If you’re shacked up in an urban jun­gle or a remote town far away from a crag, it can be dif­fi­cult to hone your rock climb­ing skills — but it’s not impos­si­ble. Here are some tips for find­ing ways to build your climb­ing skills in the absnece of a near­by gym or a mountain.

Hang Tight
Grip strength plays a huge part in climb­ing. One of the most effec­tive ways to strength­en the mus­cles in your fin­gers is sim­ply by hang­ing. You can hang from a bar placed between door­frames, off of a tree trunk, or you can even buy a hang­board and holds to get a more climb­ing feel. Just be care­ful of how long you hang, because it’s easy to do dam­age to your fin­gers when they aren’t conditioned.

Climb On Whatever’s Con­ve­nient
Who says you need rock to get up off the ground? You prob­a­bly got your start climb­ing a tree in the back­yard as a kid. Pick a large tree with enough branch­es to swing from and let your mon­key skills loose. You can prac­tice prop­er body move­ment, foot place­ment, and train your mus­cles all in one go. 

Head to the Play­ground
Most play­grounds come equipped with a set of mon­key bars that’ll make do in a pinch, when a real climb is nowhere to be found. Mon­key bars are great for core exer­cis­es, as well as for prac­tic­ing move­ment and build­ing upper-body strength. 

Find Some Grip and Fore­arm Train­ers
Com­pa­nies like Black Dia­mond sell fore­arm train­ers to help enhance your arm and grip strength. If you don’t have the mon­ey to shell out for expen­sive equip­ment, a block of wood works well, too. Just attach weight to the wood (a drill will come in handy here), pinch the wood and lift it from the ground. 

Start Some Yoga
One of the most effec­tive ways to improve your climb­ing is to prac­tice yoga. It’s the best way to learn how to sta­bi­lize your core while simul­ta­ne­ous­ly mak­ing your­self more limber. 

Build Your Own Wall
Final­ly, if all else fails, you could just build your own wall at home. Sure, you’ll have to shell out a bunch of cash on holds and boards, as well as extra mon­ey to repair the gap­ing holes in your bed­room walls when you move, but you won’t have to dri­ve to a climb­ing gym. 

by Ben Kerns