{"id":40058,"date":"2023-01-27T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T07:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test-01.bergfreunde.de\/blog\/antagonist-training\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T09:57:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T07:57:20","slug":"antagonist-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alpinetrek.co.uk\/blog\/antagonist-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Antagonist training: Exercises for boulderers and climbers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“It\u2019s annoying, doesn\u2019t really look all that cool and is, quite frankly, incredibly boring\u2026” Yep, you guessed it. We\u2019re talking about antagonist training<\/strong>. And I’m speaking from experience – awful experience. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I love everything about bouldering: the planning, the challenge of problem solving and the variety of movements – everything! It just has so much to offer. And I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that. But, antagonist training? Ugh. Ok, ok\u2026 I admit, it\u2019s not as bad as I am making it out to be. Antagonist training really doesn\u2019t deserve all the flak that I and many others give it. After all, it benefits boulderers in so many ways; helping us to boulder efficiently and injury-free for a very long time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another important benefit from this type of training is that it helps rid ourselves of any imbalances, which can lead to poor posture and, in turn, to an increased risk of injury. A well-known example of this are those extremely strong boulderers with rounded, turned-in gorilla-like shoulders. Ever seen those before? It may come as a surprise, but even these mounds of muscle have deficits and imbalances of their own. Who would have thought?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is antagonist training, anyway?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The word “antagonist” may be unfamiliar to some of you, so here\u2019s a short explanation: where there are agonists<\/strong>, there are antagonists<\/strong>. Basically, all this means is that you are alternating exercises to target opposing muscle groups<\/strong>. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To bend your arm, you need your killer biceps brachii muscle, but to stretch it out, you need the trifecta: the triceps brachii muscle. In this case, your biceps would be the agonist<\/strong> and the triceps the antagonist<\/strong>. Easy right? Well, not exactly. Every muscle can be an agonist or an antagonist<\/strong>. For example, if you finish with a mantle move at the top of a boulder, it would be the other way around. The triceps would be the agonist, pushing up the body, and the biceps would be the antagonist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bouldering forces you to use certain muscles more frequently and intensively than others, making the ones you use the agonists and the one\u2019s you\u2019re not antagonists. Because of the neglect these poor antagonists suffer, they\u2019re not as well trained and are therefore weaker. And believe you me, this neglect will eventually come back to haunt you in some way or another. Consider yourself warned!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignorance doesn’t help here either, as it can affect anyone. The revenge of the antagonists (sounds like a good movie, doesn\u2019t it?) can rear its ugly head in the form of tense muscles or even more severe injuries, which could side-line you for weeks or even months. And none of us want that. That said, it’s better to take precautions instead of dragging your feet and drooling over your favourite boulders from afar!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 10 years I’ve been climbing and bouldering, I\u2019ve been fortunate enough to have never really been seriously injured, but I have had my fair share of strains and such. I\u2019ve never had to stop completely, but the injuries did force me to slow down a bit. In the following, I would like to detail some of my little injuries and give you some tips on how to avoid them. The focus will be on the shoulders for the simple reason that muscular imbalances in this area can cause some serious injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case 1: Improving shoulder stability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was at a qualifier for the German Championship and obviously really wanted to get to the finals. I didn\u2019t really know how things were going and just wanted to do as much as I could in the little time that remained. Plus, it was a bonus hold, which required a dynamic move on a pretty small hold that you really had to hold on to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s exactly what I did. But, unfortunately, something in my right upper arm was not having it and let me know pretty quickly with a rather loud crunch. I\u2019d later learn that I didn\u2019t even need the bonus to reach the finals\u2026C’est la vie. Anyway, I didn\u2019t feel anything for the rest of the day, but the day after was a different story: I couldn\u2019t move my arm a single inch without experiencing severe pain. Fortunately, after going to my physiotherapist a few times, the worst was behind me, but it took me several months to gain complete trust in my shoulder again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My doctor had suspected it was an overuse injury that resulted in biceps tendonitis<\/strong>. Of course, there are several ways this can happen. In my case, it was probably due to my weak antagonist muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If one muscle is stronger than the other, the shoulder will shift from its natural position, putting more strain on other areas of the body that shouldn\u2019t be under that much stress in the first place!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a list of important muscles or muscle groups that are neglected in bouldering and are responsible for shoulder stability<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n