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Went to the local climbing wall last night, sadly not somewhere I get to enough - predominantly a winter activity for me. Currently climbing 5b / 6 graded stuff but my finger strength is lacking.
Or are there better I can improve finger strength?
Not really.
Aimed at guitarists and the like primarily
You're better off with dead hangs, pinches, etc along with just climbing.
Get a Metolious Grip Saver along with a Powerfingers and just keep working
Make sure you work the opposer muscles and stretches too
Don't bother.
It'll come in time. Climb more. Work on open handed techniques - don't just crimp all the time. Learn to save energy and how to climb with efficient technique.
AVOID the campus board until you're much stronger no matter what you're told. Surefire way to screw yourself if you're not prepared.
Go do some reading: [url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Climbers-Make-Same-Mistakes/dp/095642810X ][/url]
Lots of good info out there that I wished I had 20 or so years ago when I started.
Above all - get outside, the wall is for winter 😉
No. At your grade I'd say just do more climbing.
the perceived wisdom is not to fingerboard or campas board until youre at a higher grade. Quite what that grade is, is never really stated. Finger training is a sure fire way to quickly damage ligaments. There isn't much muscle in hands to train. pulled ligaments are real easy to do.
In my own experience you could fingerboard a little but you have to really go easy and stay open hand. only do sloper hangs and 4 fingers at first. DO NOT crimp, do not go down to three, two or one digit.
and as said more climbing is actually the better thing. technique training will help grade enormously at this level.
and do loose some weight and o core (inner and outer core) training.
Climb more. Finger strength isn't fingers but ligaments in your forearms I believe. I tried a few gym routines to keep up with The Boy bouldering, but more climbing made far more difference
Above all - get outside, the wall is for winter
And for those of us with groms who live in Hampshire 😀 Good point though.
Just repeating most of the above. TBH i am at a similar level to you having only become able to climb in the last 8wks or so. In that time just climbing my grip and finger strenght has improved considerably over what it was.
At 5's & low 6's you are probably more restricted by your your feet (Its all in the feet)movement/placement and your core than you will be by finger/grip strength.
My plan is to climb as much as i can for the next 6mths and lose upto a stone in weight. With the added fitness should bring added strength. Once that is done then i can justify paying for lessons which will improve my climbing at this level much more than a finger board will and help me progress in the 6's
Finger strength is less about muscle more about tendons...
You can build muscle strength quickly but tendons take months even years...
As above just climb is the best advice, it'll happen the more you do.
I get stronger when I boulder more (which is usually in the winter).
There are nights when I ignore the ropes and just do as many boulder problems as I can.
The only thing I'd add to the 'just climb' is, next time you are trying a move which seems to demand more finger/grip strength than you can manage, ask a better climber to watch you, and suggest a few ways you could improve your body/foot position and balance to take weight off your arms and waste less energy.
You'd be surprised how just repositioning your feet or torso even a little, or using a hold in a slightly different way, can make a move seem much easier.
OK,thanks all; Food for thought. I'm quite new to rock climbing but at 6'4", <80kg with decent fitness and a childhood clambering over trees found the transition into the sport quite natural.
The routes I'm having trouble with is the wee small handholds whilst moving my feet. If I can get my hands round something then I find it easy, but if only pinching or fingertip only then its a complete no go.
I will try the bouldering focused wall for the next session or two
Learning to climb efficiently is where you'll beat strength training for now. If you have access to a traverse wall they're excellent - my climbing progressed so much from spending time at mile end on theirs. I tried to encourage one at the local wall and everyone said 'just use the low level holds or boulder' but it's not the same as dedicated traverse routes.
The routes I'm having trouble with is the wee small handholds whilst moving my feet. If I can get my hands round something then I find it easy, but if only pinching or fingertip only then its a complete no go.
Core strength and flexibility > finger strength for moving feet up/swapping feet on small handholds. You're putting too much weight through your hands and not enough on the remaining foot.
Scruff ignore the ropes for a while completely
Bouldering will increase your endurance in line with your grip.
Get to the point where you can circulate at 4+\5 then climb 6
Or V0-2 then climb V3-4
Work on static moves - simple lock off and foot swap up, then down, then up, etc.
You'll see faster gains by building on that which will bring about better technique
Footwork. More footwork.
If you get stalled on the small holds at your local wall just turn up armed with skyhooks, daisy chains and a rock hammer, maybe a few pitons.
Footwork. More footwork.
He's right.
I'd take footwork and extend it to body position. Up to around 6a indoors you csn get by with very sloppy technique (I did).
For your feet, aim to be quiet and place them not slapping them around.
If you want to train your fingers I got some metolious rock rings, id take them to the gym to spice up a gym session, used with a trx they help can be a good core work out, but they're not as exciting as climbing.
Just climb more. Until you're climbing 7a and above I wouldn't even think about trying hang boards etc...
Footwork. More footwork.
I was told, "climb like a girl", they have no upper body strength to start so feet are the key.
Unless they're 6 years old - I've been going bouldering with my daughter, and the stuff she can hang off is depressing.
As well as all the above, also read up and try out different ways of gripping. Depending on where you're climbing, there's finger locks and thumb locks that can help a huge amount. Foot positioning is also key, more important than hands, really.
scruff, now you've said how tall you are your question makes more sense. I assume you've pretty big hands and fingers and long arms and legs? One thing that you will soon understand is that we are all different shapes and sizes and some routes favour people who are shorter, people who can position their body all crumpled up to make the moves AND sometimes your height will help.
