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Rice bucket routine

2 rounds of 5 moves x 30 s in a bucket of rice: opens, circles, squeezes, flicks, turns. 10 s rest.

Slot
Strength
Focus
Stability
Time
7 min
Intensity
Low
Injury risk
Low
Intervals
10 × 30s on, 10s off
Equipment
Rice bucket, Timer

How to do it

Fill a bucket with dry rice deep enough to bury both hands. Push them in and do each movement for 30 seconds, resting 10 between: open the fingers wide against the rice and close them; circle the wrists; squeeze fistfuls and let go; flick the wrists back as if throwing rice out of the bucket; turn the hands palm up and palm down. That's one round; do two. You want a light pump, mostly on the back of the forearm, and nothing that hurts. Opening the hand against rice is the point: it works the extensors that all the holding-on neglects. Hand therapists use it for wrist rehab; before climbing it doubles as a warm-up.

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.

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.

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.

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.
  • 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.