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Deadpoint generators (hinge, pendulum, rock-over)

3 deadpoint moves (hinge, pendulum, rock-over), 5 tries each, 45 s rest. Hips lead, one bounce max.

Slot
On the wall
Focus
Momentum
Time
18 min
Intensity
Moderate
Injury risk
Moderate
Intervals
15 rounds, 45s rest
Equipment
Boulders, Overhang

How to do it

A deadpoint is a fast reach that catches the hold at the weightless moment at the top of the move; your feet don't leave the wall. On easy steep terrain find 3 long moves: one straight up, one diagonal, one with a high foothold. Straight up: straighten your arms, hinge back at the waist, then throw your torso in and reach. Diagonal: swing your hips like a pendulum toward the hold and flick the hand out. High foot: rock onto it quickly and add the hinge. Let go of the lower hand about two-thirds through the pull, bounce at most once, and arrive with your hips under the hold. 5 tries per move, 45 seconds rest, 2 minutes between moves.

Who it’s for

Climbers who can catch a deadpoint when a move sets it up for them, but can’t make one when it doesn’t. Each of the three moves teaches a different way of creating momentum, so you have an answer for a reach straight up, a diagonal reach and a move off a high foot.

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with the arms. The hips make the move. Straight arms and a hinge or swing first, then the reach.
  • Pumping to get going. One bounce at most. Extra bounces waste energy and blur the timing.
  • Letting go at the wrong moment. Release the lower hand about two-thirds through the pull. Earlier and you fall short; later and you’re locking off.
  • Hips finishing out from the wall. Arrive with them under the hold, or you’ll catch it at full stretch.
  • Feet cutting. If they leave the wall, it was a dyno. Choose moves you can do with your feet on.

How to progress

Make the moves longer, then make the target holds smaller. After that, practise each method on real boulders, working from an easy deadpoint to a medium one to a hard one.

When it fits

The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.

  • Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.
  • Power Explosive moves, momentum and coordination.
  • Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.

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.