UKC

I'm doing a routine of 7 reps of 7s with 3s rest on seven different grips, and after one set I'm too tired to do a second set. Any advice on how to progress to two sets?

Thinking either more reps during set one to ramp up the volume slowly then break it into two sets later on, or break it into two sets now with fewer reps in each set and build up from there to two full sets. Any ideas on which is more effective?

In reply to simonz:

IMO you're better sticking with the one set and adding a little weight. 5-10kg.

In reply to simonz:

Take more rest between sets.

In reply to simonz:

How long are your rests between grip changes and to the theoretical second set?

The Beastmaker app at the level I'm at, is something like.
2.5min between grip changes and
7min between sets.

In reply to JLS:

I dropped the hangs down to 6 secs on and 4 off to allow me to do another set. I guess essentially you need to either make the training easier or wait til your body adapts and can train harder.

Another option would be to drop some of the grip types you do in each set. I'd personally advise against adding weight unless you've got a fair few years climbing/fingerboarding under your belt. Nothing more frustrating than getting caught in the stronger-injured-weaker loop!

In reply to MischaHY:

Thanks for the tip... so you think you get better results from upping the intensity with weight rather than increasing the volume?

In reply to JLS:

Yeah... same app so 2.5min between grips and I was trying 10min rest before the next set, but I wasn't up to it.

In reply to simonz:


Depends what you're looking to achieve?

In reply to siwid:

Thanks for the ideas. I was thinking adding weight on grips like front 2 on the small pockets may be too much for me... dropping hang time to get two sets at body weight sounds more probable right now.

In reply to simonz:

Hey pal,

Out of curiosity, how long have you been fingerboarding for?

Gains in the fingerboard are often very very slow after the initial noob gains in the first 2-4 weeks after you start.

Additionally, your work out seems to focused on endurance (repeaters I guess).

You can spice up your training by doing max hangs for a period of 6 weeks.

Max hangs:

Pick a grip type you want to target (e.g. half crimp, don't use the full crimp as it's a recipe for injury).

Find the smallest hold that you can hand for 7 seconds. This would normally be a combination, let's say 4 fingers in the bottom middle beastmaker 2000 hold and an index finger or a pinkie in another hold. You shouldn't be able to hang the hold more than 5-7 seconds or it's too easy.

After one hang on each arm take a long rest so that you are more or less fully recovered, (2 to 5 minutes I guess). Then repeat a few times.

Remember - to train your strength you need to be pulling at your hardest and in order to do so you need to be fully recovered. Anything else and you're training pretty much power endurance.

In reply to simonz:

It's the advice I've had from coaching and what has worked well for me. Higher volume poses more risk of injury and has diminishing gains.

As mentioned above be cautious adding weight and don't be afraid to do 1/2 or 3/4 sets whilst setting out, but done right adding weight is one of the best ways to increase finger strength and forearm recruitment (in my opinion).

I'd recommend starting with 5kg and building up from there very progressively and listening to your body. Make sure to maintain excellent half crimp form (google half crimp or chisel grip if you're unsure) and try to load both arms equally. It's likely one side is a little stronger but try to balance this as much as possible.

Best of luck!

In reply to simonz:

It's worth bearing in mind that the advice I was giving only applies to the exercise discussed and should be taken with a pinch of salt as everyone is different.

There's a whole world of fingerboarding out there and a good hour or two of googling will bring a wealth of information which can then be carefully and most importantly *progressively* applied.

In reply to jezb1:

I am tying doing cycles of one arm max hangs 6 weeks and then 6 weeks of repeaters... so I guess this is trying to build base strength?

In reply to zmv:

Thanks mate... that's basically what I was trying re: max hangs cycles and then repeaters. I was going between 7-10s on those however so I might try making them shorter and see how it works.

Been on the fingerboard on and off for a few years but since getting the beastmaker app recently have been a bit more focused!

In reply to simonz:

It would be good to have a bit of info about your climbing really as advice to someone who's just setting out and someone who's on a plateau after years of climbing/training would be very different.

Can't recommend getting some good 1:1 coaching enough, can be expensive but I think training is far more effective when individualized to someone's strengths/weaknesses.

In reply to simonz:

What kind of max hangs are you doing? Volume/Rep length/Grip Type?

In reply to MischaHY:

Yep so true. Though the quantity of information can also be baffling at times!

Good sugestión on the half sets etc. Think my grip technique is OK though I do notice it changes as I fatigue which is usually when I call it quits. Could mix in a few weighted repeaters and see how they feel. Thanks!

In reply to siwid:

Right now I'm bouldering about V7 and 7c sport regularly but feel I've hit a plateau... so I was trying to be a bit more organised in training so just trying to figure out what works best for me and how to progrès without injuring myself or wasting time at the wall punting about (well more than I already do!)

In reply to MischaHY:

I was doing 10s on 4finger half crimp and then on slopers for 6reps with about 3min between sets... so 12 hangs on each hand. Tried to add in a pinch set but was pretty tired by then and felt the quality was not great if I added another grip.

In reply to simonz:

As above, it sounds like you'd really benefit from some one-one coaching.