dominant foot.
Step 4: Step on it. You are now locked in. As long as you keep one foot on the other you are not going anywhere.
Now the S-wrap is incredibly secure but you may not feel comfortable climbing all the way to the top right away. That’s ok. There is an easy way to practice. Start off by reaching as high, on your tip toes. Then hang and find your lock. This will enable you to feel what it is like to be off the ground without being unsafe. Once you are comfortable with that, reach high [again], but this time bring your knees to your elbows and find your lock. From there stand up. You are now officially climbing the rope. From there reach high, and this next part is very important: Let go of your lock, bring your knees to your elbows, and find your lock again.
The J-Wrap (Russian Wrap)
- Begin by standing beside the rope
- Reach overhead and grab the rope as high as possible, with one hand above the other
- Tuck dominant leg up to your chest and place vertical shin up against the rope
- Lift opposite leg off the ground and sweep it around the back of the rope, wrapping it from under and up around the tucked foot
- By keeping both feet always flexed you will be able to sweep, hook, and wrap the rope much easier
- With the rope wrapped around the dominant foot, you can now stand on it
- To secure the wrap, place your wrapping foot on top of the standing foot while keeping the wrap tight between both feet. Step firmly on the wrap.
- Extend the tucked leg and push your body up by standing tall
- Reach over head again and grab the rope as high as possible, with one hand above the other
- Hold on tight and release the wrapping foot to allow the standing foot to free form the wrap.
- Tuck that standing foot up again, sweep the and hook the rope with the other foot, and rewrap
- Repeat stand and pull
What’s in a name?
This style is also known as the military wrap.
Because the feet are in a slightly less stable grip than with the S-wrap, this style requires more upper body pulling strength; however, this method is faster when performed correctly. To descend, control the downward speed by spreading the rope apart with your feet as you quickly walk your hands down.
- Begin by standing beside the rope
- Reach overhead and grab the rope as high as possible, with one hand above the other
- Tuck dominant leg up to your chest and place vertical shin up against the rope
- Lift opposite leg off the ground and sweep it around the back of the rope, wrapping it from under and up around the tucked foot
- By keeping both feet always flexed you will be able to sweep, hook, and wrap the rope much easier
- With the rope wrapped around the dominant foot, you can now stand on it
- To secure the wrap, place your wrapping foot on top of the standing foot while keeping the wrap tight between both feet. Step firmly on the wrap.
- Extend the tucked leg and push your body up by standing tall
- Reach over head again and grab the rope as high as possible, with one hand above the other
- Hold on tight and release the wrapping foot to allow the standing foot to free form the wrap.
- Tuck that standing foot up again, sweep the and hook the rope with the other foot, and rewrap
- Repeat stand and pull
This style is also known as the military wrap.
Notes for Legless Climbers
If you are strong enough to perform legless climbs, remember to start with small distances between hand grabs up the rope and work toward increasing the space between each grab as you become more proficient. You can either go up the rope using a hollow-body position or kick the legs in a “stride” as you work your way up.
Feeling like a ninja on the rope? Work on L-sit rope climbs for an advanced challenge.
More Fun with Ropes
Rope Pull-ups
If you so happen to have two ropes hanging close enough next to each other, try your hand at rope pull-ups: stand between both ropes, reach up and grab a rope in each hand, and pull up. Talk about developing pulling strength!
Towel Pull-ups
This is the regularly recommended sub for those of you who do not have a rope at home or at the box. The simplest version of a towel pull-up is to wrap a single towel over the bar, grip one end in each hand, and pull up. To mimic a rope climb, you can alternate which hand is higher than the other for each pull-up rep; the variations on this are endless.
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