Blok SessionsLog in

Run-and-jump starts

3-4 comp-style running starts onto volumes or holds, 5 tries each, 2 min rest.

Slot
On the wall
Focus
Coordination
Time
33 min
Intensity
High
Injury risk
Moderate
Intervals
15 rounds, 2:00 rest
Equipment
Boulders

How to do it

Modern competition boulders often start with a run or jump. Find (or set) a start where you run 2-3 steps, jump onto a volume or foothold, and catch the first hand hold in one motion. Walk through it slowly first, then build up speed. Focus on where your feet land and on keeping your weight moving in one direction. Do 3-4 different starts, 5 tries each, resting 2 minutes between tries. Only on well-padded floors, with the area clear of other climbers.

Who it’s for

Modern comp boulders, which frequently start with a run, a jump, or both. It’s a coordination skill and it feels ridiculous until it doesn’t.

Common mistakes

  • Going at full speed immediately. Walk it through, then build up.
  • Landing area not clear. Well-padded floor, nobody nearby, and check before every attempt. This is the one drill where the ground matters as much as the wall.
  • Watching the hand hold. Watch where your feet land. The hands follow.
  • Stopping the momentum at the wall. The whole thing is one motion. Braking on arrival is what makes people bounce off.

How to progress

Longer run-ups, further jumps, worse first holds. Filming it is worth more here than almost anywhere else, because what it feels like and what it looks like are very different.

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.

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.