Last week, I told you I didn’t like doing aerobic activities (see Jumping Rope). Well, it turns out that I struggle to do any warming up. There are many reasons (if we really wanted to psychoanalyze), but basically it comes down to being impatient with the process, wanting to jump in, get going, get to the fun part, or feel like I am making progress. Warming up has always felt like an obstacle to the more fun activity that was to follow.

The problem is, I know I need to. Over the years I’ve had several injuries that were the direct result of trying too hard too soon, doing one move too many, or doing something stupid and showboating. Some of these were preventable. If only I had done a proper warm up routine! Learn from my example. (Or learn from you own.)

My warm ups now have the same framework regardless of where I am, whether it’s training at home, the gym, or climbing outside.

I do a brief aerobic activity (again, Jumping Rope) to get moving, then start with some easy climbing to loosen up the joints, stretch out, and warm up the large muscles and forearms. Next I warm up my fingers slowly by increasing the difficulty of the climbing and decreasing the size of the holds. The whole process takes about an hour.

When I’m at the gym or at the crag, there are tons of options for fun and interesting warm ups to stay motivated. I have more of a challenge when I train at home. I don’t exactly have a state-of-the-art training facility. I have a hangboard and my imagination.

I’ll do two 10-minute sessions where I shuffle my hands around, doing various sequences to simulate routes.

During the first session, I start out easier by using larger holds. After conducting route analysis this past season, I figure that a 10-minute warm up is roughly equivalent to a 35-meter route. You can do any sequence of holds that you want. I tend to do five intervals of two minutes because it simulates the kinds of routes I typically get on.

When I’m done with the first round, I take anywhere from five to 10 minutes off. As I finish I get my weights out, set up my workbench to record the data from my training session, get my skin care kit ready, get some water, a snack, stopwatch, and anything else I’ll need during my hangboard session.  Then I hit the second 10-minute warm up session, where I slowly work my way through smaller holds to really warm up my fingers.

Let me tell you, after the equivalent of two 35-meter pitches on the hangboard, you’re warm. After doing this little workout, I’m ready to jump into my hangboard session.

The key to warming up at home is to create a routine that you’ll actually want to do; one that is fun, one that you look forward to doing. For me, it helps to make a game out of it, to find different combinations and sequences, and increase the level of complexity to combat boredom.