Hello everyone,

I'm getting back into climbing after a horrific near decade of escalating stress, much of it related to the climbing world lol. Was climbing for about 10 years before that. In my mid forties now.

I'm aiming for some training benchmarks I used to have: Couple of OAP's on both arms Around 7a Flash Pancake stretch head to the floor

I'd like to get a steady 20mm one arm hang which I only ever used to hit occasionally when training a lot and feeling very light. Can still haul around 55kg for reps one handed on the tension 20 edge.

I've got a 35 deg board at home and a fingerboard and tension block, and access to outdoor rocks with some projects up to around 7C about half an hour away when the weather calms down for a minute. Not much interested in regular indoor climbing tbh.

At the moment I'm pretty much a wreck physically. About 10kg over old climbing weight at mid 80kg's. Inflexible and something funky going on with left MCL. Maybe got one clean pull up in me. Can barely hang 20mm on two arms. Nothing feels easy any more. It's going to be a fun ride back to either strength or injury.

I'd like to get back to a dream spot overseas, spend some months there when the stars align and send some long standing projects, up to around 8A but mostly fa's so who knows. Just to feel strong again would be good. Just to climb outdoors would be good too, it was so much fun.

Damn I feel like an old dude writing all this.

Going to join in on the subreddit weekly posts and post training updates for a bit of accountability and motivation.

Any advice is welcome, starting to play with daily no hangs as a gentle wake up for the forearms and finger, and trying to get back on the home board by projecting my old warm ups...

Hello! I will get straight to the point. 2 months ago I suffered a partial tear of the A2 and some unspecified damage to the A1 (follow up ultrasound booked soon). This was a long time coming as I have had chronic pain for a long time in most fingers and lack consistency in my training which means that the occasional high loads of a limit boulder session are likely to exceed what my fingers have adapted to.

I am currently able to do a handful of pullups on the 15mm pocket fo the BM2000 with a 3fd without pain and i can pinch so I thought I would use this rehab window to train anything which doesn't trigger pain.

My idea is to only climb on rope on sundays well below max and then do 2 or 3 finger workouts a week. I have all the gizmos (BM 1000, tindeq, lifting pin, 35kg of weights, lattice pinch block, the roll thing with string for forearms) but I am overhwlmed by the amount of training resources online. Should I be doing just a basic set of max pulls with 3fd and pinch (5 seats each?) and pick 2 types of forearm curls (flexion and extension)?

Does this sound reasonable? Or too much/too little? Do any of you have experience with having lots of spare time but being limited with climbing?

I just want to share my experience over the past year or so and hear your critiques and opinions.

I have been climbing fairly consistently for 7 years or so.
My biggest gains have been over this past year where my max grade went from roughly V9 to V11 and I have only been board climbing (2-3 days a week, 2-3hr sessions) with the occasional (4-5 days a month) outdoor session. I primarily climb on a spray wall but I have access to TB2, MB, and Kilter boards for variety. I have tried plenty of exercises and training plans in the past in varying intensities and durations but I have never been able to make any lasting and notable gains outside of simply climbing with focus and intensity. I broke through my last plateau around V7 by spending about a year(2022) primarily working through the V5-6 benchmarks and came out of that year more bulletproof than ever and consistently climbing V9s. In my opinion aside from rehab and OBVIOUS shortcomings I don’t think any specific off the wall training is even that time efficient or important for progression.

I just spent an hour reading through posts on this sub and the specificity of these training plans makes my brain melt!! Obviously if your goals are to get better at those specific areas, ie, squat more, bench more, do a one arm, hang more weight on a hangboard then absolutely go ham and train those specifics. But jeez. Climbing on a board and working around that is the only tool I think we can actually all use to get to the next level!

But please, let me know if I’m just preaching to the choir or if I am just missing something completely.

Hi...yeah, hell, i know. I'm old but i can't accept the fact that there is no more improvement for me. No matter how hard i train i'm simply stuck in the 7c range.

Just the basic facts:
- 183cm tall, 75kg, climbing 10yrs+
- i train mostly in nearby gym. (1xEndurance, 1xMax (trying to send projects), 1xSpraywall + Deadhangs + 1xCalesthenics once per week)
- onsight level around 7a-ish, 7b mostly after 2 tries, 7c depending on style but often after 6-7 tries, 8a not a chance at all
- i can deadhang for 7secs on 20mm rungs with both hands and 27kg additional weight
- able to do a one-arm pullup, front-and backlever, muscleup and bench-press > 100kg

I would consider myself as a versatile climber though i like overhanging routes the best. I don't have the feeling that i'm lacking technical skills (ok, some that's for sure) and it's only finger strength that's limiting my progress.
Are there any climbers in my age range out there who got the same problems and have any advise how to get more powerful fingers?

Thanx

This is a thread for simple, or common training questions that don't merit their own individual threads as well as a place to ask Injury related questions. It also serves as a less intimidating way for new climbers to ask questions without worrying how it comes across.

• r/Climbharder Wiki - many common answers to questions.
• r/Climbharder Master Sticky - many of the best topic replies

Commonly asked about topics regarding injuries:

Tendonitis: http://stevenlow.org/overcoming-tendonitis/

Pulley rehab:

• https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/stories/experience-story-esther-smith-nagging-finger-injuries/
• https://stevenlow.org/rehabbing-injured-pulleys-my-experience-with-rehabbing-two-a2-pulley-issues/
• Note: See an orthopedic doctor for a diagnostic ultrasound before potentially using these. Pulley protection splints for moderate to severe pulley injury.

