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The main supporting musculature, consisting of rotator cuff (subscapularis, infraspinatus, teres minor, supraspinatus) and the scapular stabilizers (serratus anterior, rhomboids, trapezius, and levator scapulae) are often neglected in daily training for climbers. The most common mistake I see climbers make, in regards to shoulder health, is developing excessive anterior (front side) strength as a result of popular high school training habits. Many climbers use the bench press and other pectoralis major strengthening exercises as the foundation of their shoulder routine, developing powerful internal rotators and protracting the scapula. Climbing naturally develops the latissimus dorsi of the back, and although these two (pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi) seem to be antagonists, they both act synergistically to the internal rotation/protraction strength of the shoulder. We all know the look, shoulders drawn forward and chest collapsing on itself. The rotator cuff muscles and scapular retractors deserve more attention to draw the shoulders back and open up the chest.

As the climber develops in their shoulder training, scapular coordination should be addressed. The trapezius, serratus anterior, and rhomboid muscles provide scapular stability. Proper training of the scapula must encompass all scapular functions. When many athletes train their trapezius, the exercises that are chosen develop the upper section of the muscle. The ability to develop the mid and lower trapezius appropriately provides control of the lower angle of the scapula. This places the rotator cuff in the most functional position and prevents shoulder impingement.

Many influences serve to disrupt the shoulder, including pain, soft-tissue stress, and glenohumeral capsular looseness – hanging straight-arm for extended periods. Typically, muscle dysfunction results from blunt traumatic injury or microtrauma-induced strain and fatigue. Other conditions, such as labral tears (as I had) or arthrosis, can lead to pain-inhibited muscle weakness and, in turn, produce poor coordination of shoulder girdle muscles and provoke inefficient scapular stabilization and less torque generation.

This is the process of enhancing functional work capacity of the climber to enable them to withstand the stresses of climbing activity. In my experience, many rehabilitative programs overemphasize strengthening the rotator cuff muscles, overlooking the scapular retractors.

Inappropriate scapular biomechanics may lead to injury. For example, if the scapula (the base of the shoulder) is weak, or not tightly fixed, and you have the strongest arm in the world – the law of acceleration assures that your unstable base will be difficult to control resulting in improper mechanics and increased susceptibility to injury. Therefore, I believe that a strong shoulder base (scapular retractors) is vital to climbing performance and injury prevention.