Here on the Training Beta Blog, we have covered the importance of a complete and thorough warm up numerous times.  However, we can not stress just how important warming up properly is enough.  Not only does it allow to you to actually try your hardest and put forth maximal efforts, but it also is the single best way to prevent injury.

While warming up properly is important for all types of climbing, having a specific warm up program that allows you to put forth your best performance at a set/planed time is even more important for competition climbers who do not have the luxury of a full day at the crag to allow their climbing warm up to progress naturally.  As a result, successful competition climbers must develop a specific warm up program so they can reliably prepare to try their hardest when they are called out of isolation.

To help you develop your own warm up program, her is an article from Crux Crush in which former World Cup competition climber turned outdoor crusher Angy Eiter shares how she warms up for her outdoor projects and how she adapted this from her competition experience.

“Warming up was always an essential part when I was a competitor, and it was quite obvious to me that my best performances were linked to a good warm up. I consistently followed a strict warm up routine for 90 minutes to perform well at the right moment. Now, as I have shifted my focus to outdoor climbing, my experience as a competitive climber has enormously benefited my climbing projects.” – Angy Eiter

Take a look at the full article by clicking through below.  In it, Eiter takes you through her general warmup process from stimulating her cardiovascular system and mobilizing her major joints (hips, shoulders, ect), through visualization to get mentally prepared, and finally to actually trying her hardest on her projects.  Angy Eiter is one of the most successful competition climbers of all time.  This article is a great opportunity to learn from her.  Give it a read!

Click Here: Angy Eiter – Warming Up for Climbing

(photo by Bernardo Gimenez; courtesy of cruxcrush.com)

Other Articles You Might Like:

• How To Warm Up for A Route Session
• Dr. Vagy Climbing Warmup Exercises
• Quadrupedal Movement and Its Benefits for Climbing
• Stretches Upper Body- Moon Climbing