The rope climb is often the dreaded enemy of those who doubt their upper-body strength, and, as it turns out, it can be a bit of a bear even for those with that strength who climb like champs in the gym. You see, the gym rope is nice and dry and mud-free, ah, if only that were the case on the course.
Nah, we wouldn't want it that easy.
Below you'll find a few pointers culled from my book Mud, Guts, & Glory which is a compendium of tips and tactics for approaching this fantastic game of ours.
First, the good news about ropes. I've not been in an event yet where the ropes to be climbed didn't sport a knot or three to lug our bad selves up and down the rope. For those of us who are used to climbing 15'-20' lengths of un-knotted rope this is a gladsome sight.
But, as we've already mentioned, this rope, in all likelihood, is going to be water-logged and slicked with mud from all the prior climbers (most usually attempted climbers).
Tip #1--Reach High. Most of the mud will be on the lower third of the rope as the majority of folks never get past this portion of the climb. The entire length of the rope will likely be mud-slicked, but the lion's share of gooey fun is towards the bottom.
Tip #2-(Obvious tip at that) Stack your hands above a knot if you can. This isn't integral but it can be a help.
Tip #3--Grip from the Bottom-Up. By this I mean, when you clench the rope in your fist, start the pressure from your little finger (the pinky) and then run the pressure to the ring finger, middle finger, to index finger, and finally the thumb as an overlay on the top two fingers (index and middle).
Most folks have a tendency to grip from the top down where the grip-pressure is asserted by the thumb and index/middle-finger lock. This grip leads to under-utilizing the ring and little fingers.
Bottom-Up gripping increases your contact surface area with the un-sure traction of the rope and equalizes the grip pressure staving off the lactic burn in your forearms a little longer.
This is a subtle point, give it a shot to see what you think.
Tip #4--Use Blade to Blade Pressure--You are unlikely to climb via He-Man arms-alone on a muddy rope, as a matter of fact that is probably unwise considering the traction-deficit, so you will need to get your feet into the game.
Since in all likelihood you will be wearing shorts (or some variation thereof to cut-down on water weight) you ain't gonna want to thread that rope between the tender meat of your lovely thighs, or behind your calves for that matter. Open raw rope burns are no fun for anyone.
You will want to pinch-grip the rope between the blades of both feet (outside edges of the feet).
There are various other ways to lockdown a rope with your feet but I am advocating the blade-to-blade pressure over others as it does not pass the rope over your laces. Over-the-laces lockdowns with mud as a lubricant plus the rope friction usually results in un-tied shoes even in transverse double-knots.
Tip #5--Inchworm. Use the Inchworm method to reduce the amount of "pulls" on the rope you will have to make to conserve energy. To Inchworm...
Reach as high as you can and hit your Bottom-Up grip.
Tuck your legs as high as possible and hit Blade-to-Blade Pressure.
Reach as high as you can with one hand...Bottom-Up-Grip.
And then the other hand-Bottom-Up Grip.
Repeat the Inchworm steps.
Continue to the top until you can slap the bell with one hand.
Tip #6--Don't Slide-Down. Do I even need to say this? Reverse your Inchworm, instead.
Tip #7--Don't Drop or Jump. That is until you are certain of your landing. Remember, look before you leap. I've been in some mud-pits with un-suspecting root tangles ready to snap an ankle.
Tip #8--Pull a Hobie. Talented Spartan Uber-Competitor Hobie Call uses a foot to ring the bell. If you trust your grip, do what works for one of the best.
Now, if you want to build conditioning for the rope climb you're going to have to climb a rope in the gym. If you can't climb a rope might I suggest the following progression.
- Reach as high as you can, hit a Blade-to-Blade Pressure foot lock. Hold for as long as possible, then let yourself down. Rinse, wash, repeat.
- Climb as high as comfortable with all of the aforementioned technical tips in mind.
- Once you are a full-on rope climbing genius, rather than going feet-free, try climbing with a weight vest and/or...
- Pull on some thick gloves that inhibit your grip a bit and/or...
- If you have the option wet and mud that rope and give it a whirl.
Between the eight climbing tips and the 5-Step Progression you just may approach that rope with a bit more confidence. Have fun and I hope to see you on a course somewhere!
