How to train finger strength climbing reddit. Reddit's rock climbing training community.

How to train finger strength climbing reddit. It takes between 1 and 2 years to build enough finger strength to not injure them while climbing a lot and hard. Someone with good core strength will be able to use that far away foothold on a steep wall and gain a little strength back in their arms whereas someone with poor core strength is only going to drain their strength more. The more knowledge and experience you have, the more you can adjust your training to your needs and the better your transfer. com Apr 27, 2025 · This makes training finger strength in your fingers completely different than other parts of your body. So yeah- 3 finger drag will help, but if you don't have the core/shoulders to press down on the slopers while moving your body around them in space it won't matter. I’ve been climbing for ~4 years with a focus on bouldering and generally climb 3-4 days per week, now at a v5-7 level (indoors). Also notice how the excersises work the antagonistic (opposing) muscles in your hands and forearms, this helps to prevent repetitive strain injuries. Take it easy though, tendons are easily damaged. I am planning to start finger training, and I'm wondering how I can supplement my climbing with finger training without it getting in the way of actual climbing. There's nothing wrong with training pull ups, but technique is the most important thing to learn in the beginning. So, what can you do to reduce your risk of these pesky finger injuries? Here's a 6-minute "protective" finger training protocol that will nourish and strengthen your flexor tendons and pulleys. edit: I just wanted to point out that in trying to make the point that isometric training is generally preferable for climbing I implied that it doesn't train your muscles. Recently got into rock climbing. Hard crimp boulders often require pushing down with one hand while pulling with another, or wide outside the shoulder strength, or messed up inside the shoulder crosses. Eventually over time the tendon strength will build to a level where it’s safe to use hang boards to improve finger strength. You really don't want a finger injury in your first few months of climbing. These are relatively small, light muscles. Pull up and handstand progressions are probably worth getting into, in addition to hangboarding or some sort of finger strength training. From tufas to aretes and even crack climbing, it pays to pinch. Finger strength in climbing is often less about grip strength and more about how much force your pulleys and tendons can handle. You should take it easy, and don't push it. Is there any research if such type of training translates to improved grip or fingers strength? Have any of you found this exercises Nov 24, 2023 · Try to touch the ground at each turnaround. The reason I like this is because despite their being merit to “just climbing” instead of training finger strength in isolation, I feel quite strongly a lot of new climbers at modern gyms will end up under training their fingers due to the heavy use of jugs and slopers. Sorry for the wall of The only answer is time and consistency, introduce finger boards when there’s no climbs available that are challenging your fingers strength, or you’re adding weight to max hangs (after minimum a year of solid climbing) You theoretically can finger board now and probably avoid injury, but the reward for risk is not worth it. Do this as Prehab or rehab after consuming Supercharged Collagen. Sloper strength is one of the weirdest things to train. Nov 9, 2022 · Methods of Training Finger Strength There are essentially 4 different methods in which you can train your finger strength: Climbing: Bouldering or climbing on a board Campusing: Either on a campus board or boulder wall Fingerboarding: Isometric hangs Lifting: Taken from grip strength sports However each method comes with its own level of precision in training, in other words how easy it is to What is an efficient way to train finger strength for a climbing beginner who has a decent amount of pulling strength from Callisthenics (1. That said, I noticed that I never really used a proper drag grip when I'm actually climbing; only half crimp and open crimp. What injuries to the hands and fingers have you typically seen when training finger strength? The main things to watch for are finger and wrist injuries from overuse. Considering the number of joints involved in any given hold, that basically means you only really gain isometric strength for the exact hold being trained. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. So much of sloper strength is core/shoulder strength, as well as open hand strength. For me, training (off the ground lifts) full crimps with a flexed pinky has helped my performance immensely. In the climbing community better climbers are talking to newbie climbers to focus on technique first and then on finger strength. Apr 23, 2024 · We can all agree finger strength is the No. Yet he makes no comments on training fatigue, periodization, progressive overload or how to fit these in a weekly training program that includes climbing. Reddit's rock climbing training community. Climbing is a mental and technical skill sport that requires regular practice and devotion, and paying attention to your finger strength is crucial if you want to climb safely. Climbing is