External Rotation. This simple exercise, done with a 2.5 or 4.5kg (5 or 10 lb) dumbbell, will help strengthen your rotator cuff...and perhaps make you more bullet-proof on shoulder-wrenching climbing moves. While climbing provides a rigorous workout for the pull muscles, it demands much less of the antagonist push muscles of the chest, shoulders, and upper arms. In the long term this could lead to tendinitis or other injuries, as these stabilizing push muscles may fall out of balance with their opposing pull muscles. The two most common problem spots are the elbows and shoulders. Let’s take a quick look at each. First, consider how climbing ceaselessly works the finger-flexor muscles of the forearms, yet does little to strengthen the extensor muscles on the outside of your forearms. As a result, climbers tend to develop a significant muscular imbalance and a susceptibility to lateral epicondylitis—a painful tendinitis on the outside portion of the elbow (also known as tenni...