Tips for Training to Avoid Injury

This might be a question easily answered but I recently injured myself so when I get started again I want to train to avoid injury again.

I just started bouldering a few weeks ago and I think I was over crimping holds and pushing the grades to fast. Not sure. But the joints in my fingers started hurting when making a crimp the next day. Progressively getting worse.

Then on top of that I went climbing outside the other day and fell with 3 fingers in a pocket and seem to have torn/strained a tendon.

So when I finally start feeling better and get back into it I was wondering if there are specific things to strengthen my tendons and fingers?

Maybe hangboard?

I thought I might be able to avoid over crimping by trying to increase my forearm strength so then I can maintain a better grip on smaller holds.

Any thoughts or tips?

You need to slow down. A lot of people who get really strong, really fast end up with significant injuries that could even require surgery.

Most people don't recommend serious hangboarding/campus boards for at least a few months after you start getting serious with climbing. I say stay away from it for a year.

The finger muscles are small and take a long time to get strong. Forearms get strong much quicker.

I would just focus on getting good endurance and technique. Climb more moderate stuff and climb a lot of it. Your fingers will get strong, too, just at a more reasonable pace.

The only times I've gotten bad finger injuries were open-handed two finger pockets. So maybe stay away from those.

Also, DON'T FORGET TO REST! After a really serious session I'll usually take at least 2 maybe 3 days. If my forearms are still sore I won't climb. When I train endurance, I'll climb to exhaustion, but if I'm bouldering at my limit or projecting, I always try to leave some in the tank and not subject my fingers to their utmost limit.

Enjoy it and don't try to rush.

Something that can be learned from the "Weight lifting" world is "progressive resistance training". Start well within your limits and slowly do harder stuff over time. I know people aren't going to do that but it probably is a good idea.

I would stop crimping for now. You really should not have to crimp on easier problems, and open-handed grip is far easier on your anatomy from everything I've read. Training open handed builds crimping strength and overall strength, but not vice versa. I have been hangboarding for several years - always open handed and only hurt myself once when doing a two-finger hang. I don't do those anymore since in reality on the routes and problems I'm able to send I rarely run into monos or two finger pockets. No injuries since.

1) Slow down. Sounds like you went too hard too fast. Build a strong foundation including a variety of movement patterns developed through covering a wide variety of moderate terrain.

2) Rest adequately

3) Hold off on the hangboard for a while

4) Do these: trainingforclimbing.com/eff… And these: nicros.com/training/article…

5) Reduce crimping and train using your open hand grip

Correct, Turner. What I really meant was tendons in the fingers and muscles in the palm. But I am not an anatomist.

Low intensity. Volume.

Hangboard training makes your fingers stronger, which you'll probably just use to climb harder stuff. It isn't necessarily going to help prevent injury, although it can be used for rehabbing an existing injury.

Climbing is a movement sport. It's pretty key to practice good movement & have good body strength/control to prevent sudden high load on your fingers, which is how a lot of finger injuries occur.