Climbing Rope Attachment Hardware

Climbing Rope Hardware: I-Beam Clamp
It makes sense (or at least it should) that when you train, you want to do so as safely as possible. After all, the goal is to end up better than when you started, not worse, and so part of successful training is to make sure that the equipment you use is always safe and secure.

Of course, this is also why top quality is the way to go - for example, there's nothing like having a barbell snap while you're using it to wreck your whole day.

Anyhow, when it comes to climbing ropes, one of the most important factors is to make sure that it is attached safely and securely every time you climb.

Think of this like buckling your seat belt - tis a good idea for a lot of good reasons, the least of which is to save your noggin should it ever come to that.

In any case, to make sure you have the safest and most productive climbing rope experience, we feature several different hanging and hardware options.

I realize a lot of folks may have already taken advantage of these options when they previously ordered a climbing rope, but in case you would like some more information we have recently re-done our climbing rope attachment hardware page just to make some things a little more clear.

See it here:

Climbing Rope Attachment Hardware

P.S. The deadline for holiday climbing rope orders is swiftly approaching so if you want to get climbing this holiday season, you must order your ropes before the first week of December.

If you would like to cut to the chase, heres a short cut to our climbing ropes page:

Climbing Rope Page

USMC 232nd Birthday Salute

Today marks the 232nd Birthday of the United States Marine Corps so a big congrats on 232 years of blood, sweat and tears for all our USMC friends. To check out how the Marines Climb ropes go Here: How the Marines Climb Ropes Train hard. John Wood

Rope Climbing

Some Climbing Rope Questions and Answers

We've been getting a lot of questions recently about our climbing ropes lately so I thought I would address some of them in an email or two.

And heeeeeere we go:

Question #1: What length climbing rope should I order

Answer:

For climbing purposes, the traditional rule of thumb is to have a length of rope where at least 4 feet is still on the floor so that someone could stand on it and spot you as well as to prevent swinging.

This slack also makes it easy for you to get on an off the rope.

Obviously if you are just using your ropes to hang from a basement
ceiling.

This may not be an issue but many of our customers like to use their ropes for other purposes as well such as hooking them to sleds and doing some arm over arm pulling or maybe even some dragging.

In fact, Dr. Ken Leistner recently ordered a 75 footer that he puts on a sled and drags the length of his driveway. Matt Pack of Impack Total Fitness down in Miami ordered a 30 footer for using in a similar way.

We will be happy to do custom lengths besides those listed on our site.

Also keep in mind that the price of any rope from 15 feet on down is exactly the same so even if you dont need the extra length, might as well get it.

Question #2: How do I Train with a Climbing Rope, Reps, Sets Etc

Answer:

The same way you train with any piece of equipment - a systematic, balanced approach which incorporates progression and overload. Begin at a manageable level and build from there.

Overhead timed hangs are a good way to start. Clamp on like you're about to climb and tense every muscle in your body Begin with 5 sets of 30 seconds and progress from there.

From there, you can also try rope pull-ups or 'negative' rope climbing From a platform start a few feet off the floor and climb down.

If you can already climb your rope easily in the traditional style, you can make things a little tougher for yourself by switching to no legs - or even wear a weighted vest - yowza.

Question: Is there anything I should be aware of before I
start climbing ropes.

Answer:

Yes, among several other very important things:

1. You must make sure the rope is attached overhead safely and securely.

2. You must have padding underneath your climbing area. A good rule of thumb is 6 inches of padding for every 10 feet of vertical length.

3. Do not climb any higher than you can safely descend. Put as much effort into learning to climb down as your would in climbing up.

I like to keep these Q&A sections brief since thats actually quite a bit of information to tackle at once. I will handle more questions in upcoming posts.

Meanwhile, today would be a great day to order your own high quality manila rope and start building upper body strength like a gorilla.

Get your own manila rope Right Here:

Manila Climbing Ropes

Train hard.
John Wood

For Navy SEALs Only

We have been getting a lot more recent interest about our manila climbing ropes from various branches of the armed forces. (Did you know our manila ropes are currently being used by our troops in Fort Falluja over in Iraq? - pretty cool if you ask me.)

Rope climbing has always been part of the "curriculum" for military training going all the way back and it is with very good reason, rope climbing is a simple and very effective method for developing strength and endurance throughout the entire body and builds the kind of strength that comes in handy for a variety of military maneuvers.

While normal 1.5 inch manila climbing rope is more that enough of a challenge for most people, but something we have found interesting thing is that all the Naval bases have ordered the same thing from us: 2" climbing rope.

