Get a Grip! Don’t Commit This Rope Climb Mistake
Rope climbs are one of the pinnacle movements that newish CrossFitters aim to achieve. They are challenging both physically and mentally. They require both strength and technique. And they can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing because you could get stuck in a position you are not comfortable getting out of or you could give yourself serious, and scarring rope burns if you aren’t properly locked on.
The Biggest Mistake on Rope Climbs
The most common reason for rope burn is because people use what we call “the anaconda” technique. This is when you wrap the rope around your leg to secure yourself to it. Besides it causing you to be slow and clumsy throughout your climb, it is the #1 cause of nasty rope burns.
Instead, before you climb, practice this technique until you can do it without fail. Here are the basics of getting a grip with your feet on the rope before you begin to climb. All you need is a box and the ability to sit cross-legged.
Try This Rope Climb Foot Hold Technique
This technique should be used every time you need to grip the rope throughout the climb – so at the beginning of the climb, AND with each ascending segment. Besides protecting you from clumsiness and an injury, this technique also allows you to cover more distance while exerting less energy because you get to use your legs to “stand up” instead of having to pull so much with your arms.
For more tips and tricks for your gymnastics skills, join the Invictus Gymnastics online program where I provide not only the programming for three different levels, but also the movement tutorials and progressions like this as well as feedback on any videos you send me of you giving them a try!
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