The similarities between men and women in sports often lead to the misconception that women should simply replicate men’s training routines in order to achieve performance levels closer to those of men. However, like other sports, rock climbing not only requires mastering various techniques but also demands rigorous, specialized physical training. This article aims to analyze the anatomical and physiological characteristics of female climbers, hoping to offer some helpful insights to women who are passionate about the sport.
Physical Characteristics
There are differences in body proportions between men and women. Women generally have longer torsos and relatively shorter legs, with their center of gravity being about 6% lower than that of men. This gives women better balance. Additionally, women tend to have narrower shoulders and wider hips.
Compared to men, whose muscles account for 40%–50% of their body weight, women’s muscles are less developed, usually making up no more than 35% of their body weight. According to research by Lyutenov (former Soviet Union), women have about 28% body fat, while men average only about 18%. This means women have about 10%–15% more muscle mass that is beneficial for sports, but also about 10% more fat tissue that is not conducive to athletic performance. However, there are exceptions, such as some female athletes with slender legs, narrow hips, and lean builds who demonstrate significant athletic potential. Due to women generally having weaker abdominal, shoulder, and leg muscles compared to men, climbing training should particularly focus on developing absolute strength and muscular endurance.
On the other hand, because women’s bone tissue contains more water and fat, and their spinal intervertebral discs are thicker, they tend to have better joint flexibility and overall suppleness. This allows them to better regulate the timing and rhythm of their movements, giving them advantages in balance, agility, and flexibility during sports. In a sense, female athletes can master techniques more effectively.
Training During Menstruation
Traditional biases have greatly influenced the proper understanding of women’s physiological characteristics in sports. The vast majority of female athletes either do not train or only engage in light activity during menstruation, but the reality is quite the opposite.
During menstruation, some mild discomfort—such as bloating in the lower abdomen, backache, poor appetite, fatigue, and mood swings—is normal. Training can still proceed as usual, though the intensity may be appropriately adjusted. Moderate exercise can effectively improve bodily function, promote blood circulation, and the alternating contraction and relaxation of abdominal and pelvic floor muscles during activity provide a massage-like effect on the uterus, aiding menstrual flow.
The human body has a strong capacity to adapt, and menstruating athletes can quickly adjust to training.
Of course, individual differences do exist. Surveys have shown that 81.6% of female athletes perform at their normal or even improved levels during menstruation, while 18.4% perform below their usual standards.
From the above, it’s clear that individual responses during menstruation vary. It should be recognized that once an athlete commits to rock climbing, she must possess determination and a strong work ethic. For female athletes, menstruation is a good time to train specific areas such as hand, upper arm, and forearm muscles, as well as technique involving grip, pull, push, step, press, friction, and balance.
Developing Strength
In terms of technique, rock climbing essentially involves fixed-point ascent, requiring climbers to exert significant strength to overcome gravity and climb upward. Therefore, developing specialized strength is extremely important in climbing training.
This is especially true for female athletes, whose muscles are less developed, who have higher body fat percentages, and whose muscle tissue consists of 74.7% water (compared to men), with lower glycogen content. As a result, women generally exhibit weaker muscular strength. Muscle strength is related to the functioning of the nervous system, the physiological and biochemical properties of the muscles, and the physiological cross-sectional area of the muscles. An increase in cross-sectional area results from the thickening of muscle fibers—the larger the cross-section, the stronger the muscle. Strength training is an effective way to thicken muscle fibers. To develop female muscle strength in the context of rock climbing, it’s essential not only to generally strengthen muscles like those of the shoulder girdle, back, abdomen, and pelvic girdle, but also to focus on specialized strength such as that of the upper arm, forearm, foot, and hand muscles. Various methods exist for strength training, typically including: shoulder girdle exercises like lateral arm raises with weights or resistance bands; back exercises like barbell shrugs, pull-ups, pole climbing, and weighted sit-ups; abdominal exercises like lying leg raises, weighted twists, and lying leg lifts; pelvic girdle exercises like high-knee runs with weights, front kicks, prone “leg lifts,” and weighted leg extensions; upper arm exercises like dips on parallel bars; forearm exercises like forward and reverse weighted wrist curls; and hand exercises like finger hangs, grip strengtheners, and lifting weighted objects.
According to Japanese data, the fastest stage of strength development occurs between ages 13 and 14. Research by Soviet scientist Kolobkov on age-related changes in muscle strength indicates that peak strength occurs between ages 20 and 23. In other words, girls experience the fastest growth in absolute strength between 13 and 14, and display their maximum strength between 20 and 23. Thus, training programs should be reasonably arranged according to the athlete’s age and physical condition.
Generally speaking, most rock climbers today are around 18 to 23 years old, at which point their strength levels are close to their peak, and increases in absolute strength slow down. Therefore, both the volume and intensity of strength training should follow a wave-like progression. Considering female characteristics, strength training should avoid using a single method involving heavy weights and high repetition, as this can place excessive pressure on the lower pelvis. Movement range should not be unnecessarily restricted during training, as doing so may tense ligaments and tendons, affecting muscle elasticity.
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