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High-step hip primer

2 rounds: hip circles, deep squat shifts, supported high steps, and slow rock-overs.

Slot
Warm-up
Focus
Mobility
Time
10 min
Intensity
Low
Injury risk
Low
Intervals
2 rounds
Equipment
Floor space, Wall

How to do it

Do 2 rounds of: 10 hip circles per side (stand on one leg, circle the other knee), 10 slow side-to-side shifts in a deep squat, 5 high steps per side onto a bench or low wall hold with a hand on the wall, and 5 slow rock-overs per side (foot up high, shift your weight over it, and stand up). Keep moving actively rather than sinking into positions.

Who it’s for

Sessions with high steps, rock-overs or drop knees, and anyone whose hips feel locked at the start of a session. Ten minutes of active movement beats sitting in a stretch.

Common mistakes

  • Sinking into the positions. Keep moving. Static holds belong at the end of a session, not the start.
  • Rushing the rock-overs. Slow weight transfer over the foot. That’s the movement you’re priming.
  • Skipping the balance hand. Use the wall for the high steps so you can focus on the hip rather than on not falling over.
  • Doing one round. Two rounds. The second one always feels different from the first, which tells you the first was necessary.

How to progress

Take the supporting hand off the wall for the high steps once you can. If a particular position feels stuck week after week, that’s a signal for dedicated mobility work like the wall squat or pigeon pose, not a harder warm-up.

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.