A Great 10-Minute Warm-Up for Climbers

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// Timestamps //
Intro and Warm-Up Overview (00:00)
Important Note (00:35)
Warm-Up #1: Tendon Glides (01:09)
Why Tendon Glides? (02:37)
Warm-Up #2: "No Moneys" (04:13)
Why "No Moneys?" (04:59)
Warm-Up #3: Recruitment Pulls (06:04)
Why Recruitment Pulls (07:26)
Closing Thoughts (08:21)
Super Mega Extra Credit Bonus Fun: Nordic Curls (09:04)
Bloopers (09:36)
// Introduction //
What’s the best way to prepare your body for climbing? Today, we’re going to cover a simple but super effective three-step warm-up that requires just a few minutes of your time, a single theraband, AND it’s backed by SCIENCE.
Now because this is the internet, I have to start by saying that while I think these are the three OPTIMAL activities to do before climbing, that does not mean they are the ONLY things you can do. Everyone has their own opinions, routines, and rituals for warming up, and that’s great! Know your body and what works best for you. If you’re patient enough to go through a 60-minute warm-up, more power to you!
But most climbers, myself included, want to warm up as quickly as possible so we can get to the fun stuff. So the warm-up we’re talking about today is going to:
Use our understanding of anatomy to target important muscle groups and tendons
Stimulate neural activity, increase oxygen uptake, and improve activation potential of those muscle groups
AND do all of that in about 10 minutes or less
To get THE MOST out of this video, please check out the website for the entire show notes which includes access to different research articles!
www.HoopersBeta.com/library/proper-warm-up-for-climbers
#rockclimbing #physicaltherapist #warmup
Disclaimer:
As always, exercises are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting new exercises.
// Image Attributions //
Hand image: Furfur / CC BY-SA (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Extensor image 1: Powellle / CC BY-SA (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Extensor image 2: Powellle / CC BY-SA (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Rhomboids: Anatomography / CC BY-SA 2.1 JP (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Infraspinatus: Anatomography / CC BY-SA 2.1 JP (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Teres Minor: Anatomography / CC BY-SA 2.1 JP (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)

[@HoopersBeta]

What are your favorite warm-ups to do before hopping on your project??

[@Connordrs1123]

Doing one hamstring stretch, immediately hopping on the project, getting hurt, realizing I need to actually warm up, and then warming up😂

[@christophedurand811]

After watching your video I will incorporate it into my warmup. My warmup is : 2 x ( jumping jacks + tendon glides (but I didn't know about doing it with force) + pushups). Then about 30-60 minutes of climbing from V0-VProject(6). So I usually do 10-20 V0-V3, 3-6V4, then work on projects V5-6-7 (starting with big holds). I feel that if I don't do that, I'm not warmed up enough. Do you think I'm overdoing it?

[@HoopersBeta]

If you feel like that's what your body needs to be totally warmed up, that's OK. BUT, it does seem like you're doing quite a bit to work up to your projects. I would just be worried about being fatigued by the time you are ready to put in a higher level of effort. I would consider reducing some of the V0-V3. But, your body is the ultimate boss and has the final say. If you need that longer warm up, take it.

[@kardnails8729]

@@HoopersBeta I read somewhere that you need about 120 holds to properly warm up, which is either 3 easy routes, or a dozen easy boulder problems. What are your thoughts?

[@LuxionPierce]

I love to use the rubber finger exercise bands before climbing. It really warms up the complimentary forearm muscles and finger muscles. I have a set with 4 different resistances and just use level 1 and then go to level 2. P.S. I love your videos! As a scientist, I greatly appreciate the scientific perspective. Thank you!

[@EmilAbrahamsson]

Hot diggity dang, I've been looking for this type of content for quite some time and have somehow missed your channel. Saw the first couple of episodes just now before you posted this and appreciate your approach towards discussing these subjects. I feel I've consumed endless amounts of subjective "hey I tried this it totally works" - kind of mumbo jumbo content and have been desperately searching for consistent scientific stuff such as the stuff you peeps post so thanks for this :) I'll just go back to binching more of them now

[@HoopersBeta]

It took me a minute and then I was like, "wait, I know this guy, I've watched a bunch of his videos!" haha. Thanks for the kind words and glad you've found the videos helpful :)) - Emile

[@DigitalNomadPhysicians]

I feel immediately stronger whenever Jason winks into the camera!