Synovitis / PIP synovitis:

https://stevenlow.org/beating-climbing-injuries-pip-synovitis/

General treatment of climbing injuries:

https://stevenlow.org/treatment-of-climber-hand-and-finger-injuries/

Hello,

Based on some resources I saw recently, I'm trying to experiment with pinky isolation finger training. For example in this video https://youtu.be/-YkM1wI9ACk?si=bbx0cxM1O2K48Vxx At around 21:40 the author suggests pinky isolation training in a crimped position.

I tried it today and I cannot get my pinky in a 90 degree crimp. I tried a tension block attached to a 5lb weight, then a 2.5lb weight...then just with the block itself. And no matter what I did my pinky would just reflexively bend at the DIP joint. I tried curling the MCP joint, keeping it straight, also tried forcing the DIP joint straight before lifting the block but then the DIP joint would just collapse into a bend.

I'm not sure if this is a technique issue, a physical weakness, or a finger length issue (tip of my pinky reaches roughly at my ring finger's DIP joint); FWIW most of my climbing is done with my pinky open so I'm definitely not used to crimping my pinky, but I'm surprised I couldn't even get it half crimped without any weight added. Even just trying to crimp my pinky against my knee, the DIP joint feels stuck in this bent position and I cannot get it to straighten.

Anyone experienced this and have any tips? Thanks!

I've had pretty bad pip synovitis in the past.

I heard for a few sources that stopping side to side cracking of the joint would help synovitis go away. Very hard to find any studies on this so it seemed impossible to verify.

So I decided I would stop side to side cracking in all fingers except for one(my left hand ring finger). I had the least synovitis in that finger(most in my middle then index).

After a couple of months, my ring finger is the only one that still has significant pain when curling my fingers into my hands.

I also have been doing rehab excersizes(mainly barbell finger curls). But yes this has sold me on it, side to side cracking worsens my PIP synovitis.

Take this as your sign. And if you don't believe me or even if you do, test it yourself. Keep doing it to one finger and give it a month. I'd love if you could send me the results or drop them somewhere so I can verify this wasn't just coincidence.

For those who’ve joined the Tindeq bandwagon, how are you using the Tindeq Progressor (or other force dynamometers)?

Have you seen improvements in your max hang numbers after completing a cycle of recruitment pull-ups using the Tindeq? If so, could you share your before-and-after progress? Also, what’s your training history?

Or are you purely using it as a tool for testing peak force? I’m curious whether the Tindeq actually accelerates finger strength gains or if its main benefit is the convenience of not needing free weights and/or hangboard setup.

About me: I’ve completed several cycles of max hangs and Yves Gravelle-style edge lifts, combined with 1–2 board climbing sessions per week over the last year, with solid results. I’m 185 cm tall, have a -2 ape index, and weigh between 72–75 kg. Over the past year, my MVC-7 (half-crimp) has improved from +25% BW to +53% BW. I can comfortably do 5x5 weighted pull-ups with 40 kg added and currently boulder in the 7A+ to 7B+ range. I’ve also been able to achieve a 2-rep max on edge lifts at body weight using a chisel grip.

Goals: My main goal is to improve at board-style bouldering, aiming to climb my first 7C+/V10 outdoors or on one of the commercial boards (MoonBoard 2024 or KilterBoard) by the end of 2025. As a side quest, I’m also working toward hanging the Beastmaker middle edge.

This is a thread for topics or questions which don't warrant their own thread, as well as general spray.

Come on in and hang out!

Im coming up to 18 years, in a few months.

I have been climbing twice a week for about a year, before that I used to climb sporadically for a few years (like once a month with friends etc.)

I climb around v7 at my gym, v5-v6 or occasionally v7 on the board.

My current week consists of 5 days of training, I am looking to incorporate hang boarding somewhere in the week. I feel relatively strong and like I can manage a day of hang boarding either on on of my gym days, or rest days (not climbing days).

My current week looks like this:

Monday: rest

Tuesday: climbing day- I focus more on slab and technique, but I still climb hard and try climbs I can’t do. I also run 1.5 miles after my session.

Wednesday: gym day- close grip weighted pull-ups on holds that resemble gymnastics rings. Leg extensions focusing quads. Incline bench press with focus on upper chest and shoulders.

Thursday: rest day

Friday: climbing day- board climbing, longer rests, less volume, more crimpy inclined climbing.

Saturday: gym day- bench press, deadlift, machine chest press.

Sunday: gym day- wide grip weighted pull-ups, bicep curls or bum press, seated cable rows.

In terms of strength, I can do a single one-arm pull-up, do about 8 pull-ups at 150% bw, bench press around 150% bw. I can do a few full pull-ups on 15mm beastmaker edge but I’m not particularly strong at hangboarding.

Yes I know il get all the- „ur already too strong to be climbing only v7- focus on technique” comments, and they’re probably right. But im already focusing on technique during my climbing gym sessions and I unfortunately do not have the ability to go to the climbing gym a third time per week.

But since I have a hangboard at home I can incorporate one more hangboarding day somewhere. I’m just curious what would be the best day to incorporate it so that I can recover well for the other stuff. Also what kind of hangs would you recommend for me? And what level of intensity? I don’t have a weighted belt so I can only do body weight stuff. Not a lot of programs I’ve seen have many body weight stuff that seems like it would be genuinely effective and fit with my existing program.

Anyways, many thanks to anyone who responds.

When I was in the midst of a plateau I kept grinding standard exercises like hangboarding, campus boarding, weighted pull ups, etc. but realized with the grade range I was stuck at, V8, these yielded diminishing returns relative to the amount of effort being put in to squeak out gains.

