Warming up before climbing or bouldering is extremely important for children as well as adults. It is important to prepare the body and tendons for the upcoming strain.
Warming up helps the body to perform optimally and prevents injuries. It also helps to counteract long-term signs of wear and tear on the body.
By the way: stretching is also an option, but should only be done very briefly before climbing. It is better to work on your flexibility on a break day or after the climbing session.
Warming up can also be fun, photo: Matthias Bader
Two types of warm-up
A basic distinction is made between general and specific warm-ups:
The aim of a general warm-up is to get the body up to operating temperature and boost the cardiovascular system. Short jogs, jumping jacks or similar are examples of this. The specific warm-up involves warming up the muscle groups that are specifically needed for climbing. An easy route or a few easy boulder climbs are ideal for this. A fun warm-up - so children enjoy taking part
Warming up children follows the same principle, but it's much more fun for them if you take a playful approach.
Instead of just jogging, playing tag, for example, is much more fun.
Warm-up games for children Team ball: Two teams of the same size are formed and the aim is to pass an object back and forth as often as possible within the team. The ball must not touch the ground and must not be caught by the opposing team. The winner is the team with more points. One point is awarded for five passes, for example. Ideal if several children are present. "Fire, water, storm": Ideal in the children's area of a climbing gym. The children move on the mat without touching the wall. On the "fire" command, everyone must get to the climbing wall as quickly as possible and only hold on to the red holds for at least 5 seconds without touching the ground. For the "water" command, only blue holds may be used. If "storm" is called, everyone must lie down on the mat. The last person to do so is eliminated.
More ideas for warm-up games can be found in the excellent book "Kletterspiele" from the Austrian Alpine Club.
Recommended book: "Kletterspiele", Austrian Alpine Club, Photo: Matthais Bader | Climbers Paradise
Of course, the warm-up program also depends on the climbing hall or climbing garden. Not everywhere has enough space or is it safe to run around. Playing tag in the fall area or in a full climbing hall is of course not possible.
However, with a little imagination and improvisation, you can often find a quiet, safe area and suitable warm-up games.
You should also warm up well before climbing outdoors, photo: Matthias Bader
