UKC

Hi

I have always had relative weak fingers (I was one of those children that could bend my own fingers right back at one point) which I now find very frustratingly limiting with climbing. I am at the point where say at my bouldering wall I can climb at a particular grade and it's not challenging me a lot, but the next one up is a bit crimpier and my fingers give in / hurt well before I can tax the rest of me.

What do I do?

Thanks,

I was the same when I was small, and to this day finger strength is probably the weakest aspect of my climbing, but by training and perseverance you can still get a lot stronger, and by compensating with good technique, footwork and mental application you should still be able to progress pretty far if you're keen.

Finger strength develops slowly. Be patient, nobody has strong enough fingers.

For now, I'd just try fingery problems at the bouldering wall. The problem with pushing your grade is that often I find myself moving inefficiently over holds/terrain etc which I find challenging. It's great for your climbing to discover a more efficient way of doing a hard move. 

So yeah....keep trying those fingery problems and look for the most efficient way of doing them. If somebody who is quite good at the wall is cruising them, watch their technique carefully, even ask for advice/beta. 

Remember to rest well, finger strength is only gained if you rest after a hard bouldering session. 

If you keep trying hard, there is no way not to improve.

Finger board + pully system to reduce weight then use Crimpd app or similar and train power endurance on your fingers. 

The crimpd app allows you to work out your max hang (this can be less than body weight) and then gives you good exercises to do at  40/50/85% of this which gives specific, controlled work outs that are finger focused and can show you progress.

Hi,

Thank you all for your replies.

I have been thinking of getting a finger board for a while.  Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks,

I'd suggest going to the training area of your indoor wall, and finding out if there's a particular model you like. Metolius Rock Rings are a good start, as is the Beastmaker 1000, but it can't hurt to try a few and see what's what.