by Christopher Schafenacker
There are two types of climbers: those who have a home training set-up and those who dream of having a home training set-up.
Everyone wants the ease of being able to train at their leisure, and yet getting there takes space and planning. If you’ve only got half a garage to work with, do you install a campus board, hangboard, and lifting cage? Or do you dedicate all available real estate to a home climbing wall? Purists will roll their eyes (lifting cage? *scoff) but in today’s era of mega-gyms and complex cross-training programs, it’s a fair question.
How Can You Get the Most Out of At-Home Training?
Determining how to maximize your home set-up starts with taking a broad look at your training situation. What are your specific training needs, and what type of tools would be most beneficial to helping you reach your training goals?
If you’re among the blessed who are able to frequent a well-equipped local climbing gym, you’d likely benefit from a quality wooden hangboard, campus board, and solid workout facility. After all, as good as your local gym may be, you can’t lift, hang, campus and climb in a single session if you hope to improve. It helps to be able to do a few of these things at home. Climbing should obviously be your priority while at the gym, and so saving your finger training and conditioning for the garage only makes sense.
If, on the other hand, you’re among the many who simply don’t have a gym nearby—or don’t have the time to go as frequently as you’d like—a home wall is undoubtedly the priority. Plus you’ll be able to set climbs that target specific movements or training goals. You’ll want a hangboard as well, naturally, but you can forego the lifting cage and hit your local facility instead—or, ya know, sign on with the purists and lift your nose at any training that isn’t pulling on holds.
For everything to help make your home training set up effective for you, check out the Rockstar Volumes training products below and build out your dream training setup.
Featured Climbing Training Gear
Maverick: The on-the-go, bring it anywhere hangboard. On a family road trip to keep your fingers in shape. We like to bring this to the crag with us to keep our fingers warm—without losing skin on mediocre warm-ups—at that steep, thuggy sport crag.
The Rocket Wall: Available in 6’ and 8’ widths, it’s been tough for us to keep up with the demand for this innovative home climbing wall solution. Slightly overhanging, the Rocket Wall is big enough to set routes on, or to build a systems board.
The Rock-Stah: Our handcrafted version of a traditional hangboard, with curving crimp rails to help alleviate unnecessary strain on your pulleys. Because ain’t no one got time for a finger injury…
The Rocketeer Wall: our free-standing adjustable solution for those who can’t mount a hangboard anywhere in their home or apartment—or who are limited on space. The Rocketeer gives climbers the additional option to set specific climbing holds. Recreate the crux holds of your proj and get ready to send, bruh.