50 Fitness challenges to shake up your fitness journey.
How many can you do?
No.5 Climb a rope
If your grip, upper back and forearm strength needs a bit of work this is the exercise for you. It feels like it is a real-life skill although it may not necessarily be. Someday somewhere you will have to climb a long rope to get out of the hostage situation you are in or to save some drowning kittens. Who knows?
Whatever its applications it has skill and strength to it. Techniques with and without using legs and slightly different styles it is no easy feat to climb a rope. Often used in CrossFit workouts to test and maybe exhaust the cross fitters grip strength.
Watch out for the rope burns on the way down, it is important to learn a descending technique almost as much as an ascending technique. If you slide down the rope you will have the sore hands to prove it, it is not a fireman’s pole.
If you are using your feet when climbing it is important to cover your ankles as once again this an area than can get burnt especially after multiple climbs. While not that exciting in the scheme of things, it requires the strength and technique needed to be entered on this list.
My Experience – I remember it in PE (gym) class in school, it wasn’t my biggest strength to put it mildly. My only experience since has been CrossFit workouts with rope climbs as a component. Very tough to do legless and I have had a few rope burns but overall it is a very accessible skill for anyone athletic.
Fun facts – rope climbing used to be a gymnastic event at the Olympics until 1932 and the world record for an 8-meter vertical rope climb is currently 4.87 seconds by Ales Novak from the Czech Republic.
Elite Challenge – legless rope climb
Alternate Test – vertical kilometer, climb 1km in a day with multiple rope climbs
Fit Fifty Challenge – climb a rope using any technique
FIGHT LAZINESS 