Rock Climbing Warm Up
Written by Curt M. Kippenberger DC SFMA
The following exercises will take you on a journey through the 4x4 matrix challenging the movements required during bouldering or roped climbing. These exercises serve as a movement prep so each joint system may experience the load and demands of your next project. Each pattern focuses on mobility and motor control supporting thorax flexion/extension, thorax rotation, hip flexion/extension, and hip rotation.
Rib Grabs
From the supported side lying position, bring one or both knees up to the 90/90 position while side lying. Reach underneath the rib cage and grab your thorax with your top arm. take a deep breath in, breathe out, and rotate the top shoulder back towards the ground.
Open Books
From the supported side lying position bring both knees up to the 90/90 position while side lying. Bring both hands together straight out in front of you. Take a deep breath in, breathe out and rotate the top arm and shoulder towards the ground.
Brettzel
From the supported side lying position, bring the top leg into the 90/90 position, and grab behind the knee with the bottom hand.
Hard Rolling
From the supported position, bring your opposite elbow and knee together with a yoga block (or small foam roller). Create compression between your elbow and knee, and roll towards the uninvolved arm. Once your knee, block and elbow touch the ground, return to the starting position…don’t lose the block!
Quadruped Rock Backs
From the suspended position, maintaining spine neutral, sit back into your heels maintaining intra-abdominal pressure. Perform the same movement with dorsiflexion and plantarflexion.
Quadruped Reach Through/Under
From the suspended position, take one arm and thread it through the contralateral space between your uninvolved arm and leg.
Hip CAR’s
From the suspended position, bring one of your legs into hip flexion, external rotation, extension, then internal rotation and come back to rest.
Hip Alphabet
From the suspended position, bring one hip into slight extension and abduction and begin to perform the alphabet…A, B, C etc…
Tri Planar Hip Opener
From the stacked position (half-kneeling) find spine neutral by performing a posterior pelvic tilt. Rock forward into the sagital plane, then the frontal plane, and finally the transverse plane.
Half-Kneeling Rotation
From the stacked position (half-kneeling) find spine neutral by performing a posterior pelvic tilt. Rotate posteriorly towards your down leg to open up the anterior oblique sling.
Irish Get Ups
From the stacked position (tall kneeling), find spine neutral by performing a posterior pelvic tilt. bring one of the legs into hip flexion into the half-kneeling position and return to tall kneeling. Repeat for the opposite side.
Half-Kneeling Lunge w/ Rotation
From the stacked position (half-kneeling) find spine neutral by performing a posterior pelvic tilt. Lean forward and place the contra lateral hand from the high knee on the ground. With the ipsilateral hand, reach up towards the ceiling, rotating the thorax.
Stork Turns
From the standing position, bring one leg into hip flexion, then external rotation, back through internal rotation, then return the foot to the floor.
Stork Turns w/ Feedback
From the standing position, bring one leg into hip flexion. Place a yoga block or short foam roller between the ipsilateral elbow and knee. Move the hip and arm into external rotation, back through internal rotation for sets and reps.
Cossack Squat
From the standing position, place feet a comfortable distance outside the shoulders. perform a lateral lunge going up onto the heel contra lateral to the knee dominant side.
Deep Squat w/ Hip IR/ER
From the standing position, place the feet just outside the hips. perform a deep squat through full range of motion and hold the position. Perform hip internal rotation and external rotation from the bottom of the squat.
We hope this helps you prime the pump for your general rock climbing warm up!
