Warming Up

 

Is a good way to get ready for bouldering/ climbing and will help to reduce the likelihood of injury

 

Your warm up should consist of three parts:

 

A Pulse Raiser: We always like to start with a bit of traversing on some nice and easy holds, this gets your heart rate up and prepares your muscles for climbing

 

Stretching:  Focus on moving and stretching all of your large muscle groups, joints and fingers, through their ranges of motion. Focus on the upper body as this is the most likely area for injury in climbing

 

Climbing: Start by climbing some very easy problems focused on moving efficiently and slowly. Build up the difficulty and take lots of rests.

 

Think about your movement

 

Before you start up a problem try and figure out how you are going to climb it. Plan a route and decide what hand and foot holds you are going to use and in what order and then put it to action. If something doesn't feel as you expected then you shouldn't be afraid to improvise.

 

Learn from others

 

Paying close attention when others are trying your problem can be very useful, but don't fall into the trap of blindly copying other climber's sequences. Everyone has different strengths, weaknesses and physical attributes, so what works for them may not be suitable for you, this is the beauty of bouldering, everyone has to find their own way.

 

Be Safe

 

In climbing terms bouldering indoors is as safe as it gets, but there are a few things to bear in mind:

Warm up well. Never walk or stand in a landing zone of a climber on the wall. Get into the habit of checking that the landing is clear before you jump down.

 

Climb Circuits, aim to push yourself.

 

Completing an easy circuit is a great warm-up or an easy workout in itself. As most circuits feature a broad range of problems, attempting to do every problem in a circuit (whether in a session or over the course of many sessions) will force you to spend more time on your weaknesses than your strengths. This is an excellent way of improving your technique and raising your all round climbing ability.

 

Take it easy

Bouldering can be difficult, that’s the whole idea, but try not to overdo it. You can feel panicked and vulnerable if you get stuck on a hold or in an elevated position. If you feel yourself start to panic, take a few deep breathes and have a good look around at your options. If you feel like you can’t go on slowly and gently get yourself down.

 

Grades aren’t everything

Every climber has different strengths and weaknesses and grades can’t possibly take them into account, treat them as subjective and an approximate indication of the problem. Don't let them become the main focus of your climbing.

 

Go outdoors

As enjoyable as bouldering at the wall is, it doesn't compare to the real deal.

 

There are some man-made outdoor boulders in the London such as Fairlop’s Boulder Park, which offer a simulated outdoor experience but think about heading out to East Sussex to places like Harrisons rock for that realistic outdoor experience