Finger strength

I have little to no finger strength and I think it’s holding my climbing back. About a week ago I got on a hang board for fun and to my shock I could not hang on the largest edge for more than 3 seconds. That’s when I realized I have weak fingers and maybe that’s why I can’t climb very hard. Since then I have been wondering how to improve finger strength. I was considering getting a hang board of my own but thought that might be too aggressive because of the lack of strength I have. Any tips on how to start training them?

A few questions:

• How often do you currently climb each week?
• How long are those sessions? 
• How long have you been climbing for?

Cosmic Hotdog wrote:

A few questions:

• How often do you currently climb each week?
• How long are those sessions? 
• How long have you been climbing for?

i started climbing 4 years ago casually. My 2nd year I joined a climbing team. Then I took 2 years off. I was still climbing during the “break” but not nearly as much as I used to. I picked it back up in late may of this year. For the past month I have gone 6-7 days a week for 2-3 hours each session and longer if I go outside. Now that I’m typing this all out I see why I might not have much strength. Even tho I’m rather new to climbing 3 seconds seems incredibly short.

I think that based on the above, for now the answer is simple - just keep climbing regularly and stay consistent over the long term. I wouldn't introduce hangboarding anytime soon, nor would I do any limit bouldering soon either. 

6-7x per week for 2-3 hours each time might be risking injury though. There's a good middle ground to be found for what's sustainable for you while also building up steady progress. But yeah, for now you just need consistent time on the wall spread over many months, in my opinion. I'm sure others can chime in with their thoughts

The one thing that I wish I knew when I first started climbing is to start hangboarding right away. Hangboarding is one of the safest exercises there is, and it takes a long time to build up finger strength.

1. Focus on actively closing the hand rather than dragging. I have generally found open hand hangs to be a waste of time. Good form is more important than maximizing the numbers.

2. The rapid initial improvement will be primarily due to neurological adaptation and not true strength gain. True finger strength is not gained nor lost easily.

3. Max weight for short duration is most effective for improving strength, but can also be a recipe for injury as the tendon stiffens, and should be supplemented with density hangs (medium load, long duration)

There are loads of published routines for hangboard training. You can incorporate some of the common elements even at your condition 

 Just stay on larger edges and take some weight off (keep one foot on a box, or rig some pulley counterweights) so you can hang for, say, 7 to 10 seconds.

With the amount of climbing you are doing, do not add hangboarding. If you want to start hangboarding, you will need to climb less or risk an overuse injury. Honestly, you should probably climb less as is (unless you are still a teenager, in which case do as much volume as you want, though you might still be at risk of damaging your growth plates).

You can also build finger strength on the wall by simply seeking out crimpy climbs. This is arguably more effective as it also teaches you movement.

If you want to hangboarding, there are many resources out there on how to do it. I'd recommend seeking an authoritative source such as lattice climbing or listening to this recent power company podcast on the topic. Both of these sources are coaching companies.

I’m 15 so I recover quickly which is why I have been climbing so much. From reading all of your comments I’ve decided to add hang boarding to my routine but also not climb quite as much as I currently am. I’ll look up some videos and find a routine that works for me. I won’t use my whole body weight when hang boarding until my fingers are strong enough. I’ll also be sure to use proper form while hanging. Thank you all for the advice!

Shea Ingalls wrote:

I’m 15 so I recover quickly which is why I have been climbing so much. From reading all of your comments I’ve decided to add hang boarding to my routine but also not climb quite as much as I currently am. I’ll look up some videos and find a routine that works for me. I won’t use my whole body weight when hang boarding until my fingers are strong enough. I’ll also be sure to use proper form while hanging. Thank you all for the advice!

Being physically weak can be a blessing in disguise as it forces you to develop efficient technique. In climbing technique is always more important than strength, but there will be a day when strength becomes your bottleneck and that's when you will reap the benefits of finger training. Good luck!

Xi Yin wrote:

Being physically weak can be a blessing in disguise as it forces you to develop efficient technique. In climbing technique is always more important than strength, but there will be a day when strength becomes your bottleneck and that's when you will reap the benefits of finger training. Good luck!

I’ll keep that in mind! Thank you