3 Finger Strengthening Exercises for Rock Climbing
Finger strength is one of the most important aspects in taking your rock climbing to the next level. But if you are just starting out or brand new to climbing I would highly recommend to work on improving your technique and slowly build up your finger strength before you begin a finger specific regimen such as hang boarding. Below are my top 3 favorite finger strengthening exercise to invest in in order to increase your climbing performance in the long run. The best part of these is that you can do any of theses in the comfort of your home or at your local gym.
Note: Always properly warm up and most importantly listen to your body. If something does not feel right, it most likely is not. Hope you enjoy these exercises and happy climbing.
Finger Strengthening Exercise 1: Heavy Finger Curls
8 sets at 30 secs
Rest 30 secs between Sets
This one of my favorite finger strengthening exercise for rock climbing brought to you by the Crimpd app. This exercise is designed to increase the training stimulus to the forearm muscles and fingers without requiring hanging from climbing holds. This is a great session to do in combination with fingerboard workouts to increase finger strength or as a forearm maintenance exercise if a finger board or climbing wall is not available.
Complete 8 sets of heavy finger curls using a heavy weight . Rest 30 seconds before repeating the same exercise on the otherr arm for the second set. 8 Sets should be completed in total, 4 on each arm. Aim to complete 10 heavy finger curls during each set.
Ideally you should use a dumbbell weight. As a replacement you can use a loaded bag attached to a broom handle or a rolling pin. To start, hold the bar with your hands in a fist palms facing away from your body. Slowly allow your hand to open until the Barr is hanging from the last joint of your fingers. Now roll the bar back up to your palm by closing your fingers back into a tight fist. This is one rep.
Finger Strengthening Exercise 2: Wrist Curl Hypertrophy
10 sets at 30 secs per rep
Rest 5 secs between sets
Equipment: Dumbell
The goal of this finger strengthening exercise is to target muscle hypertrophy in the forearm flexor muscle. Aim to use heavy weight as you should feel close to failure due to powering out on the final set. Only complete this exercise after finger boarding and climbing or during a separate session.
Complete 10 sets wrist curls. you have 30 seconds to complete each set of curls before alternating to the other arm for the next set. This means you will complete 10 sets total (5 on each side) over a 5 minute period. You should aim for performing a total of 10 flexor curls during each set.
Ideally you will use a dumbbell wight for this exercise but alternatives can be utilized. A broom handle with a loaded bag attached on either side is a good example of how to adapt a home set up to suit your needs.
Start in a sitting position on a chair or bench with your feet on the floor and knees at 90 degrees. Your thigh should be close to horizontal. Rest your forearm along your thigh with your wrist hanging off the end of your knee with your palm facing upwards.
Curl the wrist to lift the dumbbell in one small movement as high as possible without lifting your forearm off your thigh. Once at the top of the possible movement, pause and slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
Finger Strengthening Exercise 3: Hangboarding
Note* Always make sure that you are properly warmed up and well rested beforehand. Do not use hangboarding as a finger strengthening exercise the day after a big climbing session.
For beginners:
3 sets by 4 reps at 10 seconds per rep
Rest for 30 seconds between reps
Rest 2 minutes between sets
The goal of hangboarding is to improve your forearm and build finger strength.
You can complete the following reps and sets using a hangboard which is most comfortable to you. After 2 weeks increase the set to 4. Once it starts to feel more comfortable, reduce your rest time by 10 seconds so it would be the following:
3 sets by 4 reps at 10 seconds per rep
Rest for 20 seconds between reps
Rest 2 minutes between sets
Invest into your fingers
Our hands are one of the most important and maybe the most taken for granted part of our body. I personally did not appreciate them as much as I do now until I started rock climbing. I personally do all of these exercises on a weekly routine and have seen significant amount of gains. But that being said, like every exercise, theses are not a get strong quick scheme. Take time and invest into conditioning your body. Slowly work theses finger strengthening exercises into your climbing routine and you will see steadily improvement.
I would love to hear about what finger strengthening exercises that you incorporate into your training or if you have any suggestions, be sure to drop me a line below. Thanks for reading and keep on climbing!