Anyone had wrist pain that wasn't TFCC?
I've had wrist pain for about 6 months now. Can't pinpoint exactly where it is so it must be quite deep into the wrist but it feels like it's definitely on the pinky side of the wrist somewhere. It's improved a lot since I first injured it and I can climb normally for the most part (in fact, I've never been stronger than I am now...) except for when I need to grab very large round slopers and certain underclings (pinch ones and some that face weird directions). After consulting doctor Google I convinced myself that I had a TFCC tear. However, I recently saw an actual doctor who told me that it was likely not TFCC and probably from overuse of my wrist tendons. I don't know what to believe but am thinking of getting some scans done and going to a physio. Has anyone had similar wrist problems and found it wasn't a TFCC tear?
Haven’t been climbing as much as I used to for the past 6 months due to me being in my final semester in grad school (done now, woo!). I was in the gym yesterday on a slabby climb with shallow 2 finger pockets and my foot slipped and my left hand dry fired out of a pocket. Felt some dull pain in the base of my ring finger and through my palm and forearm. It seems that I have a lumbrical strain. I stopped climbing after that just to be safe, but it feels okay outside of really extended/open hand grips. I feel some pain today but it’s not excruciating. I have full mobility and it feels stable in closed and half grips.
Im pretty bummed because I’m going to Red Rocks on Thursday. I know I won’t be able to pull on anything hard, but it sounds like many people with minor lumbrical strains have been able to resume easy climbing within a few days with some buddy taping. 5.7 multipitch here I come!
Does anyone have any recommendations for lumbrical rehab or notes on continuing issues I should look out for in the coming weeks/months?
Literally had sustained a very similar injury on my right ring finger just under 2 weeks ago. I slipped and for a moment had a lot of force on an open solo ring finger. Pain shot all the way down across the forearm, I thought I was ok at first but open drag was painful. Not crimps though which just means it's a tendon strain injury, not a pulley one.
As all tendon injuries, healing is slow. It's getting better will probably need 2-4 weeks more to go back to normal, I never really stopped climbing even in the same session but I did go very light that day. I buddy tape my middle and ring finger together (it feels better when slightly tighter, mainly to avoid accidently loading my ring finger solo) and avoid open hand and uncomfortable slopers (When really warmed up I can still do some very light open hand holds mainly because of buddy taping but it's probably better if I didn't). Just taking it easy, yeah it sucks, but it is a pretty light injury so at least we can continue climbing carefully.
Just my account of my fingers and I haven't been climbing for that long.
You can check this out perhaps it will help: https://www.hoopersbeta.com/library/how-to-heal-from-a-lumbrical-injury-5-simple-stages-to-recover
> Does anyone have any recommendations for lumbrical rehab or notes on continuing issues I should look out for in the coming weeks/months?
Yeah, basically work back into some very light 3 finger drag and pocket work. This article on pulleys but just apply the same concepts to 3FD and pockets starting with very light weight and working incrementally up over time.
https://stevenlow.org/rehabbing-injured-pulleys-my-experience-with-rehabbing-two-a2-pulley-issues/
I have been getting a persistent rash on the inside of my leg from my climbing harness. The leg loops ride up, and I have a very clear rectangle in red with peeling skin. This has only started in the last few months, I have not had this issue with the same equiptment and climbing gym in the past. It seems to correlate especially if I am belaying someone who is sitting on the rope a lot working on a problem.
0) is this caused by a poor fit, or by mis-tightening the harness, or something else?
1) is there a type of harness that minimizes this?
2) what's the best way to care for the rash?
Don't know much about the other questions but
> what's the best way to care for the rash?
Probably a good idea to see a dermatologist to see if they can figure out what it is. There's a lot of different types of dermatitis or could even be some type of bacterial/fungal thing that developed after the skin was irritated.
My girlfriend cut her hand on a knife, and she's wondering how long she should wait until she climbs. The cut isn't deep enough to need stitches, but it's on her palm right below her index finger, so it would def get stretched when holding jugs and it would be in contact on slopers. Should she wait until the wound is fully scarred over to resume climbing? Or, is it safe to be careful and climb a bit before that? It's not exciting to face 6+ weeks off for something like this, but she gets it if it's too risky.
Honestly just depends on how fast it heals and that depends on how deep/severe and how fast the body's healing response (older = slower usually). Could be a few days to weeks.
I have an old small (~4x5ft) elevator shaft in my house, down the center of a square-helix staircase. I'd like to put a climbing wall in there. I've never built a home wall tall enough to need more safety than a bouldering crash pad, but this one would be 30-40ft tall. I've found very few sources (including some old threads here) on this sort of setup. What should I do for solo climb safety?
* static rope, climber wears an ascender
* dynamic rope, progress capture pulley at the top
* dynamic rope, autobelay at the top
* net or padded platform across the space every 10ft or so, possibly with automated retraction
* ?? your idea here ??
I would set it up like a toprope solo. Plenty of resources about this out there. That way, you have everything attached to yourself, and full control of the system at all times. Lowering can be a PITA depending on your TRS setup but there are devices that make it less of a hassle.
Autobelays cost some serious $$$ and involve maintenance.
One finger is sore until it's worn out?
My right ring finger had some tenderness on the A2 pulley and I took it easy for about 2 weeks to give it a breather. It didn't really hurt to use in daily life, but was definitely tender to massage. I did light climbing, and no hangboarding. When I'm not using it, it and the joint right above it(PIP) get sore.
I've started easing back into hangs. The further I get into the session, the less it hurts. By the end, it stays pain-free(even when massaged) for a couple of hours. Then it starts getting sore again.
Is this anything to worry about? Am I good to climb/hang on it as long as I'm not pushing my limits?
> I've started easing back into hangs. The further I get into the session, the less it hurts. By the end, it stays pain-free(even when massaged) for a couple of hours. Then it starts getting sore again.
The problem with some overuse injuries sometimes is that if you warm up and start doing stuff the symptoms go away, but if your symptoms come back after and are getting worse then it's too much too fast.
I generally recommend incremental rehab if things are tricky like this. Basically, aim to progress slow but sure and don't overdo stuff just because it "feels good" as you warm up and get into things.
https://stevenlow.org/rehabbing-injured-pulleys-my-experience-with-rehabbing-two-a2-pulley-issues/
I've been a 'serious' climber for something like 4 years, with a few more years of experience before that. I'm a solid 5.12 redpointer, broke the 5.13 barrier last season, have a done few V7s but feel more comfortable in the v4-6 range. I'm 5'11", ~180lbs, and turning 30 this year. My biggest weakness has always been steep climbing, I've always gravitated to more vertical/slabby terrain with small holds. There's just something about it that I've never really understood. Either the climb feels totally doable, or I can barely hang the positions/move. For example, I've been training on a Kilter board for 3 winters now and have been pretty stuck in the V4-5 range when its set to 40 degrees or steeper.
I'm wondering if any one has had a similar experience, and what you did you do to get better at steep climbing. Specific exercises, drills, etc.
With steep climbing, is there something with it that you struggle with the most? Is it power endurance, body positioning, fatigue, etc.?
Also, what would you say your sessions on the Kilter board look like or how is your general form? With training boards, I always think it's worth repeating things, practicing cutting & returning feet, practice not cutting feet at all, scrunchy moves, big dead points, etc. This way, I think you're also improving your climbing movement repertoire. All in all, just have more deliberate sessions on the board (if you don't already).
Climb steep stuff more often? It's kind of a cop out answer, but it will make the biggest difference.
Also, changing the definition of doable is probably helpful. I would assume you could send all the steep V7s if you gave them 1000 tries, so they're all doable. There are a lot of moves that feel way worse than "barely hangable" that become "pretty consistent" with enough practice.
> I'm wondering if any one has had a similar experience, and what you did you do to get better at steep climbing. Specific exercises, drills, etc.
What do your sessions look like?
I try to get at least 2 sessions per week of moderately hard volume climbing. Try to do climbs in the 1-3 attempt range that I can complete. This should allow you to hopefully get upwards of 3-8 climbs per session (say 5 average) at that grade range which if you're doing something 2x per week you're getting about 10 per week and 40 per month.
