Rice bucket routine

Who it's for

Climbers who want some easy work for the muscles that open the hand, which climbing barely uses. There's no agreed rice bucket protocol and not much evidence behind it, so think of it as light forearm balance work. Don't expect stronger fingers from it.

Anyone can do it, including climbers in their first year. If your wrist or hand is injured or hurts, get a physio to look at it before you add this.

Common mistakes

• Going for a big pump. A light pump is plenty. A burning forearm means you're turning it into a workout it isn't.
• Only squeezing. The opening and flicking movements matter most, since climbing already does the squeezing.
• Too little rice. Bury both hands, or the rice gives almost no resistance.
• Using it as your whole warm-up. It's fine before climbing, but you still need easy moves on the wall before you pull hard.
• Skipping the rest. Ten seconds between moves is short. Take it, so the back of the forearm doesn't fill up by the fourth move.

How to progress

Move a little faster through the rice, or push the hands deeper. Past that there's no clear way to measure progress, so keep it easy and regular.

How to make it easier

Use less rice so your hands sit shallower, and move slowly. If two rounds leaves your forearms too pumped, do one round and build up over a few sessions.

Where it fits in your week

The routine fits in any training period, deload weeks included. The most useful place is the start of a session, as the first part of your warm-up before easy climbing. It also works on a rest day, or after climbing as a light cool-down for the hands. It takes about seven minutes.

Questions

What is rice bucket training for climbing?

Rice bucket training is a set of hand and wrist movements done with both hands buried in a bucket of dry rice. The rice resists every direction, so opening the fingers works the muscles on the back of the forearm that holding on barely uses. This version is five moves of 30 seconds, done twice.

Does rice bucket training make your fingers stronger?

No, you won't hang smaller edges or hold harder moves because of it. The rice gives light resistance, so it's balance and upkeep work for the forearms, mostly the muscles that open the hand. For finger strength, climbing and hangboard training are what you need.

Is rice bucket training good as a climbing warm-up?

Yes, as the first part of one. It gets blood into the hands and moves the wrists in every direction before you pull on holds. Follow it with easy moves on the wall before anything hard, because the rice doesn't load your fingers the way a small edge does.

How much rice do you need for rice bucket training?

Enough to bury both hands past the wrist. With too little, the rice gives almost no resistance and the moves turn into waving your hands about. A deep bucket filled most of the way usually does it, and you can reuse the same rice every session as long as it stays dry.