🌏 中文版
You rush to the gym after work on Friday and your friend is already on the route you didn't finish last week. You want to jump straight on, and a coach nearby says: "Warm up first, or you'll get hurt."
You've heard that many times. The previous post, Climbing injuries overview, noted that research does not support "warming up prevents injury". This post explains it properly: what research found, what a warm-up actually does for you, and a 15-minute climbing warm-up you can follow next time you're at the gym.
Does warming up prevent injury?
The common saying: "warming up prevents injury"
Plenty of credible sources say so. The UIAA Medical Commission's sport-climbing factsheet says a proper warm-up at the start and a warm-down with stretching at the end help prevent injury, and a Lattice coaches' discussion lists "reduces risk of injury" among the benefits of warming up.
These are expert opinion; none cites climbing research.
What research says: no protective effect found
Quarmby and colleagues' 2023 systematic review pooled studies on overuse injuries in adult climbers. On warm-ups:
- Across four studies (two of them prospective), warming up and cooling down had no protective effect.
- One prospective study even found higher injury odds among climbers who did a finger-specific warm-up, which the authors attributed to factors the study did not measure.
- The authors conclude that traditional warm-ups or cool-downs cannot be recommended with the explicit goal of reducing overuse injury risk.
The review covered overuse injuries only; it does not answer whether warming up reduces acute injuries such as sprains from falls. A separate systematic review of upper-body warm-ups covered 31 randomised controlled trials and found not one that measured injury prevention; the authors call this a clear gap in the research.
So the more accurate statement is: there is currently no evidence that warming up lowers climbing injury risk, because almost nobody has tested it properly, and the few studies that did saw no effect. That isn't proof that warming up is useless; it just means the reason to do it is a different one.
Something you can do tonight: next time someone says "you'll get hurt if you don't warm up", you can reply: "Research hasn't found a protective effect yet, but warming up makes me climb better." Then warm up anyway, for the reasons in the next section.
What a warm-up actually does: short-term performance and focus
Mobility and strength rise temporarily
A team including Kaohsiung Medical University ran a randomised crossover trial in which 22 recreational climbers did a different 10-minute warm-up on different days: dynamic stretching with a resistance band, vibration rolling, and a climbing-specific warm-up. Results:
- All three warm-ups increased upper-limb mobility, vibration rolling the most.
- All three increased maximal strength of the elbow flexors and shoulder extensors.
- None of the three increased maximal finger flexor strength.
- The climbing-specific warm-up increased shoulder external rotation strength more than dynamic stretching did.
The study measured only immediate effects after the warm-up and did not track injuries. Maximal finger flexor strength did not change, meaning even the climbing-specific warm-up did not make the fingers stronger.
The climbing-specific warm-up in this trial
- Traverse on an 85–90° wall for 1 minute, rest 30 seconds, three times.
- Hang a 2.5 cm edge on a 105° wall for 10 seconds, rest 30 seconds, three times.
- Climb two easy routes three times each.
- About 10 minutes in total.
A good warm-up helps you reach maximal strength
Sports scientist Eva López summarises general exercise research on her blog: warm-ups that include the same exercise you're about to do, plus a few submaximal sets, produce better maximal strength and power, and a general plus specific warm-up beats specific alone.
She also flags two things:
- The science of warming up is not well developed; even the big questions of whether and why to warm up are unanswered.
- Less is more: for short power efforts such as boulders, campusing and dynos, a warm-up that is too long or too tiring can impair performance, especially at lower levels.
This is extrapolated from non-climbing research, so the evidence level is expert opinion plus general exercise research.
Long static stretches can backfire
Quarmby's review notes that static stretching does not benefit muscle performance and may even have a negative effect with longer durations (over 60 seconds). The upper-body warm-up review likewise found short static stretching had no effect on power. So there is no need to hold each stretch for a long time; moving works better.
Mental preparation is part of the warm-up
Lattice's coaches split the warm-up into physical and mental parts. The mental part includes rehearsing today's move types at an easy level, reviewing tactics (how many tries your skin has left, bolt-to-bolt or a redpoint attempt), checking gear, and breathing. They recommend writing the routine down and repeating it every session, at around 15 minutes.
Something you can do tonight: recall what you did in your first 15 minutes at the gym last time. If it was "climb two random routes, then the project", your fingers weren't really prepared. Next time try the routine in the next section and compare how both sessions felt.
A 15-minute climbing warm-up
The routine below combines physiotherapist Jason Hooper's 10-minute warm-up on Hooper's Beta, the hangboard warm-up Eva López summarises, and Lattice's mental preparation. Evidence level: coach and physiotherapist consensus; no study has tested whether this routine prevents injury. The minutes are this post's suggested layout; adjust them to the day.
| Step | Time | What to do | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. General warm-up | ~3 min | Circle the shoulder, elbow, neck and finger joints; tendon gliding | López, Hooper |
| 2. Shoulders | ~2 min | Bilateral external rotation with scapular retraction, 10–12 reps | Hooper |
| 3. Easy climbing | ~5 min | Traverses or very easy routes, then 2–3 problems of increasing difficulty | López, Kaohsiung trial |
| 4. Fingers | ~3 min | Recruitment pulls in the grips you'll use, 3–4 sets | Hooper |
| 5. Technique and mind | ~2 min | Rehearse today's move types at an easy level; check gear; breathe | Lattice |
1. General warm-up and tendon gliding
Start by circling the upper-body joints. Then do tendon glides: open the hand, then touch the finger pads to three places on the palm in turn: the top of the palm, the middle of the palm, and the base of the palm (the last position makes an L shape with the hand), opening the hand fully after each one. Hooper suggests two upgrades: squeeze harder and open wider, and move the wrist forward and back as you go.
