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Great Climbing Tips for Beginners

Climbing is more than just pulling yourself up a wall—it’s about efficiency, technique, and balance. Many beginners struggle because they rely too much on their arms, waste energy with inefficient movement, and don’t use their feet effectively. The good news? With a few key adjustments, you can dramatically improve your climbing.

This guide will cover three essential climbing techniques:

  1. How to shift your weight properly to use less energy
  2. Why you should avoid the ‘M’ position to maximize your reach
  3. How to improve balance by using your hips effectively

By mastering these fundamentals, you’ll become a stronger, more efficient climber while reducing fatigue and injury risk.

1. The Importance of Weight-Shifting

One of the most common mistakes beginners make is using their arms too much rather than relying on their legs. Your legs are much stronger than your arms, so climbing should feel more like walking up a set of stairs rather than doing repeated pull-ups.

How Climbing is Like Walking Up Stairs

When you climb stairs, you step up with one foot, shift your weight onto it, and push yourself up—without needing to pull with your arms. Climbing is similar, except instead of steps, you’re using footholds.

To move efficiently, focus on these three key steps:

  1. Use the inside edge of your climbing shoe – Placing your foot flat against the wall reduces balance issues and keeps your body in an optimal position. Rotate your heel toward the wall to maximize contact.
  2. Get your hips over your heel – Your hips should be aligned over your higher foot before pushing up. If your hips are too far away from the wall, you’ll rely too much on your arms.
  3. Flag your other leg for balance – Just like a tightrope walker using a pole for balance, your free leg should extend outward to counteract weight shifts.

By combining these three steps into one smooth motion, you’ll develop efficient climbing habits and conserve energy.

2. Beware of the ‘M’ Position

One of the biggest mistakes new climbers make is getting both feet level on the wall, leading to what’s called the ‘M’ position. In this stance, your hips are stuck between bent knees, limiting your reach and making movement harder.

Why the ‘M’ Position Is Inefficient

It prevents weight-shifting – Instead of pushing off your lower foot, you end up trying to “jump” to the next hold, wasting energy.

It limits your reach – Your lowest foot determines how high you can go. If you don’t push off your lower foot, you won’t reach as far.

It leads to unnecessary fatigue – Holding this squat-like stance puts extra strain on your legs and arms.

How to Fix It

To break out of the ‘M’ position, commit to pushing off your lower foot until your leg is straight. Your goal should be to shift your hips onto the higher foot, allowing your body to rise smoothly.

Think of it like reaching for a $100 bill taped to the ceiling. If you stand on a small stool with one foot on the stool and the other still on the floor, you won’t be able to reach. But if you fully step up onto the stool, you gain extra height. Climbing is the same—your lower foot must leave the foothold when necessary to maximize your reach.

There are some exceptions to this rule, such as when you’re resting on a route. However, as climbs get harder and holds become more spaced out, breaking the ‘M’ position will help you climb with more reach and efficiency.

3. How to Improve Your Balance While Climbing

Balance in climbing isn’t just about staying upright—it’s about positioning your body in a way that allows you to move efficiently. Many beginners struggle with balance because they don’t use their hips properly or over-grip the holds instead of shifting their weight.

Why Hips Matter in Climbing

When climbing at a low angle (slab walls), it’s easy to keep your weight directly over your feet. But as walls get steeper, gravity pulls your hips away from the wall. If your hips are too far out, you’ll put more weight on your arms, causing fatigue.

How to Maintain Balance on the Wall

Shift your hips close to the wall – The closer your hips are, the more weight stays on your legs rather than your arms.

Think of movement in all directions – You’re not just shifting side to side, but also in and out from the wall.

Use flagging to stabilize yourself – If you find yourself wobbling or over-gripping, try extending your free leg to help counterbalance your weight.

Most climbers naturally shift their hips over their feet on slab climbs, but once the wall gets vertical, they forget to adjust their body position. Keep practicing until shifting your weight feels natural no matter the angle.

4. Warm-Up Before You Climb

Proper technique is important, but if your muscles aren’t warmed up, you’re more likely to struggle with movement and tire out quickly. Warm-ups increase blood flow, improve flexibility, and prevent flash pumps (a sudden, overwhelming forearm burn from climbing too hard too soon).

The Standard Climbing Warm-Up

  1. Start with easy climbs – Pick four easy problems (VB–V1) and climb them twice, both up and down.
  2. Use different angles and hold types – Make sure to warm up on different wall angles and hold shapes to activate all your climbing muscles.
  3. Increase difficulty gradually – If you’re preparing for harder climbs, slowly increase the intensity rather than jumping straight to your project.

5. Recover Properly After Climbing

Climbing is demanding on your muscles, tendons, and skin. Proper recovery ensures you can climb more often without injury.

Best Recovery Practices

Hydrate – Drink water to replenish fluids lost from sweating. Electrolyte drinks can help if you climbed intensely.

Stretch – Focus on your arms, shoulders, and forearms to reduce tightness.

Eat well – Protein and complex carbs help rebuild muscle and restore energy.

Take rest days – Climbing breaks down muscles and tendons, so rest days allow them to recover and grow stronger.

