Ever since we brought rope climbs into the gym, one issue keeps popping up:
Forearms blowing up. Locking up. Done.
If you’re working through the Sweat or Compete versions, this actually makes sense.
That’s just intensity getting ahead of capacity.
In that case, the fix is simple:
- Don’t climb as high
- Take a little more rest between efforts
Build it up week by week—slightly higher, slightly less rest—and your body will adapt without the cramping.
Now…
For my 10ft and 15ft rope climb crew, I’ve got one answer for you:
You’re doing rope climbs wrong.
Yeah… had to say it.
Here’s the cue that changes everything:
Rope climbs are NOT pull-ups on steroids.
They’re inchworm toes-to-bar.
Let’s break that down.
The goal with rope climbs isn’t to do more pulls.
It’s to do fewer.
And the way you do that? Get your feet as high as possible every single time you go to set your foot lock.
I’m talking feet almost up to your hands.
From there:
- Wrap your feet
- Clamp down hard (top foot over bottom foot)
- Drive your knees forward
- Squeeze the rope with your legs
If you’ve done it right, you should feel locked in—like you could take one hand off and be totally fine.
Now here’s the key:
Your arms should be straight. Just like the bottom of a toes-to-bar.
That means you’ve effectively “stood up” on the rope and gained a huge chunk of height without pulling.
For most people, that puts each movement somewhere around:
- 6–7 feet per “step” if you’re shorter
- 7–8+ feet if you’re taller
Do the math on a 15ft rope and suddenly you’re looking at 2–3 pulls max.
That’s a completely different workout.
Less pulling.
Less strain on your arms.
Way more efficiency.
And guess what disappears?
That forearm lock-up later in the day.
If you take one thing from this:
Stop trying to muscle your way up the rope.
Start climbing it with your legs.
If the foot lock is giving you trouble, grab a coach. Seriously. A quick tweak there makes a massive difference.
To talk with a coach today, click the link found HERE to schedule your No Sweat Intro