Climbing warm-up: how to properly prepare your body before climbing

Whether you're bouldering or climbing a difficult route, warming up before climbing determines the quality of your session. Your fingers, shoulders, and ankles are put under a lot of strain from the very first movements. If they are not properly prepared, they become areas of risk. If they are properly activated, they allow you to climb more calmly and for longer.

Here is a warm-up routine designed by Manon Hily, three-time French difficulty champion, based on simple principles: progression, targeted activation, and consistency. 

Why warming up is essential in rock climbing

In rock climbing, mechanical stresses are high right from the first holds.

• Asa whole, the movements are explosive, and the landings are sometimes brutal.
• Whenstruggling, endurance and progressive fatigue place a heavy strain on the fingers and shoulders.
  

The finger pulleys, flexors, rotator cuff, and shoulder structures are subject to significant stress. Without a gradual increase in intensity, the risk of injury increases. A good warm-up in climbing is not just about "feeling warm." It allows you to: 

• to gradually increase muscle temperature,
• to prepare the tendons for the load,
• to activate the stabilizing muscles,
• improve coordination before the first demanding movements.

The goal is not to tire your body but to prepare it.

The basics of a good muscle warm-up for climbing

An effective muscle warm-up should be gradual, specific, and tailored to your level. Don't push yourself too hard at the start; increase the intensity gradually. Focus on your fingers and shoulders.

1. Priority to fingers: activate without overloading

We logically start with the area most exposed when climbing: the fingers. Injuries to the pulleys and flexor tendons are common when the load comes too quickly. The idea is simple: activate your fingers gradually before asking them to hold your body weight.

➜ Focus on flexors

Manon's routine begins with warming upher flexors. To do this, she uses the Climbing Ring warm-up ring. She starts with a low resistance (15 or 20 kg) until she feels her muscles activate and warm up. When this happens, she changes the Climbing Ring to a higher resistance to finish warming up her flexors by gradually increasing the intensity.

Description of the exercise: 

• Place the Climbing Ring in your open hand.
• Press the 
• Loosen your grip in a controlled manner.
• Repeat the exercise as many times as necessary.

How to choose your Climbing Ring: There are four resistance levels in total. The choice depends on your goal: warm-up or training. To warm up, it is better to start with a lighter weight than a heavier one and do a lot of repetitions. If the resistance is difficult to bend from the first repetition, it is too high for a warm-up.

➜ Don't forget the extenders

When climbing, we place a lot of strain on the flexors, the muscles that allow us to bend our hands. It is therefore essential to activate the extensors to balance the tension and thus ensure stability and allow finger movement.

To do this, you can use an Alien, designed specifically for this exercise, or Elastic Bands around your fingers.

Description of the exercise: 

• Place each Alien ring around each of your fingers.
• Open your hand against resistance in a controlled manner, without moving your thumb (you can hold it with your other hand if necessary).
• Close it and repeat the exercise 10 to 15 times.

You can do this exercise using aElastic Bands , like Manon:

This balance between flexors and extensors helps to limit imbalances and repeated overloads.

2. Activate the shoulders and rotator cuff

After the fingers, it's time for the shoulders. In dynamic bouldering as well as on routes, scapular stability and the rotator cuff play a key role. 

For this step, Manon usesElastic Bands , which offer the lowest resistance of the five available. For a warm-up, blue or green (maximum) are sufficient. Anything higher than that offers too much resistance and turns the activation into strengthening work.

➜ Dynamic shoulder mobilization

Description of the exercise: 

• Grab both ends of theElastic Bands
• Hold it outstretched in front of you.
• Raise your left hand above your head
• Keep your right hand below your hips, maintaining the distance between them.
• Make a circular motion to the left, placing your first hand behind your head.
• The second hand naturally follows the movement and ends up behind your back.
• Continue the circle to the right to return to the starting position at the front.
  
• Perform 6 to 8 rotations per side.

This exercise allows you to mobilize the joint through a wide range of motion while gradually activating the shoulders.

➜ Shoulders, controlled light lifts

Description of the exercise: 

• Stand up and placeElastic Bands both feet.
• Take the other part in both hands. 
• Stretch theElastic Bands your head at shoulder width.
• Control the descent and place your hands back under your hips before rising again.
• Repeat 10-15 times

The movement must remain fluid. If you lose control on the descent, the resistance is too high.

➜ Activation of the rotator cuff

Description of the exercise: 

• Grasp theElastic Bands hand at one-third of its length.
• Place your other hand flat, vertically, inside the smallest part.
• Keep your elbow at a 90° angle and close to your chest. 
• Rotate your forearm outward against resistance.
• Repeat 10 times on each side.

The rotator cuff plays a key role in stabilizing the shoulder, particularly during dynamic movements or when locked in position.

Complete joint warm-up

A good warm-up for climbing isn't just about your muscles or your upper body. You use your whole body to climb and put a lot of strain on your joints. For climbing, Manon emphasizes the following joints: 

• Head, shoulders, arms, hips, legs, and ankles

Here are three simple exercises, demonstrated by the difficulty champion: 

• Wrists: gentle rotations in one direction, then the other

• Hips: same exercise as for the wrists, gentle rotation in one direction then the other

• Hips: Kneel on your right knee, extend the opposite leg, and point your toes upward. Repeat on the other knee. Do the whole sequence about ten times.

This phase prepares the entire chain with full joint mobilization. Whether en bloc or in difficulty, foot placement and dynamic movements place heavy demands on the hips and ankles.

Find more exercises in our white paper by registering at this link.

Don't neglect warming up your lower body

Collectively, dynamic movements, jumps, and especially landings at the end of a run or after a fall put a lot of strain on the knees and ankles.

On the track, even though receptions are less frequent, repeated pushes with the feet place intense strain on the quadriceps, calves, and hips. The continuity and duration of the effort accentuate this muscle fatigue.

Preparing your lower body is therefore an essential part of a complete warm-up for climbing, even a very simple one, regardless of your climbing style.

Manon adds a few squats, in a lighter version to simulate the movements made when climbing. She performs a forward roll before getting up on both legs. After a few repetitions, she performs the same exercise, getting up on only one leg.

Other exercises can be performed to prepare the joints and muscles for the specific demands of the session, such as: 

• Controlled slits
• Small, gradual jumps
  
• Controlled climbs on spikes

Warming up on hangboard

During her session, Manon also adds a warm-up on hangboard. This allows her to finish warming up her fingers, arms, and shoulders by performing simple controlled hangs or a few light pull-ups.

If you are still cold, focus on pull-ups with your feet on the ground and deep grips to finish your warm-up gently and avoid traumatizing your muscles and joints. The goal is not to immediately hang with a full load, but to prolong the activation already achieved with progressive work, often with your feet on the ground or on comfortable holds.

We will soon be publishing a comprehensive article dedicated to hangboard warm-ups, with detailed advice on how to effectively incorporate them into your routine, so stay tuned 😉.

The exercises have been explained in detail so that you can easily replicate them. You can find Manon's video on our Instagramif you need more visual guidance.

Looking for more exercises? You can find a whole host of others designed by the physical therapists, coaches, and athletes we work with in our white paper. Available free of charge when you register on this page.

 

⚠️ Important

The advice, protocols, and recommendations we share are developed in collaboration with our partner coaches and physical therapists. Learn more about them here.

Every climber is different: always adapt the exercises to your level, listen to your body, and if you experience pain, have doubts, or questions, consult a healthcare professional or certified trainer.