Only 2" diameter and nothing but 2" diameter...

I know where they are coming from, if you can climb a 2" rope without using your legs you will be strong enough to handle pretty much anything.

Heres a look at why:

Navy SEALs and Grip Strength

Train hard,
John Wood

How to Train Like a Ninja Warrior

We received the first one about two months back with the second one coming shortly afterwards. They have been trickling in ever since and this weekend we received a record number of them.

What am I talking about? -- emails from folks out there saying "You gotta check out this new show!"

Here in the states its called "Ninja Warrior" but in Japan, its called "Sasuske" - named after the legendary ninja Sasuke Sarutobi who lived during the Meiji era of Japanese history.

Needless to say, ninja warriors had to be the ultimate athletes, who could run, jump, swim, climb or lift just about anything standing in their way.

The show in question "Ninja Warrior," is a Japanese game show featuring the toughest obstacle course in the world, and, as if its not tough enough already, the contestants must complete each stage in a time limit.

Each stage is a unique blend of strength, skill, balance and agility.

The challenges are incredible, and if you are going to be a true ninja Warrior, you are going to need some very strong hands -- to complete the course youll have to crawl along ledges hanging only by your fingertips, make your way across a giant curtain by grabbing bunches of cloth in your hands maneuver giant steel rings over an uneven track and many, many more unusual feats.

The final stage is relatively easy, just "spider" climb while pressed between two 40 foot walls and then climb up a thirty foot rope - but did I mention theres a 30 second time limit?

It's also not a surprise that they chose rope climbing as one of their final challenges - I mean, what other exercises builds an iron grip and incredible upper body strength as effectively as rope climbing?

Only two out of two thousand contestants have ever completed all four stages in the ten year history of the show.

All I can say is check it out, "Ninja Warrior" is on the G4 channel.

Train hard,
John Wood

P.S. If you want to be a true Ninja warrior, youll have to learn to climb
a rope like the Monkey God himself. Heres more info on our top quality
manila climbing ropes:

Manila Climbing Ropes

Or, if you want a rope you can hang outside, heres your link:

Outdoor Polyplus Climbing Ropes

Who Was The Toughest President?

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far"
Leadership has many qualities, and toughness should be one of the most important. --You cant be tough if you arent in shape.

A man who is 'fit to lead' should be just that - fit. Since today is Presidents day, I am going to tell you about such a man:

He was born on October 27, 1858. During his early years, frequent bouts of asthma prevented him from running or playing like most children and left him small, frail and weak.

Despite his weakness, his mind was strong and when he turned eleven, his father offered him a challenge.

"You have the mind, but you have not the body, and without the help of the body, the mind cannot go as far as it should. You must make your body."

And so it begun - an open air piazza was converted into a gym and he started devoting his time to increasing his physical strength.

When he was thirteen, he was unable to defend himself when he was bullied by two boys while on a trip.

He understandably did not want that to happen again and took up boxing lessons. He eventually became good enough to become a member of the Harvard University boxing team. During his Junior year, he competed as a lightweight, and went all the way to the final round of the lightweight boxing championship.

He would go on to become the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, and he never stopped training when he took office.

Even while he lived at the White House, he never stopped leading an active lifestyle; boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu (he reached brown belt level), tennis, swimming, horse riding...

With this attention to physical fitness in mind, its no surprise that he would go on to found the first U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, soon popularly known as the 'Rough Riders.'

A regiment, consisting of over 1,250 men, from all over the United States who could ride, shoot and were in shape, and thus could be ready for war with little training.

Speaking of training, I would imagine that the type of training that Theodore Roosevelt did was very simple.

Plenty of bodyweight calisthenics, dumbbell work, running, swimming,
rope jumping, bag work, pushups, breathing exercises, rope climbing and just practicing wrestling, boxing and martial arts. - which can get you in pretty good shape by themselves.

When speaking to a group of school childrenTheodore Roosevelt once famously said:

"There are two things that I want you to make up your minds to: first, that you are going to have a good time as long as you live - I have no use for the sour-faced man - and next, that you are going to do something worthwhile, that you are going to work hard and do the things you set out to do."

... which is a good lesson to keep in mind in training and in life.

Train hard,
John Wood

Rope Climbing in Australia

Our friends from Bondi Beach sent this in:

They ordered an 18 foot manila rope from us about a year ago. If you want to follow in their footsteps, Click Here.

Train hard,
John Wood