hard on the finger flexor tendons and pulleys. Wait, are you new to climbing? It’s generally advisable to wait before incorporating specific finger training exercises but read on and see if this guide fits you. Otherwise, currently I tend to do pinch training on a non-climbing evening followed by some basic dumbbell work. In this video, you will learn the simplest finger strength training methods and how to use the Tindeq Progressor, a force measuring device, to test and train the finger for stronger fingers Reddit's rock climbing training community. Some of the training exercises require rock-climbing grip training equipment or other exercise tools but most of them can be found in your local climbing gym or inexpensively online. When I started I could do v2 and muscle through some v3s Now my technique is vastly improved but I’m still climbing v3s and can barley do some v4s. Training with weight swinging tools (heavy clubs, kettlebell, mace) are good tools to add as a general fingers to wrist to elbow to shoulder girdle mechanics and in my experience over the last year of expirimenting with them has been great for upper body mechanics and mobility and forearm strength for sure. From what I've seen of weightlifting things, the general consensus is that low intensity, high reps is better for tendon strength. Not a very exciting answer, I know, but just be patient. Dec 18, 2020 · Grip strength is one of the most critical aspects that differentiates a mediocre climber from an experienced one. If you tear one you're pretty fucked. In the past, my contact strength was conditioned upon latching holds with all four fingers. Combining a finger program with mental conditioning and movement training can further optimize per Glossary Apr 24, 2023 · How to Train Finger Strength with Block Pulls (aka Farmer Crimps, No Hangs) Training for Climbing Strength Training Rehab/Recovery Aug 14, 2019 · Siegrist spoke with Climbing to discuss possible injuries to beware of while training finger strength, as well as how to prevent and mitigate these injuries. TLDR: it’d be more beneficial to train open hand strength than full crimp strength. /r/GripTraining is a resource for anyone wanting stronger hands, bigger forearms, or to compete in the sport of grip. Because my pinky is about 0. The flipside of "just climbing" is to "vary your training", which exposes you to different movements (climbing) or methods (training). You aren't limited by finer strength. Hangboarding seems very unnecessary at a v5 level. When training your grip strength (which is mostly reliant on isometric forearm strength), you only gain strength around ~15 degrees of the angles of the joints being trained. But since every grip i trained normally doesn’t use a flexed pinky (half crimp, open, 3 finger drag) it seemed worthwhile to train it. Jan 12, 2022 · Pinch strength is hard to gain and easy to ignore until you need it. Your fingers are the means by which you directly engage the rock, and finger strength is usually the weakest link in your chain of physical abilities. How to know when finger strength is holding us back? Share Add a Comment Sort by: Best Open comment sort options came_to_post_this • In experimenting with various types of finger training over the years (weighted hangboarding, repeaters, block pulls), I have come across concentric finger curls, and overcoming isometric pulls as a method to gain (potentially) more finger strength. In climbing, the fingers remain relatively static after grabbing a hold, so it’s best to train finger strength in the most common positions: This may or may not help but climbing requires a lot of finger/hand/forearm strength. I have been climbing for about 2 years now, and my answer would definitely be YES, you can strengthen your fingers. Climbing is a skill sport more than a strength sport. These first years are good to practice technique, improve general body strength and your mind while leading, but I'd avoid doing a lot of fingerboard training or too many crimpy routes. Jan 26, 2024 · If you’re seeking the best finger strengthening exercises for climbing, then you’re in the right place. But it's not something you can boost. Your fingers are all tendons and it takes a long time to build tendon strength, so the advice I got was to keep climbing but once they hurt, stop climbing crimpy routes for the day. The traditional method of building finger strength is deadhanging, and Jun 3, 2025 · Incorporating grip strength into a training program depends on your level and training goals. Hangboarding does not account for any of this Jan 26, 2024 · By incorporating the No-Hang Hangboarding Routine into your training program and following the key principles, you can expect to see significant improvements in finger strength, forearm endurance, grip strength, and overall climbing abilities. Use our weekly Q&A posts for your questions, routines, exercises, reviews of equipment you use, grip accomplishments, technique/training tips, grip sport news, grip videos/articles, etc. I'm starting bouldering in the local climbing hangar next week and hoping this will help in both relative bodyweight strength and finger strength, Cheers Peeps, Of course training specific things helps a lot too. Climbing 5 months is way to early to train fingers specifically, finger strength should still be coming naturally for the first 1 or 2 years. I believe having greater awareness has