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Under pressure

5-6 familiar boulders with a timer, one-attempt rule, or camera. Debrief after each go.

On the wall
Mental
30 min
Moderate intensity
Low injury risk
Boulders, Timer

How to do it

Add real pressure to 5-6 boulders you'd normally climb relaxed: a visible countdown timer, a one-attempt-only rule, or filming the attempt. Pick boulders you can safely fall off. After each attempt, debrief out loud or in writing: what changed under pressure (rushed movement, skipped chalk, held breath), and what cue would help you stay calm next time.

Run it now

The same timer as the app: a five-second get-ready, then every round and rest counted down with a beep. Keep this page open while you train.

Under pressure

0:00 / 30:05

Ready

30:05

5 rounds

5-6 familiar boulders with a timer, one-attempt rule, or camera. Debrief after each go.

5
rounds
30:05
total

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Who it's for

Climbers who fall apart when someone's watching or the clock is running. You can't practise composure without something to be composed about, which is what the timer or the camera provides.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing boulders you can't safely fall off. Pressure plus a bad landing is a bad combination.
  • Skipping the debrief. Naming what changed under pressure is the whole exercise.
  • Only using one kind of pressure. A timer, a one-attempt rule and a camera each affect people differently.

How to progress

Stack the pressures, or add an audience. Over a few sessions you should be able to name your own pattern, which is what a cue is for.

When it fits

The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.

  • Power Endurance Keep your power through one hard move after another.

  • Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.