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Ten-minute portable warm-up

10 tendon glides per hand, 10-12 band rotations, then 3-4 sets of 5 x 5 s pulls on a portable edge.

Slot
Warm-up
Focus
Finger strength
Time
10 min
Intensity
Moderate
Injury risk
Moderate
Intervals
6 rounds, 20s rest
Equipment
Lifting edge, Resistance band, Timer

How to do it

A no-wall warm-up for the crag or an isolation zone. Start with tendon glides: touch your fingertips to the top of your palm, the middle and the base, opening fully between each, 10 cycles per hand, squeezing harder as you go. Then hold a light band in both hands, elbows by your sides, and rotate your forearms outward, holding a second at the end, 10-12 reps. Finish with recruitment pulls on a portable edge or a ledge: pull one hand at a time, as hard as feels comfortable, 5 s on and 1 s off, five times per hand. Do 3-4 sets, easy first and near your max by the last, resting about a minute between sets.

Who it’s for

Days with no wall to warm up on: the crag, a competition isolation zone, a board session at home. It gets the fingers and shoulders ready in about ten minutes with a band and a portable edge.

Common mistakes

  • Starting the pulls hard. The first set is easy on purpose. The effort climbs set by set, and only the last one gets near your comfortable max.
  • Rushing the tendon glides. Open the hand fully between each position. Half-closed fists skip what the glides are for.
  • Letting the elbows drift off your sides. On the band rotations, keep the elbows tucked in or the shoulders do the work instead of the small muscles you’re trying to wake up.
  • Pulling past comfortable. Hard, but comfortable. A warm-up that tweaks a finger isn’t a warm-up.

How to progress

It’s a warm-up, so there’s little to progress. Keep the same order every time until it’s automatic, and follow it with a few easy moves on the rock before you try anything hard.

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.