Finger Exercises for Rock Climbing

Use finger exercises to help improve your climbing ability.

When rock climbers encounter the dreaded climbing plateau where improvement slows down or stops, insufficient finger strength and stamina often emerge as the culprit. All of the upper-body strength in the world will not enable a rock climber to ascend a difficult rock climb if he does not possess the finger strength to hold onto the handholds. Consider adding appropriate finger-strengthening exercises to a climbing training program to address this concern.

Grip Trainers

Develop a stronger grip with grip strength training.

Grip strength training devices range from simple squeeze balls and putty to mechanical devices that isolate individual fingers. Use grip strength trainers for warming up your fingers before rock climbing or before attempting harder finger exercises. Perform higher reps of easier squeezes for endurance training and lower reps of more difficult squeezes for power training.

Dead Hangs

Hang on with more confidence.

Dead hanging from different holds on a climbing hangboard provides a simple finger-strengthening exercise. As explained in the Metolius "Training Guide for Rock Climbing," maintain an open-handed grip at all times. Warm up by hanging on the jugs and bigger slopers first, and then attempt to hang on smaller holds that isolate specific grips. The duration of the hangs depends on your goals. Perform longer, easier hangs for endurance, and shorter, more difficult hangs for power.

H.I.T. Strips®

Isolate grips with H.I.T. training.

Designed by notable climbing training expert Eric Hörst, Nicros Hypergravity Isolation Training, or H.I.T., Strips® enable rock climbers to isolate and train climbing-specific grips. Choose a specific hold, such as a pinch, pocket, crimp or sloper, and climb up and down on that handhold. Aim for failure in 20 moves or fewer, as explained by Hörst in "Overview of HIT System Workouts for Building Maximum Grip Strength," adding weight if necessary.

Wrist Curls

Use dumbbells for wrist curls.

Perform wrist curls with free weights, a barbell, or exercise bands to build finger power, power endurance, and endurance for rock climbing. Sit with your elbows resting just above your knees. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms up. Allow the dumbbell to roll to the end of your fingertips, and then curl the fingertips to bring it back up, finishing the motion by lifting up your wrists. This constitutes one repetition.

Warm up first with one or two sets of 10 to 15 easy reps. Then, choose the appropriate weight or resistance for your goal---one that allows for 5 reps or fewer for power, 5 to 15 for power endurance, and 15 or more for endurance. Follow this exercise with reverse wrist curls for optimal balance in your training regimen.

Campus Board

Gain more confidence and strength with campus board training.

Campus board training works power, recruitment, timing, and contact strength, according to the Nicros--Training Center article "Low Stress Campus Training." Start by laddering hand over hand up the largest rungs on the board, letting go if you cannot maintain a slight elbow and shoulder bend as you catch each rung. Harder campus workouts include skipping rungs, dynamically moving both hands simultaneously from rung to rung (called "double dynos"), and laddering on smaller-sized rungs.

References

• Metolius: Training Guide for Rock Climbing
• Nicros -- Training Center: Overview of HIT System Workouts for Building Maximum Grip Strength
• Nicros -- Training Center: Low Stress Campus Training
• Moon Climbing: Campus Boarding
• "Urban Climber Magazine": WORKSHOP -- #5 -- Developing Hang and Upper Body Strength

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• The Campus Board: Metolius
• Forearms Exercises -- Palms Down Dumbbell Wrist Curls
• Forearms Exercises -- Palms Up Dumbbell Wrist Curls
• Body-Solid -- Strength Grip Trainers -- (BTSG)
• Nicros -- Training Center: 10 Tips to Optimize Your HIT Workout