Various finger strength training methods for climbing

The Foundation of All Sports: Grip Strength – Series #2: Climbing

Climbing is performed on walls at least 12 meters high, where the climber puts on a harness, clips in carabiners, and ascends upward. Due to the height, it is usually done on outdoor artificial walls or natural rock. Indoor facilities cannot accommodate high climbing, so bouldering climbing at lower heights but in a highly challenging and complex way is typically practiced there.

Speed climbing is a discipline in which a standardized 15-meter wall always features the same fixed route, and the goal is to reach the top as quickly as possible. Competitors ascend the nearly vertical wall in about 6 seconds it's incredibly fast. This discipline demands tremendous strength and speed.

Of the three disciplines, bouldering has become the most accessible and easiest to enjoy for the general public. It originated from climbing low rocks in nature. Indoors, a large variety of holds are arranged to create a similar environment, forming climbing problems and routes that climbers can tackle, allowing them to enjoy the challenge and fun of solving them.

No matter the climbing discipline, improving requires strength, endurance, and determination. According to experienced climbers, the most important factor is spending as much time on the wall as possible, gripping a wide variety of holds, and tackling diverse routes—that is, gaining experience.

However!

When gaining this experience, everyone wants to progress, improve, and tackle as many fun and challenging routes as possible that's only natural, right ?
It's precisely for these people that we'd like to introduce a few ways to train grip and finger strength today.

Pull-ups and dead hangs (hanging from a bar)

For climbing, which often relies on pulling movements, pull-ups are one of the most effective training methods. More important than the number of repetitions is focusing on proper technique avoiding overloading the traps and working with correct scapular positioning. If the exercise feels too easy, you can increase the difficulty by adding weight, performing one-arm variations, and similar modifications.

If you're not yet able to do a single pull-up, the dead hang is an excellent starting point. This involves hanging from a bar or ledge, trying to hold yourself up for as long as possible using your own strength. Since your hands are supporting your body weight, your grip is strengthened significantly. If you can comfortably hang for about a minute, it's recommended to increase the challenge either by adding more sets or gradually progressing to pull-ups using a resistance band for assistance.

Hangboard – fingerboard for hanging

In climbing, hands, feet, and the entire body are used to complete a route, but beginners in particular tend to rely more on their hands than their feet. In such cases, it's important to be mindful of the risk of wrist and finger injuries. That's why thorough warm-up before training is essential especially to ensure proper blood flow and preparation of the wrists and fingers.

A hangboard (fingerboard) is useful not only for finger strength training but also for warming up. Have you ever seen one? In climbing gyms, it's usually mounted on the wall, often with several boards available. For people who are just starting out with climbing, training on a fingerboard can be quite demanding, and improper use may lead to finger overuse or injury. For this reason, fingerboard training is generally recommended only for climbers who have already developed a certain level of strength in their hands and fingers.

If you take a closer look, the holds are spaced at different intervals, allowing you to choose from multiple grip options. You can hang using all four fingers, just two fingers, or even a single finger.

When training on a hangboard, it's very important to use an open grip to avoid overloading and injuring the finger tendons. This means avoiding the so-called crimp grip (a fully closed grip with the thumb) and instead holding the edge without engaging the thumb.

If you don't yet have enough strength to hang with your full body weight, you can keep your feet on the ground and gradually transfer only part of your body weight onto your hands.

Grip strength and pinch grip training

In addition to the strength needed to hold onto climbing holds, the ability to actively squeeze and control them is also crucial for improving climbing performance. This is where grip strength plays a key role. However, there are relatively few specialized training tools designed specifically to develop this type of strength.

Among climbing holds, so-called pinch grips are very common and require strong finger squeezing strength. Even very small holds may require you to firmly pinch them between your fingers.

However, there are useful training tools that allow you to effectively develop the strength needed for both of these types of grips.

(▼ Click on the image to view more information about the product!▼)

Specifically, we're talking about the GD Iron Grip EXT 90, which develops grip strength and can be fitted with Pinch Grip to train the pinch grip. You can use it for one-handed squeezing, both hands simultaneously, or for endurance holds. It's an engaging and innovative training tool that we recommend for all climbers.

Climbing is a fun sport where you move your entire body while also experiencing the sense of achievement that comes from solving problems, often in collaboration with others. You can climb year-round in a climbing gym, but why not try something new this spring as well?!