[@HoopersBeta]

Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode. *spoiler* I wink again.

[@christophedurand811]

Sir Dr Hooper 😉, I just discovered your channel today and it is incredible, thanks to KZbin's recommendation algorithm!

[@HoopersBeta]

😅 haha this is great. Welcome to the channel!

[@noahprice9805]

I feel like your guy's videos are too well made for the amount of subscribers. I love it

[@HoopersBeta]

Haha thanks! I think that’s better than the other way around 😉

[@jjack2684]

This video deserves 10x more likes!! Thanks for making this!

[@oldi6btm6t9d4]

The quality = chef's kiss

[@jheyhey39]

Every single video on this channel is pure gold!

[@marabucci]

This video is so incredibly helpful!! For sure incorporating this warm up into my next session.

[@alfiesimpson8502]

I've been using this warm-up for just over a month and it has helped so much with my performance and with injury prevention. I used to never warm up but now I actually quite enjoy going through this routine due to how much better I climb when I've done it. Keep up the great videos!!

[@HoopersBeta]

That's awesome to hear!! Thank you for sharing. Stoked that it has been helpful in your performance and prevention!

[@languagefreeassangeteacher5338]

Thanks, Dr. Hooper. That´s important advice!

[@gin7564]

quite possibly the best climbing informational videos out there. Much love for y'all

[@MrGuitarific]

Excellent video, great information! Cheers

[@samd8054]

I've been enjoying some of your new content and I'm glad to find this older stuff to. The Jay and Silent Bob cuts were top notch and the data is awesome to have as well. Thanks for what you do!

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching the new & old! It's fun sometimes to see the progression of our video process from the OG videos to now.

[@tiamarie636]

That intro was amazing! 😂

[@leonepantaleoni348]

Cool!! always great videos from you man! keep it up!

[@pedronatal5078]

Excellent content, brilliant channel!

[@MusicScala]

Incredibly informative video as always 💪

[@gracedoingthings]

Thank you so much for this informative video! Coming from a dance background I only knew how to do warm up related to that but since switching to climbing, I've had no clue! Can't wait to try this out at the gym ☺️

[@HoopersBeta]

Awesome! Hope it helps you!!

[@boriscontreras9460]

Really good video ! Hope you'll have more views soon !

[@scottbunze2509]

I love this routine. Can we get a cool down video?

[@phils6582]

Thanks for the video. Great advice! I like bodyweight cossack squats for warming up the lower body.

[@diegorivas4900]

¿How can this channel have so few subscribers? I´ve just started climbing recently and this has so much to offer!! I love it!! Very well explained, nicely put together and extremely important stuff!! I hope to learn a lot from you guys (hopefully avoid stupid injuries) and watch this channel grow!!

[@HoopersBeta]

We love all those things! Welcome to the channel and hope you continue to find it useful!

[@clintcrosby115]

Helping Tower hands now too not just the rock climbing community. I’m a big guy and your videos are really helpful especially climbing in these negative temps! Stay 100 y’all!

[@HoopersBeta]

That's awesome! Happy to hear that our videos were able to help. Stay safe in those temps!

[@TheMichealaw]

Great topic. Thank you

[@donkyuhbuhts540]

This warm up is legit!

[@janwolf753]

Hi Dr Hooper! Just discovered your channel and absolutely loving it! Question: I often encounter pain in the inside of my thumb when hangboarding or hanging on small holds (when my thumb gets tucked inside my hand). Any recommendation on how to warm up/exercise to avoid this?

[@Mdjagg]

Thats literally my exact warmup! I find a natural feature to hangboard off of, after the band work. I tend to do the tendon glides regular too.

[@HoopersBeta]

Sounds like you have it dialed in!

[@linuskarlsson3272]

This is great, thank you!

[@HoopersBeta]

You're very welcome!

[@larryseibold4287]

Excellent stuff! I wonder if you also have thought of a good routine to do AFTER or at the tail end of a solid climbing session? How soon after should stretching or deep tissue massage be done?

[@shaunboyle5479]

thanks bro. please more content!