Care for your hands – Climbing chalk dries out skin, so wash your hands and apply moisturizer to prevent cracks and flappers.

Final Thoughts: Master These Basics First

Improving at climbing isn’t about getting stronger—it’s about using your body efficiently. By focusing on proper weight-shifting, avoiding the ‘M’ position, improving your balance, warming up properly, and recovering well, you’ll move more fluidly and conserve energy for harder climbs.

Here’s a quick recap:

  • Use your legs more than your arms – Think of climbing like walking up stairs.
  • Push off your lower foot to maximize your reach.
  • Keep your hips close to the wall to improve balance.
  • Avoid the ‘M’ position unless you’re resting.
  • Flag your leg for stability to counterbalance weight shifts.
  • Warm up before every session to prevent injury and improve performance.
  • Recover properly to climb more often and reduce injury risk.

By applying these techniques, you’ll climb smarter, not harder—and progress much faster.

What’s Next?

Now that you understand these core techniques, try applying them during your next climbing session. If you want to refine your technique further, check out our other articles to continue improving.

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Welcome to Philadelphia Rock Gyms!

Welcome to Philadelphia Rock Gyms!

Get 20% off your first visit and start building strength, community, and confidence—together.

Get 20% off your first visit and start building strength, community, and confidence—together.

Philadelphia Rock Gyms membership

Terms and Conditions

Philadelphia Rock Gyms (“PRG”) provide membership plans to allow customers access to our various climbing facilities during normal operating hours.

By accepting these Terms and Conditions, which govern our membership plans, you (“Client”) agree to the following:

  1. Membership

    • For all membership plans, provided that you, the Client, are not in default and subject to these Terms and Conditions after the initial term commitment of your membership plan has expired, your membership will automatically renew monthly until terminated. You will be notified of rate increases at least 30 days before automatic rollover renewal.
    • Automatic Monthly Rollover may be canceled with a written notice delivered to your home facility’s address. Cancelation requests must be submitted by the 25th of the month to cancel for the consecutive month after the initial term is complete.
    • PRG may offer several different membership plans. Some membership plans may have differing conditions and limitations, which will be disclosed at your sign-up or in other communications made available to you.
  1. Promotional Offers

    • PRG may occasionally present special promotional offers, plans, or memberships (“Offers”). PRG determines offer eligibility at its sole discretion, and we reserve the right to revoke an Offer and put your account on hold if we determine you are not eligible. Members of households with an existing or recent PRG membership may not be eligible for certain introductory Offers. The eligibility requirements and other limitations and conditions will be disclosed when you sign-up for the Offer or in other communications.
  2. Billing and Cancellation

