One of the most important factors in pushing your grade in
climbing is getting into a warm-up routine. This routine can be so useful for
developing mobility and strength, enabling your body to unlock its potential
during training, but the most important thing is that you find a routine which
you can stick to. I have included a number of steps which I have used in
warm-ups in the past, but the key thing to remember is that different exercises
work for different people. The three essential stages are a pulse-raiser,
dynamic stretching of some kind and easy climbing. However, you must be able to
be flexible with your routine, adapting it for different places and
time-frames.
Pulse Raiser
The purpose of a pulse raiser is to get the blood flowing
through your muscles so that oxygen can reach even your extremities and you can
make full use of your muscles. You can have a lot of fun at this stage, playing
games if you are training in a group. One main reason why lots of people miss
this stage out is because they can’t be bothered and feel sluggish when they
arrive at the wall. For this reason, it’s good to keep the exercises varied. My
normal routine is as follows: 20xstar-jumps, 10xburpies (with press-ups),
20xstar-jumps, 20xmountain climbers, 20xcross-mountain climbers, 20xstar-jumps,
20xmountain climbers, 20xcross-mountain climbers, 20xstar-jumps. If you are
short on time, it might be worth trying to run or cycle to the wall, but bear
in mind that you must be out of breath.
Dynamic Stretching
The word ‘stretching’ has, for most, connotations of sitting
in contorted positions for extended periods of time, with the purpose of
improving flexibility. This is static stretching, something I do at the end of
every training session but avoid completely at the start. If performed
properly, this type of stretching can be beneficial at the start, but I find
that it increases my risk of injury and makes me weaker as my muscles have been
elongated just before I need them to be contracting. Dynamic stretching is a way
of loosening all the joints to improve mobility. You should go through the
whole body, from the toes to the neck, gently moving each part (e.g. rolling
back the shoulders, circling the ankles).
Mobility Exercises
This part of the warm-up is not essential and can be skipped
if you are short on time. However, performing some of these exercises several
times a week can improve strength and movement in the long term. Shoulder
shrugs are a favourite of many climbers. These involve hanging of a bar or a
pair of jugs and performing the first stage of a pull-up. By this, I mean
alternating between pulling the shoulder blades down so that the neck is raised
and allowing the shoulders to relax so the ears sink into the arms. The elbows
do not bend at all. This warms-up the shoulders and develops the strength for
the first stage of a pull-up. It can also be performed on one arm once you have
developed the strength on two. A lot of other mobility exercises can be
performed with a theraband. These are easy to purchase and come in many
different strengths so you might want several. They are great for working the
antagonist muscles and ease your body into strength training, providing a
little tension.
Self-Massage
Self-massage can be done before or after training (or both)
or even on rest days and is a great way to reduce muscle soreness. By massaging
out knots in the muscle fibres, you can increase their mobility and can
‘access’ more of your own strength. In other words, if your muscles are
knotted, you can’t use their full potential. There are specific tools for
self-massage, such as foam-rollers, but you can also use objects such as
tennis, lacrosse and golf balls. I would recommend mixing and matching,
depending on which muscle group you are massaging.
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