That volume adds up to being a lot more comfortable on the angle and the volume should be enough to push your hand strength up as well. I've gone from V6-7ish this past summer to V8-9 currently on tension board in the 30-45 angle range.
I detail more about that here:
https://stevenlow.org/my-7-5-year-self-assessment-of-climbing-strength-training-and-hangboard/
is it possible that climbing has injured my neck. It has been incredibly sore for last 3 weeks and pain has not gone away. I think it may be pulling movements from my traps into my neck. It may be sitting at a desk for work or not sleeping right but i would have expected a slower type of pain. Now my neck cracks all the time from a light massage between vertebrae. Anyone ever had this?
I don't think I've had your issue, but I'm wondering if it could also be related to your shoulder (as you alluded to, something to do with the traps?). I remember when I was recovering from a shoulder injury and got back into climbing, I would get terrible neck pain & headaches. It wasn't necessarily because of injury to those areas, but just a huge muscle imbalance/weakness in the shoulders, it sorta "carried itself" up the chain, so to speak. I just wanted to mention it should it be something you want to consider while trying to figure things out. Best of luck!
I made an instagram post the other day on if you have a neck muscle spasm a way to loosen things up. Also referred to a crick in the neck.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmjrhEfqQEE/
If it's an actual muscle strain then generally you'd just do isometrics then light resistive movements over time, but it sounds like you might have a muscle spasm which can be common that limits range of motion and is painful and usually onsets from exercises or sleeping wrong.
Was having slight discomfort in the front of my shoulder (up and a little side to the peck, not at the top). Now have a sprain like feeling in my shoulder blade area on the back after a hard climbing day (and the front pain is gone). I can do most movements without pain. Should I rest and for how long?
Not enough details to make a guess. Generally, rehab with isolation exercises is almost always better than rest, but if you want to rest most things with rest should get to 90-95% within a few days up to a week. Then do rehab after that
The fact that you have had symptoms in 2 different places it might be a good idea to get a sports PT to check you out so they can let you know what you are dealing with and usually they will give you a home exercise program if you don't want to keep going
I climb for 8 months (V3-V4) yet can't body-weight hang on 30mm edge on my hangboard, while my gf can and she climbed max 10x, my buddy can also do that and he trains way less. Am I just not gifted and will always be mediocre ? Makes me so sad.
How often do you practice hanging a 30mm edge?
If you care about hanging on a 30mm edge, hang on a 30mm edge.
In the grand scheme of things, we're all going to always be mediocre - enjoy the process of sucking a little less every year.
Bit confused on your info. You said your gym has no MB but you can do climbing at your gym and on another board? Kilter and tension?
Generally speaking, getting a ton of volume of climbing in 1 year in is going to help you develop the technique to push into higher grades. 3x a week.. 2x volume session and 1x projecting would be a good split.
> Yes, your are correct! A kilter and a tension. I’ve been trying to squeeze in x3 climbing session in a week instead but sadly it isn’t doable with my schedule. Thats the reason for the x1 hangboard session and x2 climbing session in a week.
I mostly use tension since that's the one my gym currently has. I detail out how I train on it at the moment... mostly moderately-hard volume climbing 2x per week. After recovering from not climbing during the pandemic, it has allowed my to push from consistent V6-7ish last summer to V8-9ish now without doing any projecting.
2 sessions a week is fine with a hangboard, You can definitely improve with that.
https://stevenlow.org/my-7-5-year-self-assessment-of-climbing-strength-training-and-hangboard/
> I've set "Time To Die" as the goal
If this is your goal, have you tried it? Which moves feel difficult to you? Take some video.
If you can only climb two days a week, try to get more than one rest or nonclimbing day in between them. Also no reason you can't board climb twice a week. You should also be able to hangboard more than once a week.
Which V8 did you do? Keep in mind they all aren't the same difficulty, same with the V9s. How's the rest of your pyramid look?
If your day to day schedule is flexible you could do something like 1. MB, 2. HB, 3. Rest day, then repeat. The hangboard is going to be easier on your fingers and less injury prone than the MB. Then if you feel your fingers being too sore you can take an extra rest day. You also don't need to spend the whole session on the MB, definitely better to do less volume for avoiding injury. Spend more time on easier climbs and fill out your pyramid. Hard to know exactly how you'll feel without knowing your age and training age.
Are there any more climbing specific exercises that are worth doing for injury prevention in the knee? I'm referring specifically to those rough heel hooks with a significant twist of the knee. Are there any exercises that will strengthen the knee's ligaments in preparation of this twist or am I well enough off strengthening the knee in general with squats and the usual exercises?
You could look into knees over toes guy as well. I wouldn't do everything he says but the Nordics and split squats would probably be helpful for knees and hamstrings during heel hooks.
Most people do hip bridges with the knees aligned with the toes. You can start doing some unweighted ones with the knees outside and inside of the toes. Just take care not to twist the knees during them, and this will put some forces on the MCL and LCL that can help to build up some injury resistance over time like you would experience with heel hooking.
Mostly with the knees out and pressure on the LCL.
My left ring finger has an injury but not quite sure what it could be. It's aggravated when half-crimping/full-crimping. No pain when open handed. The reason why it feels unfamiliar is because pressing down on the middle of my finger (palm side or top side) doesn't hurt, but pressing it on the sides near the PIP joint does trigger some soreness. I've dealt with an A4 pulley injury before and this seems rather different. Can a pulley injury feel like this?
> My left ring finger has an injury but not quite sure what it could be. It's aggravated when half-crimping/full-crimping. No pain when open handed. The reason why it feels unfamiliar is because pressing down on the middle of my finger (palm side or top side) doesn't hurt, but pressing it on the sides near the PIP joint does trigger some soreness. I've dealt with an A4 pulley injury before and this seems rather different. Can a pulley injury feel like this?
Likely collateral overuse as the other person said.
Collateral overuse with the same positions as pulley overuse (e.g. half and full crimp) can be rehabbed the same with as regular pulley overuse anyway, so it doesn't matter all that much that it's not one of the normal A1-A5 pulleys.
https://stevenlow.org/rehabbing-injured-pulleys-my-experience-with-rehabbing-two-a2-pulley-issues/
Possibly a collateral ligament issue. Thats at least something to Google. They're fairly common. Usually they'll go away on their own as long as you avoid aggravating loading, which would be any loading that twists the finger. This is common on medium sized crimps that aren't set as down pulling (whîch are super common in gym climbing).
Is it normal for pip joints on all fingers to be straight (180 degree) when doing three finger drag?
My middle finger is pretty short so it is extended fully when doing open hand
Usually a little bend in mine. Will likely vary a bunch due to individual anthropometry so not a big deal as long as it's not painful and you are able to slowly increase your strength
Could I use a gripsaver plus to increase or at least maintain my endurance while I'm studdying for my exams?
When I use the gripsaver plus and do like 60 reps (open hand + squeeze per rep) I get a wicked pump. If I do this a couple times a day, would it help me increase or at least maintain my endurance or is that a different kind of pump / does that not apply to climbing endurance?
Edit: I also do max hangs for power + some calisthenics, the only problem is endurance
> Edit: I also do max hangs for power + some calisthenics, the only problem is endurance
If you can do hangs then repeaters are great for endurance training
> Could I use a gripsaver plus to increase or at least maintain my endurance while I'm studdying for my exams?
This may help but probably not as effectively as hangs. With the grip type stuff they work some muscles of the forearm like wrist curls and such but not necessarily in a way that helps climbing specific endurance. I've tried a lot of different grip devices before and it's not exactly super transferable. There is some though
Finger rolls tend to be fairly effective though.
https://stevenlow.org/finger-rolls-for-climbing-hand-strength-and-hangboard/
Scare tissue build up in right middle finger joint , I've been doing exercises and other things to get blood flow into the finger to try and break up the excess tissue and it's slowly getting better and with my range of motion coming back slightly.
-I do the hot / cold water thing for blood flow
-I do the acupuncture rings whenever I'm watching a movie or have time
-also started just moving the joint around to help a little bit
Anything I'm missing that might speed up the process?
