Keep Fit for the Real Rock by Installing a Home Climbing Gym

You want to keep your skills sharp and a home climbing gym is the best way to do it. The sport of rock climbing can be a thrilling endeavor, but if you dream of an ascent on Devil’s Tower next summer, you know that staying fit and having the opportunity to train on an indoor wall is just as important as planning your itinerary to Northeast Wyoming.

Learning Indoor Wall Climbing

Live in the city? Can’t picture a “climbing wall” in your rec room or home gym with its 8' ceilings? Don’t even want to see the price tag on one of those vertical treadmill machines? Meh. A climbing wall is actually easy and affordable to build from scratch. According to Randy Leavitt’s best-selling book, Home Climbing Gyms: How to Build and Use, you can and should install a rock-climbing wall simply, “because you can.”

The Leavitt book offers a comprehensive list of the steps to follow from blueprints to setting the route. The topics include:

• Potential locations for the wall
• Budget and materials
• Construction and framing
• The fall zone: crash pads
• Planning the handholds and footholds
• Installing the homemade holds
• Route setting and training tips
• Liability and insurance concerns

The pictures give graphic illustrations on constructing and framing a home climbing gym. You can go simple with a “woody”; i.e., panels of 4' x 8' x ¾” plywood with a metal frame for a single bouldering wall. Or you can build an elaborate cave in a garage or backyard freestanding shed.

An indoor man-made cave allows you the freedom to do endurance training, and you have the opportunity to add even more holds to change routes, as well as incline one of the walls to 45 degrees and add a roof overhang. The biggest advantage to a cave rather than a single wall is that you won’t get bored with the same moves all the time.

Getting Started

Another option for finding detailed plans on building a home climbing gym can be found at sites such as Chockstone.org and IndoorClimbing.com. These sites have a lot of useful information on the actual wall construction itself, climbing techniques, tips on how to tie various knots, climbing gear and outdoor rock climbing.

The holds are the most important feature of the wall, and here is where other indoor climbers love to share their knowledge. You can buy commercial climbing holds in sets, but many climbers get creative and make their own. The forum participants have tried mounting real rock (and found it quickly gets polished and slippery), but report the best success using hardwoods, concrete, and homemade poly resin molds. Again, there are a number of great tips on the site regarding all phases of construction and use.

The Real Goal: Fitness and Preparation

Once you have the wall or cave completed, you can start planning for outdoor climbing. Whether you are a gumby or an experienced climber, you will look back and appreciate the time you put in training on your own home climbing gym when you hike one of the cracks at Devil’s Tower. You’ll be fit and focused, and well prepared for a good climbing season.

Home Gym Workouts: Tips for Your Training Regime

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