helped me apply my strength gains more easily. He makes this video super complicated with a title "how to get stronger fingers". Finger Strength Training I’d like some feedback on integrating hangboarding to my climbing/training routine. Train for finger strength and the tendons take care of themselves. I generally climb v5, 11b-11c outside and I can only pull 40-45lbs for 10 reps and it feels like it's working my climbing muscles a lot harder than doing deadlifts with the tension block with 90-100lbs. . Let’s dive in to some specific training to get those fingers ready for small edges and tiny crimps! Looking to build your finger strength as a rock climber? These articles, podcasts, videos, and more can help you learn to strengthen and care for your fingers. I'm not looking for rapid results or anything. Has anyone trained wrist or forearm strength in particular and noticed useful carry over to improvements in climbing? Has anybody has success with training this longer term? I recently see increasing content online relating to isolated training of the wrists via forearm training inspired by forearm training tools and drills with the wrist wrench and heavy roller style exercises from the likes Training strength usually requires isotonic exercises like pull-ups that involve moving the joint through its range of motion, so muscles get stronger at every angle. This will increase fore arm strength and wrist stability. If you think about the last few times you fell Dec 21, 2022 · In climbing, when your fingers fail, the rest of your body falls. Your grip strength is determined by forearm strength and the tendons in your fingers, hands and wrists. Climbing finger strength is not the same as hangboard strength. Hangboards and no hang devices are the best substitutes for long periods of no climbing, 6 weeks is actually a great timeframe for a training cycle too! There are tons of protocols out Climbing multiple times a week does wonders for finger strength if you focus on working problems that require a lot of finger strength. Climbing certainly has more of a skill component than "pure" strength/fitness sports, like weightlifting or running. Questions for climbers/coaches: Generally, what do you think? Useful in sports like climbing and martial arts, grip training will carry over to many aspects of every day life. Bouldering and System Training The short and simple advice for improving pinch strength, along with the associated techniques, is simply to gravitate toward problems that offer I'm going to go against the grain. As this is 100% right i have focused on improving technique in the past year and made a lot of gains there but here comes the question. I've talked about resting and finger strength but the same applies to all types of climbing movement and climbing strengths. In climbing, however, you need excess strength primarily in your forearms, as hand strength is often the weakest link. There is *some* overlap between grip training and finger training (climbing-specific) but, if you're looking to improve your ability to pull down on small holds, spring loaded grip training tools are likely a waste of your time/capacity to recover. Mar 10, 2023 · For most climbers, certainly the trained ones, finger training has tended to mean doing weighted hangs on a 20mm edge for either 7 or 10 seconds. Oct 18, 2024 · Strength Training Program for Climbers This is a strength training program for intermediate-level climbers who want to get stronger to help improve climbing performance. 1 attribute for climbing performance… It’s no wonder everybody talks about finger strength training and the endless training sessions and tools that exist, but this can also make it a bit overwhelming when it comes to knowing what is best?! We thought it would be great to sit down with some of the best climbers in the UK (and who have some of the Second the pinch training at the start of a session. Either that, or what I do (when I have the option to do so in my current frustratingly scheduled work-life balance) is train finger strength in the morning/noon before a climbing session in the afternoon/evening. Raised-Leg Diamond Pushups These hit core, shoulders, triceps, chest, and back. You’re still brand new to climbing and tendons take a lot longer to get stronger than muscle. Of course holding a tough crimp requires a lot of forearm activation but more likely you are more limited by what your fingers can support. But increased strength on its own did not equal increased grades for me. Learn four essential fingerboard training protocols to improve your climbing strength and endurance. But strength gains never hurt anyone either. Technique should be your main focus and some strength training around climbing specific muscle groups. For beginners and those in their second season, bouldering is a great way to build grip strength. Hangboarding only trains force in one direction, while climbing require three dimensional strength, even on crimps. I understand training it will probably make me a more well-rounded climber strength-wise, but does anyone have evidence (quantitative or anecdotal) of the benefit of training 3-finger Sep 30, 2024 · Fundamentals Season 2 (Part 4 of 6) — Everybody wants stronger fingers. I find it motivating If you’re training finger strength (hangboard), always train open hand just to avoid injury and because it’s the one you and most people are worse at. Do a lot of push exercises as well to prevent injury. Thanks for this, inspired me to swap from barbell finger rolls to tension block finger curls on a lat pull down machine. 