Rack Step Ups

Legendary alpinist Barry Blanchard was once quoted as saying “It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun.” While this is likely a reference to alpine climbing, it applies incredibly well to the Rack Step Up. This combination exercise is on my go-to list for building strong legs for climbers, even if it can seem very grueling.

The step up is a basic exercise that targets the squat pattern of strength training. Adding in the additional weight in the form of a rack hold also engages the arms and core which can make this exercise feel extremely challenging. I’ve had athletes tell me they think this is the single worst strength training exercise they’ve ever done, at the same time though their ability to squat more weight increases as well as their ability to comfortably high step while climbing.

When it comes to climbing training we so often forget to target our legs. It’s very easy to focus on making our fingers stronger and trying to increase our ability to pull for longer. We lose sight of the fact that our legs play such a vital role in force production and how we move explosively between holds. Incorporating some sort of squat specific strength training is a compulsory element of the programs at SUBSTR8.

The Rack Step Up accomplishes just that while also working on your abdominal core muscles, balance/coordination, and creating tension in your lats when properly racking the KB’s or DB’s. It’s important to make sure when racking the weights that you keep your forearms vertical, this engages the lats and is the best “posture” for the rack hold. When the forearms are vertical it puts us in the best position for pressing which is covered in previous and future blog posts.

I like the height of the box to be high enough that you’re under 90˚with your leading leg/knee angle but not so high that you end up having to squat all the way down before standing when initiating the lift. It’s important too to remember to stand up tall all in one motion from the ground, try not to break the exercise up into parts. Like most strength exercises five reps on each leg for three sets should be adequate. Start light with the weight and work up, the coordination with heavier KB’s can feel very challenging without building up to it.