How to Structure a Bouldering Session: Fingers, Limit, Pump

The short answer

No, you shouldn't train fingers, limit bouldering, pump and weights all in one session. Or at least, you shouldn't give them all equal weight.

The reason is simple. Every part of the session you do after the first one is done with a more tired body. If everything is on the menu, most of it gets done tired.

Why cramming every session backfires

Most of us do it. You get to the gym, you've got maybe two hours, and you want to hang on the board, try hard problems, get a good pump, and do a few sets of weights so you feel like you've been productive. It feels efficient.

The problem is that the work that needs you fresh is the work that suffers. Hard hangs and limit attempts ask a lot from your fingers and your nervous system. Do them after a long pumpy circuit and you're not getting the same session. You're getting a tired version of it.

I'm not saying tired work is useless. Some of it has a place. But strength and power work done tired is usually just worse strength and power work.

Cluster similar work together

The cleanest fix is to group things that belong together. Similar work sits side by side, so the session has a shape instead of being a pile of unrelated efforts.

Here's an example of what that can look like:

• 3 to 4 hangs first, while your fingers are fresh
• Then strength and power bouldering, the hard and short stuff
• Then antagonists, the pulling-opposite work that's fine to do at the end

Don't follow a limit session with a pumpy one

This is the rule I'd put on the wall if I could. If you've done a limit session, don't finish it with a pumpy aerobic one in the same visit.

They're different jobs. Limit work is about trying very hard moves and being able to give them everything. Pump work is about holding on while your forearms fill up. Put the pump work after the limit work and you've spent your best energy on the first, then asked for something completely different from a body that has nothing left.

If you really want pump work, give it its own session. It'll be a better pump session too, because you won't be starting it already worn out.

Hardest work goes first

If you only remember one thing from this article, make it this. The hardest work goes first, when you're fresh.

That usually means hangs or limit bouldering at the front of the session, and the easier or less demanding stuff after. Antagonists are a good example of work that suits the end. They don't need your best fingers, so they don't mind coming last.

It also gives you an honest way to decide what to do. Ask what the most important thing is today, do that first, and let the rest fill in whatever time and energy are left. If there's nothing left, skip it. Genuinely, that's fine.

Putting it into practice

Before your next visit, decide what the session is for. One main focus, with the right supporting work after it, will beat a bit of everything.

Planning the order ahead of time helps heaps, because it's much harder to be sensible once you're in the gym and someone's just flashed the problem you wanted. That's what I built Blok Sessions for: sessions with the work in a sensible order, so you're not working it out on the mat.

Whatever you use, a pen and the back of your hand will do. The order matters more than the tool.

FAQ

Can I do hangs, limit bouldering and weights in the same session?

Yes, if you cluster them in a sensible order. Do 3 to 4 hangs first, then strength and power bouldering, then antagonists.

Should I do a pump session after a limit session?

No, not in the same visit. Limit work needs you fresh, and a pumpy aerobic session after it means both get done worse.

What should I do first in a session?

The hardest work. Do it when you're fresh, and let easier work like antagonists come at the end.