{"id":40715,"date":"2022-11-23T13:15:49","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T12:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test-01.bergfreunde.de\/blog\/training-tips-strong-fingers\/"},"modified":"2022-12-29T14:23:27","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T13:23:27","slug":"training-tips-strong-fingers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alpinetrek.co.uk\/blog\/training-tips-strong-fingers\/","title":{"rendered":"Training tips for strong fingers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cHow on earth are you supposed to hold on there?\u201d This is a question I get asked sometimes, and that I ask myself much more often when I\u2019m faced with routes that are clearly beyond my limits. I now know the answer: amongst other things, it comes down to a good deal of finger strength<\/strong> combined with a really good climbing technique<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without doubt, finger strength counts as one of the most dominant factors in being able to climb really difficult tours. This can also be seen if you take a look at elite climbers. As different as the physical appearance of these \u201csuper humans\u201d may be, they all have one thing in common: they can grip quite small holds damned well, and have a lot of experience with this. There is hope for us mere mortals. Even though genetic components play a major role in how strong and susceptible to injury our fingers are, with a little time and patience, they can become really well trained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps I shouldn\u2019t begin extra training yet?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before we get started, a few words for beginners<\/strong> of our great sport. To you I would say that climbing is more than just pure strength. In the first few years, all aspects of climbing can be improved really well just by climbing. Targeted finger training is linked to a high risk of injury for beginners. So instead, it\u2019s better for you to first concentrate on technique, tactics, getting a feel for the movements, your mental capacity, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sound strength building requires a lot of time<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even if it may seem like the hand ends at the wrist, its extremely complex system<\/strong> extends through many joints right to the shoulder. It\u2019s important to know that the hand\u2019s musculoskeletal system<\/strong> is made up of a large number of complexly interconnected bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latter gives us the strength to grip small holds. They can be trained easily and make progress quickly. But it\u2019s a different story when it comes to the tendons and ligaments in our hands and forearms. They require higher training stimuli and also a great deal longer to develop the same capacity. Finger tape doesn\u2019t help with this either, only time does!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we begin finger training at an early stage in our climbing careers, our muscle power develops too quickly and can lead to injuries when climbing. The injury process<\/strong> then happens as follows: the hand and arm muscles are trained and capable of gripping small holds, but the tendons and ligaments in the fingers are not yet tough enough. But with your new strength, you now embark on your long-term goal of finally reaching the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But suddenly, at the crux, your foot slips and you absorb the momentum with your upper body. Either you hear a \u201cpop\u201d straight away, and you\u2019ve got acute trauma to one of your annular ligaments, or you repeat this scenario and cause chronic strain. Both cases are typical patterns of injury for climbers and increase the risk of injuring yourself again in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turns out that you should take a rather conservative approach<\/strong> to the subject of finger strength. Keep in mind that an injury will set you a long way back; the healing process for fingers can take six months or longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reasons to strengthen your fingers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It makes sense that strong fingers can grip smaller holds<\/strong>. But finger strength has an additional benefit. You can hold on for longer. Why? The reason is maximal strength<\/strong>. This is the maximum force that you can initiate in a muscle through purely deliberate effort. Through good training, you can get your discretionary capacity closer to the limits of your emergency power reserves. This means that the muscle cells are supplied for longer and you can stay longer on the wall. Long story short: the stronger your fingers are, the smaller holds can be before the performance of your muscular system is reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start training right<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For finger training to achieve its full effects, you must be well prepared. Part of this is a sufficiently long break<\/strong> between the finger training sessions. It\u2019s recommended that you do finger training a maximum of twice per week. So, between the training sessions, you can take a 48-hour break and you still have time for climbing or bouldering.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Open-hand<\/a>
Hang right with an open hand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On the training days, it\u2019s especially important to do a proper warm up<\/strong>. It\u2019s best to start with exercises such as jumping rope or doing jumping jacks to get your circulation going. Then you can dedicate yourself to your fingers, with repeated hangs on large holds and a little stretching (<10 second strain).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you are hanging correctly<\/strong>, or training on a fingerboard, you put weight on both your fingers and your shoulders. This is why it\u2019s important to hang onto the board with the right technique. You should therefore consider the following criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n