Yoga for Climbers: 5 Poses to Improve Your Flexibility
Climbing is a thrilling way to build strength, push your limits, and see some stunning views. Because you’re relying on more muscle groups than usual to hold yourself aloft, it can also be a grueling bodyweight workout — like many inversion-heavy yoga practices!
Between invigorating days at the wall or in the wild, it’s important to get some stretching in to keep your body primed for the next challenge. These yoga poses for climbers can help relieve tension and increase flexibility in some key muscle groups, including your quads, lower arms, shoulders, and pecs.
Big Toe Pose and Hand-to-Foot Pose
Hamstrings, wrists, calves, glutes, hips — this closely related pair of poses stretches a lot of climber problem areas and can help with your balance, too. Make sure you’ve warmed up first with a few rounds of Downward Facing Dog and some forward bends!
For Big Toe Pose, stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hinge forward at your hips without folding forward all the way yet, as you would in a halfway lift. Wrap your middle and index fingers around your big toes. Bend your knees as much as you need to, then fold forward, straightening your legs as much as you can without it being painful. If you’re unable to reach your feet, you can hold onto a strap or belt underneath.
To move into Hand Under Foot, lift halfway like you did for Big Toe Pose, then slide your hands under your feet, palms facing upward, bending your knees as you need to. Fold down again, and straighten your legs as much as you can without it being painful.
Practice these poses in Laruga Glaser’s Ashtanga: Step-By-Step series on Alo Moves.
Bow Pose
Climbing puts a lot of strain on your quads and pecs, and Bow Pose offers a stretch for both while activating those critical upper-back muscles. If full Bow Pose is too much, you can come into Half Bow by doing one side at a time — or add an extra layer of challenge and a little side stretch with Twisted Bow Pose!
To practice Bow Pose, come down to your belly on your mat and extend your legs behind you. Bring your forehead down with your hands next to your hips, then bend your knees and reach back with your hands to grab the outsides of your ankles. Squeeze your inner thighs together and press your shins back to lift your shoulders up. Straighten your arms and use the power of your legs to press back even more and lift your knees off the ground, opening your shoulders and gazing forward.
Pyramid Pose
Give your hamstrings a nice stretch while practicing balance and strengthening your core. In Sanskrit, Pyramid Pose is called Parsvottanasana, or Intense Side Stretch. And while it might feel intense, it’s the perfect way to relieve that end-of-day tension from climbing.
Stand with your feet hips-width apart, then step one foot back three or four feet. Your front toes should point toward the top of your mat, while your back foot should be rotated at about a 45 degree angle. Hinge at your hips and fold your torso over your front leg. Your arms can stay behind you either folded or at prayer position — or they can come to the ground or blocks for added support. Repeat on the other side as it makes sense in your flow.
MODIFIED TABLETOP POSE
In both climbing and yoga inversions, warming up your wrists and forearms is mandatory! Tabletop Pose is full of modifications to soften and strengthen your lower arms. Start by coming onto your hands and knees for classic Tabletop. Then add some extra movement, making sure to stop if anything hurts.
Bring your weight into your first two knuckle pads and pulse the back crease of your wrist up and down.
Face your fingers outward and make gentle circles with your body.
For a deeper stretch, shorten your stance a little, then turn your hands back so your fingers face your knees with a little micro-bend in your elbow.
Rotate your wrists so your fingers point inward together, then gently rock from side to side.
With your fingers facing forward, move between Cat Pose and Cow Pose to stretch your back, shoulders, and chest.
For a full guided wrist-stretching class, try Hannah Haller’s Wrist Health class on Alo Moves.
Thread the Needle
Your shoulders carry a lot of weight, and this soothing stretch addresses several muscle groups, including your lats.
Start in a Tabletop Pose position. Place your right hand at the center of the mat, then stretch your left arm toward the sky, opening your torso to the left. Exhale and bring your left arm underneath your body, coming down to rest on your left shoulder and the left side of your head. Repeat on the other side. For a deeper stretch in the pose (and some upper-arm love), move your right arm behind your back, reaching toward the back of your right thigh, and roll your right shoulder open.
Want to practice more yoga for climbers? We recommend Calvin Corzine’s Yoga for Athletes series as a great way to warm up, chill out, and decompress from the day.