A warm-up routine is one of the easiest things to overlook, second only to a cool-down routine. Yet, getting in a proper warm-up is essential to your longevity in rock climbing. A well-designed warm-up includes dynamic stretching and elevates your breathing, heart rate, and core temperature. Rock climbing warm-ups should also take into consideration the unique muscles and joints that are loaded while climbing, specifically the fingers and forearms.

No one wants to cut into their climbing time to do arguably boring warm-up drills, especially when you have limited time to begin. However, it’s a misconception that a proper warm-up takes 20 or 30 minutes. All you need is 10 minutes, open floor space, and a hangboard.

There are three must-do warm-up drills for climbing:

If you have an idea of what you would do for each of the above based on other warm-ups you’ve tried, give them a whirl. If you need help determining what finger and wrist warm-ups, dynamic stretches, and hangboard sequence to do, keep reading.

Begin with your arms extended in front of you, palms facing out, and fingers pointing up. Curl your fingers down, sliding your fingertips along your palm until they reach the base of your hand. Then, unfurl your fingers until they are fully extended. That is one rep. Repeat 20 times. This drill targets the tendons in your fingers as well as the extensor muscles located on the back of your forearms.

Begin with your arms extended in front of you, palms facing out, and fingers pointing up. Touch all your fingers together like you’re closing the mouth of a hand puppet. Open your hand, extending your fingers and thumb as far as they can go. Close and repeat 20 times as quickly as possible, ensuring a complete opening and closing. This drill targets your forearm flexors and extensors (the front and back muscles of your forearm).

Begin with your arms extended in front of you and your hands in a fist. Draw circles with your wrists, keeping your fists closed and your elbows straight. Overexaggerate the circles to work through a full range of motion. Complete 10 circles in one direction and then reverse directions.

Extend your arms straight out to the sides, palms facing down. Complete 10 arm circles forward, starting small and increasing the circle size with each repetition. After 10, reverse the direction and complete 10 more. Once again, start with small circles and make each circle slightly larger than the last. Arm circles warm up your shoulder joint and your rotator cuff muscles, which stabilize and protect your shoulders from injury when climbing.

Face a wall and place your hands on the wall for stability. Ensure the rest of your body is far enough away from that you won’t kick the wall. Swing one leg out to the side and then back across the front of your body. Repeat 10 times and switch legs. These are great for warming up the muscles in your hip complex, including your glutes.

From a standing position, lunge forward and rotate your upper body toward the front leg. Rotate as far as possible without discomfort. Reverse the motion and return to a standing position. Repeat five times per leg. Lunges warm up the glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, and calves. Adding in a twist helps to warm up your thoracic spine, which plays a key role in mobility in many climbing positions such as gastons, cross-overs, and overhead presses.

Start in a dead hang on a pull-up bar or the jugs of a hangboard. Pull your shoulder blades down your back, away from your ears. It should feel like the very start of a pull-up. Relax and allow your shoulder blades to shrug back toward your ears. Repeat 10 times. Keep your feet on the ground, or use a resistance band to offset some of your body weight if needed. Focus on quality movement. Scapular elevations and depressions are excellent at priming the muscles and joints used in pulling motions, which are dominant in rock climbing.

Rest for at least 30 seconds between hangs 3a, 3b, and 3c in this section. A great way to ensure you rest enough is to alternate a Section 2 Dynamic Stretch with a Section 3: Hangboard Sequence. For example, perform #2a, then #3a, and so on. Keep your feet on the ground to offset some of your weight, if needed. You can build up to full bodyweight over time. The goal of the warm-up is to prime the body for the climbing ahead, not fatigue your muscles and tendons.

When you take the time to go through these 3 Warm-Up Drills, your body will thank you when you get on the wall. You’ll be able to try harder climbs earlier in your workout with a lower risk of injury. Throw on a good podcast or hype up music and commit to adding a 10-minute warm-up with finger and wrist, dynamic stretches, and hangboard sections before you start your next climbing session. Comment below if you notice a difference!