Finger Strength/Power

The 3 main reasons for failure on a climb or problem are:

1- Lack of Technique

2- Lack of Strength

3- Lack of Endurance

Lets get more specific with "Failure of Strength". What isn't strong enough? It isn't your arms and it isn't your back (Unless you are Chancho). It is your fingers. Don't believe me? Think about that boulder problem or route that you haven't sent yet. If all of those holds were huge handle-bar jugs, would you have sent it already? It doesn't matter if you can do a one arm pull-up and crank out front levers, if you can't hang onto the holds, you can't do the move, and if you can' do the move, you can't do the route/problem. 

Two weeks ago it occurred to me that I have never trained specifically for finger strength/power. So i came up with a pretty brutal training regimen to finally whip myself into shape for my Spring Break trip to The Buttermilks. I have decided to post this workout for a few reasons:

#1. The more I type it up the easier it is for me to remember

#2. It is working so far and I wanted to share it

#3. If I hurt myself it will be an example of 'what not to do'

And now for the disclaimer: I have been training and climbing for 10years. I have tendons of steel (hopefully this training will upgrade me to unobtainium). I would not recommend this to anyone who has been climbing for less than 5 years and isn't sending V8 or higher consistently. I am working on a less stressful training plan for people who do not meet the above criteria and I will be sure to post it once it is done. As I have said before, INJURIES SUCK! Don't be stupid.

Finger Strength/Power
edited: 4/6/12

Week Overview

Monday: Hard

Tuesday: Rest/Yoga

Wednesday: Easy

Thursday: Hard

Friday: Rest/ Yoga

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Climb Outside

WEEKS 1,2 & 5

Monday/Thursday: Hard

Start

-5min on bike

-5min light stretching

-10min easy bouldering

-45-60min hard bouldering; 2-5 move problems; 90-100% max

CAMPUS BOARD

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 20lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Double Clutch: up/down x5 <Medium Rung>

- Campus: 2-4-b5-6-7 x6, alternate leading hand <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 20lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Double Clutch: up/down x5 <Medium Rung>

- Campus: 2-4-b5-6-7 x6, alternate leading hand<Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 20lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

- Double Clutch: up/down x5 <Medium Rung>

- Campus: 2-4-b5-6-7 x6, alternate leading hand <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

PULL-UP BAR

Weighted (20lbs) Horizontal Pull-Ups; 3 sets of 3 grips = 9 total sets

-Palms Out, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

-Palms Facing, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

-Palms In, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

CORE

-Moose Circuit

-Burpees

-Ball Kicks

WEEK 3

-Intensity modifications are bold and underlined

Monday/Thursday: Hard

Start

-5min on bike

-5min light stretching

-10min easy bouldering

-45-60min hard bouldering; 2-5 move problems; 90-100% max

CAMPUS BOARD

- Weighted Hangs 20lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 20lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Double Clutch: up/down x5 <Medium Rung>

- Campus: 2-4-b5-6-7 x4, alternate leading hand <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 20lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 20lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Double Clutch: up/down x5 <Medium Rung>

- Campus: 2-4-b5-6-7 x4, alternate leading hand<Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 20lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 20lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

- Double Clutch: up/down x5 <Medium Rung>

- Campus: 2-4-b5-6-7 x4, alternate leading hand <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

PULL-UP BAR

One Arm (no weight) Horizontal Pull-Ups; 3 sets of 3 grips = 9 total sets

-Palms Out, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

-Palms Facing, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

-Palms In, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

CORE

-Moose Circuit

-Burpees

-Ball Kicks

-Russian Stands

WEEK 4

-Intensity modifications are bold and underlined

Monday/Thursday: Hard

Start

-5min on bike

-5min light stretching

-10min easy bouldering

-45-60min hard bouldering; 2-5 move problems; 90-100% max

CAMPUS BOARD

- Weighted Hangs 30lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 30lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Double Clutch: up/down x5 <Medium Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 30lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 30lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Double Clutch: up/down x5 <Medium Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 30lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Weighted Hangs 30lbs: 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

