Mantle practice
4-5 different mantles low to the ground, 3-5 tries each.
- Slot
- On the wall
- Focus
- Technique
- Time
- 20 min
- Intensity
- Moderate intensity
- Injury risk
- Low injury risk
- Equipment
- Boulders
How to do it
A mantle is getting on top of a hold or ledge by pushing down on it instead of pulling, like climbing out of a swimming pool. Find ledges, volumes, or big holds you can mantle close to the ground. Pull up until the hold is at chest height, turn your hand so your palm presses down with the fingers pointing sideways, push until your arm is straight, then bring a foot up next to your hand and stand up. Practice 4-5 different mantles, 3-5 tries each. Once it feels solid, finish real boulders with a top-out.
Run it now
The same timer as the app: a five-second get-ready, then every round and rest counted down with a beep. Keep this page open while you train.
Mantle practice
0:00 / 20:05
Ready
20:05
4 rounds
4-5 different mantles low to the ground, 3-5 tries each.
High risk: read the protocol, stop if anything feels wrong.
- 4
- rounds
- 20:05
- total
Done.
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Take the quizWho it's for
Anyone who climbs outside, anyone whose gym tops out, and anyone who has ever pulled to the last hold and then not known what to do with it. It's also one of the few technique blocks that pays off immediately.
Common mistakes
- Pulling instead of pressing. A mantle is a push. If you're still pulling when the hold is at your chest, you've run out of movement.
- Leaving the hand pointing forwards. Turn the hand so the palm presses down and the fingers point sideways or back. That's the position that lets the shoulder get over the hand.
- Bringing the foot up too early. Straighten the pressing arm first, then step up. Foot first and you get stuck folded in half.
- Practising too high. Low to the ground, so a failed mantle is a step down rather than a fall onto your back.
- Only practising on your good side. Mantles are strongly handed. Do both.
How to progress
Four or five obvious ledges and volumes first, then features that need a specific hand position, then real top-outs on problems at your grade. Once the movement is there, most of the remaining difficulty is committing, which only real top-outs will teach you.
When it fits
The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.
Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.
Strength Stronger fingers and pulling, with weight you control.
Power Explosive moves, momentum and coordination.
Power Endurance Keep your power through one hard move after another.
Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.
Deload Train less, let your fingers recover, keep moving.