I also thought that perhaps my strength standards being so high relative to the grade I was climbing meant that I just needed to allocate even more time to on the wall. While this was most definitely true, there were indeed some sleeper exercises I neglected prior to adding more climbing to my regimen.

These, from my perspective, did not necessarily target weaknesses in my climbing, but supplemented my strengths while also allowing me to see real differences in how I climbed compared to the standard exercises I mentioned previous:

- Pinky training; Targeting this digit specifically gave me some recruitment that I did not even think about before. Having weak pinkies was the reason I could not take one arm off on the board despite having good numbers on weighted hangs. Having the ability to crimp a hold on the board and swing with the other arm to gain momentum really, really helps. I did not necessarily think about overloading, but used light weight because I think pinkies are fragile.

- Rows; On a spray-wall, what is equally as important to being able to pull up is rowing in your bodyweight, a lot of the time with one arm. Experimenting with different grips and doing bent over or cable rows helped me a lot with 'board style' climbing.

- Rear delt training + Hip mobility; Odd to clump together, but this is a style of training I'm sure you can find videos with Aiden Roberts discussing it. Cable face pulls or using dumbbells to target the rear delt, as well as having mobile hips really allows for an entirely new style of movement in your repertoire. I personally found it super useful outdoors to unlock entirely new betas to get stuff done more quickly.

- One arm training; Thought I'd throw this in. A lot of people say its useless, its not. Lock offs and OAPs help.

- Finally, making your own problems on the spray wall is a fantastic exercise. I've heard pushback on this saying its not good for those who are short on time, and to that I say making problems is a skill to develop just like any other skill in climbing, and it can be a good bang for your buck even with only an hour.

Apologies if this post is redundant in some capacity as I am not necessarily the most active on reddit. However, I figured the first two I mentioned I do not encounter a lot of people discussing making a huge impact on their climbing. I am also curious what exercises, off or on the wall, have made you notice distinct improvements in climbing performance in a short amount of time!

31M/158lb/5'9/+3

Hit a pretty huge goal of mine today and wanted to both share that and reflect a little on some training for anyone whose interested!

Here's a little clip of me doing 210lbs (25, 10, 3x 45, 25, 10 + pin) on the 20mm at 158lb body weight. Moments before i hit 150 on the 10mm. About 1.5 months ago I was at 168 and had just PRd at 195 20mm, 130 10mm so I lost 10 lbs and added 15/20 to my lift which was cool.

(Hate posting insta links but other ones aren't working for some reason) https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFJiHPfyuXp/?igsh=dnBzaGM1Z3JuNDR2

I posted my routine and got some awesome feedback - dialed back some of my lifting and restructured my climbing. I'm doing about 4 days a week with 2 limit, 1 power, 1 endurance. About 1/2 days of regular compound lifts, and some light cardio 3 or 4 days a week. The lighter load has my recovery feeling great

But one of these biggest changes i saw was when I switched no hangs or regular hangboarding for 1 hand hangs 2x a week. Started on the 20mm, quickly moved to 15 and I'm closing in on 10 all in the span of 6 weeks which has been mind blowing to me. Fingers feel healthier to me and I feel like my climbing is about to start really accelerating. Strongly suggest some of you guys to give it a try

After doing a high rock over during a boulder session yesterday, I felt a small "click" in my left knee. When changing feet to match and letting my left knee hang, I felt that my left leg was locked at the knee. On the ground the knee was still locked and after a half hour of trying, I unlocked the knee by doing the child-pose. When trying to figure out what happened, I tried to deep-squat and at the end of the squat it locked again. Luckily, I unlocked it again with the child-pose. I ended my session and just biked home without any issue.

To be sure, I went to the doctor this morning, and she was pretty sure that my meniscus has a tear due to the locking of my knee. Next week I will go to the specialist to determine what needs to happen. She mentioned that they will probably do a small operation to remove a part of the meniscus, but I need to wait for what the specialist says.

Now is my question to in this sub; Anybody experience with this in the context of climbing and bouldering? Were u able to climb again at the same strength as before after this? If u had this, did u have an operation? What did u do during the revalidation period to keep your climbing physique?

After having many finger related injuries I am finally getting stronger by consistently training everything, and now I get this injury which seems to be a big one. I'm feeling really depressed right now, since climbing is the only thing I do that relaxes me. Reading on the internet really does not give me a good feeling since most speak of revalidation of a year to be in full form again.

P.s. I made this post since it is a "common" climbing injury (stated by some sources) and the other related posts are really old.

I can BARELY hang body weight one arm on a pullup bar. For reference I need to use momentum just to match my other hand. This feels like a pretty big weakness given I see even non climbers doing this quite easily. I have been historically weak in pull-ups but recent training has gotten me to a 45 lb 2 rep max (i'm 6'1 +1 160 lbs) which feels decent for my grade range V6/7. I use a full ROM for the pullups to try to get some scap strength as well as doing face-pulls.

It's debatable how much this weakness actually limits my climbing but I said the same thing about my pulling strength until I trained it and found it to be useful. I suspect I have some shoulder weakness but my shoulders tend to feel fine/strong when on the wall (especially in external rotation and close gastons)

My questions:

1. Is this a weakness worth worrying about if it doesn't directly limit me on the wall?
2. How should I train this weakness. I'm considering doing 1 arm hangs with the other hand using a band for support because directly training 1 arm is too intense. This is hard to self-regulate or progressively overload and just generally doesn't feel that nice. Any exercises that target 1 arm hangs that can be done in a more controlled manner? Tweaked my neck once after doing them.
3. Should I continue to train weighted pullups? I feel like I'm sensitive to overtraining in general and the 1 arm hang training is very intense on my body.

