UKC

Can you hang off the two smallest pockets? If so for how long, roughly? How about the next two smallest?
Can you hang off the smallest crimps? If so, for how long?
What grade do you climb outside? (sport, trad, bouldering, whatever)
Im tryign to get a VERY ROUGH idea of where my current fingerstrength should be able to take me. But I know it doesnt really work like this...
Cheers
Si

In reply to Si dH:

Pockets- yes, 20 seconds at least but never pushed it time wise. Bigger pockets, longer.
Crimps- yes. Longer than 20 seconds, but never pushed it, a good way to get injured.
I tend to do 6-8 seconds hangs only. I can hang 8 seconds one armed on the 3rd smallest crimps.

I am currently fat and unfit so I boulder up to 7b+ (at a push!!). I don't do routes.

I hope that was of some use.

In reply to Si dH:

15 seconds on the two smallest pockets, but i've never really pushed it either.
longest on the smallest crimps was 30 secs and then i just got bored.
Find the hardest thing doing more than 4 pull ups without greasing off those bloody flat slopers.
Bouldering V7/8
sport 7a+
trad E3 6a
usually hang for about 8 seconds, andnever longer than 10 on the tiny 2 finger pockets

In reply to Si dH:

No

How about the next two smallest?

No


No

All I do with my board is hang off the jugs, slopers and the biggest edges. And I also do a thing where I use every single hold, pocket and edge, moving hands to a different hold every second for 20 seconds, then I hang on the jugs or slopers for 20 seconds and I repeat this until my arms can't hold any longer. Then rest for 5mins then repeat and do this for about half an hour to 45mins. Think this is more of a stamina thing rather than a finger strengthening thing though. And my fingers are impossibly weak so I just can't hang off the smaller pockets and edges fullstop.

What grade do you climb outside? (sport, trad, bouldering, whatever)

Trad - lead HS, one VS and have seconded up to HVS with a couple of soft E1's. (though of course that is irrelevant on second. So, strength wise when I was climbing at my best pre injury, then 5b was the hardest I ever climbed. Never tried anything harder than that, but I doubt I could have)

Sport - lead 5/5+, have toproped 6a but not clean.

Bouldering - British 5c is hardest prob I ever did, but mostly 5b. Dunno what that equates to in Font or V grades or whatever the hell bouldering grades are.

Indoor - 5+/6a on lead and 6b on toprope.

So, if you can hang on those wee finger pockets you must have strong fingers I reckon.

In reply to @ndyM@rsh@ll: I love the slopers.

In reply to Si dH:

all the holds are way too big

the moon board is way better

however the slopers are nails

In reply to @ndyM@rsh@ll:
Wow.
If you can do four pull-ups off those flat diagonal slopers...I am well impressed. Thats nails. I can almost hold them sometimes when hanging straight-armed but the idea of being high up on them and trying not to slide off...well.

As I suspected I have a long way to g owith finger strength - I cant hold the smallest 2 pockets at all and the next two only for about 10 seconds, and 10-15 seconds usually on the smallest crimps (anything else, much longer).
But then Im not attempting to boulder V7/8 or Font 7b+ at the moment. V5 once I get uninjured would do me nicely

In reply to Si dH:

This is assuming of course that you arent touching the sides of the sloper, wheres they meet the easy slopers or the jugs - if you push against these sideways a bit it makes it much easier?

In reply to Si dH: nope, but it does involve tooth-brushing em after every time i slide off

In reply to @ndyM@rsh@ll:

I like those slopers, you just have to hold them right. For more fun hang them using only 2 finger joints, good training for the grit.
And using the sides is cheating.

In reply to GCW:

Damn straight! I like using them for core excercises (knee raises/L-Hangs and stuff) - Means you have to do everything really slowly an in control to avoid peeling off.

In reply to Carnage:

I like using them for silly dynamic stuff too. Try this: both hands on smallest 2 finger pockets. Slap up to a sloper. Slap other hand to other sloper and control it. Move to the jugs at each end. Numerous variations available, but those are entertaining moves.

In reply to Si dH:

Jim has one of these. I play on it every now and again between board problems.

I can hang the slopers. I haven't tried pushing outwards or anything, will have to see what difference that makes. Can almost do a pullup off them but not quite. Back in the day I think Jim could do ten pullups off those. He can still do a couple now.

Can deadhang the smallest pockets, although I forget for how long, didn't do those tonight. Can open hang with 3 fingers each on the smallest rail for about ten seconds, fair bit more if you put the little finger on and full/half crimp (I've got a lot stronger crimp strength than open hand strength). Pockets above that I'm not sure how long I can hold them for. Jim can deadhang the smallest rail with two fingers on each open hanging for a couple of seconds, and do a couple of pullups with 3 fingers open handing.

