Climbing training: your progressive program for the summer ☀️

31/07/2025
7min reading
Expert advice
Train

Following a training program during the vacations helps to protect your fingers and limit the risk of injury when you return to work. Designed with the help of PC Training coaches, this program offers two weekly sessions that can be carried out anywhere, without the need for complex equipment. It's an effective way of staying active while calmly preparing for your return to the wall.

Why follow a climbing training program during the vacations?

Vacations are an opportunity to take a break, but not to lose your climbing skills. By following a climbing training program, you can maintain your climbing skills, protect your fingers and limit the risk of injury when you return to climbing. There's no need to go to the gym every day, YY Vertical and PC Training offer you a quick program with all the essentials for progress during the summer.

You stay active while efficiently preparing for your return to the wall. Whether you're in the mountains, on the beach or at home, this climbing training program fits easily into your weeks, and virtually all the exercises can be done wherever you are. You can do it on your own or challenge your buddies!

A 4-week program

Session organization - schedule 🗓️

The climbing training program we suggest is a typical one-week program. Ideally, it should be carried out over 4 weeks or more. You can do it over less, but progress will be slower. The program has been designed by the PC Training coaching team to meet the real needs of climbers. It contains 2 sessions per week with 3 exercises per session.

Here's a sample week :

Monday: fingers + shoulders + sheathing
Thursday: arms + fingers + lower body

Progression 📈

Adapt the number of sessions and sets according to your abilities and objectives. You can then repeat this climbing training program as often as you wish, and as often as you deem necessary to maintain your level or progress, throughout the year.

For optimal progress, you need to that the exercises are hard enough for you. All you have to do is make an exercise harder (we'll explain how for each exercise) when it becomes too easy.

Hardware

To complete this climbing training program, you'll need :

A VerticalBoardhangboard climbinghangboard ) or nomadic equipment if you're on the move
Elastic Bands (resistance bands)

Do you own a hangboard but don't know how to install it? Here's a step-by-step article on how to install your VerticalBoard on drywall. Illustrated by a Youtube tutorial.

Warming up 🔥

Before starting any exercise, it's essential to warm up properly to avoid injury. Never start out cold, and gradually increase the intensity of each exercise in your climbing training program.

Need some advice on the warm-up part? Download our White Paper here, produced in collaboration with physiotherapists and coaches.

Detailed exercises

EMOM suspensions - fingers 🖐️

Series: 5 suspensions - 10 sec
Rest: 50 sec between each suspension
Number of series: 1

Suspend yourself on a 15 to 25mm grip (depending on your level), 5 times for 10 seconds, with 50 seconds rest between each suspension.

Variant

Don't have a climbing hangboard ? Do this exercise with a nomadic apparatus. Hang it from a bungee cord or weights, depending on your equipment and ability.

Target intensity

Choose a hold that you can hold for 15 to 20 seconds. You should have 5 to 10 seconds of leeway at the end of the first suspension. The 5th suspension should be difficult, but you should still be able to do it.

Too hard? 🥵 (regression)

If the exercise is too hard, you can :

Increase grip size, e.g. 25 or 30mm
Take off your weight with a rubber band or keep one foot on the ground

Too easy? 😎 (progression)

If the exercise is too easy, you can :

Reduce grip size, e.g. 15 or 10mm
Ballast you

Looking for more exercises to do with your VerticalBoard to improve your performance and reduce injuries? Here are 5 exercises to improve your explosiveness, strengthen your fingers and increase your muscular endurance.

Swimmer Hoover - shoulders 🏋️

Series: 2 round trips
Rest: 2 to 3 min rest between each series
Number of sets: 2 to 4

Lie on your stomach. Place your hands behind your head, then extend your arms above your head, trying to raise them as high as possible towards the ceiling. Then bring them back to your feet in an arc, still looking for the ceiling. Finally, join your hands at the small of your back, palms up. Start again in the opposite direction.

Do 2 to 4 sets with 2 to 3 minutes rest between each. One set consists of 2 round trips.

Target intensity

No load necessary, for the exercise to be useful, strength to lift the arms as high as possible.

Too hard? 🥵 (regression)

Since you're the one voluntarily forcing your hands towards the ceiling, the exercise can't be too hard.

Too easy? 😎 (progression)

Since you're the one voluntarily forcing your hands towards the ceiling, the exercise can't be too easy.

Pallof Press - sheathing 🧘

Series: stretch the rubber band 5 times
Rest: 2 to 3 min rest between each series
Number of sets: 2 to 4

Stand with a rubber band stretched out to the side (on a doorknob, staircase rung, post, etc.), hold the band with 2 hands and stretch your arms out in front. As you stretch out your arms, the rubber band will try to twist you sideways, and you'll have to resist it.

Do 2 to 4 sets with 2 to 3 minutes' rest between each set. A set is defined by stretching the rubber band 5 times.

Target intensity

It has to be hard to resist the elastic on the last repetition.

Too hard? 🥵 (regression)

Adjust elastic tension :

Get closer to the anchor point
Use a less rigid elastic band

Too easy? 😎 (progression)

Adjust elastic tension :

Get further away from the anchor point
Use a stiffer elastic band

EMOM pull-ups - arms 💪

Series: 2 pull-ups every minute for 5 min
Rest: the time remaining after your pull-ups
Number of series: 1

Perform 2 pull-ups every minute for 5 minutes (10 pull-ups in total), after your 2 pull-ups, use the time to rest before the next two pull-ups.

Variant

Are you at the beach and don't have a VerticalBoard for this exercise? Look for a bar near you or use a telescopic pull-up bar.

Target intensity

The last 2 pull-ups should be difficult, but you should still be able to do them.

To do this, use an intensity that allows you to do about 5 pull-ups, so you should have a margin of 3 pull-ups at the end of the first block of 2 pull-ups.

Too hard? 🥵 (regression)

If the exercise is too hard, you can :

Take your weight off with a rubber band
Do a 2-arm block for 8 seconds instead of pull-ups

Too easy? 😎 (progression)

If the exercise is too easy, you can :

Ballast you

Horse Squat - lower body 🦵

Series: 5 descents and ascents (slow)
Rest: 2 to 3 min rest between each series
Number of sets: 2 to 4

Stand with your legs 2.5 times the width of your pelvis. Perform a squat, trying to spread/open your knees as much as possible and to get down as low as possible.

Target intensity

The last squat of each series should be complicated to perform.

Too hard? 🥵 (regression)

If the exercise is too hard, you can :

Lower down
Spread legs less

Too easy? 😎 (progression)

If the exercise is too easy, you can :

Force your way down as low as possible
Forcing the legs as far apart as possible
Ballast you

Keep up the good workouts during your vacation!

Tag us on Instagram during your workout: @yyvertical_official

Want to take your prep further? If you have a sports project or want to get back into the game after an injury, call on PC Training for personalized support 💪 !

Who is PC Training? 👥

PC Trainingis a team of coaches specializing in physical preparation for climbers. Their approach is both technical, individualized and on-the-ground.

They help athletes and amateurs achieve their goals: progress, recovery from injury or season planning. season planning. From planning and training to consulting and remote monitoring, PC Training supports every climber, whatever their level and objectives.

This climbing training program has been designed in partnership with them, toprovide you with a solid and effective and optimize your training! An adapted, progressive and accessible program to help you progress without exhausting yourself or injuring yourself.