I have a tweaky finger right now so it's a good time to focus on some bodily weakness.

So, about 6 weeks ago, I hurt my foot/toe on a lache-type dyno. I proceeded to ignore it and continue to climb and run. The pain prevented me from trying hard, which was annoying, so I tried hard about a week ago (it hurt). I realized that was, in fact, a mistake when I accepted that my pain tolerance had been reached, and I could no longer weight the foot enough to make it more than 4 moves on the next (relatively easy) route. Boyfriend convinced me to set up an appointment with my doctor.

Doctor swiftly told me it's very likely I have broken sesamoid(s) and ordered x rays to confirm. Blessedly, he does not think I'll need surgery. While he okayed me climbing on top rope as long as I do not use the injured foot at all, don't weight it when lowered, etc, he encouraged me to perhaps focus more on off-the-wall training that does not use the injured foot while it heals. Or get more into skiing.

Anyway. I haven't done much formal strength training and none that is climbing specific. I've gotten where I currently am by "just climbing". I did just buy and install a hangboard at home. I already had a pullup bar. I have access to resistance bands, dumbbells and plates, etc. What resources (books, websites, YouTube channels, etc) are recommended for the purpose of teaching myself about climbing-specific strength training, with the goal being I make + follow an actual training plan and don't lose strength while my climbing is limited for the next month or two?

For reference of current fitness: I'm female, not young, have been an athlete in one sport or another for the majority of my life. I've worked physical outdoor jobs for ~20 years so I am fairly 'naturally' strong compared to other women that don't lift (I do not currently lift, did lift briefly about 10 years ago but didn't get hooked). Been climbing for ~2 years with random 1-2 month long breaks for work travel that amount to ~6 months of time off (so in reality, a total of 1.5 years of climbing 2-4x a week). Recently tried weighted pullups (for the first time) at 110% body weight, did 3. Never tried weighted hangs. Decently flexible (nearly full middle and side splits, almost elbows to floor pike). Indoors I usually flash V4, highest boulder I've climbed was a V7 (with the broken sesamoid, unknowingly lol). On top rope I can project 5.12s, recently flashed a 5.12- that happened to be in my style (also with the broken sesamoid, unknowingly). The last time I climbed outdoors was long enough ago to be not super relevant; I think I managed a V3? Which was about what I could climb in the gym at the time. Would love to get out more but the work travel has coincided with the outdoor season in my area.

This is a thread for simple, or common training questions that don't merit their own individual threads as well as a place to ask Injury related questions. It also serves as a less intimidating way for new climbers to ask questions without worrying how it comes across.

• r/Climbharder Wiki - many common answers to questions.
• r/Climbharder Master Sticky - many of the best topic replies

Commonly asked about topics regarding injuries:

Tendonitis: http://stevenlow.org/overcoming-tendonitis/

Pulley rehab:

• https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/stories/experience-story-esther-smith-nagging-finger-injuries/
• https://stevenlow.org/rehabbing-injured-pulleys-my-experience-with-rehabbing-two-a2-pulley-issues/
• Note: See an orthopedic doctor for a diagnostic ultrasound before potentially using these. Pulley protection splints for moderate to severe pulley injury.

Synovitis / PIP synovitis:

https://stevenlow.org/beating-climbing-injuries-pip-synovitis/

General treatment of climbing injuries:

https://stevenlow.org/treatment-of-climber-hand-and-finger-injuries/

Has anyone seen/used a training plan specifically for progressive overload on systems boards? Haven’t been able to find much on this topic and curious if others have experimented with it. The gym I have access to has systems boards (3 adjust and 1 set at 40), with a small bouldering wall. I’ve developed the following plan with the goal of increasing power endurance. I believe the metrics (attempts/sessions, rest, angle, effort) can be adjusted for strength or power as well.

3 week cycle, 2 sessions per week. I selected 10 problems at 75% limit grade and attempt each problem twice before resting and switching to the next problem. Each week increasing the angle of the board and Rest time increases incrementally with each week. I’ve used the same problems through the cycle for consistency/measuring progress..

For example week 1 @ 25degrees and resting 3 minutes between attempts, week 2 @ 30degrees and resting 3.5 minutes between attempts, week 3 @ 35degrees and resting 4 minutes between attempts. Week 4 Deload.

Curious about feedback and happy to provide more details on my thought process of this.

This is a thread for topics or questions which don't warrant their own thread, as well as general spray.

Come on in and hang out!

To the mods: I know there is another synovitis thread, but I think this question is different (and hopefully interesting) enough to warrant its own thread. Please let me know if this is not an appropriate post, or what I can change to make it so. Thank you in advance.

Please only respond if you are dealing with PIP or DIP synovitis. My question is simple - for those of you with PIP or DIP synovitis, do you have a gap in your crimp on the affected hand on either side of the affected finger? (Please attach a picture if you can as a bonus).

Example of a gap (my own Right hand, right middle finger has synovitis): https://imgur.com/a/right-hand-crimp-gap-CMwB2Sr

Why am I asking this? I believe that a gap in your fingers when crimping can potentially contribute to the development of joint synovitis due to increased stress on the collateral ligaments and synovial capsule. Please note that this is completely speculative and a total guess on my part and could very well not be significant. Hence why I am polling this community for more data.

