Dense boulder intervals
4 boulders x 4 reps back-to-back, 1 min rest between boulders, 4 min between rounds. 4 rounds.
- Slot
- On the wall
- Focus
- Power endurance
- Time
- 75 min
- Intensity
- Max
- Injury risk
- High
- Intervals
- 16 rounds, 1:00 rest
- Equipment
- Boulders, Overhang, Timer
How to do it
Pick 4 overhanging boulders a little below your flash level (a grade you can usually climb first try). Climb the first boulder 4 times in a row, stepping off only to get straight back on. Rest 1 minute, then do the same on the next boulder until all four are done - that's one round. Rest 4 minutes and repeat for 4 rounds (64 climbs in total). If you keep falling off, switch to easier boulders rather than resting longer.
High injury risk. Only do this fully warmed up, rested and injury-free, and stop at the first sign of pain in your fingers or elbows. Training is at your own risk.
Who it’s for
Power endurance for people who have already built the base. Sixty-four climbs in one session is a lot of load, so this belongs in a power endurance block a few weeks out from a trip or a comp, not in your first month of structured training.
Common mistakes
- Choosing boulders at your limit. They should be below flash level. The pump is the stimulus, not the difficulty.
- Resting when you start falling. If you can’t finish the round, the boulders are too hard. Drop a grade rather than stretching the rest.
- Stepping off between reps. Get straight back on. The one minute between boulders and four between rounds are the only rests you get.
- Running it every week for a season. Two or three weeks of this in a block is plenty.
How to progress
Keep the format and change the boulders: steeper, or a grade harder, or with worse holds. Adding a fifth round tips it into a session most people can’t recover from by their next hard day.
When it fits
The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.
- Power Endurance Keep your power through one hard move after another.
Related blocks
Start with a ready-made block
A six-week strength plan with a deload, as a file for the app, and seven short emails on how to run it.