Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Climbing

Gym exercises for

Climbing

Finger strength first, pulling second, healthy shoulders always.

  • Finger and grip strength
  • Pulling strength relative to bodyweight
  • Shoulder and elbow resilience

Live ranking · updated by evidence & ratings

Climbing workout My tier list
S
Hangboard Hang
Pull-Up
A
Weighted Pull-Up
Dead Hang
Neutral-Grip Pull-Up
Towel Hang
B
Single-Arm Cable Pulldown
Cable External Rotation
Hanging Leg Raise
Hammer Curl
Negative Pull-Up
Wrist Curl
Band Pull-Apart
Dumbbell Rotations
Incline Y-Raise
Lat Pulldown
Ab Wheel Rollout
C
Rope Climb
Face Pull
Reverse Wrist Curl
L-Sit
Push-Up
D
Seated Dumbbell Press
Deadlift
F
—

Full ranking

  1. 1S
    Hangboard Hang
    Strength · Other
    No ratings yet
    86
    Research
    Lifters
  2. 2S
    Pull-Up
    Strength · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    85
    Research
    Lifters
  3. 3A
    Weighted Pull-Up
    Strength · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    79
    Research
    Lifters
  4. 4A
    Dead Hang
    Accessory · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  5. 5A
    Neutral-Grip Pull-Up
    Strength · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  6. 6A
    Towel Hang
    Accessory · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  7. 7B
    Single-Arm Cable Pulldown
    Strength · Cable
    No ratings yet
    68
    Research
    Lifters
  8. 8B
    Cable External Rotation
    Protection · Cable
    No ratings yet
    66
    Research
    Lifters
  9. 9B
    Hanging Leg Raise
    Core · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    66
    Research
    Lifters
  10. 10B
    Hammer Curl
    Accessory · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    63
    Research
    Lifters
  11. 11B
    Negative Pull-Up
    Strength · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    63
    Research
    Lifters
  12. 12B
    Wrist Curl
    Accessory · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    63
    Research
    Lifters
  13. 13B
    Band Pull-Apart
    Protection · Band
    No ratings yet
    59
    Research
    Lifters
  14. 14B
    Dumbbell Rotations
    Protection · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    59
    Research
    Lifters
  15. 15B
    Incline Y-Raise
    Protection · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    59
    Research
    Lifters
  16. 16B
    Lat Pulldown
    Strength · Cable
    No ratings yet
    56
    Research
    Lifters
  17. 17B
    Ab Wheel Rollout
    Core · Other
    No ratings yet
    55
    Research
    Lifters
  18. 18C
    Rope Climb
    Strength · Other
    No ratings yet
    54
    Research
    Lifters
  19. 19C
    Face Pull
    Protection · Cable
    No ratings yet
    53
    Research
    Lifters
  20. 20C
    Reverse Wrist Curl
    Accessory · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    51
    Research
    Lifters
  21. 21C
    L-Sit
    Accessory · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    49
    Research
    Lifters
  22. 22C
    Push-Up
    Strength · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    40
    Research
    Lifters
  23. 23D
    Seated Dumbbell Press
    Strength · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    34
    Research
    Lifters
  24. 24D
    Deadlift
    Strength · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    31
    Research
    Lifters

What are the best gym exercises for climbing?

Right now Hangboard Hang ranks first, with an overall score of 86 from the research rubric. It’s followed by Pull-Up and Weighted Pull-Up. For the core of a programme, the top strength lift is Hangboard Hang. The best choice for you depends on your equipment and how it feels on your joints, which is why every exercise links to alternatives.

Why it ranks: Finger strength is the clearest strength marker of climbing level. Build it gradually.

How these scores are calculated →