> Scare tissue build up in right middle finger joint
Actual visible scar tissue build up like you'd have on a scar and you can palpate? Or is this your speculation?
I'm extremely skeptical of most "scar tissue" claims as scar tissue is normal and usually what limits range is swelling in/around the joint and not scar tissue unless there is actually a contracture.
No visible scar , but people I've spoken to said that it's tissue build up. I honestly don't know how to tell the difference between swelling or tissue build up , it's just swollen and I have less range of motion. And I've heard that repeated strain on joints causes such issues.
> No visible scar , but people I've spoken to said that it's tissue build up. I honestly don't know how to tell the difference between swelling or tissue build up , it's just swollen and I have less range of motion. And I've heard that repeated strain on joints causes such issues.
Scar tissue is a big bogeyman in the fitness world nowadays.
Scar tissue is generally created from tearing. So like actual torn muscles or ligaments. Like if your skin was torn open and after it healed there is a scar. Large macroscopic changes that are visible to the eye.
Repeated strain on joints does not cause scar tissue buildup.
Overuse can cause swelling of tendon synovial sheaths, joint capsules, and so on.
For example, PIP synovitis usually manifests as swelling around the PIP joint and inability to extend and make a fist fully with the fingers.
https://stevenlow.org/beating-climbing-injuries-pip-synovitis/
I can only climb one day a week(live an hour each way from the closest gym). I've started training at home with yoga, stretches, a fingerboard, and a pullup bar. I've put together a plan to climb once a week, workout 4 times a week, and rest 2 days a week.
My question is, how should those rest days line up with my climbing day? Should I take off the day before and after, with 4 days of workouts in a row the rest of the week? Day off the day after climbing, with a stretching/flexibility day the day before climbing? [Here is my current plan](https://imgur.com/a/kAjlBGZ)
I'm only about a v3 climber, but hoping to send V5 this year.
Other/related fitness goals: Do an L-sit with straight legs, touch my toes without 30 mins of stretching first, be able to hang with one hand from a jug for 30s with either hand.
I would do: climb, workout (easy), workout (easiest), rest, workout (hardest), workout (easier), rest, repeat.
But really I would do 4 days on total:
Climb, workout (moderate), rest, workout(hardest/fingers), rest, workout (easy), rest, repeat.
There's a ton of ways to do it, but the most important concept is: Do nothing that will inhibit in any way your climbing session. That is your number one priority.
Nearly at the same level: Don't get hurt trying to chase the pack. Do you.
In your situation, I'd generally put hangboard a rest day away from your climbing day. So not the day before or after. And keep the hangboard pretty chill/minimal.
Maybe one day repeaters (1 workout) and one day max hangs (6 hangs, call it). Probably a total rest day before your climbing session-- and the day before that, max hangs wouldn't be bad (activation for 48 hrs later climbing). Don't do any hard pulling (pullup bar) the day before the fingerboard.
The day after climbing do something related to mobility/yoga. You can also stack whatever mobility/etc after hangboard sessions.
Less and consistent is more. Don't forget to have fun.
Thanks for the input!
That's pretty close to what I have lined out. I do currently have a flexibility/core workout, and lightweight wrist curls the day before climbing. Think that's too much? The main reason for it is to maintain flexibility for climb day. Also because I needed 1 more core day each week. Maybe I need to do core at the end of my climbing days...
Currently have 2 days between my repeaters and my climbing day, so I should be OK there.
If you want to do core, sure, after climbing is fine.
Very light core the day before climbing might even be good (activation).
But don't go heavy the day before and ruin your climbing session. After all, the point of training core for climbing-- is because you need your core for climbing. Blasting it the day before climbing WILL impact your climbing negatively. (That's true for anything-- if you need to get a stronger XYZ in order to climb harder, then temporarily making XYZ weaker because it's in post-workout recovery mode... will temporarily negatively impact your climbing, and over time negatively impact your progression.)
I don't have much core muscle strength but I'm interested in rock climbing and I'm wondering if I can get better at it just by doing it more often? Or do I need to workout outside of just rock climbing and work on improving my core strength in order to be able to do it?
(Almost) regardless of fitness level, a normal person can climb up to about v3 just from climbing more often(in my experience, as a normal person). It might take a few months to get there, but even without extra conditioning you will probably stabilize around there.
*Often* a normal person can get to V10 (on rock) only ever climbing, without any workouts. Some folks (myself included; far from everyone), tend to think a majority optimize progression by only working on-wall/climbing, until somewhere in the V8-12 range. There are of course plenty of exceptions.
Sometimes (increasingly often with more and more sedentary lifestyles), a person can be so fundamentally weak/inexperienced in a movement pattern that no amount of on the wall time will fix it. They will just continue to be so weak that training it on the wall isn't feasible, because the load is high enough such that they will simply work around the issue instead of working through it. And it's possible that this could stop progression at a much lower level.
I don't give this position much credence (although, of course, exceptions exist) mainly because it requires a very, very narrow envelope.
If you're very obese, very sedentary, and continue to do that and nothing else except climbing, it will be much harder and slower to lose weight on the wall. Although physically feasible (unless you eat more calories to offset whatever you burn-- but then this becomes a lifestyle/disposition, possibly mental health issue). Literally obese folks would be wise to address their obesity outside of climbing-- even just for health purposes-- and will definitely see benefits to their climbing from doing that. If one considers that "off wall" training for climbing, sure, absolutely add it in! But, for instance, if this is you: You don't need to focus on lifting, fingerboard, core workouts (or other off-wall, climbing-related work). Focus on two things: losing weight (through diet and physical activity, whether walking, jogging or other cardio, hiking, gardening, literally anything that substantially increases the burning of calories over current or dietary baseline)-- and climbing on the wall (having fun, primarily, and getting a decent overall physical workout).
If you're very, very sedentary, very non-muscular, very thin-- sure, you've gotta start eating enough calories to support the muscle building that will come from your time on the wall. But you really don't have to do any off-wall climbing or lifting related work if you don't want. Of course addressing basic strength and conditioning is healthy/can be beneficial (and help you build a resilient body). It can benefit your climbing. But it's also not needed.
The main point is this: Your muscles do not care where the load that it encounters comes from-- they will adapt to it. So as long as you can get up 1 climb AND can't get up 1 climb, you can almost definitely improve your strength and movement to the point that you can get up 2, then 3, then 100 climbs-- and hopefully still encounter 100 you cannot get up. Progressive load, progressive encounters with new or variations of moves, rinse and repeat forever until you're 60, then 70, then 80 and declining (but hopefully still having fun).
:)
I am getting a very sharp almost tearing type feeling just below my PIP joint on the top side of my right index finger when I flex (curl) my finger. By looking at anatomy pictures it seems to be right where the central slip is located. My symptoms do NOT seem to be consistent with synovitis. The strange thing is that the sharp feeling happens very sporadically. I can take the finger through the whole range of motion 10 times with no pain and then suddenly on any random rep it will feel like a needle is being jammed into my finger. I don't experience any pain with PIP extension. Any body experienced something similar?
I have scoured the internet and found nothing on this. I have an appointment with my PT next week, just anxious to get it figured out.
Anybody know where to purchase high quality micro crimp holds (< 6mm). After a lot of training, the 6mm on the Transgression board has become pretty comfortable, so now I'm looking for 5mm and 4mm crimps to keep progressing.
The transgression board will feel larger than most micros. Those edges don't have a radius, but most other companies do put a radius on their edges. I think the transgression 6mm is slightly easier to hang than the beastmaker 8mm micro?
Why not progress on the 6mm? Add weight, reduce rest, hang longer, repeaters, etc. all seem better than reducing edge size.
Oh thanks, I didn't realize Transgression's edges were that much easier than other micros.
>Why not progress on the 6mm? Add weight, reduce rest, hang longer, repeaters, etc. all seem better than reducing edge size.
I guess because my main goal is to feel solid on any crimp hold I encounter out in the wild, so reducing edge size seems more directly applicable to that.
Hi all, so yep I broke my ankle this sunday passed. Looking like a good 2 months until i can jump on the wall again.
