How do you warm up before a redpoint attempt?

Hello there! One of the issues I run into when attempting hard redpoints is proper warmup. I often find myself getting flash pumped, or numbing out on rock that is a little chilly but seems like not quite cold enough that this should happen. Indeed, after climbing and falling, my fingers do not numb out again as I finish the route - they feel just fine.

So I figure this is probably a warmup issue. What do you all do before starting a hard redpoint attempt to get yourselves ready? Assume you have already climbed 1-2 easier routes and stretched a bit. I am interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

I will typically have the first two bolts clipped so I like to do 1-3 ‘toprope’ runs up to the second bolt and lower before resting for 5 minutes and then going. 

Brendan Nwrote:

I will typically have the first two bolts clipped so I like to do 1-3 ‘toprope’ runs up to the second bolt and lower before resting for 5 minutes and then going. 

That's a really good idea.

I always do the same off the wall warm up: hike in to get the blood flowing and body warm, warm up my wrists elbows and forearms with a therabar, pull on a finger block, get the shoulders going with a band. Since I am consistent with this warm up, I have a pretty good gauge how I'm feeling. Sometimes I'll climb an easier route if I need it and ones around, sometimes I'll warm up on the route and refresh crux beta/links, sometimes I'll just go for the redpoint first go.

Good routine. I'll have to add some of that to mine.

I'll always do some simple warmups (arm swings, a few pushups, finger curls with a block attached to a theraband, and typically pulling on whatever holds I can find from the ground). If I'm giving a flash go, I'll do an easier route first to get the endurance warmed up, otherwise I finish my wamup by hanging the draws. I'll just take at every bolt / gear placement, and feel out holds / hold positions. By the time I'm back in the ground I'm typically ready to give it a go.

For the getting rid of the numbing out, I traverse the bottom of the crag if possible or just do hangs on the rock until I'm just before feeling numb. Once you rest a bit, that release of blood flow will warm your fingers and you should be good to go for the rest of the day. If i'm going straight into a hard route I'll do some dynamic movements to kind of "wake up" my nervous system. I find I can't go straight into trying hard and doing a couple easy warmups doesn't really do it for me by itself. I think we obsess over making sure our tendons are warm, which is very important, but often neglect the muscular output and nervous system responses needed. If you think about most sports, athletes are generally already sweating when they're starting their event. When you step onto a project, you should be absolutely ready for max effort. 

When climbing hard in cold conditions, numbing out is almost a requirement for me.  Easy warm-ups are a complete waste of time IMO. Usually draws need to be hung, so going bolt to bolt lets you take care of business and warm up at the same time.

If you work on other routes to warm up and only have the energy for a couple good burns, the route will take you much longer than if you can put in 3-4 good efforts every time you get on the climb. 

EDIT: One trick I learned was to hit the home wall or gym before going to the crag on really frigid days.  You still have to deal with numbing out to the cold, but you can do it with relatively warmed up fingers so it's less tweaky.  

Kevin Strickerwrote:

Easy warm-ups are a complete waste of time IMO. Usually draws need to be hung, so going bolt to bolt lets you take care of business and warm up at the same time.

If you work on other routes to warm up and only have the energy for a couple good burns, the route will take you much longer than if you can put in 3-4 good efforts every time you get on the climb. 

This is my philosophy as well.  

I don’t typically project R/X routes though.  If I do, TR burns first.

Flash or onsite tries do indicate climbing another route beforehand.  Usually that’s as much about calibrating to the rock type and style as being warm.

My fingers aren’t that strong. They get to full power very quickly and my grip usually fails before I tweak something.  If I was a cranking monster, maybe I would need more prep to get near my limit.

I do something to get the heart rate up (hike in if that’s sufficient and the timing works/run around a little/jumping jacks) 

1-200 finger flicks with arms in various positions until I feel a light pump.

arm swings until I can feel the blood starting to pool in my hands. 

Some mobility/stretching type stuff-Cossack squats, lunges horse stance squats, paying attention to any specific needs for the route.

Hangs/pulls on some nearby holds.

Some kind of explosive movements to prime the nervous system. Star jumps broad jumps something like that.  

If its cold enough that numbing out is a concern I’ll try and get my hands numb or close to by hanging/traversing and then rewarm with finger flicks/arm swings.

Very good suggestions here folks. Very interesting and much appreciated.