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You fall off pumped near the top, come down, and someone says there was a knee bar at the third bolt. You saw it. You climbed past it because jamming your bare knee into sharp plastic for thirty seconds sounded worse than just powering through.
Knee bars are one of the best rests available on steep terrain, and most climbers never use them because they hurt. Knee pads fix that. They turn a rest you avoid into a rest you can actually hold long enough to recover.
Why knee pads matter for rests
A knee bar wedges your knee between two surfaces so your legs carry your weight and your hands do almost nothing. On the right terrain it is a complete no-hands rest. On a long route that can be the difference between sending and falling off pumped two bolts from the chains.
The problem is that most knee bars are on sharp holds or rough texture, and holding one without pads means choosing between pain and not resting. Knee pads let you commit to the position long enough to actually recover.
What makes a good climbing knee pad
Climbing knee pads are not the same as volleyball or skateboarding pads. You need something that stays in place when you are upside down, does not slide when you weight it, and is thin enough that you can still feel the hold.
Grip on the outside
The outer surface needs to stick to the hold. Smooth neoprene slides. Rubber or textured material grips, which is what keeps the knee bar locked in.
Stays put when you move
A pad that slides down your shin the moment you stem or high step is useless. Good ones use a combination of compression and silicone grippers on the inside to stay where you put them.
Thin enough to feel the hold
Too much padding and you lose the feedback that tells you whether the knee bar is actually locked. You want protection, not a pillow.
Demon Knee Pads
These are the ones you see on most sport climbers who use knee bars regularly. They are thin, they grip, and they stay in place. The outer layer is a sticky rubber compound that locks onto holds, and the inside has silicone strips that keep them from sliding down your leg.
They are not heavily padded, which is actually the point. You can still feel the hold well enough to know when the knee bar is solid, but you can hold it long enough to shake out both arms without your kneecap screaming at you.
Check current price on Demon Knee Pads
When knee pads actually help
Knee pads matter most on steep sport routes and long boulder problems where knee bars show up. If you climb slabs or vertical terrain, you will almost never use them. If you project overhanging routes or climb in caves, you will use them constantly.
They also matter more outdoors than in the gym. Gym knee bars are usually on volumes or big features that are not that sharp. Outdoor knee bars are often on limestone edges or granite cracks that will shred your knee in about ten seconds without protection.
How to find and use knee bar rests
Knee bars are invisible if you preview a route looking for hand holds. You have to look for the gap, not the hold. Any place where you can wedge a knee between two surfaces, usually with your foot pressing against something below or to the side.
To set one, get your knee into the gap, flex your quad to drive your knee up into the top surface, and press your foot down or out to lock it. A good knee bar feels stable enough that you can let go with both hands. A marginal one still takes enough weight off your arms that you can shake out and breathe.
Most climbers try a knee bar once, decide it hurts, and never look for them again. Knee pads turn that into a skill you can actually use.
Other rests you are probably missing
Knee bars are one type of rest. The others are just as important and just as overlooked.
Stems
Feet pressed against two opposing surfaces, in a corner or between volumes, so your legs carry you and your hands do almost nothing. The best rest available on most terrain that offers it, and completely invisible if you are looking for holds.
Straight-arm hangs
Any decent hold you can hang from with a locked-out arm. A straight arm is a skeleton doing the work rather than a muscle, and it costs a fraction of a bent-arm hold. This alone is worth learning properly.
Heel hooks
A heel hook on a good hold can carry enough of your weight that you can take a hand off entirely. On steep ground this is often the only real rest available besides a knee bar.
Foot ledges
Anywhere you can stand up straight with your weight over your feet. The most ordinary rest and the most overlooked, because it is not exciting.
The rest-only preview
Here is the drill, and it takes thirty seconds.
Preview the route once with a single instruction: find every place you could stop. Do not think about the sequence. Do not look at the crux. Just find the stopping points.
The first time you do this you will find rests on routes you have already climbed several times. That is the normal experience and it is a slightly annoying one.
Then do your normal read. Now your map has both difficulties and recovery on it, and you can pace the route instead of climbing it at one speed until you run out.
How to actually use a rest
- Get your weight onto your feet or your skeleton before you start shaking. Most people start shaking out from a position that is still costing them energy.
- Shake one arm at a time, low. Hanging the arm below your heart is what actually helps. Waving it above your head does not.
- Breathe out properly. People hold their breath through hard sections and arrive at the rest with shallow breathing, which slows recovery more than the pump does.
- Know when to leave. Recovery has diminishing returns. Once your forearms have stopped improving, staying longer just cools you down and gives your head time to talk you out of the next section.
Common mistakes
- Only counting full rests. Ten seconds and two shake-outs is worth having. Most rests are partial and climbers ignore them because they are not perfect.
- Resting on a bent arm. A bent arm is working. Straighten it or you are not resting, you are just pausing.
- Resting where you happen to be tired rather than where the rest is. The good position is usually a move or two before or after the point you feel like stopping.
- Staying too long. More time is not more recovery past a certain point, and it costs you commitment.
- Not previewing for rests at all. The one that causes all the others.
Sizing and fit notes
Knee pads should fit snug but not tight. If they are loose they will slide. If they are too tight they will cut off circulation when you flex your leg, which defeats the purpose of resting.
Most climbing knee pads come in small, medium, and large based on your leg circumference just above the knee. Measure before you buy, and confirm the return policy with the shop in case the fit is off.
Related techniques
Finding rests works together with:
Frequently asked questions
Do I need knee pads for climbing?
Only if you climb routes or problems where knee bars show up. That usually means steep sport routes, caves, or long overhanging boulder problems. If you climb slabs or vertical terrain, you will almost never use them. If you project hard overhanging routes, they turn a rest you avoid into a rest you can actually use.
How do I find knee bar rests on a climb?
Look for gaps, not holds. Any place where you can wedge a knee between two surfaces, usually with your foot pressing against something below or to the side. Preview the route once looking for nothing but places you could stop, and knee bars will start showing up.
What is the difference between climbing knee pads and other knee pads?
Climbing knee pads have a grippy outer surface that sticks to holds, and they stay in place when you are upside down or stemming. Volleyball or skateboarding pads are too thick, too smooth, and they slide around when you move. You need something designed for climbing.
How long should I rest at a knee bar?
Long enough that your forearms stop feeling worse, and not so long that you start cooling down or losing commitment. At a good knee bar, thirty seconds to a couple of minutes. At a marginal one, a few breaths and a shake-out each side is usually all you will get.
Can I use knee pads in the gym?
Yes, but you will use them less than outdoors. Gym knee bars are usually on volumes or big features that are not that sharp. Outdoor knee bars are often on limestone edges or granite cracks that will shred your knee without protection. If you are training for outdoor projects, wearing them in the gym helps you practice finding and using knee bars.
Reading the wall
Rests are one of the things previews miss. The Route Reading guide covers chunking a sequence, finding the rests you walk past, and what to do when the beta is wrong.
