Warming up body AND mind
Over time my climbing warm up has evolved - from walking into the crag and going climbing, to careful route selection, combined then with a structured physical warm up. They all tie into together, mentally and physically. But now when I pay attention to body and mind in a completely holistic way, it doesn’t just affect how I climb that day or session, but also my wider week, month and also my health, wellbeing and risk of injury.
A poor warm up can ruin a climbing day where body and mind can be fried by the second bolt of the first route, even causing problems in confidence in the longer term.
A good and patient warm up will always reap dividends.
An excellent warm up will mean that you are always listening to your body, avoiding injury and every climbing session can be a success - not necessarily in terms of grades, but definitely in terms of growing and moving forward as a climber.
The benefits of warming up for climbing are written about extensively – but mostly from the physical aspect. I’m an advocate of a slow and thorough warm up that suits YOU as an individual. Yes some people don’t seem to need much of a warm up, but I’m a believer that if you want to get your body AND mind ready to climb it does take time. And it will change over time.
It is vital to warm up both body and mind in climbing because we need both when we’re climbing!
The physical aspect will
warm up muscles and soft tissue
prevent injury
allow you to perform at your best
prolong your session (doing too much too soon can shorten your session so you burn out)
The mental aspect will
prevent injury by checking in with how your body feels to avoid over training
allow you to build up your session carefully to avoid losing confidence early on in the day or session
ensure that the entirety of your performance is connected from start to finish
warming up part 1: Taking Space before climbing
This part of the warm up is pretty much never ever talked about. But it is crucial. For some people it’s instinctive, for others (like me) I have to be disciplined. When you arrive at the wall or crag, take a moment to mark a space between the outside world and your climbing session. Have a cup of tea, listen to some music, sit down! Climbing is important to us, give it some space before and after, like a capital letter and full stop. Take some breaths, I like to do some diaphragmatic breaths (expanding the tummy), to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Warming up part 2: Pulse Raiser
BODY: We need to raise our heartbeat in order to pump blood to the muscles. This does not need to be too long - a run, jog, skip, a dance! Obviously walking to the crag or cycling to the climbing wall ticks this box, but without those options we need to be disciplined.
MIND: Consciously shake out all tension and stress out of the body. Make an effort to shake it out of every limb, all through the body. I’ve done this before between goes on climbs (have I always been this floppy?)!
warming up part 3: joint rotation
BODY: Go through a process of putting all your joints through a full range. Don’t force or move too fast – this is just a chance for the soft tissues to be gently moved and stretched. Think about neck, shoulders, torso, hips, knees, ankles and fingers. 10 rotations in each direction.
MIND: As you move through your body, take time to notice how each part feels. Does it move freely, tweak, ache, feel tired? Is it the same on each side? Do you need a longer warm up? Do you need to adapt the session e.g. if your fingers tweak, do slopers instead of small crimps, if your hamstrings seem tight, do they need more of a stretch or is it a warning to stay off the heel hook project? Close your eyes and balance, moving your body – listen in more, how is your balance? Can you correct your positioning to balance better, is poor balance a sign of tiredness or a need to practise balance more?!
warming up part 3: easy climbing
BODY: Do (really) easy climbing (for you), start on slabs and build up the angles. Stretch on the climb – your ankles, your shoulders, your hips. Consider the end goal of the session and direct your warm ups towards that. For example if your aim is a long gently pumpy route, build up the time on the wall, replicate angles and experience a low level pump.
MIND: Do low stress climbs, move freely without hesitation or doubt. Be methodical about going through core techniques: focus on your footwork, rockovers, twisting. Build confidence in your technique and enjoy the movement.
Create a ritual around your warm up. Rituals and habits work, creating familiarity with a system that works for you - this in itself can get you into the right headspace. Overall notice how you feel, allow yourself the freedom to adapt your goals for the session, accepting your body without judgement for how it is feeling that day. How easy do you find this depending on where you are or who you're with?