When you warm up, do you simply hop on the wall and do some easy climbing?  If you do, then you definitely know the feeling of going for a move you aren’t quite warm enough for and failing because you simply can’t move effectively yet.  The main reason this happens is that you haven’t fully awakened your muscles and nervous system.  One way to do this, however, is to add some dynamic stretching into your warmup routine.

To help explain exactly why dynamic stretching is so beneficial to athletes, here’s an article from Crux Crush by Galina Parfenov in which she outlines exactly what dynamic stretching is, explains why it is superior to static stretching, and then outlines a series of dynamic stretches you can add into your warmup.

“Dynamic stretching is the combination of stretching and movement. In other words, rather than holding one position for 10-30 seconds, as you would for a static stretch, you move through a range of motion using both muscular control and momentum.” – Galina Parfenov

Why Dynamic Stretching

As Galina describes above, dynamic stretching combines stretching and movement and it is this combination that is key its effectiveness.  Because of its movement component, dynamic stretches increase “reach, range of motion, and speed.”  In other words, where static stretching may increase range of motion it doesn’t awaken your central nervous system or increase your muscle temperature and, therefore, is not as effective as a form of a climbing warm up.

Additionally, as Galina points out, statically stretching before you are fully warm can actually be dangerous and can even temporarily reduce explosive strength and power.  It is better to save the static stretching for after climbing.  That way you can work on your flexibility once you are fully warm and no longer need your high end explosive power.

Dynamic Stretches Outlined

To help you incorporate dynamic stretching into your pre-climbing routine, Galina outlines a series of stretches and mobility exercises she has found personally effective.  Her body weight only stretches are:

• Squats
• Side leg kicks
• Scorpion kicks
• Roll backs
• Upward dog
• Cat/cow
• Scapular retraction/protraction
• Wall slides
• Pec stretch
• Lat stretch
• Shoulder dislocations

She also advocates doing some band work including:

• Y’s, T’s, W’s, L’s, A’s
• Face pulls
• Rows
• Chest presses
• Internal and external rotations

Ultimately, while this may seem like a lot of exercises, Galina only advocates spending an extra ten minutes of your warmup performing these drills.  With all the benefits outlined above, ten minutes seems like a small time commitment to prevent injury, increase range of motion, and warmup more effectively.

Click through below for the full article.  Galina explains all of these concepts in greater detail as well as providing demonstrations for all of the above exercises.

Full Article: Dynamic Stretching with Crux Crush

(photo courtesy of cruxcrush.com)

Other Articles You Might Like:

• Dynamic Climbing Warm-Up
• The Yoga Warm Up for Climbing
• Forearm Stretches – The Self Coached Climber
• The Science of Warming Up