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Movement centres (knees, then hips)

2 easy boulders x 5 laps: step-ups from the high knee, low knee, both, the hips, then your pick.

Slot
On the wall
Focus
Momentum
Time
15 min
Intensity
Low
Injury risk
Low
Intervals
10 rounds, 30s rest
Equipment
Boulders, Slab vertical

How to do it

Pick 2 easy vertical boulders with plenty of step-ups. Climb each one 5 times, changing where every step-up starts. Lap 1: push from the high knee. Lap 2: push from the low knee, picturing the lower leg compressing like a spring. Lap 3: start from the low knee and finish with the high one. Lap 4: start from the hips, rounding your back, then arching it to throw your weight across. Lap 5: pick whichever felt best for each move. Rest 30 seconds between laps.

Who it’s for

Climbers who step up by pulling with their arms, and anyone whose static moves feel heavy for their grade. Starting the same move from different places teaches you where a step-up should come from, and the hip lap is a first taste of using your body’s weight to carry you across.

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the step-up. Your hands guide, the leg or hips push. If your arms are doing the work, slow down and start again from the centre you’re meant to be using.
  • Changing boulders between laps. Stay on the same two. Then the only thing that changes is where the move starts, and you can feel the difference.
  • Making the hip lap too small. Round and arch your back properly. A tiny version feels the same as the knee laps and teaches nothing new.
  • Going on autopilot in the last lap. Choose the centre for each move before you make it. That choice is what you’re practising.

How to progress

Move to harder or steeper boulders where the right starting point is less obvious. Filming a lap on your phone helps you see what you actually did. Then bring the question to your projects: before a move you keep failing, try starting it from somewhere else.

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.