In 2 weeks, alonside doctors approval of course, I'll be able to do some upper body training. In regards to training I'd really appreciate any resources/spreadsheets that'll keep me fit and who knows maybe even come back stronger than ever. I'd especially appreciate anything around finger strength as I feel this was a weakness prior to this injury (alongside general technique, but thats harder to work om with the ankle)
For some context, I've been climbing for around 7 months, and am around the V5 level with a few V6s under my belt. My fingers obviously wont be able to andle as much as some people here but with 0 climbing perhaps more fingerboarding is okay? I'm quite strong with a background in powerlifting and a 1rm pullup of 45kg at 80kg. If there's any other info just ask away
Cheers in advance guys
Repeaters would be the best for long term strength and hypertrophy if you can only do hangboard.
My reasoning here for why it's a better strength and hypertrophy stimulus than max hangs:
https://stevenlow.org/my-7-5-year-self-assessment-of-climbing-strength-training-and-hangboard/
Hey just wanted to say that I love your book overcoming gravity. It's been helpful for me to have around many times. Thanks!
I think it's really interesting that you say that because I've been loving repeaters. One, because they're generally at a lower intensity, so they don't aggravate tweaky fingers, and secondly because my fingers feel so good the next couple days after doing them. It's to the point where if my fingers feel really bad I'll do some repeaters for healing purposes. It's very simple, just seven seconds on, 3 seconds off about six times per grip and I'm done.
Side note: messing around with some friends at the end of a session we were trying to hang the 20mm middle rung on the beastmaker and I surprised myself and everyone by hanging it (at the end of a hard session) for like 5 seconds. Other than the occasional repeater session there has been no direct training for this. That being said, it probably means my technique is bad lol. Something to be said for repeaters I think.
> Hey just wanted to say that I love your book overcoming gravity. It's been helpful for me to have around many times. Thanks!
Oh awesome! Glad you liked it.
If you have some questions about it you can shoot them over to /r/overcominggravity
> I think it's really interesting that you say that because I've been loving repeaters. One, because they're generally at a lower intensity, so they don't aggravate tweaky fingers, and secondly because my fingers feel so good the next couple days after doing them. It's to the point where if my fingers feel really bad I'll do some repeaters for healing purposes. It's very simple, just seven seconds on, 3 seconds off about six times per grip and I'm done.
> Side note: messing around with some friends at the end of a session we were trying to hang the 20mm middle rung on the beastmaker and I surprised myself and everyone by hanging it (at the end of a hard session) for like 5 seconds. Other than the occasional repeater session there has been no direct training for this. That being said, it probably means my technique is bad lol. Something to be said for repeaters I think.
Yeah, I actually have an article and post on reddit about it:
https://stevenlow.org/repeaters-and-max-hang-analysis-for-strength-and-hypertrophy-ft-power-company-podcast-and-steve-maisch/
I currently have lower bicep tendonitis. I struggled with it on and off, as I boulder more it usually flares up every so many years. I've been climbing for a decade. I don't think my form is bad. Any good ideas for exercises to fix it? I've been trying to do tricep workouts and a few other things.
Any particular eccentric workouts? In the past I've done palm up eccentric wrist curls, where I lifted the weight with my free hand and slowly lowered it with the weighted hand . But at the time I was suffering under the delusion that I had golfer's elbow. I've been doing this one for a few weeks. (https://theclimbingdoctor.com/portfolio-items/biceps-tendinopathy-3/) It's the only thing I've seen that people say is specific to climbing and lower bicep tendonitis. I've also been doing a lot of shoulder stabilization exercises. And I bought a thermaband flexbar and I've been messing around with doing exercises with that too.
Curls are good... I tend to like different ways of hitting the tendon as that seems to produce the best results.
So for example with golfer's I have wrist curls, pronation/supination, and finger curls
Biceps biceps curls with different grips and pronation/supination usually
Ive always had weak wrists. In May 2020 I hurt my wrist climbing. Over the years it never truly got better. Lately it's been worse. Got an MRI and doc says I have a mild TFCC tear. They gave me a steroid injection today and I ordered a wrist widget to split the wrist.
Can anybody share their experience with a TFCC tear? I am concerned it's been well over 2 years and I am not quite sure what other aspects I should consider.
> Can anybody share their experience with a TFCC tear? I am concerned it's been well over 2 years and I am not quite sure what other aspects I should consider.
Have you done physical therapy? If something lasts longer than ~1-2 weeks you should definitely be doing rehab and/or at least seeing a PT to get a diagnosis and rehab exercises. Not to mention 2 years.....
Athletes rehab back to 100% all the time even catastrophic injuries. See: professional sports. It's only people who don't do anything it never gets truly better
After my steroid injection I’m starting Occupational Therapy. Was just curious if anyone had a similar diagnosis and had some intel. My only fear is it let it go for 2 years
I ruptured my A4 rong finger pulley. According to ultrasound only the A4 is injured. But i can feel my tendon "bowstringing" over the a4 and a bit over the A3 (i can't actually see it, i cn only feel it with another finger on it while i curl my injured finger) Could the UT be inaccurate special that the person doing it didn't have experience with climbers.
> I ruptured my A4 rong finger pulley. According to ultrasound only the A4 is injured. But i can feel my tendon "bowstringing" over the a4 and a bit over the A3 (i can't actually see it, i cn only feel it with another finger on it while i curl my injured finger) Could the UT be inaccurate special that the person doing it didn't have experience with climbers.
If you think it's bowstringing it may be worth going to an orthopedic hand specialist to weigh your options and/or get a second opinion.
Oh and i immobilized it for a month now, still feels the same as second day of injury. Not a lot of pain, only when squeezing something, range of motion is at about 80% when making a fist. I have a ring pulley on almost all day. Any suggestion on how to go about it is appreciated.
Anytime you climb use the least strength as possible. Put all the pressure through your feet and the least through your hands and fingers. Much easier to learn around flash level so have at least 2 moderate volume days a week where you do 1-3 attempts on climbs and try to send as many as you can
Trying to do climbs, mainly easy V0-V1's without bending your arms. It will force you to focus on your body positioning and how to better balance yourself.
In short, practice climbing without relying on strength.
I'd suggest spending some time each session where you force yourself to climb while using less strength. You should be able to feel a noticeable difference when technique reduces the amount of strength you need for a move.
The focus during this time should be learning new movement and climbing cleanly, not sending. This means do easier climbs, or look for specific movements that you want to practice. Repeat climbs and experiment/adjust to find different movement patterns. If you notice a move where you're muscling through or being sloppy, take some time on that part of the climb.
I just got a beastmaker 1000 and tryingn to figure out the best way to mount it at a rented condo. I can drill holes though :). Curious about setups people have.
My roommate put theirs above the bedroom door. He made sure it was attached to studs, but I don't know if he did it directly or put a wood board behind the beast maker.
I have multiple hangboards, including a Beastmaker, and have them each attached to a matching size 3/4" board that has two [French cleats](https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/g2340/how-to-build-a-french-cleat-shelf/). It allows me to easily pull one off and pop on another, or spare boards I fitted with French cleats that I can toss any holds on. I also can easily shift my Trango Rock Prodigy to any width as the board is a two piece design.
Though the above may be overkill, in general it's best to at least attach the Beastmaker to a 3/4" board and have that 3/4" to studs. Keep in mind when you hang your knees will hang in front of you so best placed over a doorframe, closet, or something that is sturdy and protrudes from the wall. Lastly, I would highly recommend having a pully system unless you are already a beast.
Anyone had wrist pain that wasn't TFCC? I've had wrist pain for about 6 months now. Can't pinpoint exactly where it is so it must be quite deep into the wrist but it feels like it's definitely on the pinky side of the wrist somewhere. It's improved a lot since I first injured it and I can climb normally for the most part (in fact, I've never been stronger than I am now...) except for when I need to grab very large round slopers and certain underclings (pinch ones and some that face weird directions). After consulting doctor Google I convinced myself that I had a TFCC tear. However, I recently saw an actual doctor who told me that it was likely not TFCC and probably from overuse of my wrist tendons. I don't know what to believe but am thinking of getting some scans done and going to a physio. Has anyone had similar wrist problems and found it wasn't a TFCC tear?
