Density bouldering
As many clean boulders 2-3 grades below your max as you can, 1-2 min rest. Log sends.
- Slot
- On the wall
- Focus
- Endurance
- Time
- 35 min
- Intensity
- Moderate intensity
- Injury risk
- Moderate injury risk
- Equipment
- Boulders, Timer
How to do it
Pick a grade range a bit below your max (e.g. 2-3 grades below your hardest). Climb as many boulders from that range as you can in the time, resting 1-2 minutes between climbs. Keep your movement tidy on every climb, and drop a grade if it gets sloppy. Write down sends and attempts so you can compare next time.
Want this in a plan? Seven questions and you get a plan built around your climbing.
Take the quizWho it's for
Building a base of climbing volume that everything else sits on. It's the least glamorous session in a training week and often the most useful one.
Common mistakes
- Climbing too hard. Two to three grades below max. If you're falling off, the whole point is gone.
- Letting movement get sloppy. Every climb should look clean. Drop a grade the moment it doesn't.
- Long rests. One to two minutes. The density is what makes it work.
- Not logging it. Count sends and attempts. Comparing week to week is how you know the base is building.
How to progress
More climbs in the same time, at the same grade, with the same quality. Only when that plateaus should the grade move up. Skin usually gives out before the muscles do, so build volume gradually.
When it fits
The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.
Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.
Power Endurance Keep your power through one hard move after another.
Endurance Climb longer before you pump out, by moving efficiently.