Board benchmark repeat set
5 board benchmarks around flash level, up to 2 attempts each, 3 min rest. Log and compare.
- Slot
- On the wall
- Focus
- Power
- Time
- 35 min
- Intensity
- High
- Injury risk
- Moderate
- Intervals
- 5 rounds, 3:00 rest
- Equipment
- Training board, Boulders
How to do it
Pick 5 benchmark problems on a board (e.g. Kilter or Moon) that you've climbed before, around your flash level. Use the same problems and angle every time you do this. Give each up to 2 attempts with 3 minutes rest between attempts, and write down how many tries each took and how it felt. Compare with last time to see whether you're fresh and getting stronger. Add problems for a longer block.
Who it’s for
Testing whether the training is working. Benchmarks on a standard board are the same everywhere, so a repeat set is one of the few honest measurements available to a climber.
Common mistakes
- Changing the angle between tests. Same problems, same angle, every time, or the comparison is meaningless.
- Testing on a tired day. Fresh, warm, same point in the week. Fatigue moves the numbers more than fitness does.
- Not recording how it felt. Attempts alone don’t tell you much. Note whether the holds felt good and whether you were fresh.
- Choosing problems at your limit. Around flash level, so the result is about condition rather than luck.
How to progress
Run it at the start and end of a block, not every week. Adding problems makes it a longer session; it doesn’t make it a better test.
When it fits
The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.
- Strength Stronger fingers and pulling, with weight you control.
- Power Explosive moves, momentum and coordination.
- Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.
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.