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Furthest-point traverse

8 easy traverses: every new hand or foot lands further along than your last placement. 1 min rest.

Slot
On the wall
Focus
Coordination
Time
15 min
Intensity
Low
Injury risk
Low
Intervals
8 rounds, 1:00 rest
Equipment
Easy circuit

How to do it

On an easy traverse, add one rule: every new placement, hand or foot, has to land further along the traverse than the last placement you made with any limb. So after your right hand moves left, your left hand has to cross past it (a cross-through), or a foot has to step past it. You'll have to plan which limb goes next and turn your hips to reach. Traverse 8-12 moves, step off and rest a minute, then go the other way. Do 8 traverses, alternating direction. If you break the rule, go back one move and try again; it's the planning that counts.

Who it’s for

Climbers who reach with the same hand every time and end up square to the wall. The rule forces cross-throughs, step-throughs and turned hips, on terrain easy enough that the only hard part is working out which limb goes next.

Common mistakes

  • Picking a hard traverse. Easy holds. If the moves themselves are a fight, you won’t have any attention left for the rule.
  • Bending the rule to keep moving. A hand or foot that lands level with your last placement doesn’t count. Go back one move and find the one that does.
  • Staying square to the wall. Crossing through from a square stance feels awkward and pulls you off. Turn your hips toward the reaching hand.
  • Forgetting your feet. A foot stepping past your last hand is a legal move, and it’s often the easier one.
  • Rushing. Stopping to plan the next placement is part of the drill.

How to progress

Use smaller footholds and holds further apart. Then take the habit onto easy boulders: look for the spots where a cross-through or step-through is an option, and use it.

When it fits

The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.

  • Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.
  • Endurance Climb longer before you pump out, by moving efficiently.
  • Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.
  • Deload Train less, let your fingers recover, keep moving.

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.