UKC

Metolius Rock Rings...do they work?

I need to improve finger/hand/forearm strength, do rock rings work well - first hand experience only please!

Cheers,

Al

In reply to alancash100:

Kind of.

In reply to alancash100:

For the price I recommend splashing out a little extra for a finger board. They are OK if the only think you have is a tree to hang them from but it gets repetitive after a while. I wouldnt pay the full £45 or whatever they cost, If you want to buy some you can have mine for £25, barely used.

In reply to alancash100:

If you are travelling around then they're alright, but I'd get a pair of Orbs or a wedge or Crusher Holds if I was buying now. I bought mine for an extended work stini in India and now use them to warm up on before using a proper fingerboard.

Better would be to get a proper fingerboard, better still go climbing.

In reply to alancash100:

As others have said a fingerboard is better for pure finger strength however you can use rock rings for other things (dips, front levers, muscle ups etc. etc.)

I also have a theory that pull-ups on rock rings are kinder to your elbows as your wrist will pronate/supinate freely.....no idea if this is true though.

In reply to galpinos:

The best way to increase finger/hand/forearm strength is to go climbing? On long climbing trips (generally a month or more, trad or sport), I tend to get weaker. If you mean bouldering, I would be more likely to agree, but I still think strength increases come quicker from isolated training, or at least it does for me.

In reply to alancash100:

Hi Al

Just go climbing more, I'd say they are specialist and I'm still nursing a mild 7 month injury due to rock rings/fingerboards

What kind of level/grade are you trying too achieve?

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I only use a fingerboard when I'm stuck in the house and can't get to the wall. I only go to the wall when time or weather don't allow me to get to a crag. I'd say I would have made similar gains in strength and be a far better climber if every wall and fingerboard session were replaced with a bouldering or routing session at the crag.

In reply to galpinos:

You might well be a better climber by turning all your fingerboard sessions into climbing sessions, but that doesn't mean it's optimal.

Finger boarding and training generally are a great supplement, and everybody I speak to who has tried it has seen the benefit in their climbing. I think the main thing is to get the balance right.

But the OP was asking specifically about hand/finger/forename strength gains, I don't know how balanced his training is so I couldn't comment. But I can't see any reason why isolated training of those attributes would produce worse results than bouldering or routes (especially routes).

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

If I'm trying to get better at climbing and I end up as a better climber, it sounds pretty optimal to me! (I realise I’m being a bit facetious here…..)


Great as a supplement yes, but the need to supplement only comes if you're climbing enough. At the grades of the routes in the OPs logbook, he'd be better climbing and bouldering than fingerboarding.


It wouldn't produce worse results in gains in strength, but he wouldn't get any of the other benefits, i.e. movement skills, reading the rock, the added confidence of familiarity.

I got to Font 7B though bouldering alone. Admittedly they were all on grit (luck based scrittle etc) but the additional gains other than pure strength made by bouldering inside and out are what got me up them, not having strong fingers.

If he’s into routing, I’d say fingerboarding isn’t really warranted until you’re in the Tech 6b/c range, i.e. E5 and up.

In reply to galpinos:

I don't think it's about being at a certain grade, so much as where you weaknesses are. Anyway...

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I kind of agree but if you're climbing at VS say, you probably have pooper movement skills/technique/climbing "ability"/whatever you want to call it than someone at E5. You are also probably far weaker. Therefore, you can make a lot of the strength gains (they come easier as the starting point is lower - hence can be deleveoped whilst climbing instead of requiring specific training) at the same time as the technique style gains, making your progress quicker.

Anyway, that's my mid (wel, late) morning coffee break over so I should probably get back to work!

In reply to Robbiobaby:

Hey Robbio, if the OP doesn't take these I will!

In reply to alancash100:


yes


I found that after a while you built up callouses at the point where your fingers slip on the edge of the pockets, this could make things slightly painful.

The basic workout provided in the manual is hard work if you aren't used to that sort of thing but after about three or four weeks (using the rings every other day) I was able to start extending it.

Like all fingerboard systems they are best for improving contact strength rather than say your pull-up count.

There's better tools out there, but, as others have said, they do a job if it's all you can manage.

I got a pair free of a mate a few years back and take them when I go offshore. I hate them, but it's a necessary evil.

>

Perhaps you need to eat more bran?

In reply to BarrySW19:

Hmmm, the joys of trying to type fast!

In reply to alancash100:

Hi,

Thanks for the replies - advice much appreciated

Al

In reply to Bob:

Got the Rock Rings from Robbio and I just tried the workout on the website http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/training_giude_rock_ring.html
and got absolutely spanked by it.
Did you do anything different to work up to it?

In reply to eltankos:

Warm up! Do a few pull ups over the course of several minutes with long rests between, slowly reducing the rest time.

That workout is the one that comes with the rings themselves. I think I only managed to get to minute 6 at first and it took a few sessions before I was even close to completing the workout. Even then it was a few more sessions before I was comfortable doing it.

In reply to eltankos:

Try putting a chair or block just in front of you to rest your feet on and doing the same routine. That takes some of your weight. As you progress move the chair further and further away from you (don't lose form!!) until you no longer need it.

In reply to Robbiobaby and Bob:
Thank you both for the advice, I'm sure it'll help.

In reply to galpinos:



They're alright those crusher holds orbs hey galpinos.. quite a lot crusher stuff in the southern hem and Oz now but i think your the first with India

In reply to alancash100:

I injured a tendon on rock rings because I was careless and didn't warm up properly, it put me out for a month or two, so be careful