UKC

For over the winter months is bouldering the best way of increasing strength?

What are people's thoughts on fingerboards?

What are the best websites / books for indoor training techniques?

In reply to An Triubhas:
Yes, up to quite a high level.

Bouldering is probably more useful, but "supplementary" fingerboarding (for when you can't climb) will make you stronger. Injury is a big risk, so you just have to be very careful.


Dave Macleod's website and book are great. The Beastmaker website is popular.

In reply to An Triubhas: Not sure about increasing strength. Hard enough just to maintain it what with Chrimble and Hogmanay, etc. Eek, just mentioned the C word and it's only September. One is in need of flogging.

I think bouldering is very good for increasing strength and working on technique. I have used a fingerboard and found it useful, but by god they are dull, which means it is hard to keep going long enough.

+1 for Dave Macleod's book - thought it was excellent, but you need to put some work in to figure out what training you need. I eventually went to a climbing coach, who spotted that I was weak in some very specific but unexpected areas. I had adapted my climbing moves to get round these weaknesses, which meant that there was a range of moves that I could not use because I never tried them. I have since started specific strength exercises and it is making a difference. I guess the point is that training is better when is focused on what you need, so the first step is to find where you are weak. If a coach is too much then maybe feedback from other climbers etc?

Good luck with getting strong!

In reply to An Triubhas: There's a few ideas in here too about fingerboarding and how/when to do it, worth a gander.

http://www.pdf-archive.com/2011/08/04/crusher-holds-handout-3-5mb/