by Kristen Hubbard

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard plenty of hype about the latest exercise trends: Pilates and yoga. Although they may appear to be Hollywood’s fitness flavors of the week, rock climbers should pay a little more attention to these two strengthening mat workouts.

Pilates focuses on building core strength and flexibility as well as deep breathing and deliberate motion-in a nutshell, everything a climber would want to strengthen. Joseph H. Pilates designed his exercise system in the 1920s to strengthen his body and help him overcome injuries that had plagued him since childhood. The techniques became popular with dancers, who, like rock climbers, must perform steady but powerful movements with grace.

Pilates works several muscle groups all at once through smooth and continuous motions. Think of your last lap night at the climbing gym, only without the routes, rope, harness, or much else. The concentration of Pilates moves are for strengthening and stabilizing your core-the abdomen, back, and pelvis-referred to as your “powerhouse.”

The main reason for the fitness craze seems to stem from the fact that Pilates is a balanced blend of strength and flexibility training that creates long, lean muscles. That means no bulk and therefore no extra weight to haul up along with your gear.

Yoga and Pilates both incorporate a total body approach to fitness that will not only improve your climbing ability, but can improve the mental game too. Climbers like Dean Potter and Chris Sharma regularly practice yoga. Both climbers advocate the mental and physical benefits of deep breathing, balance, and focus learned through yoga. Endless styles of yoga exist, but for the benefits of climbing, I would recommend hatha and power yoga. Hatha yoga techniques focus on deep breathing and yoga “basics” that improve balance. Power yoga also focuses on breathing but incorporates rapid movements that work your upper and lower body plus strengthen your core.

The easiest-and safest-way to get started doing either of these workouts is to take a class at a local gym or private facility. Both yoga and Pilates have specific positions and postures that should be learned from a certified instructor to avoid injury. If you’re like me, you’ve seen videos, balance balls, mats, and all sorts of props for these two techniques at most fitness and grocery stores. And a lot of climbing gyms are offering basic classes in yoga and/or Pilates that focus on climbing-specific moves and stretches. Not sure which technique to try? Then pick a class that best suits your personality. For the action-oriented climber, try Pilates and power yoga because you’ll be working up a sweat.

If you’re looking to transition into the spring climbing season with your head on straight, a few beginner yoga classes may be all you need. Either way, the pros are noticing major improvements in their climbing simply by paying a little more attention to their core, balance, and flexibility.

Kristen Hubbard is a writer and climber living in Richmond, Virginia.