Bouldering Warm Up Before Your First Session
A good warm up before entering a bouldering session is crucial, especially for the tendons and finger joints as they take longer to warm up than the rest of the muscles in the body.
Get Your Blood Moving First
Before heading out on the wall to start bouldering for the session, do 3-5 minutes of general cardio to get your heart rate up slightly. This can be done by jogging on the spot, skipping rope, using the rowing machine, or even just going for a jog around the bouldering floor to get your blood pumping to your hands.
Work Through Your Joints
Warm up your joints with some dynamic mobility. Most bouldering involves the shoulder, wrist and hip, so make sure to perform the following drills for 10 reps each: Arm Circles – Hold your arms straight out from your sides and make small circles with your hands. Gradually increase the size of the circle as you continue for the specified amount of reps. Reverse direction after completing half of the reps and repeat on the opposite side of your body. Wrist Rotations – Hold your arm straight out in front of you with your palm facing downwards. Rotate your wrist in a circular motion, starting from a neutral position and moving your wrist in an upwards direction. Reverse the rotation and repeat for the specified amount of reps on the opposite side of your body. Hip Circles – Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on your hips. Move your hip in a large circle, first in one direction and then in the opposite. Ankle Rolls & Shoulder Rolls – Finally, perform some ankle and shoulder rolls to loosen up the remaining joints. Make sure to keep all of the movements dynamic and within a range that allows you to maintain control throughout. Avoid locking any of the joints and do not allow the mobility to become static.
Wake Up Your Fingers Gradually
It is particularly important to warm up your fingers and pulleys before you start bouldering as they take longer to warm up than the rest of your muscles. For this reason, a good warm up for your fingers is to start off by traversing along the very easiest coloured route on the wall for about 5 minutes. The moves should be really gentle and you should try to do them slowly and deliberately and keep your fingers in the correct position.
Try Some Controlled Footwork
Use your first easy route to warm up your feet slowly and deliberately. Climb the route slowly and place each foot on the holds slowly and deliberately. Hold a balance position for a few seconds on each foothold before moving up to the next one. Climbing a route slowly with controlled footwork is the most efficient way to warm up your feet for bouldering and to rehearse the movement needed for your other climbs throughout the session.
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By spending 10 minutes to warm up prior to your first bouldering session you will find that you can climb much better and feel much more comfortable throughout your session.
