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Bouldering Warm-up

Original Post
Austin Baird · · SLC, Utah · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 95

I haven't bouldered much in the past but I'm doing more of it now to get stronger. The problem I'm running into is that my warm-ups aren't sufficiently long and I usually have to end a session after about 45 minutes with a devastating flash-pump.

What I'm bouldering - flashing all V4s, taking 3 or 4 tries on most V5s, projecting V6s.

I'll usually warm up with 1 V1, 1 V2, 2 V3s, and a V4. Should I be spending longer on my warm-ups? Do I need to spend about 20 minutes just climbing and downclimbing the V0s and V1s? I'm sure I can figure it out on my own; I just want to know what works best for y'all.

Said Parirokh · · Bend, OR · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 685

I'm no physiology expert, but I find that climbing the bigger holds don't get me sufficiently warmed up. Generally, 100 climbing moves is the minimum before I jump on something close to or at my limit, particularly if the holds are small and tweaky.

If you are at a location where there are not many moderates, I will do a combination of things. Jumping jacks to get blood flowing. Clenching my fists tighter with each breath for 5 - 7 breaths. Pretending to flick water off my hands (Horst's conditioning for climbing exercise). Even grabbing a crimp on the wall while fully weighted on the ground to emulate climbing.

If you are getting flashed pump, maybe you are getting on problems that are too long?

Jeff Skalla · · Highland, UT · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 585

I know this post is a few years old but thought id share my warmup routine for anyone who stumbles across this! So I climb V8 pretty consistently so taylor this to what you climb! I down climb my first four climbs also, so it goes:
V:0011223344556(if I fall then rest a few mins and try again)7(also if I fall, try one more time) and then its project time!

Josiah Ferguson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 19

I'm at about the same level as you gradewise. What I like to do as a warm up is to find a couple easy problems all next to each other and climb up and down each one without touching the ground. So as soon as you finish down climbing the first problem, traverse to the start of the next and climb up and back down. I like to think this gets me climbing nice and smooth because with the need for more endurance comes the need for more efficiency. Then I run up a couple moderate problems, something I shouldn't fall on, but will require a bit more muscle than the easy problems. Then I try to repeat something that took a few tries to really get the blood pumping and the fingers crimping. Then usually a decent break, another easy problem, and onto the projects.

So basically, a few V0 -> V1 -> V2 linkups, a V3/4 or two, a V5, rest, a V3, then V6/7 projects.

Anonymous · · Unknown Hometown · Joined unknown · Points: 0

Work more of training endurance and trying not to over grip.

Very rarely do i get a flash pump (never on bouldering only on longer rope routes aka starting straight on a sustained route that i am over griping) and i normally jump straight onto V4 / V5s to start my day, with V6 being my limit atm.

shotwell · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2011 · Points: 0

Being almost 30 now, I have to warm up quite a bit more than when I was ~20. I warm up for about 30 minutes, and make sure to cycle through a variety of grip types on different terrain in each grade range. By the time I hit my flash range, I'm warm for crimps, pinches, slopers, big moves, tension, or anything else I'm about to experience.

Until I hit 26, I would walk up to problems at my flash limit and give my best effort. I would probably still be dumb enough to do this, except I can't summon the same amount of power at the start of my session that I used to.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Bouldering
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