We can all advise from armchairs but if you really want to improve technique get a decent coach/mentor, somebody who can point out where you can move better. the most common people have already said and they are right, hand/grip strength is rarely the issue at that grade.
Feet/Flexibility/Core almost always come first.
I was told, "climb like a girl", they have no upper body strength to start so feet are the key.
Yeah no upper body strength at all...[img] 
[/img]
You may need to work on your view of the modern world with respect to female climbers.
OP, if you want a 'toy' to play with that will generate a good amount of forearm pump get a powerball [url=
.
They were recommended to me by a sport therapist who was treating me for wrist pain, they really work the antagonist muscles and get the blood pumping.
Won't make you a better climber of course, as everyone else says body position,core, flexibility and technique trump finger strength every time. Just climb a lot, try hard and ...don't let go and you won't fall off 😆
Women are definitely strong! And they gain strength without gaining the bulk of a male climber.
[img] 
[/img]
Key word on women was 'to start', and therefore the statement is factually correct, due to a thing called testosterone.
If it isn't purple then you aren't gripping tightly enough!
Yeah no upper body strength at all...
That's gymnastics not rock climbing. where are the Moacs and Chouinard Hexes?
Exactly 😀
My kids are keen. Going to start them off seconding classic routes. More hex 11 than v4.
You may need to work on your view of the modern world with respect to female climbers.
Heh. My new climbing mates went to school with Shauna and started climbing around the same time. We're just happy to get off the ground these days 😉
Anyone suggested going on a diet yet?
yep. earlier. 🙂
[i]OK,thanks all; Food for thought. I'm quite new to rock climbing but at 6'4", <80kg with decent fitness and a childhood clambering over trees found the transition into the sport quite natural.
The routes I'm having trouble with is the wee small handholds whilst moving my feet. If I can get my hands round something then I find it easy, but if only pinching or fingertip only then its a complete no go.
I will try the bouldering focused wall for the next session or two [/i]
I had a similar problem last night whilst climbing with my son. I am carrying timber and couldnt for the life of me hold a 50p size hold whilst straightening up. My son was waltzing past this part with no issue. It was only when i sat down whatched how he rocked over on his right foot before moving off this hold that i realized i was putting too much emphasis into holding the small hold. Again, it was all in my body shape and feet, not the ability of my hands.
Get a climbing buddy or pay for a hours coaching. Best money you will spend
That comment about climbing like a girl etc is similar to another comment that really gets on my titties.
My daughter is 9 yrs old is a pretty capable climber and very often climbs stuff a lot of the locals at the wall cant. The go to comment is always "its because shes light and small". Hmmm nope, its because she is coached every week on technique for the last few years, pracitises gymnastic exercises for hours and hours every week 'for fun' and she has been climbing upto 5hrs a week for the last 3 yrs. But thats ok, shes just light and small.......
To be fair I like to think I climb like a girl. After almost 10 years off whilst my kids were young and then switching largely to bikes and fell running, all my upper body strength has moved south. I've got quads and calves that are rag-all use for climbing and string arms.
What little ability I have now on rock is a lot about decent technique and reasonable footwork. You can't muscle your way up stuff with these twigs for guns I'll tell you 🙂
Ask rachel atherton what she thinks about 'riding like a girl' and being told she's only so good because of her borther.
Hats off to any women who dedicate themselves to their sport. With the likes of Ashima Shiraishi coming through, its possible that women could even overtake the men.
Depends if you consider it an insult or a compliment?
Buy a Powerball and use it every day. Worked for me
As one of the others pointed out "to start" is quite important in my other post. I aspire to "climb like a girl" when I return to rock at some point next year. I suspect the actualité will be a lot less elegant.
'Climb like a girl' was never meant to be a dig suggesting weakness - it always used to refer to precise, flexible, elegant movement rather than mad, scrabbling, desperate pulling with the arms and no footwork or body positioning.
It just so happens that in recent years, there have been far more women with the elegance, technique and shedloads of power to go with it. Shauna Coxsey is mighty impressive to watch, more so than many of the top blokes.
As one of the others pointed out "to start" is quite important in my other post
The 'to start' makes no difference. I'm sure lots of women come into climbing from another sport involving upper body strength and regardless of gender you'll be weak if you've never done such activity. Also, being female does not naturally impart good technique.
After 25 years climbing I think the idea of gender based differences in climbing styles is bollocks. I've seen guys who could barely do a pull up style their way up 8a's and women muscle their way up stuff with 'not twa poond o' weight on their feet' as a Geordie mate of mine used to say.
Spin, I opted not to jump in to pretty much say what you said - but agree 100%. The nonsensical BS that people often trot about female climbers annoys me.
Either way, back to the OPs point.
How's your footwork going?
He put the left one in......
There's a lot to be said for just playing about to improve technique. Unusual boulder problems, one handed or hands free ascents, indoor routes with feet on features if it's a featured wall, that kind of thing. That and consciously trying different types of route and subtle changes in technique like raising and lowering heels, inside vs outside edging, crimp or open hand. As you gain experience you'll find yourself selecting the right option naturally (well hopefully anyway).
Did anyone else here frequent the Altrincham Climbing Wall "back in the day"?