15 Feb Angela Eiter preparation

With three World Cup won, four Championship and six Rock Master, Angela Eiter was one of the most important climber in competition world of every time. Abandoned competitions, she brought all her experience and preparation on sport climbing and in this article speaks about worming up in the crag, before the “good” attempt.

“Gain power through a good warm up! Warming up had always been an essential part when I was a competitior. Consistently, I followed a strict warming up procedure for 90 minutes to perform well in the right moment. It is quite obvious for me that my best attempts are linked to a good warm up.
This experience is a benefit for my rock climbing projects nowadays.

Start energeticly!

First of all, I stimulate my cardiovascular system. I run and jump around for about 15 minutes.
Sometimes the approach to the climbing crag replaces this step. Next, I mobilize all my joints – head, shoulder, arms, ellbows, hands, hip, knees, feet – through circular movements.

Turn to climbing!

I start with one easy route. After a short break I do a middle hard route or try to do a few moves in my project. Here I carefully listen to my body what moves I am ready to manage at the moment in order to avoid injuries. Usually I get warmer in the middle of the route and start to fight harder in the upper part then. ADVICE: The project as the second warm up route helps you warm up exactly the muscles and techniques you need.

ADVICE: A soft massage on the arms support a faster recovery.
Depending on my feeling I take a rest for at least 20 minutes. If I have to wait longer than 40 minutes before I can give my first serious attempt in my project I keep myself warm with pullups, pushups or running around.

What is more? Outside temperature as well as my current mental and physical shape influence the amount of warm up I need. A good parameter is my feeling: When I am warm and motivated, I am ready to go! As far as stretching is concerned, I softly stretch my muscles for just about 3 to 5 seconds to maintain the usual tension I need for climbing. Don’t forget the mental part. Before I start I reflect the moves of my projects and take particular notice on the hardest ones. Every time, I follow my warm up procedure carefully to avoid injuries and be mentally and physically well prepared before any attempt. Check it out!”

Angela Eiter