Haven’t been climbing as much as I used to for the past 6 months due to me being in my final semester in grad school (done now, woo!). I was in the gym yesterday on a slabby climb with shallow 2 finger pockets and my foot slipped and my left hand dry fired out of a pocket. Felt some dull pain in the base of my ring finger and through my palm and forearm. It seems that I have a lumbrical strain. I stopped climbing after that just to be safe, but it feels okay outside of really extended/open hand grips. I feel some pain today but it’s not excruciating. I have full mobility and it feels stable in closed and half grips. Im pretty bummed because I’m going to Red Rocks on Thursday. I know I won’t be able to pull on anything hard, but it sounds like many people with minor lumbrical strains have been able to resume easy climbing within a few days with some buddy taping. 5.7 multipitch here I come! Does anyone have any recommendations for lumbrical rehab or notes on continuing issues I should look out for in the coming weeks/months?
Literally had sustained a very similar injury on my right ring finger just under 2 weeks ago. I slipped and for a moment had a lot of force on an open solo ring finger. Pain shot all the way down across the forearm, I thought I was ok at first but open drag was painful. Not crimps though which just means it's a tendon strain injury, not a pulley one. As all tendon injuries, healing is slow. It's getting better will probably need 2-4 weeks more to go back to normal, I never really stopped climbing even in the same session but I did go very light that day. I buddy tape my middle and ring finger together (it feels better when slightly tighter, mainly to avoid accidently loading my ring finger solo) and avoid open hand and uncomfortable slopers (When really warmed up I can still do some very light open hand holds mainly because of buddy taping but it's probably better if I didn't). Just taking it easy, yeah it sucks, but it is a pretty light injury so at least we can continue climbing carefully. Just my account of my fingers and I haven't been climbing for that long. You can check this out perhaps it will help: https://www.hoopersbeta.com/library/how-to-heal-from-a-lumbrical-injury-5-simple-stages-to-recover
> Does anyone have any recommendations for lumbrical rehab or notes on continuing issues I should look out for in the coming weeks/months? Yeah, basically work back into some very light 3 finger drag and pocket work. This article on pulleys but just apply the same concepts to 3FD and pockets starting with very light weight and working incrementally up over time. https://stevenlow.org/rehabbing-injured-pulleys-my-experience-with-rehabbing-two-a2-pulley-issues/
I have been getting a persistent rash on the inside of my leg from my climbing harness. The leg loops ride up, and I have a very clear rectangle in red with peeling skin. This has only started in the last few months, I have not had this issue with the same equiptment and climbing gym in the past. It seems to correlate especially if I am belaying someone who is sitting on the rope a lot working on a problem. 0) is this caused by a poor fit, or by mis-tightening the harness, or something else? 1) is there a type of harness that minimizes this? 2) what's the best way to care for the rash?
Don't know much about the other questions but > what's the best way to care for the rash? Probably a good idea to see a dermatologist to see if they can figure out what it is. There's a lot of different types of dermatitis or could even be some type of bacterial/fungal thing that developed after the skin was irritated.
My girlfriend cut her hand on a knife, and she's wondering how long she should wait until she climbs. The cut isn't deep enough to need stitches, but it's on her palm right below her index finger, so it would def get stretched when holding jugs and it would be in contact on slopers. Should she wait until the wound is fully scarred over to resume climbing? Or, is it safe to be careful and climb a bit before that? It's not exciting to face 6+ weeks off for something like this, but she gets it if it's too risky.
Honestly just depends on how fast it heals and that depends on how deep/severe and how fast the body's healing response (older = slower usually). Could be a few days to weeks.
I have an old small (~4x5ft) elevator shaft in my house, down the center of a square-helix staircase. I'd like to put a climbing wall in there. I've never built a home wall tall enough to need more safety than a bouldering crash pad, but this one would be 30-40ft tall. I've found very few sources (including some old threads here) on this sort of setup. What should I do for solo climb safety? * static rope, climber wears an ascender * dynamic rope, progress capture pulley at the top * dynamic rope, autobelay at the top * net or padded platform across the space every 10ft or so, possibly with automated retraction * ?? your idea here ??
I would set it up like a toprope solo. Plenty of resources about this out there. That way, you have everything attached to yourself, and full control of the system at all times. Lowering can be a PITA depending on your TRS setup but there are devices that make it less of a hassle. Autobelays cost some serious $$$ and involve maintenance.
Lowering won't necessarily be a concern. You can step out to the stairs at any height.
One finger is sore until it's worn out? My right ring finger had some tenderness on the A2 pulley and I took it easy for about 2 weeks to give it a breather. It didn't really hurt to use in daily life, but was definitely tender to massage. I did light climbing, and no hangboarding. When I'm not using it, it and the joint right above it(PIP) get sore. I've started easing back into hangs. The further I get into the session, the less it hurts. By the end, it stays pain-free(even when massaged) for a couple of hours. Then it starts getting sore again. Is this anything to worry about? Am I good to climb/hang on it as long as I'm not pushing my limits?
> I've started easing back into hangs. The further I get into the session, the less it hurts. By the end, it stays pain-free(even when massaged) for a couple of hours. Then it starts getting sore again. The problem with some overuse injuries sometimes is that if you warm up and start doing stuff the symptoms go away, but if your symptoms come back after and are getting worse then it's too much too fast. I generally recommend incremental rehab if things are tricky like this. Basically, aim to progress slow but sure and don't overdo stuff just because it "feels good" as you warm up and get into things. https://stevenlow.org/rehabbing-injured-pulleys-my-experience-with-rehabbing-two-a2-pulley-issues/
So you're saying to keep going on hangs, but be conscious about working up to old maxes?
More or less. Go slower with progress. Symptoms should trend better over time from session to session not worse.
I've been a 'serious' climber for something like 4 years, with a few more years of experience before that. I'm a solid 5.12 redpointer, broke the 5.13 barrier last season, have a done few V7s but feel more comfortable in the v4-6 range. I'm 5'11", ~180lbs, and turning 30 this year. My biggest weakness has always been steep climbing, I've always gravitated to more vertical/slabby terrain with small holds. There's just something about it that I've never really understood. Either the climb feels totally doable, or I can barely hang the positions/move. For example, I've been training on a Kilter board for 3 winters now and have been pretty stuck in the V4-5 range when its set to 40 degrees or steeper. I'm wondering if any one has had a similar experience, and what you did you do to get better at steep climbing. Specific exercises, drills, etc.
With steep climbing, is there something with it that you struggle with the most? Is it power endurance, body positioning, fatigue, etc.? Also, what would you say your sessions on the Kilter board look like or how is your general form? With training boards, I always think it's worth repeating things, practicing cutting & returning feet, practice not cutting feet at all, scrunchy moves, big dead points, etc. This way, I think you're also improving your climbing movement repertoire. All in all, just have more deliberate sessions on the board (if you don't already).
Climb steep stuff more often? It's kind of a cop out answer, but it will make the biggest difference. Also, changing the definition of doable is probably helpful. I would assume you could send all the steep V7s if you gave them 1000 tries, so they're all doable. There are a lot of moves that feel way worse than "barely hangable" that become "pretty consistent" with enough practice.
> I'm wondering if any one has had a similar experience, and what you did you do to get better at steep climbing. Specific exercises, drills, etc. What do your sessions look like? I try to get at least 2 sessions per week of moderately hard volume climbing. Try to do climbs in the 1-3 attempt range that I can complete. This should allow you to hopefully get upwards of 3-8 climbs per session (say 5 average) at that grade range which if you're doing something 2x per week you're getting about 10 per week and 40 per month. That volume adds up to being a lot more comfortable on the angle and the volume should be enough to push your hand strength up as well. I've gone from V6-7ish this past summer to V8-9 currently on tension board in the 30-45 angle range. I detail more about that here: https://stevenlow.org/my-7-5-year-self-assessment-of-climbing-strength-training-and-hangboard/
is it possible that climbing has injured my neck. It has been incredibly sore for last 3 weeks and pain has not gone away. I think it may be pulling movements from my traps into my neck. It may be sitting at a desk for work or not sleeping right but i would have expected a slower type of pain. Now my neck cracks all the time from a light massage between vertebrae. Anyone ever had this?
