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how to get stringer fingers

Nickybrowl

New member
Hi everyone I'm 26 years old and I do compete in climbing, I do regular work out mon-fri for my over all muscle but my fingers need to get stronger, what type of exercise can I do to get stronger fingers?
 
Frankly, I don't know of any exercises that are meant particularly for the fingers. I would say that your training is the best thing for the fingers. I remember trying the climbing myself, and it was a real killer for my fingers!
 
I'm a 4 x British Grip Strength Champion, 2 x European Grip Strength Champion and multiple British, European and World record holder in hand, finger and grip strength. There's probably 50+ exercises. Heck, I've a stroke rehab book written by a friend of mine (Dr To Balchin) which has 40+ pages on hand and grip exercises and rehab.

Climbers often train on what's called a finger board. Some gyms have these bolted to the wall somewhere if you're real lucky. If not here are two very simple moves you can do at the end of a workout

Hangs: both with the hand closed or open from a chinning bar (do not drop the shoulders) or on the frame of a power rack (do not use the thumb in this variation and it'll be like some climbing holds)

Proper old school dumbbell or barbell wrists curls or, more accurately finger rolls. Instead of a wrist flexation just let the hand open and close with the bar in it. You can do this with the bar behind your back.

I've sh*t load more than that if you want some more.

Here's another - get yourself a piece of 3 x 3-inch square timber. Get a nice half inch 'eye bolt' through it and hang weights from that. Curl it, carry it, hang from it. Use thinner blocks when you get stronger. Work until you're doing bodyweight on it.
 
People often forget that there are a lot of small muscles in your hands.

How do you make a muscle stronger? You use them!

Keep doing what you are doing. Your hands will eventually build up their strength and endurance.

You can also buy a stress ball and practice doing hand squeezes while at work to further work your hands/forearm muscles.
 
There are no muscles in your fingers at all. The muscles your fingers use are attached to the palm and forearm. You want to get your forearms stronger to improve grip strength. I would do all your lifts raw with no gloves or straps and train forearms directly.
 
Training just the flexors and or extensors via wrist curls is of limited use for climbers. Great for bodybuilders but not much more than that. Grip, especially for free climbers (no ropes) is the difference between hanging on and falling. Or, to put it another way, staying alive and dying.

Static hangs - with the whole hand or by parts of the fingers are great for where there is some holds in climbing. Pinch work for where you've limited grip and for where you wedge fingers into gaps. You need grip that can hold the body-weight and equipment with ONE hand while the other hand and feet stretch for the next position.

I'd do the exercises I recommend and save the stress ball (or stress putty) for rehab and recovery.
 
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