5" shorter than my ring finger, I would have to retract my front three fingers into an open/half crimp position for latching holds, which changed my wrist angle and cost me about 0. In climbing, the fingers remain relatively static after grabbing a hold, so it’s best to train finger strength in the most common positions: See full list on trainingforclimbing. How forearm training improves our climbing? I'll start that by forearm training I don't mean any types of static hangs/holds but rather exercises like dumbbell (wrist) curls , reverse curls, wrist rotation etc. Reply reply Go check out r/bodyweightfitness for workout ideas. If you identify a specific weakness, programing in 15 minutes to address that weakness Finger strength is only one of many components that contribute to your overall climbing ability, but for intermediate to advanced climbers it is also one the most important things you can train. Use our weekly Q&A posts for your questions, routines, exercises, reviews of equipment you use, grip accomplishments, technique/training tips, grip sport news, grip Apr 27, 2025 · Finger strength training consists of a lot of glides, movement based exercises, and functional training like climbing and hangboarding. I also have short pinkies, but when watching back some of my climbing videos about 50% of my full crimps have flexed pinkies. Built a little routine to train it, want some critique. Feb 24, 2023 · Developing a systematic approach toward training provides a way to modulate capacity, prevent overtraining, and reduce injury risk. Hi, So I’ve been climbing pretty regularly for about 2 years now. It has been shown to reduce injury risk by exposing the fingers to supramaximal loads in a controlled environment and to improve performance by allowing you to climb harder and more frequently 1. Finger Planks Hold a high plank (or raised pushup position) using your fingers to hold you as high as possible. This will really build finger strength and core, as you should be fighting to stay afloat. Otherwise there will be a high risk of injury Reddit's rock climbing training community. Jun 15, 2023 · Supportive Training for Pinches Pinch strength is a complex beast, it’s not just about being strong in the thumb, the wrists come into play and you also need strong fingers to maximize the range of gripping angles. But most finger strength training research uses 22-25mm edges, and these edge depths, especially the 25mm, make more sense for recruitment than smaller edges. Specific exercises will newrly always beat out non specific exercises for the specific thing they train. You don’t need a climbing gym, as all exercise variations can be done with regular free weights and your body weight. We cover our favorite finger training methods, key principles to follow, how to apply your strength to the rock, how to avoid finger injuries, the power of consistency, and much more. I think this is likely true from a statistical sense. Finger training Hello. You could get a force gauge like a Tindeq or something similar to measure force production for static pulls with a tension block if you didn’t have the set up for an actual hangboard. Your mileage may vary. I have a good back and pulling strength but lack of grip strength is holding me back. Muscles can be trained and strengthened relatively fast. 5" in reach. He basically stretched 1 minute video into 25 minutes missing all the crucial points. I don't think anyone follows a program with the specific purpose of strengthening the tendons in your hand, and I don't think it makes sense to do so. Are finger rolls actually training finger tendon strength or just grip strength? I’m not an expert and I’m not trying to be a dick but that exercise looks more like it trains forearm strength than it would finger strength for climbing specific movement (holding onto smaller edges for longer). The crux of the "climbing as primarily a strength sport" idea is that most people can acquire the climbing skill over enough time to climb hard (lets say V-double digit) but many fewer people will be able to build that appropriate amount of elite finger and hand strength. Aside from that, a very cheap option is to buy a 3/4 in strip of wood, and nail/screw it onto another piece of wood (Porch rafter, over a door way, under the stairs, etc). How climbers get STRONG fingers (3 methods) Emil Abrahamsson 255K subscribers Subscribed Mar 26, 2025 · Training strength usually requires isotonic exercises like pull-ups that involve moving the joint through its range of motion, so muscles get stronger at every angle. It takes 2 or 3 months of climbing before your ligaments start to strengthen at all. This is why training to strengthen your fingers is crucial if you want to take your climbing skills to Feb 15, 2024 · Arm-Lifting is a recent trend in finger strength training. Focusing on this direct connection to the rock can benefit your climbing performance greatly, and luckily, finger strength is relatively easy to train. ex shoulder stability or just technique under the fingerboard. Anecdotally, I have a buddy who can three finger drag 6 mil all daybut he sucks at Reddit's rock climbing training community. Your grip is giving out because you need to improve your