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Toe hooks

Practice toe hooks on 5-6 steep moves or features, 3 tries per side.

Slot
On the wall
Focus
Technique
Time
20 min
Intensity
Moderate
Injury risk
Moderate
Intervals
5 rounds
Equipment
Boulders

How to do it

A toe hook is hooking the top of your shoe over or behind a hold to pull with your foot. Hook your toes around a hold, arete (outside corner), or roof edge, then pull your toes toward your knee and keep the leg tight so the hook holds you in. Release slowly so your body doesn't swing. Find 5-6 moves on steep boulders and practice each 3 times per side.

Who it’s for

Steep climbing, roofs and anything with an arete. A toe hook is the difference between swinging off and staying on, and most climbers place them far too passively.

Common mistakes

  • Hooking without pulling. A toe hook that just rests there does nothing. Pull your toes toward your knee and keep the whole leg engaged.
  • Letting go suddenly. Release slowly, or the swing takes you off. Deciding when to release is part of the skill.
  • Soft shoes for hard hooks. A stiffer toe box holds a hook much better than a soft slipper.
  • Only practising on one side. Hook with both legs. Everyone has a weak side and it’s usually the one they never train.

How to progress

Start on obvious features, then hunt for hooks on problems you’re already trying. Once you can hold one under load, practise moving another limb while the hook is doing the work, which is where the real value is.

When it fits

The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.

  • Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.
  • Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.

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.