Neil Gresham's Guide to Finger Strength Training

Introduction

In your quest to develop fully versatile finger strength for climbing it is worth considering some of the following background information and principles:

Finger strength - Isometric strength

The type of static strength required by the fingers in climbing is known more correctly as isometric strength. This is where the muscles and tendons hold their appropriate joints and levers in a locked position - Iso meaning 'same' or 'one' and metric meaning 'length'. Here, the force expressed by the climber is equal to the negative force of their body mass under gravity. In more advanced training speak, climbers sometimes differentiate between the type of finger strength which is required to latch a hold at speed during a dyno or deadpoint move (namely contact strength), and secondly the strength which is needed to actually use or hang  the hold.

The joint angle variance theory

Matt Smith bouldering in the Peak District,
being good on slopers won't automatically translate
to being a demon crimper.
A popular question is why we need to bother training on all the various different types of finger hold? Surely strength gained on any one type of hold will translate approximately to another type? A fundamental principle of all isometric training is that direct strength gains are only experienced throughout a 15 degree angle of variance around any specific joint angle. In view of this, any gains in crimping strength will barely translate to gains in pocket or hanging strength. However, gains in half-crimp strength will translate both to crimping and to pocket strength to a limited extent.

The 'tweak myth' dispelled

One of the worst training myths which was perpetuated by some of the early texts on training for climbing and which still remains well regarded, is that using crimps or pockets in training will increase the risk of injury. At face value it might appear that any hold which requires the joints to be loaded at their extremes of mobility could cause potentially damaging stresses and, indeed, it always seems to be these types of hold which cause injuries on the crag. And it is exactly this point which shows how vital it is that we use our training time to build up a progressive tolerance to these so called 'tweaky' holds - progressively, over time, and in a controlled environment.

To avoid these types of hold, is to encounter them for the first time on the crag when you could be pumped, gripped and out of control. It is not the holds themselves which are causing the injuries but the inability of individuals to prepare for using them. In support of this theory, you only have to look at any of the world's strongest climbers and consider for a second whether or not they ever train on small crimps or pockets to reassure yourself that it's the thing to do if you do it carefully and progressively!

Wrist exercisers?

A final myth which is worth dispelling is that grip exercisers are good for making your fingers stronge. These devices are all very well for warming-up purposes but when do you ever use your fingers dynamically in climbing? If you are forced to train with a grip exerciser as a last resort, try to hold it clamped shut rather than doing frantic squeeze repetitions.