Climbing- Strength

Fingers , Hands & Arms

Latest Posts | New Discussions | Hot Threads | Forum Topics
Help | Settings | Followed Threads
reply
18 messages
Dave
27/06/2003 at 12:38
I am a relative novice of a climber, current standard 'Severe' (with trainers!!). I was just wondering how to build up strength in my fingers and hands to allow me to support my body weight on them?

Also, is press ups the right way to go for arms??

Cheers

Dave

Ninja Marmot
27/06/2003 at 12:56
When moving from sitting room to kitchen, use only the architraves and picture rails, don't use your feet at all. When you can manage it, you're getting better **
;o)

Bob used to put divers' lead weights in his clothing when climbing to build up his strength. Easier than gripping a heavy rock between your teeth. Allegedly.

** If your house doesn't have picture rails or a Delph rack - you'll need to practice some 'dyno' moves LOL
Drew
28/06/2003 at 00:06
Go to the local wall lots! I only go once a week, but I have got a lot stonger over the last 3 months, and can now dyno a lot, crimp a helluva lot, and there's even one route on the boulder which i can do, and noone else can do, cos I have the strength to hod the position, while I move my other hand up to reach the next hold. Everyone else tries to dyno it, and it's really hard to catch the next hold! It's cos I'm strong!
Alison Stockwell
28/06/2003 at 11:02
I agree with Drew 100%. In my view going to the climbing wall regularly is one of the best and most time-efficient ways to build up finger and arm strength. I have a workout that basically entails traversing non-stop until I drop off. I do that at the beginning and end of each wall session, and you can really see yourself improving quickly. It's a good idea to do a warm-up first and a warm-down afterwards too; lessens the aches and pains.
GW
08/07/2003 at 18:52
Press ups will work your triceps (at the back of the upper arm) and your pecs, depending on your stance, neither of which are particularly useful for climbing, although they won't do you any harm. Better to do chins, using a grip with palms facing away from you.
Sport specific exercises are best and chins are as close as you're going to get in a gym/home environment. They still aren't going to give you the grip in your fingers and condition your tendons to the stress they will be put under though. Like the others have said, climbing is the only thing that is going to give you the right sort of strengthening.
Dave
09/07/2003 at 19:32
Thanks for that Greg, the reason I asked about the press ups, is that I had, in the past being doing a fair amount (200 per day) but had not noticed any improvement in my climbing performance.

The problem with climbing regulaly is that I haven't got the transport to get to the nearest indoor wall, nor the protection, ropes or (most importantly) skill to climb on the local rock walls.
Alison Stockwell
09/07/2003 at 20:05
You could buy a few climbing-wall holds and put them up in your garage or bedroom Dave. I used to have a little traverse that I set up in the garage. You can cut down the costs by interspersing your bought holds with wooden blocks, and also use small wooden blocks for the footholds. If you screw some boards to the wall first, and put the holds on the boards it's easier and less damaging to the wall if you want to move your holds around from time to time.
You can also get pull-up holds that mount above a door that have different shaped slots in for different combinations of finger muscle excercises.
Dave
09/07/2003 at 23:13
cheers Alison, that sounds like a pretty cool idea...
David Hedley
12/07/2003 at 22:33
Practice makes perfect but i have a small foam grip trainer, bout £2, and use this when sitting in front off tv etc, also carry books at the end of you straight arms in a pinch grip.

Don't go to far to fast, I messed up some tendons by trying to get good to quick
Mark Watts
05/08/2003 at 01:26
Try one of these new-fangled Gyro-balls! Hitler could have found an alternative use for it but it's ideal for strengh and stamina training. It's basically a spinning ball inside a solid sphere that tries to stay in one axis as it spins. You rotate your wrist in a fairly obscene manner and the forces caused by the spinning cause stress on your forearms(£10). Alternatively, the hand grips sold in Gym shops are pretty good too. By squeezing them you increase the amount of strength in your fingers and forearms (Golds Gym equipment, about £4/pair). A cheap alternative is to squeeze a tennis ball. A chinning bar which screws out to fit inside the frame of a door is good to practice hanging and pull-ups on(Golds £10), as is a speciallised board that climbers use as part of their warm-ups on climbing walls. These can be expensive though(£30-40).
Dan E
09/08/2003 at 22:32
Problem with the local walls is they cost a bomb, and you need a climbing friend to go with you, else you're paying a silly amount to just be bouldering...Which is nonesense...Out of curiousity, whats everyone elses local wall cost...?

Mines 7 Euro per visit, or 75 Euro a year membership and 4 Euro per visit..


Pricy enough...thats over here in Ireland..
Drew
16/08/2003 at 12:19
In the region of £4-5 per visit, for as long as you want, for whatever they have to offer.
Ddyrchafedig Gyrrwr (Beic Modur)
16/08/2003 at 14:25
When I was a member of the Ambulance Search & Rescue Unit I used to train on weights for muscle strenth and definition combined with a suitable diet. I have to say that at the time I was playing rugby so the weight training was more geared to that sport.

I found however that a good exersise for fingers, wrists etc which could be done any time was pull ups/chin ups on door frames. The chin ups done on the outside of the frame with your hands facing you and the pull ups on the inside by bending your neck forwards and pulling yourself up so that the back of your head touches the frame. The majority of door frames only allow a fingers grip and if your time on specialised walls and eqiupment, then this is a fair substitute that can be done anywhere, anytime!
Ddyrchafedig Gyrrwr (Beic Modur)
16/08/2003 at 14:27
Last sentance should have read "If your time on specialised walls and equipment is limtied..............."
Dave
16/08/2003 at 20:26
Hello, sorry for not replying sooner, just back from 2 weeks in 30oC Cornwall! Thanks for all the ideas, time to put some into practice!

Dave
Dan E
19/08/2003 at 18:51
Everyone says warm up etc first before jumping onto an indoor wall, could someone give me an example of what they'd do to warm up/cool down at a wall...

Alison Stockwell
19/08/2003 at 20:23
Well, this is what I do; ideally start with something aerobic but not too strenuous for a few minutes, like a short jog or a brisk walk, but that's not usually very practical.
Then some stretching; major muscle groups first, similar to before a gym session but not for very long; like biceps, triceps, quads etc. Then I try and stretch the muscles that come into play during climbing; fingers - squeeze an imaginary rubber ball, forearm, neck, feet, shoulders.
Then I do a few easy climbs quite fast, and then I go on the traversing wall non-stop until I drop off.
Warming down is similar, but in reverse order.
My favourite workout is actually to start in the gym, then go on to the climbing wall and finish up with a swim. Takes ages though, and I can't often find the time.
Alison Stockwell
19/08/2003 at 21:16
Yippeee! Have just heard that there is a new wall opening next week where I work! No excuses now :-)
Your say
Terms and Conditions | Code of Conduct
email image
18 messages
Forum Jump  
Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Shopping

Most popular

Competitions

View all competitions
Sign up to our twitter feed

Promotions

View all promotions