This week’s edition of BB features some bouldering beta from pro climber Kevin Liu.  Kevin is General Manager of Steep Rock Bouldering, and a sponsored evolv climber.

Kevin Liu crushing v8 @ Steep Rock Bouldering

Whether you’re an advanced or beginner boulderer, these five tips will keep you bouldering safe and strong:

-Stretching and warming up properly are key to preventing injury. When stretching the fingers,  make sure to pull down on the palms of your hands so that you’re stretching the forearm tendons, rather than pulling on the actual fingers,  which may cause them to hyperextend.

-Warm up slowly on easy climbs (v0’s) with your hips wide open, instead of using advanced techniques (e.g. knee dropping, twisting, high stepping,  etc.) This will help to open up your hip joints and muscles.

-After you’ve warmed up your hips, try testing your spatial awareness by using dynamic arm movements such as jumping and reaching up on the walls.

-Raise your heels before climbing to warm up your calves. More advanced climbers can try this on the walls during your warm up sequence.

-High-stepping, or climbing with your feet high on the wall, is technique used by many experienced climbers.  However, if you’re new to the sport, it’s best to start with low feet to prevent precarious falls.