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Standing pancake (tempo reps)

3 sets of 4 slow reps: 3 s down, 2 s pause, 2 s up, 1 s pause. 60 s rest between sets.

Slot
Mobility
Focus
Mobility
Time
4 min
Intensity
Low
Injury risk
Low
Intervals
3 rounds, 1:00 rest
Equipment
Floor space

How to do it

The pancake is a wide-legged forward fold; in climbing it's the range that lets you keep your hips in with your feet far apart. Stand with your feet at least three times shoulder width, toes slightly forward. Hinge at the hips with a flat back and reach your chest toward the floor, a little deeper each rep: 3 s down, 2 s pause at the bottom, 2 s up, 1 s pause at the top. Move slowly so your muscles don't tighten against you, and stop at mild discomfort, never pain. Do 4 reps, rest 60 s, 3 sets. If sitting on the floor is easy for you, do it seated on a low block instead; if you plateau, hold a light weight to your chest.

Who it’s for

Climbers who want the range to keep their hips close to the wall with their feet wide apart, and who find long passive holds dull. Slow reps take you a little deeper each time, and the whole thing is short enough to add to a warm-up at home.

Common mistakes

  • Rounding the back. Hinge from the hips with a flat back. If your back starts to round, that’s the bottom of the rep.
  • Dropping fast. Keep the tempo. Moving quickly makes the muscles tighten against the stretch.
  • Forcing each rep deeper. A little further than the last rep, at mild discomfort. Pain means you’ve gone too far.
  • A narrow stance. Feet wide, toes slightly forward. Bring them in and it becomes a hamstring stretch.

How to progress

When standing feels easy, sit on a low block instead. If you stop getting any deeper, hold a light weight to your chest. It works well alongside the passive pancake stretch on other days.

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.