- Double Clutch: up/down x5 <Medium Rung>

PULL-UP BAR

One Arm (no weight) Horizontal Pull-Ups; 2 sets of 3 grips = 9 total sets

-Palms Out, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

-Palms Facing, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

-Palms In, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

CORE

-Moose Circuit

-Burpees

-Ball Kicks

-Russian Stands

WEEKS 1-5

Wednesday: Easy

Start

-5min on bike

-5min light stretching

-10min easy bouldering

-30-45min hard bouldering; 2-5 move problems; 90-100% max

CAMPUS BOARD

- Hangs (no weight): 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Hangs (no weight): 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Campus: 2-3-4-5-6-7 x4, alternate leading hand <Full Crimp, Small Rung>

- Hangs (no weight): 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Hangs (no weight): 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Campus: 2-3-4-5-6-7 x4, alternate leading hand <Half Crimp, Small Rung>

- Hangs (no weight): 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

- Finger ups x 10 <Large Rung>

- Hangs (no weight): 10sec on, 5sec off x 5 <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

- Campus: 2-3-4-5-6-7 x4, alternate leading hand <Open Crimp, Small Rung>

PULL-UP BAR

Horizontal Pull-Ups (no weight); 3 sets of 3 grips = 9 total sets

-Palms Out, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

-Palms Facing, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

-Palms In, Max reps (@8-10), Max Lock-Off (@10-25sec)

CORE

-Russian Stands

-Burpees

Winter Training

                             

It seems like winter has finally decided to show up here in Gunnison, and with it, the indoor training season. This it the time of year I spend a majority of my waking hours pouring over guide books and planning trips in an effort to stay psyched while training to the point of nausea in our aging plywood prison. I used to hate it when the snow would roll in and render even the cold weather haven of Hartman Rocks un-climbable. Over the years however, I have learned to love the forced ‘indoor season’ and the feeling of emerging from winter’s plastic training cocoon and crushing my projects from the past season.

If I could only pass on 3 things I have learned in my 10 years of training I would choose these:

#1 Injuries Suck, REST!

Have you ever been injured? Then you know what I am talking about. Climbing is one of those activities, like eating Nutella and smoking crack, that is so fun it can be hard to stop. This is where all of those nasty over use injuries, like tendonitis and pulley tendon ruptures, start to really harsh your style. Throughout the year, and especially during training, it is imperative to rest adequately. Listen to your body. If you are having trouble taking a day or two off, just camp out on your couch with a huge jar of Nutella, a spoon, and start working your way through all of the X-Files episodes on Netflix. At least that’s what I do.

#2 There is a Difference Between Training and Performance

Climbing performance is variable. Some days you feel like The Hulk, and other days you get pumped just trying to unscrew the lid of you Nutella jar in the previous paragraph. You just have to go with it. Don’t waste your energy getting frustrated. One of the worst things you can do for your body and your psyche is to confuse training time, with performance time. For me it is pretty easy: If I am inside, it is always training time, competitions included. A lot of times, climbing outside is still training time. In reality there are relatively very few times when I go climbing that I actually consider performance time. So what is the difference? When it is training time you shouldn’t be worried much about how hard you are actually climbing. The only thing that matters is how hard you are trying. If you are training properly, your performance should actually decrease at times. Performance time is that trip, or even just a projecting session, you have been planning and preparing for for weeks (or months). Learn to separate your training time from your performance time and you will be less frustrated, more motivated, and you will ultimately become a better climber.

#3 Eat (Good) Food

If you train hard and don’t fuel your body properly, you will get hurt. A quick Google search will have you neck deep in performance nutrition articles. I won’t advocate for any certain one, but I would encourage you to do your own research and get involved in your own nutrition. Learn how to cook. You’ll be healthier and it’s also a great way to impress girls.