I don't think I've had your issue, but I'm wondering if it could also be related to your shoulder (as you alluded to, something to do with the traps?). I remember when I was recovering from a shoulder injury and got back into climbing, I would get terrible neck pain & headaches. It wasn't necessarily because of injury to those areas, but just a huge muscle imbalance/weakness in the shoulders, it sorta "carried itself" up the chain, so to speak. I just wanted to mention it should it be something you want to consider while trying to figure things out. Best of luck!
I made an instagram post the other day on if you have a neck muscle spasm a way to loosen things up. Also referred to a crick in the neck. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmjrhEfqQEE/ If it's an actual muscle strain then generally you'd just do isometrics then light resistive movements over time, but it sounds like you might have a muscle spasm which can be common that limits range of motion and is painful and usually onsets from exercises or sleeping wrong.
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It's in the body of the post. https://stevenlow.org/overcoming-tendonitis/
Was having slight discomfort in the front of my shoulder (up and a little side to the peck, not at the top). Now have a sprain like feeling in my shoulder blade area on the back after a hard climbing day (and the front pain is gone). I can do most movements without pain. Should I rest and for how long?
Not enough details to make a guess. Generally, rehab with isolation exercises is almost always better than rest, but if you want to rest most things with rest should get to 90-95% within a few days up to a week. Then do rehab after that The fact that you have had symptoms in 2 different places it might be a good idea to get a sports PT to check you out so they can let you know what you are dealing with and usually they will give you a home exercise program if you don't want to keep going
I climb for 8 months (V3-V4) yet can't body-weight hang on 30mm edge on my hangboard, while my gf can and she climbed max 10x, my buddy can also do that and he trains way less. Am I just not gifted and will always be mediocre ? Makes me so sad.
How often do you practice hanging a 30mm edge? If you care about hanging on a 30mm edge, hang on a 30mm edge. In the grand scheme of things, we're all going to always be mediocre - enjoy the process of sucking a little less every year.
You're putting way too much thought into something that is ultimately meaningless.
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Bit confused on your info. You said your gym has no MB but you can do climbing at your gym and on another board? Kilter and tension? Generally speaking, getting a ton of volume of climbing in 1 year in is going to help you develop the technique to push into higher grades. 3x a week.. 2x volume session and 1x projecting would be a good split.
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> Yes, your are correct! A kilter and a tension. I’ve been trying to squeeze in x3 climbing session in a week instead but sadly it isn’t doable with my schedule. Thats the reason for the x1 hangboard session and x2 climbing session in a week. I mostly use tension since that's the one my gym currently has. I detail out how I train on it at the moment... mostly moderately-hard volume climbing 2x per week. After recovering from not climbing during the pandemic, it has allowed my to push from consistent V6-7ish last summer to V8-9ish now without doing any projecting. 2 sessions a week is fine with a hangboard, You can definitely improve with that. https://stevenlow.org/my-7-5-year-self-assessment-of-climbing-strength-training-and-hangboard/
> I've set "Time To Die" as the goal If this is your goal, have you tried it? Which moves feel difficult to you? Take some video. If you can only climb two days a week, try to get more than one rest or nonclimbing day in between them. Also no reason you can't board climb twice a week. You should also be able to hangboard more than once a week. Which V8 did you do? Keep in mind they all aren't the same difficulty, same with the V9s. How's the rest of your pyramid look?
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If your day to day schedule is flexible you could do something like 1. MB, 2. HB, 3. Rest day, then repeat. The hangboard is going to be easier on your fingers and less injury prone than the MB. Then if you feel your fingers being too sore you can take an extra rest day. You also don't need to spend the whole session on the MB, definitely better to do less volume for avoiding injury. Spend more time on easier climbs and fill out your pyramid. Hard to know exactly how you'll feel without knowing your age and training age.
Are there any more climbing specific exercises that are worth doing for injury prevention in the knee? I'm referring specifically to those rough heel hooks with a significant twist of the knee. Are there any exercises that will strengthen the knee's ligaments in preparation of this twist or am I well enough off strengthening the knee in general with squats and the usual exercises?
You could look into knees over toes guy as well. I wouldn't do everything he says but the Nordics and split squats would probably be helpful for knees and hamstrings during heel hooks.
Most people do hip bridges with the knees aligned with the toes. You can start doing some unweighted ones with the knees outside and inside of the toes. Just take care not to twist the knees during them, and this will put some forces on the MCL and LCL that can help to build up some injury resistance over time like you would experience with heel hooking. Mostly with the knees out and pressure on the LCL.
My left ring finger has an injury but not quite sure what it could be. It's aggravated when half-crimping/full-crimping. No pain when open handed. The reason why it feels unfamiliar is because pressing down on the middle of my finger (palm side or top side) doesn't hurt, but pressing it on the sides near the PIP joint does trigger some soreness. I've dealt with an A4 pulley injury before and this seems rather different. Can a pulley injury feel like this?
> My left ring finger has an injury but not quite sure what it could be. It's aggravated when half-crimping/full-crimping. No pain when open handed. The reason why it feels unfamiliar is because pressing down on the middle of my finger (palm side or top side) doesn't hurt, but pressing it on the sides near the PIP joint does trigger some soreness. I've dealt with an A4 pulley injury before and this seems rather different. Can a pulley injury feel like this? Likely collateral overuse as the other person said. Collateral overuse with the same positions as pulley overuse (e.g. half and full crimp) can be rehabbed the same with as regular pulley overuse anyway, so it doesn't matter all that much that it's not one of the normal A1-A5 pulleys. https://stevenlow.org/rehabbing-injured-pulleys-my-experience-with-rehabbing-two-a2-pulley-issues/
Possibly a collateral ligament issue. Thats at least something to Google. They're fairly common. Usually they'll go away on their own as long as you avoid aggravating loading, which would be any loading that twists the finger. This is common on medium sized crimps that aren't set as down pulling (whîch are super common in gym climbing).
Never heard of this injury, and it sounds like the most probable issue. Thanks!
Is it normal for pip joints on all fingers to be straight (180 degree) when doing three finger drag? My middle finger is pretty short so it is extended fully when doing open hand
Usually a little bend in mine. Will likely vary a bunch due to individual anthropometry so not a big deal as long as it's not painful and you are able to slowly increase your strength
Could I use a gripsaver plus to increase or at least maintain my endurance while I'm studdying for my exams? When I use the gripsaver plus and do like 60 reps (open hand + squeeze per rep) I get a wicked pump. If I do this a couple times a day, would it help me increase or at least maintain my endurance or is that a different kind of pump / does that not apply to climbing endurance? Edit: I also do max hangs for power + some calisthenics, the only problem is endurance
> Edit: I also do max hangs for power + some calisthenics, the only problem is endurance If you can do hangs then repeaters are great for endurance training > Could I use a gripsaver plus to increase or at least maintain my endurance while I'm studdying for my exams? This may help but probably not as effectively as hangs. With the grip type stuff they work some muscles of the forearm like wrist curls and such but not necessarily in a way that helps climbing specific endurance. I've tried a lot of different grip devices before and it's not exactly super transferable. There is some though Finger rolls tend to be fairly effective though. https://stevenlow.org/finger-rolls-for-climbing-hand-strength-and-hangboard/
Thanks!
Scare tissue build up in right middle finger joint , I've been doing exercises and other things to get blood flow into the finger to try and break up the excess tissue and it's slowly getting better and with my range of motion coming back slightly. -I do the hot / cold water thing for blood flow -I do the acupuncture rings whenever I'm watching a movie or have time -also started just moving the joint around to help a little bit Anything I'm missing that might speed up the process?
> Scare tissue build up in right middle finger joint Actual visible scar tissue build up like you'd have on a scar and you can palpate? Or is this your speculation? I'm extremely skeptical of most "scar tissue" claims as scar tissue is normal and usually what limits range is swelling in/around the joint and not scar tissue unless there is actually a contracture.