[@HoopersBeta]

Always at work so more content on the way :)

[@nbka8rs]

Shoulder dislocates are amazing for shoulder, rotator cuff, etc. you should already have the band in your approach bag so why not

[@mangiari]

Question @hooper's beta: Can you comment on why you do the recruitment pulls full force from the beginning? Most warmup suggestion focus very much on slowly increasing the load. To your question on what our favorite warmup is: I always warmup by moving every joint in it's whole range of motion, before going to muscle or any meaningful load. Just to prepare cartilage. Thanks a lot for the valuable videos, a true fanboy.

[@AchillGo-baduk-weiqi]

Great video. I love science backed exercises... makes it a bit easier to convince people to do them.. and by people I mean my girlfriend who hates warming up.. but is glad I'm doing the drill sergeant's job.. 😎

[@HoopersBeta]

haha, yeah! Happy to help ;)

[@keegswong]

My must have for stretching is my hips! I feel lots of climbers often overlook opening and stretching hips. The shoulders and the hips are the most important joints to maneuvering your center mass. For me, I like to use lots of acrobatic-like movements to climb. (high feet, splits, heel hooks, extreme drop knees, kicks) May not be the case for others, but lots of injuries from that region if I don't stretch it.

[@HoopersBeta]

Hips are super important! Being able to use your legs effectively is crucial to climbing better. Mobility and stability are both important in avoiding injuries :)

[@nicolebooth2636]

Loving the jay and silent bob inserts

[@ThundersLeague]

Especially if you're climbing in a gym on more modern style problems, I would recommend doing a full body warmup. Including neck, sides, hips. I've had it happen plenty of times where I'm in a horizontal position and my lower leg slips, ending up pulling my side muscles.

[@HoopersBeta]

Absolutely. A good warm up is super helpful. glad you're taking the time to do yours!

[@analiselimm774]

This one has the sassiest science hahaha. Nice 3 warm up picks, my tendons thank you

[@sawyer7as]

Laughed and subscribed for JSB reference, will donate for isolated clip of that please!

[@tomasfeehan4639]

Thanks 👍

[@HoopersBeta]

Welcome 👍

[@carefulcarrot]

I'm a PTA who appreciates getting the info to add to my knowledge base. My work considers me a "climbing expert" just because I've taken course work and have climbed for a few years. I saw you in that article about climbing in ... Inside PT ? I can't remember. But the article was disappointing- why was it teaching what trad climbing means but not showing a crimp or a gaston or anything technical/ kines related! Would have been more useful for non climbing therapists IMO. Appreciate the content and I should watch it all repeatedly. Thank you, and the humor is subtle and on point!

[@pajamaman4832]

No monies are money. Definitely love the motor neuron recruitment to loading the tissue.

[@HoopersBeta]

Hah that's a great way of putting it :)

[@kingkrzes7121]

oh sick I have that same lamp

[@Tony.250]

💚💚💚

[@RimshotKiller]

Great, now I will have to watch Dogma for the umteenth time. Thank you :).

[@adamlake9507]

yeah science!

[@Zeptinn]

Hi Hooper! Loving the videos. I have a question regarding tendon gliding. Doing the last one for the third row (with the L-shape) I feel some uncomfort/pain at the inside base of my index finger. Also felt some paint when perhaps holding a wooden spoon that puts requires me to bend my fingers around and puts pressure on that inside base. Do you have any suggestions what could be the case for this uncomfort/pain? And what can I do to make it better? Thanks for all the helpful tips!

[@Zeptinn]

I should add that I feel it mostly when I try to do it with some force, whilst keeping the L-shape

[@julianisface]

A2 pulley strain that's how it feels for me when I'm dealing with one.

[@juanpgago]

Normally when I climb in rock I can be more than half an hour belaying or stopped until I climb again, sometimes near 1 hour. That means that I need to warm up every time I gonna climb? Thanks for your videos.

[@krischi_mk]

One chapter is labled #2 where it should be #3 ❤

[@lensineer]

I know this video is a year old now, but do you maybe have tips for a extended warm up? Shoulders/Back, maybe something for the lower body?

[@HoopersBeta]

Hard to be super specific! So many things that "could" be warmed up beforehand. It really depends on each individual and their needs.