If finger strength is really your limiting factor then it might be relevant, but it does depend - Jim and I boulder about the same level at the minute, mainly because I'm stronger than him on other parts of the muscle chain - undercuts for example i'm comparatively stronger on.

I would like to have a decent fingerboard setup, I must say. My entire house appears to be built of plasterboard, so its a bit tricky at the moment, and the enthusiasm for training outside on the rock rings in the rain is limiting Thankfully I'm doing a bit of board training at the moment, which is probably better for me, although I do know I'm not focusing enough on some aspects of my climbing because of it.

AJM

In reply to GCW:

Me too - I'd rather be moving. I get bored just hanging. A favourite of mine is start on the lowest crimps, slap up to the slopers, return to the starting position and repeat as many times as possible.

Another is to start on the slopes and with legs stretched out with toes on a backwall, release both legs at exactly the same time (no letting go one at a time) control the resulting swing, replace feet and repeat. Obviously the difficulty depends on how you do this, but for me its pretty tough (especially if you don't readjust you hands - they often slide a bit with eah swing)- My record is 8.

In reply to Carnage:

It's full stretch for me to get a toe on the cupboard from the bottom crimps (and I'm 6'3") so I will be very strong before I can hold that!!!

In reply to AJM:
are your doorframes strong enough for you mount a fingerboard on a piece of wood wider than the door, then hang it off a friction chin-up bar? not perfect (bit bunched so on most doors have to do a little bit of a legs-tucked-front-lever or arch the back a bit and bend legs for the hangs) but it's how i've got my moon one useable at home and uni and works pretty well. certainly getting stronger slowly!

In reply to GCW: Haha - Yeah, that could be a problem! I guess you could pull an L and then release it with bit of vigour which could do the same thing.

One final one which is a killer and you need a friend for this. Start hanging from the slopes Your buddy stands as far away as you can point a toe at a stretch. Then he holds a hand up and you, from hanging, pull up slightly raise your legs and stab a toe a his hand before returning to the start. He needs to vary the height and you can mix it up cross body by doing opposite leg to his hand. Repeat until trashed. Its easier from the other slopes and worthwhile from the good edges and 3 finger slots.

In reply to AJM:

>> AJM

Cheeky git, there's life in the auld dog yet and I bet I'll be doing 10 off them again by the end of Jan!

Harrumph!

In reply to JimR:

How many pints are you putting on it then? If you get motivated enough to win all of these various bets then you'll have one hell of a hangover by the end of the winter!

I'll settle for being able to do 1-2 personally, but then I'm lame at slopers.

No-one was making plans for Thursday today, so I'm probably around if you want to do a session tomorrow evening?

AJM

In reply to JimR:

I've also just noticed you have twisted my words up there............. "Back in the day" is not the same as "In his day" - stop stirring!

AJM

In reply to AJM:
I am very impressed - you have obviously got much stronger.

Figner strength is definitely my weakness, always has been. Since I started traingin a mont hago my bicep strength has coem back quite quickly, and I can very nearly do half a one-armer now (from 90 degrees ot full lock), and can do a chin-up off pretty much anythig nI can hang (except knarly slopers that get worse as yo uget high on them).

But I cant hang those tiny pockets for love nor money.

In reply to AJM:



Mine is in plasterboard. Big bit of plywood (about 15mm I think) on each side, big long bolts right through it. (and a sfew screws where I think theres a bit of wood in the wall) Has worked so far, creaks a bit but no cracks forming or anything

In reply to Si dH:
PS also resting on the top of the doorframe a bit on one side.

In reply to Si dH:

Plasterboard - my landlord wouldn't appreciate huge bits of wood screwed into his walls unfortunately

Have got a bit stronger, yeah. Arm strength always used to be my weak point, but now I'm finding that some of the harder routes I've been trying on Portland are overtesting my fingers once again. I could lock off on my left arm in Sept, not trie for awhile, and have never been able to do it on my right. One-armers might as well be one finger one armers for all I can get of them

I could do with some more general aerobic fitness at the moment too really. Pathetic levels of CV work going on at the minute........

AJM

In reply to @ndyM@rsh@ll:

Oddly I can do the same when I have a go, yet a struggle to get up V1's. Think I need abit of technique...

In reply to Reaver2k:
I thin you might be talkign abotu different holds or a different bvoard...what Andy said is desperate...no way can you be doing that and only V1.
I can boulder V4 usually but Im absolutely nowhere near that level