It is difficult to overstate the value of intent. This goes for anything we do, including the time we spend making up boulders.

If we walk into our session with intent - with a plan - then we are more consistently and efficiently providing the tools we need in order to succeed at our goals. Even if the goal is just to have fun - the intention to set fun boulders will deliver you there faster.

Sure, we occasionally get lucky with a randomly set boulder that ends up being a classic, but that's certainly the exception rather than the rule. More often than not, a random practice will create random results. With so many facets of possible improvement in climbing, and the requirements for our goals so specific, it just isn't worth leaving it up to chance.

Have a plan.

Some specific intentions to consider when building boulders are:

• Setting to a certain difficulty.
• Setting a warmup, setting a moderate, setting a project, setting a limit boulder.
• Setting to target a specific aspect of your climbing.
• Setting to work on a grip position, weaknesses, movement style, etc..
• Setting a boulder to be used in a circuit.
• Setting simulators.