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 intensity
- Injury risk
- High injury risk
- Equipment
- Boulders, Overhang, Timer
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.
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.
Run it now
The same timer as the app: a five-second get-ready, then every round and rest counted down with a beep. Keep this page open while you train.
Dense boulder intervals
0:00 / 74:45
Ready
74:45
4 sets of 4
4 boulders x 4 reps back-to-back, 1 min rest between boulders, 4 min between rounds. 4 rounds.
High risk: read the protocol, stop if anything feels wrong.
- 4 × 4
- sets × rounds
- 1:00
- rest
- 4:00
- set rest
- 74:45
- total
Done.
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Take the quizWho 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.