This does not appear to be a well studied or at least commonly talked about phenomenon (if it even exists), at least not to me as a lay person (MD, but not a physical therapist or hand surgeon) who gets most of my climbing info from a small circle of friends and this subreddit.

There does not appear to be absolute consensus about any dangers of this phenomenon of "crimp gapping" ("crimp asymmetry", "finger deviation/abduction", whatever you want to call it). But below are the few references I have found for any that are interested:

1. Case study by Jared Vagy (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1185653/full) of a climber with left ring finger PIP synovitis + gap in left hand between his ring finger and pinky when crimping. He hypothesized that: "there was a greater amount of stress on the 4th (affected) digit secondary to the loss of lateral support from the pink". To try to fix it, he assigned the climber some exercises to reduce the gapping (and hopefully the torsion experienced by the joint). His patient's synovitis resolved, but it is never explicitly stated if he retooled/retrained his crimp to resolve the gap.
2. Interview with the same Dr. Jared Vagy on Steve Dimmet's The Nugget podcast (https://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/jared-vagy) starting at 1:29:56 – where he discusses "Torsion on the hangboard, and gaps between fingers". He states that for crimps

• It's best if:
  • the weight is evenly distributed through the fingertips
  • the fingertips are all flat and not side loaded
  • no twisting in the joints

3. Anecdotal support from other users/posts on this subreddit detailing this phenomenon of "crimp asymmetry/gapping" wherein posters have experienced "middle fingers swollen constantly" and "swollen PIP in my middle finger for ages" and "sprains in my PIP collateral ligaments" or "severe synovitis/capsulitis in both of my middle fingers at the PIP joint" etc.

https://www.reddit.com/r/climbharder/comments/vlmnqo/fingerknuckle_separation_while_crimping/

https://www.reddit.com/r/climbharder/comments/18ilfa3/natural_crimp_finger_position_safe_gap_between/

https://www.reddit.com/r/climbharder/comments/1026d7u/tips_for_lazy_index_and_pinky_fingers/

https://www.reddit.com/r/climbharder/comments/19161sx/trouble_keeping_fingers_together_when_crimping/

https://www.reddit.com/r/overcominggravity/comments/1gu7wye/dip_synovitis_due_to_an_ulnar_deviation_in_my_dip/

Multiple commenters, including some physical therapists, in these posts have hypothesized that grip asymmetry/gaps result in finger torsion stressing the PIP collateral ligaments and synovial capsule.

u/stonedbudz (V10/11) stated a year ago that: "I’ve had this same “problem” since I started climbing. I’ve also been dealing with severe synovitis/capsulitis in both of my middle fingers at the PIP joint for about 6-7 months now. (IM NO EXPERT) but I truly believe this may have been one of the root causes to my injuries. My thought is when exerting a lot of force through your fingers especially anywhere from a half crimp to full crimp if your index finger is not in line with your middle finger it will expose your joint capsule to very high amounts of lateral forces as well as the downwards forces. Which I believe is a recipe for disaster when it comes to your joint. Again I am no expert but this is just what I have gathered from my experience being a climber with a slew of finger injuries." so I know at least I'm not the only person worried about this.

Hey all,

I’m trying to get some advice to get unstuck right now. I’m 34 and I’ve been climbing for 8 years and I’ve been Plateaud trying to break into 12 outdoors for several years now. I’ve climbing many routes in the 12a-12b range but never sent one.

I admit my training regiment is not some robust or detailed thing because I don’t view 12 as that high of a bar that it would be necessary. Right now I do 2 2 hour climbing sessions a week in the gym. Which I feel like is low but when I push to three a week I feel like my shoulders and fingers start to fall apart and then I get injured and lose progress. Since I’ve adopted my current routine I’ve been injury free with steady slow progress for almost 2 years.

A typical lead session for me is :

• warm up on a 9
• do a 10 to continue warm up
• do 11 to ease into 12
• climb 2-3 12s or maybe a 13

A typical boulder session for me:

• 10-15 minutes of warm up on v0-2
• 20-30 minutes of climbing v3-v4
• 1 hour of projecting at v6-v7

I live in central Ohio so outdoor climbing is not very readily accessible, I have to travel several hours so I usually get in 10-14 days of outdoor climbing a year. Most of those days I’m trying 1-2s 12 a day. Unless I’m in a new region and I’m spending a day just learning the rock/climb style of the area and warming up.

I guess my questions would be:

Does anyone have any advice for fitting a third session in? Or like how to have better recovery inbetween?

Or is it even worth it or needed based on my injury prone history.

And maybe thoughts on if I should just accept the slow steady progress and live with it?

Other additional training that might be recommended where I’m at?

https://preview.redd.it/5izz499qoqde1.jpg?width=2736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a2275d75c51b35690b852f382bdd731ecfbd22f

https://preview.redd.it/o31snw9qoqde1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de9b0a5bc52fc8b7e5b0565dfddd47d734f2050b

https://preview.redd.it/9dqeh09qoqde1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7703ae106a52c3af67f99bc377d181d668032d6e

https://preview.redd.it/74ily09qoqde1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c28cd4bde69a9122cc3fc278b834e75bdd9ac18

https://preview.redd.it/16n5k19qoqde1.jpg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fb305ec520002f942751d0941ea574fbd74ba67

TLDR

I chucked this DIY platform together from workshop scraps to use with my recently purchased Tindeq and thought I'd share it in case anyone else was interested in making something similar.