[@frictitiousclimbing4991]

Nice portable bro! 👌

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you guys for the hookup! I really love the port-a-board. It's so perfect for my recruitment pulls.

[@guillermotesoro]

As always, came for the ending outtakes but stayed for the awesome advice. I have an specific issues with this one though. When doing the tendon gliding with wrist flexion, specially when doing the row next to the wrist, I feel a lot of tension on the forearm through the medial side. Is this normal? Thanks!

[@HoopersBeta]

Yeah you're simply shortening the muscle quite a bit in that position so the tension may feel uncomfortable. Perhaps just don't do the wrist flexion when the fingers are at that extreme row and that may solve the problem! 👍

[@guillermotesoro]

Thanks! I just wanted to make sure it wasnt a sign of an issue on the forearm.

[@direcolasal]

Is it normal for the first section (tendon glides) to cause some amount of pain/discomfort in my fingers? I've often refrained from doing these because I feel like they are doing me more harm than good.. Thank you so much for the video though, I look forward to your advice :)

[@santi_super_stunts2573]

No homie that aint normal

[@arthurrunyan5785]

Why is this better than doing "warm up climbs" easy routes etc. They seem They would be more specific

[@lukisIVIII]

I like to do some scapular pull-ups, I feel like it helps me keep those back muscles engaged when I'm on the wall. Also planks and glute bridges for core and glutes activation

[@Nixthyo]

For recruitment pulls, if I don't have portable holds, would using the hangboard available at my gym work? Keep one foot on the ground so I don't fully load my fingers?

[@HoopersBeta]

Yes that would work! Except if you're strong enough to lift yourself off of the ground with 2 hands then you may need to weigh yourself down or just use 1 hand.

[@Nixthyo]

@@HoopersBeta Thanks for the reply! I am on light climbing now due to a A2 pulley sprain on my ring finger (hurts when I pinch it).

[@Joe-mg2ye]

Hello Dr Hooper! I tried doing some tendon gliding but my right middle finger couldn't bend all the way and touch the top of my palm (top row) due to synovitis. Should I be trying to to push it down using my other hand to get a full ROM?

[@pretor89]

I’m in the same boat as you. I’d like to know this as well

[@HoopersBeta]

This is a great question! I wouldn't start with overpressure. If this is new for you, give your joint a chance to loosen and improve it's ROM with simple range of motion work through tendon gliding. If the joint doesn't demonstrate progress in a few days to a week, there may be other more specific interventions that should be applied to help loosen the joint up and then work on the overpressure.

[@Benkkuful]

I have DIP joint synovitis on both my middle fingers. What helped me a lot is doing tendon glides and finger rolls daily. I can't promise it will work for anyone else, but it's worth a shot.

[@valkamochalin3348]

@@Benkkuful Totally agree - I could actually touch my palm with my middle finger at the fully bent position, did tendon glides thrice a day for a week - works a miracle

[@bryancoiffman5330]

Should this be preceded by a total body warm up, like jumping rope?

[@HoopersBeta]

You can if you want, but it’s not strictly necessary

[@AchillGo-baduk-weiqi]

flexor digitorum profundus... flexor digitorum superficialis.. repeat three times.. to warm up your tongue as well.. 😅

[@leviyutuc5014]

How many nordic hamstring curls do we do for warm-up?

[@HoopersBeta]

Start with a 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps and see how ya feel :)

[@WspinaczkowyBlog]

Touching the first row with my fingers is impossible :(. I have to heal myself before starting any warm-up.

[@TheFlybo08]

What if I can’t bend my middle finger to the base of my finger

[@bartthierens]

Dr. Blooper > Dr. Hooper

[@HoopersBeta]

Must reward those who stay until the bloopers (or just fast forward to them)

[@damagedchromosome]

Is that Culp Valley? wink, wink...

[@picklerick7731]

Magnus Mitbo left the chat

[@HoopersBeta]

😂

[@Johnny_Cash_Flow]

Snoochy boochies!

[@playinggames9242]

7:01 This...🙌 This is what I do before each send, same stick, same superior brushing technique, same intensity. It propels me to the top of absolutely every problem imaginable (as long as it's a V1). 🦾😎🚀

[@HoopersBeta]

Hahaha it's the ultimate brushing technique!