Intro to Campus Board Training
Campus board training is an excellent tool to increase your power and strength. In simple terms, campusing is climbing without your feet. You’ve probably seen some super strong climbers in the gym, campusing up and down the climbing wall. Whether they are trying to look flashy or are training, odds are a climber has scaled a boulder without their feet ever touching a climbing hold. They may have even been barefoot because who needs shoes when you can campus?
You may think, “I can’t even do one pull-up, let alone 15 in a row.” Or, maybe you can do four pull-ups in a row, but only on a bar. It’s true; pulling up on offset climbing holds of varying sizes is a bit more challenging. However, you’re on the right path to mastering the no-footed art of campusing. While climbing is a skill sport through and through, tapping into raw power for complex moves can make the difference between falling and sending. If you want to learn more about training, contact your local gym and see if they offer 1-on-1 private lessons! Ask a professional instructor for an evaluation to see if campusing is right for you. Additionally, campus boarding is an incredibly high impact on the fingers, hands, and shoulders, so be sure to use proper form when campusing. Without further adieu, let’s dive in!
Intro to Campus Board Training
Campus board training targets your power and muscular endurance. Before you start, there are two things to keep in mind:
Use assistance at first. Various ways to incorporate aid are keeping your feet on, using a resistance band, or countering your weight with a pulley system. Whatever the mechanism, working up to your body weight may take time, so accept that and don’t be ashamed to rely on assistance. (Trust us, even pro climbers need help too).
Be consistent. The training you undertake doesn’t have to be super intense. Consistency is more important than long, intense campus board training sessions. Doing 10-20 minutes 1-2 times per week will go a longer way than one 2-hour session once every other week.
Keeping these two things in mind, let’s dive into the actual training and set you up with an intro campus board workout. Also note that if your gym doesn’t have a separate training area with campus rungs, these workouts can be modified and done on a bouldering wall!
Intro Workout - Campus Board
*Note: Below are three training sets. You can do them all in one session. However, as previously mentioned, 10-20 minutes two days per week is sufficient. So, feel free only to do one set per training day.
Set 1 - Max Pull Repeat
This exercise works on your power and muscular endurance.
Find campus rungs that are comfortable to hold onto for at least 20 seconds (you can keep your feet on the ground or lower campus rungs). Ideally, you can use crimpy campus rungs, 1-2 finger pads deep. But if you have to start with jug-style rungs - that’s okay too!
Start with your hands on the lowest rung. Keeping feet on the ground or a lower foothold, if available at your gym, pull up and reach for the highest rung you can catch with your right hand. Match that rung with your left hand. Work your way back down to the bottom rung and repeat with the left hand going first.
Repeat until failure. If you must reach for a lower rung on the 3rd or 4th round, go for it. Ideally, you’ll always get at least two campus rungs above where your hands start.
Once you reach failure, rest for 3-5 minutes and repeat for 3-5 sets.
Set 2 - One-Arm Power Hangs
This exercise strictly focuses on increasing power.
Go to a campus board. Reach your right hand up to a rung above your head and your left hand to a lower rung. Starting with your feet on the ground, jump into a 90-degree pull-up position. You may need to adjust your left hand to help you hold 90 degrees with your right arm. Hold for 5-7 seconds. Repeat on the left side.
Rest for 2-3 minutes and repeat 3-5 times.
If the above variation is too hard, utilize campus rungs near the ground. That will allow you to keep your toes on the ground the entire time for extra assistance.
Set 3 - Offset Pull-ups with Negatives
This exercise focuses on muscular endurance.
Complete an offset pull-up with or without your feet on the ground (one arm lower than the other). Once you reach the top of the pull-up, lower yourself for at least 10 seconds. Try to move at a consistent speed through the entire range of motion. Do as many as you can until failure.
Once you’ve reached failure, rest for 5 minutes and repeat for three rounds.
With these three exercises, you should be ready to enter the world of campus board training. Remember, be patient and consistent; you will see progress over time. Don’t be afraid to modify and use assistance as needed initially. Everyone starts from a different place, so always take pride in showing up and completing the workout. If you’ve found any or all of this article helpful or are seeing results, let us know in the comments below. We love to hear from you!