Unlevel/Natural Edge

I'm now thinking about getting a unlevel/natural edge to train with but can't seem to find any custom ones online. I'm considering buying a plunge router and making my own or attempting to design one to be 3d printed. If anyone has any information on where I can buy a custom natural edge or how to build/print my own please do share :)

Platform Details

The basic idea is that I wanted something portable (small and lightweight, but still strong) that I could use my Tindeq with. This is something I can use at the gym or climbing wall to warm up and train. Now, of course this isn't crag-portable, but for that I just use a sling under my shoes.

I've seen others use several layers of 18mm ply and make their platforms very heavy and unnecessarily big. This just uses one piece of 12mm ply and some CLS timber for the bolt to go through. I could have used nice hardwood but this weighs much less.

I use a chain so that I can quickly adjust the slack in the system to train both pulling and curling. This also means I don't have to faff around with tying knots in slings or finding the perfect size sling.

It fits perfectly in a cotton tote bag so it doesn't get scratched up or scratch anything else up in my gym bag.

Cost

In total this cost me about £19 (chain, quick link & bolt hanger, the rest were offcuts). I managed to pinch a single nut, bolt & square washer from a friend to save me buying them in large expensive packs. I had to cut the bolt to size which was surprisingly easy.

Parts List

Essentials Side-Welded Zinc-Plated Link Chain 6mm x 2.5m - Screwfix

Essentials 6mm Stainless Steel Quick Links 2 Pack - Screwfix

Sabrefix M10 Square Plate Washers Galvanised 50mm x 50mm 50 Pack - Screwfix

Coeur Stainless – V12 Outdoor

M10 bolt

M10 nut

Hello,

Been climbing for 2 years and a month. 38 year old male, 5'11, 130 lbs (yeah I was even lighter before climbing).

I climb 4 days a week, 90%+ indoors, half boulders half routes. I started hangboarding about 6 months in, doing (what I believe) was very safe stuff - feet on floor, big 30mm edges, no weight etc. Tried various protocols as I got more comfortable eventually settled on a super simple 2x max hangs per week. (6 7s sets, 20mm, start at body weight and end at max, which is +45 lbs for me at the moment).

Recently I did the strengthclimbing.com online test and it said V5, which seems in line with my hangboard stats. I currently climb maybe V7 and 12b reliably after a few sessions, did a couple of the softer V8s on the kilter board recently.

I thought my finger strength could go up before taking the test, and it also suggested that I focus on that, and maybe try repeaters. I'm also wondering if now that I've been climbing longer it's safer to hangboard more, or if thats beneficial at all if it potentially means I have to climb less to manage load. Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated. My goal is just to generically improve, I have no desire to send any particular project/grade/style.

So I have built a non linear training plan for myself. I know there are a ton of variables that go into training. I am a father with limited time and I train in the garage. I have a lot available though. Here is the outline...thoughts? Goals to keep climbing around 2 hours, I climb after kids go down. I also wanted to keep strength/recovery under an hour so I can see my significant other. Thoughts?

Non-Linear Training Plan

Overview

• Climbing: 2x/week (Tuesdays and Fridays)
• Strength Training: 1x/week (Wednesdays)
• Yoga/Stretching: 2x/week (Thursdays and Saturdays or Sundays)
• Duration:
  • Climbing sessions: 2 hours
  • Strength and yoga/stretching sessions: 45 minutes max

Testing Week (Week 1)

Climbing Testing (Tuesday/Friday):

1. Warm-up:
   • Easy traverses and mobility (10 minutes)
   • 3 easy MoonBoard problems at least 2 grades below max
   • Finger activation: 3-5 no-hangs on the Tindeq Progressor at 50% body weight (7 seconds on, 3 seconds off x 5 reps)
2. Performance:
   • Attempt 5 MoonBoard problems: 2 at max grade, 2 one grade below, 1 flash attempt one grade above.
   • Record number of sends and time taken.
3. Capacity:
   • 4x4 protocol: Select 4 problems 2 grades below y max. Climb each problem once, repeat for 4 sets with 2-minute rest between.

Strength Testing (Wednesday):

1. Kettlebell Deadlifts:
   • Warm-up: 3 sets x 5 reps @ light weight (RPE 4/10)
   • Test: Work up to a 3-rep max (record weight).
2. Pull-Ups:
   • Test: Max unbroken reps.
3. Core:
   • Front Plank: Hold for max duration.

Flexibility Testing (Thursday/Sunday):

1. Forward Fold: Measure fingertip distance to the floor.
2. Thoracic Spine Mobility: Seated thoracic rotation (use a broomstick or similar for guidance) and measure rotation in degrees.

Weekly Calendar

Tuesday – Climbing (Performance Focus)

Warm-Up (30 minutes):

• General mobility: Arm circles, hip circles, dynamic hamstring stretches (5 minutes)
• Traverse easy holds or climb 3 warm-up problems (10 minutes)
• Fingerboard activation: Tindeq Progressor no-hangs @ 50-60% body weight (3 x 7 seconds on, 3 seconds off)
• 3 MoonBoard problems, 2 grades below max (5 minutes each)

Finger Strength Protocol (10 minutes):

• Tindeq Progressor Repeaters:
  • 7 seconds on, 3 seconds off x 6 reps @ 60-70% body weight (2 sets)
  • Rest 2 minutes between sets

Main Session (90 minutes):

• Project MoonBoard problems:
  • 2 problems at max grade (limit attempts to 3 each)
  • 2 problems 1 grade below max (work on sequencing and smooth climbing)
  • 1 problem 1 grade above max for flash attempt
• Capacity: 3x3 protocol (3 sets of 3 problems, 2 grades below max, 3 minutes rest between sets)

Wednesday – Strength Training (Hooper’s Beta-Inspired)

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Main Session (35-40 minutes):

1. Kettlebell Deadlifts: 4x6 @ RPE 6-7
2. One-Arm Rows: 3x8 per side
3. Overhead Press (with kettlebell): 3x10
4. Turkish Get-Ups: 3x3 per side (light-medium weight for control)
5. Pull-Ups: 3xMax Reps (or add weight for fewer reps if max reps exceed 10)
6. Core:
   • Hollow Body Hold: 3x30 seconds
   • Side Plank: 2x20 seconds per side

Thursday – Yoga/Stretching (Recovery)

Friday – Climbing (Capacity Focus)

Warm-Up (30 minutes):

• Similar to Tuesday.