2. Shoulders: bilateral external rotation with scapular retraction
Hold a resistance band with both hands, elbows close to your sides. First draw the shoulder blades down and back (no shrugging), then rotate the forearms outwards. The band should stop you at around 45–60°; if you rotate further, grip the band with your hands closer together. Do 10–12 reps with a 1-second hold at the end of each. This exercise also appears in Antagonist and core training.
3. Easy climbing, getting gradually harder
The hangboard poster López cites suggests 2–3 easy traverses over 2–5 minutes, then 2–3 boulder problems of increasing difficulty. In a gym that means starting from the easiest colour and stepping up one problem at a time, not going straight to the project.
4. Fingers: load the grips you'll use
This is the step a general warm-up misses. Hooper's recruitment pull:
- Find a hold or a portable edge and keep your feet on the ground.
- Use the grip you're about to climb with, for example half crimp or open hand.
- Pull as hard as is comfortable for 5 seconds, relax for 1 second, and repeat 5 times for one set.
- Do 3–4 sets; if today's route is crimpy, do at least 2–3 sets in the crimp position.
- One hand at a time is better: you can't lift your whole body with one hand, so you get a true maximal isometric effort.
Before hangboard training at home, López's version is easy hangs or climbing first, then 10-second hangs at 40–50%, 80% and 90% of the previous session's load. For hangboard training see Hangboard training; for grip names see Holds and grips.
5. Technical and mental preparation
If today's project has a hard dynamic move, do a few small dynamic moves on easy problems and build up. If you're roped, make gear checking a deliberate step rather than an afterthought. Finish with a few breaths to get into the state you want.
Heel-hook days
Hooper adds Nordic hamstring curls to prepare the back of the thighs for heel hooks: kneel on a pad with your feet back against a wall and toes pulled up, brace your core and glutes, and lean forward slowly, starting with small movements. Work up to about 8 reps without going to the point of falling forward.
Something you can do tonight: copy the five steps into your phone, or onto a small card in your chalk bag. Lattice's advice is to write it down and repeat it every session; next time at the gym, walk through it from step one.
Practice: four scenarios
Answers are under each question. Think first, then look.
1. A friend says: "I always warm up properly, so I probably won't get injured."
Answer
Research doesn't support that inference. Quarmby 2023 found warm-ups were not associated with overuse injury, and no upper-body warm-up trial has measured injury prevention. What is associated with injury risk is climbing intensity, bouldering, lower finger strength, frequent crimping and previous injury. Keep warming up, but prevent injury by managing intensity and building strength; see the Climbing injuries overview.
2. Your warm-up is 15 minutes on the floor holding each stretch for a minute, then straight onto the project.
Answer
Two problems. First, static stretching doesn't help muscle performance, and long holds may even hurt it. Second, your fingers aren't prepared: in the Kaohsiung trial, even the climbing-specific warm-up didn't raise maximal finger flexor strength. Swap in tendon glides, the shoulder band exercise and easy climbing, then recruitment pulls in today's grips; that last step is Hooper's recommendation and counts as coach consensus.
3. You want to try a limit boulder today. You warm up for 40 minutes and 15 problems, and by the time you reach the project your arms are already gone.
Answer
You over-warmed. López warns that for short power efforts such as bouldering, "less is more": a warm-up that is too long or too tiring impairs performance. Cut back to around 15 minutes, climb only 2–3 problems of increasing difficulty, and rest enough between them before the project.
4. During recruitment pulls you feel a sharp pain at the base of a finger, different from the usual pump.
Answer
Stop, and don't climb anything hard today. A warm-up is preparation, not a way to test an injury. If the sharp pain persists, it swells, or there was a pop under load, follow the Climbing injuries overview and see orthopaedics or a doctor with hand-surgery training first.
Next
Even with a good warm-up, a finger may pop one day. The next post, Finger pulley injuries, covers the three things to do after that pop: how injuries are graded, where to get examined, and whether taping actually helps.
References
- Quarmby A et al. Risk factors and injury prevention strategies for overuse injuries in adult climbers: a systematic review. Front Sports Act Living 2023
- McCrary JM, Ackermann BJ, Halaki M. A systematic review of the effects of upper body warm-up on performance and injury. Br J Sports Med 2015
- Comparing the Effectiveness of 10-Minute Dynamic Stretching, Vibration Rolling, and Climbing-Specific Warm-Ups on Exercise Performances in Rock Climbers. J Sports Sci Med 2025
- Eva López. Is there any evidence that warm-up is necessary for dead-hang training? (2012)
- A Great 10-Minute Warm-Up for Climbers (Jason Hooper, Hooper's Beta)
- How Your Warm-Up Helps Your Headgame for Climbing (Lattice Training, 2022)
- UIAA Medical Commission. Factsheet on Sport Climbing