UKC

Hello, I have a problem that my grip is getting tired way too fast. I have no problem hanging on one hand for a longer period of time, I can climb pretty difficult walls but when there is some constant (even only a tiny) "overhang", after a short period of time a can't hold even the biggest handles and my forearms are burning. Do you know how to get rid of it or what training should I use for my grip to keep him strong for a longer period of time? Thank you for your answers.

In reply to Dendon111:

(facetious answer) Climbing.

(probably the correct answer) Climbing.

In reply to Dendon111:

Just a guess - but your hips are too far out from the wall and you're mostly hauling yourself up. Go watch a few videos of "outside edge" technique, and then once you can do that totally naturally you can look into flagging and drop knees, and problems should go away.

In reply to Dendon111:

Presuming that you're a beginner, a common problem is over-gripping. Most people grip far tighter on to the holds than they need at first - go bouldering and try to relax your grip as much as possible - you'll be surprised how far you can go before you fall off. Making sure that as much of your weight as possible is on your feet will help.

In reply to SenzuBean:
Plus one to SenzuBean's reply. This is almost 100% likely to be down to poor technique on overhangs and trying to haul yourself up the routes with strength rather than technique.

These are good articles by Robbie Phillips on this topic:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=3694
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=3804

Grip failure like you describe is down to specific forearm endurance. Climbing lots is the best way to gain this endurance. Climbing with good technique lets you get further before your grip fails, so lets you climb more, which makes you fitter.

In reply to Dendon111:

My grip has improved greatly over the 3 years or so that I've been climbing. I haven't done anything specifically to improve it, although i do believe my general technique and in particular my footwork has improved.

In reply to andrewmcleod:

When it comes to the very specific question the OP has raised, he/she can ignore the other answers - the above is the answer to their question. That and a certain amount of patience and perseverance as it takes time for this to work.

That's not to say that other things don't matter too in the wider scheme of things. A good mnemonic that I got from the radio is:- "The Five 'S's".

These are:

- Stamina
- Strength
- Suppleness
- Skills
- Psychology

(Pedantic people who only understand the written word as opposed to the spoken word will tell you that 'psychology' is not an 'S' - they just need to get a life, ignore them too)

All five are important in climbing in my experience and in the experience of the people I climb with. Just to put the grip issue in perspective, psychology is probably as important as all the rest put together. Skills ARE important to compensate for deficits in the other areas and we also need to beware of using things like strength to compensate for lack of skill, but basically all five are important and to improve them, it is necessary to work on all of them over a period of time which can run into years.

In reply to Andy Morley:

... And by climbing, skill (technique) will improve which is the biggest priority as most responses have included and stamina will probably improve which is the second priority.

Wou!! Didn't expect so many interesting replies! Thanks everyone for good tips and possible reasons for that.
I just got desperate every time I saw much more weaker guys climbing 5x longer in constant overhangs so I decided to write here.
I will definitely try to focus more one my technique because it's really true that I just relied on my strenght instead of focusing on technique.
Once again, thanks for all your advices!