Finger Strength Protocol (10 minutes):

• Tindeq Progressor Repeaters:
  • 7 seconds on, 3 seconds off x 6 reps @ 60-70% body weight (2 sets)
  • Rest 2 minutes between sets

Main Session (90 minutes):

• Endurance Pyramid:
  • 3 problems 3 grades below max (easy circuit)
  • 2 problems 2 grades below max
  • 1 problem at max grade
  • Reverse the pyramid.
• 4x4 protocol: As described in testing week.

Saturday/Sunday – Yoga/Stretching (Recovery)

• Repeat Thursday’s yoga/stretching routine.

Recently moved to a larger city (Minneapolis/Saint Paul), and now have access to 12+ facilities (large gyms, small gyms, training gyms, and walls) previously was in Fargo where the climbing facilities were quite limited for the majority of my 11 years climbing there (garage moonboard, small university ART Wall, tiny YMCA wall) until a gym was opened in 2022. I am in the climbing industry, so access to most of these places is free (very lucky).

Those of you with access to multiple walls how much time do you spend in one facility vs diversifying your time between facilities? Currently my split has been looking like this...

Monday- MBP, amazing spray wall, and community of people who absolutely crush outdoors, spending my time here focusing on limit climbing on the spray wall, most long term projects. Working in the occasional TB2 session.

Wednesday- VE Twin Cities Bouldering, volume on the commercial sets, find they have a decent outdoor feel, and with tons of routes added each week, I focus on volume, hard flashes, to 1-3 session projects. Climbing on a variety of hold types and wall angles. They also have a TB1, which I adore.

Saturday- Big Island Bouldering, Kilter Board, big powerful moves have always been a weakness of mine, and I find the Kilter Board really helps me with this, and it's fun. Similar to TCB I go between hard flashes and 1-3 session projects.

Sometimes the focus of the session changes, I might get sucked into a project at TCB, and that becomes my limit session, and then I adjust MBP from limit to volume on the spray wall. So I try to be flexible.

For me it seems like the Pros are I'm very psyched and not working one thing or style too much, and getting only one day a week at each location, I want to make the most of it. I am getting a lot more volume VS my Fargo Sessions, which felt like limit climbing almost every session, sometimes adding in volume on the Moonboard with perfect repeats, or being able to set 20+ move projects that I slowly piece together.

I feel like I have more sends in my second tier range (not sure that's the right terminology) but the grade range below limit, hard flash to 1-3 session. Instead of just constantly grinding against a couple limit projects, until they slowly go down.

Also have access to outdoor climbing, so once it warms up, the split will dramatically decrease as I climb outside 2+ days a week.

Thanks!

Tldr: Those of you with access to multiple facilities, how much time do you spend going between facilities, do you see a benefit long term of doing a similar split, or is it better to do longer periods of time in less facilities, and then rotating between them on a monthly or quarterly basis? If you did have access to more facilities how would you split your time between different gyms, boards.

I've read every single PIP synovitis/capsulitis post on reddit and very few claim to have successfully treated their synovitis and all in different ways. I developed right middle finger synovitis approximately 1 year ago and it has severely affected my enjoyment of climbing over that time:

Vast majority of the swelling is on both sides of the middle PIP

Over the last year I have tried essentially 3 cycles of recovery, each about 3-4 months long:

1. Steven Low recommendations (https://stevenlow.org/beating-climbing-injuries-pip-synovitis/): 3 weeks off +NSAIDs immediately and the pain decreased, then EDITED: started with 3-4x wk of 3x20 finger rolls which didn't do much so increased to 6x20 reps 2x/day, slowly increased climbing volume back up focusing on open hand and trying to avoid half crimping. I typically climb up to V7 in my gym and so I limited myself to flash climbing V4-5's for a long while. As soon as I started venturing back into the 6+ range however the pain returned. At no point did the swelling ever go down. Likely I increased volume too quickly. Also tried finger tip pushup position holds without any noticeable improvement
2. Jared Vagy recommendations (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1185653/full): 2 weeks off and daily icing finger, voodoo flossing + all of the active range of motion/joint mobilizations/soft tissue massage + antagonist extensors mentioned in the article. Mainly I noticed an improvement in flexion ROM but no change in the swelling. The improved ROM disappears once I stop doing the exercises, but improves again quickly if I start doing them.
3. PT I saw in person: turmeric, voodoo floss, density hangs, volume management by tracking #/grade of boulders, and focusing on other areas of fitness to give the finger a break (shoulder, flexibility, etc.)

