Big-rung campus power
4-5 footless campus ladders on big rungs, 3 min rest. Stop as soon as speed drops.
- Slot
- On the wall
- Focus
- Power
- Time
- 15 min
- Intensity
- Max
- Injury risk
- High
- Intervals
- 4 rounds, 3:00 rest
- Equipment
- Campus board
How to do it
Advanced - only if you've been climbing hard for a few years without finger injuries. After a full warm-up, on a campus board with the biggest rungs, climb hand over hand up the rungs without using your feet (e.g. 1-2-3-4-5, or 1-3-5 when that's easy). Do 4-5 ladders with 3 minutes rest between each. Stop the moment you slow down, miss a rung, or your fingers feel off.
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
Experienced climbers with healthy fingers who want contact power. Campusing is the highest-risk finger training there is, so the entry requirements matter more than the protocol.
Common mistakes
- Doing it too early in your climbing life. A few years of hard climbing without finger injuries first. There’s no shortcut here.
- Small rungs. Biggest rungs only. Small rungs are what hurt people.
- Continuing when the movement slows. The moment you’re slow or miss a rung, the set is done.
- Short rests. Three minutes. Power needs full recovery or it becomes endurance with high injury risk.
How to progress
Move from 1-2-3-4-5 to 1-3-5 rather than adding ladders. Once a session a week is plenty, always fresh, always after a full warm-up, and always in a block rather than year-round.
When it fits
The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.
- 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.