No visible scar , but people I've spoken to said that it's tissue build up. I honestly don't know how to tell the difference between swelling or tissue build up , it's just swollen and I have less range of motion. And I've heard that repeated strain on joints causes such issues.
> No visible scar , but people I've spoken to said that it's tissue build up. I honestly don't know how to tell the difference between swelling or tissue build up , it's just swollen and I have less range of motion. And I've heard that repeated strain on joints causes such issues. Scar tissue is a big bogeyman in the fitness world nowadays. Scar tissue is generally created from tearing. So like actual torn muscles or ligaments. Like if your skin was torn open and after it healed there is a scar. Large macroscopic changes that are visible to the eye. Repeated strain on joints does not cause scar tissue buildup.
So what would cause the swelling finger joints? And that is actually happening?
Sounds like synovitis. Check the OP for a link on treatment.
Overuse can cause swelling of tendon synovial sheaths, joint capsules, and so on. For example, PIP synovitis usually manifests as swelling around the PIP joint and inability to extend and make a fist fully with the fingers. https://stevenlow.org/beating-climbing-injuries-pip-synovitis/
I can only climb one day a week(live an hour each way from the closest gym). I've started training at home with yoga, stretches, a fingerboard, and a pullup bar. I've put together a plan to climb once a week, workout 4 times a week, and rest 2 days a week. My question is, how should those rest days line up with my climbing day? Should I take off the day before and after, with 4 days of workouts in a row the rest of the week? Day off the day after climbing, with a stretching/flexibility day the day before climbing? [Here is my current plan](https://imgur.com/a/kAjlBGZ) I'm only about a v3 climber, but hoping to send V5 this year. Other/related fitness goals: Do an L-sit with straight legs, touch my toes without 30 mins of stretching first, be able to hang with one hand from a jug for 30s with either hand.
I would do: climb, workout (easy), workout (easiest), rest, workout (hardest), workout (easier), rest, repeat. But really I would do 4 days on total: Climb, workout (moderate), rest, workout(hardest/fingers), rest, workout (easy), rest, repeat.
Thanks for the input! What's the driver behind an extra rest day? I feel like I already have more I want to work on than I have days in the week.
There's a ton of ways to do it, but the most important concept is: Do nothing that will inhibit in any way your climbing session. That is your number one priority. Nearly at the same level: Don't get hurt trying to chase the pack. Do you. In your situation, I'd generally put hangboard a rest day away from your climbing day. So not the day before or after. And keep the hangboard pretty chill/minimal. Maybe one day repeaters (1 workout) and one day max hangs (6 hangs, call it). Probably a total rest day before your climbing session-- and the day before that, max hangs wouldn't be bad (activation for 48 hrs later climbing). Don't do any hard pulling (pullup bar) the day before the fingerboard. The day after climbing do something related to mobility/yoga. You can also stack whatever mobility/etc after hangboard sessions. Less and consistent is more. Don't forget to have fun.
Thanks for the input! That's pretty close to what I have lined out. I do currently have a flexibility/core workout, and lightweight wrist curls the day before climbing. Think that's too much? The main reason for it is to maintain flexibility for climb day. Also because I needed 1 more core day each week. Maybe I need to do core at the end of my climbing days... Currently have 2 days between my repeaters and my climbing day, so I should be OK there.
If you want to do core, sure, after climbing is fine. Very light core the day before climbing might even be good (activation). But don't go heavy the day before and ruin your climbing session. After all, the point of training core for climbing-- is because you need your core for climbing. Blasting it the day before climbing WILL impact your climbing negatively. (That's true for anything-- if you need to get a stronger XYZ in order to climb harder, then temporarily making XYZ weaker because it's in post-workout recovery mode... will temporarily negatively impact your climbing, and over time negatively impact your progression.)
I don't have much core muscle strength but I'm interested in rock climbing and I'm wondering if I can get better at it just by doing it more often? Or do I need to workout outside of just rock climbing and work on improving my core strength in order to be able to do it?
(Almost) regardless of fitness level, a normal person can climb up to about v3 just from climbing more often(in my experience, as a normal person). It might take a few months to get there, but even without extra conditioning you will probably stabilize around there.
*Often* a normal person can get to V10 (on rock) only ever climbing, without any workouts. Some folks (myself included; far from everyone), tend to think a majority optimize progression by only working on-wall/climbing, until somewhere in the V8-12 range. There are of course plenty of exceptions.
Sometimes (increasingly often with more and more sedentary lifestyles), a person can be so fundamentally weak/inexperienced in a movement pattern that no amount of on the wall time will fix it. They will just continue to be so weak that training it on the wall isn't feasible, because the load is high enough such that they will simply work around the issue instead of working through it. And it's possible that this could stop progression at a much lower level.
I don't give this position much credence (although, of course, exceptions exist) mainly because it requires a very, very narrow envelope. If you're very obese, very sedentary, and continue to do that and nothing else except climbing, it will be much harder and slower to lose weight on the wall. Although physically feasible (unless you eat more calories to offset whatever you burn-- but then this becomes a lifestyle/disposition, possibly mental health issue). Literally obese folks would be wise to address their obesity outside of climbing-- even just for health purposes-- and will definitely see benefits to their climbing from doing that. If one considers that "off wall" training for climbing, sure, absolutely add it in! But, for instance, if this is you: You don't need to focus on lifting, fingerboard, core workouts (or other off-wall, climbing-related work). Focus on two things: losing weight (through diet and physical activity, whether walking, jogging or other cardio, hiking, gardening, literally anything that substantially increases the burning of calories over current or dietary baseline)-- and climbing on the wall (having fun, primarily, and getting a decent overall physical workout). If you're very, very sedentary, very non-muscular, very thin-- sure, you've gotta start eating enough calories to support the muscle building that will come from your time on the wall. But you really don't have to do any off-wall climbing or lifting related work if you don't want. Of course addressing basic strength and conditioning is healthy/can be beneficial (and help you build a resilient body). It can benefit your climbing. But it's also not needed. The main point is this: Your muscles do not care where the load that it encounters comes from-- they will adapt to it. So as long as you can get up 1 climb AND can't get up 1 climb, you can almost definitely improve your strength and movement to the point that you can get up 2, then 3, then 100 climbs-- and hopefully still encounter 100 you cannot get up. Progressive load, progressive encounters with new or variations of moves, rinse and repeat forever until you're 60, then 70, then 80 and declining (but hopefully still having fun). :)
I am getting a very sharp almost tearing type feeling just below my PIP joint on the top side of my right index finger when I flex (curl) my finger. By looking at anatomy pictures it seems to be right where the central slip is located. My symptoms do NOT seem to be consistent with synovitis. The strange thing is that the sharp feeling happens very sporadically. I can take the finger through the whole range of motion 10 times with no pain and then suddenly on any random rep it will feel like a needle is being jammed into my finger. I don't experience any pain with PIP extension. Any body experienced something similar? I have scoured the internet and found nothing on this. I have an appointment with my PT next week, just anxious to get it figured out.
Hard to say anything without examination IMO. PT should be able to figure it out if not just a rehab plan that should help
Anybody know where to purchase high quality micro crimp holds (< 6mm). After a lot of training, the 6mm on the Transgression board has become pretty comfortable, so now I'm looking for 5mm and 4mm crimps to keep progressing.
Lattice makes 4mm micros, but I find all of their micros to be too sharp (not enough radius). The Beastmaker 6mm micros are great.
The transgression board will feel larger than most micros. Those edges don't have a radius, but most other companies do put a radius on their edges. I think the transgression 6mm is slightly easier to hang than the beastmaker 8mm micro? Why not progress on the 6mm? Add weight, reduce rest, hang longer, repeaters, etc. all seem better than reducing edge size.
Oh thanks, I didn't realize Transgression's edges were that much easier than other micros. >Why not progress on the 6mm? Add weight, reduce rest, hang longer, repeaters, etc. all seem better than reducing edge size. I guess because my main goal is to feel solid on any crimp hold I encounter out in the wild, so reducing edge size seems more directly applicable to that.