technique, not because you need to improve your grip. : r/bodyweightfitness     Go to bodyweightfitness r/bodyweightfitness r/bodyweightfitness This is a list of 12 great training exercises that come from training books, interviews with professional climbers, social media, Reddit and some of my climbing friends. Find a problem in your gym that is particularly finger-y and work it regularly - you'll find improvements in strength but also in technique and body position as you learn how to make a difficult climb easier. Useful in sports like climbing and martial arts, grip training will carry over to many aspects of every day life. Tendons don't strengthen that fast. What would you consider the most important of them to train (if you had to only pick one due to time constraints) in order to move forward? Reddit's rock climbing training community. You could look up different finger routines specific to climbers and see if that would help. What will help you best is learning technique. Your finger stress should come from climbing and over doing it is asking for an injury Apr 7, 2024 · Introduction to Arm-Lifting finger strength training Finger strength training is essential if you want to improve your climbing. The drop in max strength might be because that way of testing finger strength is unusual for you now - f. Beginners will definitely benefit from the extra gains, just be careful to give your connective tissues plenty of time to adjust. You will gain strength while practicing climbing skill, but you won’t gain climbing skill through physical training. Hangboards don't need 10 different pocket combinations to work. Finger strength training is not recommended without climbing 2x or more a week for a year due to the historical use of hangboards at body weight load. All of your effort goes into maintaining a strict crimp, and that allows you to best overload the finger muscles that hold a crimp. Climbing for 2 months? The best way to increase your finger strength right now is to just climb climb climb. Just looking for safe and reliable ways to train the fingers. How climbers get STRONG fingers (3 methods) Emil Abrahamsson 255K subscribers Subscribed Aug 8, 2023 · Learn how to use the Tindeq Progressor to perform the perfect finger flexor Critical Force measurements and optimize your endurance training! How much time does a mild finger tendon injury need to heal while “at rest”? Can low-grade climbing help encourage my finger to heal faster? What back or pull exercises can I do instead of pull-ups/toes-to-bar to continue strength training for climbing? Can finger rolls be beneficial with a hurt finger or do I risk injuring further? I'm doing 3-finger drag no hangs now. Hangboarding will be better for training crimp strength than climbing. Building finger strength takes time and can be a gradual process. You are limited by poor technique which puts a lot more load on your fingers than is necessary. Finger strength training consists of a lot of glides, movement based exercises, and functional training like climbing and hangboarding. Initially, it was used for pinch blocks to isolate the thumb more effectively, but soon, climbers realized they could also use this approach for regular edges to spice up their finger strength training! The best climbing coaches and athletes, including Lattice Training, Tyler Nelson, and Yves Gravelle, use this state-of-the-art I recently just started to be able to hang with a half crimp on a 20mm edge, but I don't think this routine is responsible for my finger strength gains, but it has allowed me to feel better on my climbing days to pull harder. I wouldn't do much direct grip training though. If you are moderately new to climbing and your finger-, pull- and body strengths are equally good or bad. Finger strength, though critical to climbing performance, is just one component to climbing hard. Training finger strength, weighted pull ups, shoulder stability/strength, and flexibility all helped me improve. 62x BW 1rm chinup and working on OAC) ? Edit: thank you for everyone who seriously answered! Sure maybe low volume hangboard could be beneficial and further improve your finger strength but the risk of overdue / training incorrectly isn't near as beneficial as just climbing more and learn how to effectively use it. Nov 21, 2022 · Everyone wants strong fingers, but not everyone understands just how to do it right. It's easier to safely improve technique than finger strength at this point in your climbing and will pay off more down the road. In this episode, Jesse and I share our top tips and pitfalls when it comes to building functional finger strength for climbing. I have a very different take on this. If you really want to see progress on the fingerboard, maybe some weeks of light training with it will make you able to hang with more weight. r/climbharder: Reddit's rock climbing training community. Everyone is right though - Climb more to get better at climbing. You'll train finger strength by climbing problems that are too difficult for you at the moment. The strength will come. Training your crushing grip strength as part of a well rounded hand/forearm prehab/strength protocol is great, training it as a substitute for climbing is not. My weight is probably the biggest issue, I am 210 lbs @ 5’9 but a lot of it is muscle (powerlifting background). jsu jvt crztn vgary anmycvrz slzfgjp intlax ljpd qrazyn yxnnv