My main concern is that - nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, seems to help with the swelling. If I take time off, the pain I get while climbing and in day to day life noticeably subsides. But it comes back as soon as I start to climb harder. If I do the ROM exercises, the finger begins to flex and extend better (though it never reaches the same ROM as my other fingers - the swelling prevents it from doing so). But I can NOT get the swelling to go down at all for the life of me. I have had an Xray to rule out volar plate fracture. At this point i'm not sure if there is still excess synovial fluid that can simply be aspirated, or if the synovial joint lining itself has now hypertrophied/scarred and maybe I need a surgical synovectomy? Someone on this subreddit tried a radiosynovectomy intra-articular injection but his/her comments indicate it failed to improve. I did see an ortho hand surgeon who said she could perform a steroid injection but it would only improve the pain for a few months and once it wore off I'd be back to square one if I continued climbing. She said the fingers were not built to withstand the forces of climbing and the only long term solution is to stop climbing.

I guess my question is - is there anything I can do to get the swelling itself to go down?? Or do I just resign myself to permanent swelling, pain, and loss of range of motion in that finger for the rest of my life if I continue climbing?

Hi all, I hope it’s okay I’m posting here! I was super into climbing for like 8 years but for the last couple years I’ve traded climbing for mostly being a giant couch potato. Now I’m an out of shape mildly geriatric (35 yo) woman and I’ve been invited on a bouldering trip. My psych levels are so high! My physical fitness so low!

I know I’m not gonna get super strong in 7 weeks - I’m not that delusional. But I want to do whatever I can to get even incrementally stronger bc the stronger I am the more stuff I can climb (even if it’s low grades) and the more fun I’ll have!

In December, I started climbing again 3x a week. Starting in the new year, I added 2x a week weight training and 5x a week stretching/yoga.

My current fitness plan looks like this:

Mon: Bouldering (hard projecting)

Tues: Weight training (pull strength/legs)

Weds: Climbing (focus on volume/endurance so 4x4s and laps on the autobelay)

Thursday: Weight training (pull strength/core)

Friday: Rest day

Saturday: Bouldering (just have fun and climb)

Sunday: Rest day

Plus minimum 30 minutes of yoga/stretching every week day (I’m really bad at getting myself to do stuff on weekends)

When I started climbing again back in December I was barely getting up V3s at my gym. Now I’m mostly flashing 4’s and can get most 5’s (and even one V6!!) with a lil projecting. So I’m feeling pretty good about at least making some progress.

I’m wondering if y’all think my current training plan looks good/has room for improvement? Any specific exercises you’d recommend I add?

Should I be hangboarding?

My current dream is to be climbing v3 outside maybe finish a v4 on this upcoming trip. Absolutely any feedback/advice/encouragement extremely appreciated!!

For a long time, I have taken rest very seriously, always making sure that I'm well rested to give maximum output for all of my sessions (climbing about 3x/week for me. Recently, I focused on training work capacity to improve my ability to climb multiple days in a row on trips (climbing 4-5x/week). However, I found that during this time I saw a lot of improvement outside of work capacity in terms of strength and skill. I structured my climbing to balance max strength sessions, PE/Volume sessions, and skill sessions. I definitely saw that DURING this block, my max output was lower, but then after a de-load week I was hitting new grades.

It seems like one of the things that makes elite climbers and pros so good is their incredible capacity to climb A LOT. Even when it's not 'scientifically backed'. I heard a podcast recently talking about how an Olympic climber's coach wanted to move them to one day on, one day off, but they couldn't do it because they're just a restless person, yet obviously they're climbing at an elite level and what they've been doing their whole life has been working for them. If there is one consistent thing about the climbers that I know that climb hard, they climb all the time.

I guess I've been wondering if maybe the training community has taken a little too much from weightlifting, and that rest doesn't pay off for climbers as much as for less skill-based sports like lifting and sprinting. I'm curious if others here focus on increasing their work capacity in order to be able to train more during a block, and if so, what are you doing?

-------

Last training block for reference (simplified a little) - note that I had to work up to this over about 5 weeks. Also note that I have been focused just on bouldering:

Mon: Strength training+ Volume and "sending" focused on climbing lots of routes just above OS grade
Tues: Rest
Wed: Limit bouldering/tension board
Thur: Antagonist strength training + skill focus: slab and "anti-styles"
Fri: rest
Saturday: Outside: hard/limit boulders and projects
Sunday: rest OR outside supporting others, working in the day project or OS grade, and chill social climbing

I've never full crimped (with the thumb over my index finger) because the pervasive fear-mongering surrounding it is so deeply embedded into my subconscious that, in general, I struggle with crimpy climbs since as soon as I feel my fingers try too hard, I let go. It's not like I'm prone to injuries, having only slight tweaks that lasted a couple of weeks but never affected my climbing. But my friends think that this is subconsciously holding my strength back.

Yesterday I wanted to test my finger strength and was amazed to find that I could hang off a 14mm edge if I "full crimped it". But the thing is that I never used my thumb. When my friend told me to half crimp it, I couldn't hold onto it, I just couldn't weigh my fingers. I was able to do repeaters on the 18mm edge with the half crimp.

Is this normal? It's like my half crimp is only slightly lagging behind my full crimp. Is it bad to do the thumbless full crimp..? I think I instinctively do it on really hard terrain. Also, full crimping on small edges (especially if I'm just fucking around to test what I can do) never feels any different from regular crimping. I feel the usual feeling in my hands that coincides with crimpy training. Is it even "full-crimping?" Is this method of crimp "dangerous?"

Edit: I've heard that for "half crimps" you're supposed to "pull hard" or something, but I've never felt that. When I crimp it just feels... like I'm weighing my fingers, idk. But when I full crimp, I feel like I just have to remain static. Should I focus more on "pulling" myself when I half crimp?