Lizard Crawl and Rope Climb for a Complete Upper Body Workout (VIDEO)

January 8, 2016 by VAHVA Fitness

Lizard crawl together with rope climb compile an excellent workout for the entire upper body. 

This is a complete upper body workout. Lizard crawl (or lizard walk depending how you want to call it) is a dynamic moving push-up sequence, whereas rope climb is a dynamic moving pull-up sequence. 

Together they train the entire upper body incredibly well - the lizard crawl takes care of the pushing work and this develops the chest, triceps and anterior deltoids.

Rope climb on the other hand trains the entire back, forearms and biceps. The transfer from rope climbing to any pulling exercise is tremendous which is why we highly recommend it.

In case you cannot do rope climb or ropes aren't available for you (you can buy some here), you can replace the rope climb with pull ups or any other pulling exercise. 

To learn more about rope climb, read:

We've only featured the hardest variations of the lizard crawl in the video (there is also footage of sled pull lizard crawl with +45kg / 99lbs!), but you can also do the easier beginner variations of the exercise. 

To learn more about lizard crawls, read:

Lizard crawls are TOUGH, but due to the complexity of the movement pattern, they are extremely beneficial for strength, mobility and coordination. 

Lizard Crawl + Rope Climb Workout Routine

The basic guidelines apply here: take 1-3 minutes of rest between sets. You can do this workout 1-5 times per week. 

Lizard Crawl and Rope Climb Workout Routine

A1 Lizard Crawl: 3 sets until you get tired.

A2 Rope Climb: 3 sets until you get tired.

The workout is supposed to be done in a superset fashion: this means immediately after finishing the set of the lizard crawl, you do the pulling exercise (preferably rope climb). After both exercises are done, you take rest. 

Train hard, stay safe.


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samuli jyrkinen

About the author 

Samuli Jyrkinen

Samuli is the ninja behind the scenes (photography, videography, websites, program platforms and more). He has been training religiously for over a decade and has a firm grasp of physical and mental fitness. You will find our story here.

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