Make-em, or buy wood/print plastic spacers to drop behind current larger holds... or google and buy them.
Hi all, so yep I broke my ankle this sunday passed. Looking like a good 2 months until i can jump on the wall again. In 2 weeks, alonside doctors approval of course, I'll be able to do some upper body training. In regards to training I'd really appreciate any resources/spreadsheets that'll keep me fit and who knows maybe even come back stronger than ever. I'd especially appreciate anything around finger strength as I feel this was a weakness prior to this injury (alongside general technique, but thats harder to work om with the ankle) For some context, I've been climbing for around 7 months, and am around the V5 level with a few V6s under my belt. My fingers obviously wont be able to andle as much as some people here but with 0 climbing perhaps more fingerboarding is okay? I'm quite strong with a background in powerlifting and a 1rm pullup of 45kg at 80kg. If there's any other info just ask away Cheers in advance guys
Repeaters would be the best for long term strength and hypertrophy if you can only do hangboard. My reasoning here for why it's a better strength and hypertrophy stimulus than max hangs: https://stevenlow.org/my-7-5-year-self-assessment-of-climbing-strength-training-and-hangboard/
Hey just wanted to say that I love your book overcoming gravity. It's been helpful for me to have around many times. Thanks! I think it's really interesting that you say that because I've been loving repeaters. One, because they're generally at a lower intensity, so they don't aggravate tweaky fingers, and secondly because my fingers feel so good the next couple days after doing them. It's to the point where if my fingers feel really bad I'll do some repeaters for healing purposes. It's very simple, just seven seconds on, 3 seconds off about six times per grip and I'm done. Side note: messing around with some friends at the end of a session we were trying to hang the 20mm middle rung on the beastmaker and I surprised myself and everyone by hanging it (at the end of a hard session) for like 5 seconds. Other than the occasional repeater session there has been no direct training for this. That being said, it probably means my technique is bad lol. Something to be said for repeaters I think.
> Hey just wanted to say that I love your book overcoming gravity. It's been helpful for me to have around many times. Thanks! Oh awesome! Glad you liked it. If you have some questions about it you can shoot them over to /r/overcominggravity > I think it's really interesting that you say that because I've been loving repeaters. One, because they're generally at a lower intensity, so they don't aggravate tweaky fingers, and secondly because my fingers feel so good the next couple days after doing them. It's to the point where if my fingers feel really bad I'll do some repeaters for healing purposes. It's very simple, just seven seconds on, 3 seconds off about six times per grip and I'm done. > Side note: messing around with some friends at the end of a session we were trying to hang the 20mm middle rung on the beastmaker and I surprised myself and everyone by hanging it (at the end of a hard session) for like 5 seconds. Other than the occasional repeater session there has been no direct training for this. That being said, it probably means my technique is bad lol. Something to be said for repeaters I think. Yeah, I actually have an article and post on reddit about it: https://stevenlow.org/repeaters-and-max-hang-analysis-for-strength-and-hypertrophy-ft-power-company-podcast-and-steve-maisch/
I currently have lower bicep tendonitis. I struggled with it on and off, as I boulder more it usually flares up every so many years. I've been climbing for a decade. I don't think my form is bad. Any good ideas for exercises to fix it? I've been trying to do tricep workouts and a few other things.
Scale down bouldering. Do rehab: http://stevenlow.org/overcoming-tendonitis/
Any particular eccentric workouts? In the past I've done palm up eccentric wrist curls, where I lifted the weight with my free hand and slowly lowered it with the weighted hand . But at the time I was suffering under the delusion that I had golfer's elbow. I've been doing this one for a few weeks. (https://theclimbingdoctor.com/portfolio-items/biceps-tendinopathy-3/) It's the only thing I've seen that people say is specific to climbing and lower bicep tendonitis. I've also been doing a lot of shoulder stabilization exercises. And I bought a thermaband flexbar and I've been messing around with doing exercises with that too.
Curls are good... I tend to like different ways of hitting the tendon as that seems to produce the best results. So for example with golfer's I have wrist curls, pronation/supination, and finger curls Biceps biceps curls with different grips and pronation/supination usually
Have you tried eccentrics? They helped me with my tendonopathy in my bracchialis/bracchioradialis.
Ive always had weak wrists. In May 2020 I hurt my wrist climbing. Over the years it never truly got better. Lately it's been worse. Got an MRI and doc says I have a mild TFCC tear. They gave me a steroid injection today and I ordered a wrist widget to split the wrist. Can anybody share their experience with a TFCC tear? I am concerned it's been well over 2 years and I am not quite sure what other aspects I should consider.
> Can anybody share their experience with a TFCC tear? I am concerned it's been well over 2 years and I am not quite sure what other aspects I should consider. Have you done physical therapy? If something lasts longer than ~1-2 weeks you should definitely be doing rehab and/or at least seeing a PT to get a diagnosis and rehab exercises. Not to mention 2 years..... Athletes rehab back to 100% all the time even catastrophic injuries. See: professional sports. It's only people who don't do anything it never gets truly better
After my steroid injection I’m starting Occupational Therapy. Was just curious if anyone had a similar diagnosis and had some intel. My only fear is it let it go for 2 years
I ruptured my A4 rong finger pulley. According to ultrasound only the A4 is injured. But i can feel my tendon "bowstringing" over the a4 and a bit over the A3 (i can't actually see it, i cn only feel it with another finger on it while i curl my injured finger) Could the UT be inaccurate special that the person doing it didn't have experience with climbers.
How’d you injure it?
Indoor bouldering on a pocket, might need to add excitement to the equation and subtract warm-up. Heard a loud pop and lost power, no real pain.
> I ruptured my A4 rong finger pulley. According to ultrasound only the A4 is injured. But i can feel my tendon "bowstringing" over the a4 and a bit over the A3 (i can't actually see it, i cn only feel it with another finger on it while i curl my injured finger) Could the UT be inaccurate special that the person doing it didn't have experience with climbers. If you think it's bowstringing it may be worth going to an orthopedic hand specialist to weigh your options and/or get a second opinion.
Oh and i immobilized it for a month now, still feels the same as second day of injury. Not a lot of pain, only when squeezing something, range of motion is at about 80% when making a fist. I have a ring pulley on almost all day. Any suggestion on how to go about it is appreciated.
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Anytime you climb use the least strength as possible. Put all the pressure through your feet and the least through your hands and fingers. Much easier to learn around flash level so have at least 2 moderate volume days a week where you do 1-3 attempts on climbs and try to send as many as you can
Trying to do climbs, mainly easy V0-V1's without bending your arms. It will force you to focus on your body positioning and how to better balance yourself.
In short, practice climbing without relying on strength. I'd suggest spending some time each session where you force yourself to climb while using less strength. You should be able to feel a noticeable difference when technique reduces the amount of strength you need for a move. The focus during this time should be learning new movement and climbing cleanly, not sending. This means do easier climbs, or look for specific movements that you want to practice. Repeat climbs and experiment/adjust to find different movement patterns. If you notice a move where you're muscling through or being sloppy, take some time on that part of the climb.
I just got a beastmaker 1000 and tryingn to figure out the best way to mount it at a rented condo. I can drill holes though :). Curious about setups people have.
My roommate put theirs above the bedroom door. He made sure it was attached to studs, but I don't know if he did it directly or put a wood board behind the beast maker.
I have multiple hangboards, including a Beastmaker, and have them each attached to a matching size 3/4" board that has two [French cleats](https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/g2340/how-to-build-a-french-cleat-shelf/). It allows me to easily pull one off and pop on another, or spare boards I fitted with French cleats that I can toss any holds on. I also can easily shift my Trango Rock Prodigy to any width as the board is a two piece design. Though the above may be overkill, in general it's best to at least attach the Beastmaker to a 3/4" board and have that 3/4" to studs. Keep in mind when you hang your knees will hang in front of you so best placed over a doorframe, closet, or something that is sturdy and protrudes from the wall. Lastly, I would highly recommend having a pully system unless you are already a beast.