    • Billing Cycle. The membership fee for PRG and any other charges you may incur in connection with your use of the service, such as initiation fees, maintenance fees, or possible transaction fees and taxes, will be charged to your Payment Method on the specific payment date indicated when you purchased your membership plan. The length of your billing cycle will depend on the type of membership plan that you purchase. Membership fees are fully earned upon payment. Sometimes, your payment date may change, for example, if your Payment Method was not successfully settled when you changed your membership plan or if your paid membership began on a day not contained in a given month. We may authorize your Payment Method in anticipation of membership or service-related charges through various methods, including authorizing it up to approximately one month of service as soon as you sign up.
    • Payment Methods. To purchase a PRG membership plan, you must provide one or more accepted Payment Methods. You authorize PRG to charge any Payment Method associated with your account in case your primary Payment Method is declined or no longer available to us to pay your membership fee(s). You remain responsible for any uncollected amounts. Suppose payment is not successfully settled due to expiration or insufficient funds, and you do not cancel your account. In that case, we may suspend your access to all PRG locations until we have successfully charged a valid Payment Method. For some Payment Methods, the issuer may charge you certain fees, such as foreign transaction fees or other fees relating to processing your Payment Method. Check with your Payment Method service provider for details.
    • Default and Late Payments. Should you default on any payment obligation as called for in these Terms and Conditions, PRG will have the right to declare the entire remaining balance due and payable, and you agree to pay allowable interest and all costs of collection, including but not limited to collection agency fees, court costs, and attorney fees. A default occurs when any payment due under these Terms and Conditions is more than ten days late. You will be charged a late fee if any monthly payment becomes more than ten days past due. An additional service fee will be assessed for any check, draft, credit card, or order returned for insufficient funds or other reasons. If the Member is paying a membership fee(s) by electronic funds transfer (EFT), PRG reserves the right to draft via EFT all amounts owed by the Member, including any and all late fees and service fees. Note: Members paying monthly dues by EFT are subject to a $5.00 per month increase in monthly dues if EFT payment is stopped or changed. This will not affect any other provisions of this agreement.
    • Cancellation. After the initial term commitment of your membership plan has expired, all membership plans will automatically renew every month until terminated. Automatic Monthly Rollover may be canceled at any time upon a written notice delivered to your home facility’s address. Notice must be given by the 25th of the month.
    • Suppose you wish to cancel your membership before your membership plans’ initial term commitment. In that case, you may cancel by delivering in person or by mailing by certified mail, return receipt requested, or written notice to the Philadelphia Rock Gym (PRG) at your home PRG facility’s address. The notice must say that you do not wish to be bound to the membership Terms and Conditions and must be delivered in person or mailed before 12 midnight of the third business day after you agree to the Terms and Conditions of your membership plan.
    • In some cases, you may also cancel your membership before the initial term commitment is expired if you accepted these Terms and Conditions before the home climbing facility was completed, if the facility moves or goes out of business, if you become permanently disabled, or if you move outside of an additional forty-five-mile radius from your home PRG facility. If you cancel, PRG may be entitled to collect and/or retain a certain portion of the total membership plan price.
    • i. Client can cancel their membership without penalty within three business days of purchase and accepting the Terms and Conditions. Upon receipt of the cancellation notice under this paragraph, PRG shall refund the Client all monies, including any initiation fee paid under the membership plan.
    • ii. Client is permitted to cancel their membership if PRG closes for more than 30 consecutive days and PRG fails to provide a comparable facility within ten miles of the location designated as your home facility. Upon receipt of notice of cancellation under this paragraph, PRG shall refund to the Client all monies paid more than an amount computed by dividing the full membership plan price, including any initiation fee, by the number of weeks in the membership term and multiplying the result by the number of weeks elapsed in the membership term.
    • iii. Client or his/her legal representative may cancel their membership if the Client dies or becomes permanently disabled. A permanent disability means a condition that precludes the Client from using one-third or more of the facilities for six consecutive months or more, and the condition is verified in writing by a physician. Upon receipt of notice of cancellation under this paragraph, PRG shall refund the Client all monies paid more than an amount computed by dividing the full membership plan price, including any initiation fee, by the number of weeks in the membership term and multiplying the result by the number of weeks elapsed in the membership term, less a predetermined fee not exceeding $100.00, or if more than half of the life of the membership plan has expired, a predetermined fee not exceeding $50.00. In case of a permanent disability, PRG may require the Client to submit to a physical examination by a physician agreeable to the Client and PRG. PRG shall bear the additional cost of the examination.
    • iv. Client may cancel their membership if he/she moves more than 45 additional miles from their PRG home facility and cannot transfer the membership to a comparable facility within ten miles of his/her new residence. The client must provide proof of a new address. Upon receipt of notice of cancellation under this paragraph, PRG shall refund to the Client all monies paid more than an amount computed as of the date of relocation by dividing the full membership plan price, including any initiation fee, by the number of weeks in the membership term, less a predetermined fee not exceeding $100.00, or if more than half of the life of the membership plan has expired, a predetermined fee not exceeding $50.00.
    • v. To cancel your membership according to paragraphs (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv), the Client shall notify PRG of cancellation in writing by personal delivery or by certified mail, return receipt requested, in either case to the address of your home facility; all money to be refunded upon cancellation of the Membership plan shall be paid within 40 days of receipt of the notice of cancellation. If the Client has executed a credit, lien, or automatic funds transfer agreement with PRG to pay for PRG services, any negotiable instrument or credit of lien agreement executed by the Client shall be returned, and any automatic transfer shall be canceled within 40 days after the notice of cancellation.
    • Changes to the Price and Membership Plans. PRG reserves the right to change our membership plans or adjust pricing for our service or any components thereof in any manner and at any time as we may determine in our sole and absolute discretion after your initial or renewal term expires. Except as otherwise expressly provided for in these Terms and Conditions, any price changes or changes to your membership plan will take effect following at least 30 days’ email notice to you. You may choose not to accept any price increase by canceling your membership in writing by personal delivery or by certified mail, return receipt requested, in either case to the address of your home facility.  Such termination will become effective thirty days after PRG receives your written notice.
    • No Refunds. Payments are nonrefundable unless otherwise stated in these Terms and Conditions, and unless otherwise provided, there are no refunds or credits for partially used membership periods. Following any cancellation, however, you will continue to have access to your membership through the end of your current billing period. At any time and for any reason, we may provide a refund, discount, or other consideration to some or all of our members (“credits”). The amount and form of such credits, and the decision to provide them, are at our sole and absolute discretion. The provision of credits in one instance does not entitle you to credits in the future for similar instances, nor does it obligate us to provide credits in the future under any circumstance.
  1. Miscellaneous

    • Under these Terms and Conditions, no further payments shall be due to anyone, including any purchaser of any note associated with or contained in these Terms and Conditions, if the home facility ceases operation and fails to offer a comparable alternate location within ten miles of your home facility.
    • If PRG temporarily closes for less than 30 days, the Client shall receive an extension of the membership term equal to the period during which the facility was closed.
    • The Client is permitted to extend the term of the membership plan at no additional cost for some time equal to the duration of a disability where the Client has a disability that precludes the Client from using one-third or more of the facilities for less than six months, and the disability is verified in writing by a physician.

Notice: Any PRG member or customer is subject to all claims and defenses a debtor could assert against the seller of goods or services obtained pursuant hereto or with the proceeds. Recovery hereunder by a debtor shall not exceed amounts paid by such debtor.

By accepting these Terms and Conditions, the Client acknowledges that they have read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions in full.

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