Are Most Climbers Getting Fingerboard Training Wrong? (Part II)

Reading online training forums can be confusing and frustrating for both the trained and untrained climber. There’s a wide range of opinions (some more informed than others) about optimal surfaces, edge depths, work/rest ratios, weight progressions, workout timing, and whether beginners should even be pursuing finger training. However, the biggest problem I see in these discussions is the assumption that “finger training” means one thing.

For most climbers, certainly the trained ones, finger training has tended to mean doing weighted hangs on a 20mm edge for either 7 or 10 seconds. But most finger strength training research uses 22-25mm edges, and these edge depths, especially the 25mm, make more sense for recruitment than smaller edges. But does being able to complete some monumental hang weight—regardless of edge size—justify its use? I don’t think so. By focusing purely on adding more weight to their weighted hangs, most climbers put too much value on the exercise instead of the adaptation that will actually improve their climbing.

Furthermore, many of these fingerboard loyalists also shout as loud as possible online about how their type of finger training is dangerous for beginners. Of course, using a fingerboard like they use it might be. But their statements betray a limited understanding of how strength training creates adaptations. (Don’t know what that means? Check out part 1 of this series.) 

The fact is: 

Intermediate climbers have more finger injuries than beginners

I consult with climbers with injured fingers all day (around 600 last year alone). From my experience, climbers climbing below the V5 level have a relatively small incidence of finger injuries. Unfortunately, the opposite is true for those in the V5-V8 grade range. Why does this happen? 

As discussed in Part 1, holds  in commercial gyms only get small (and not that small even) once you’re well into the V6-V8 grade range. Because of this, beginners rarely grab small holds, putting most of the stress on the entire finger, wrist, and elbow tendons rather than the pulleys.

Here’s a classic description of an adult climber’s journey (kids who grow up swinging around in commercial gyms are a big exception): 

As the adult beginner builds capacity in their forearms, arms, and shoulders, their sessions get longer and the problems they climb on get more dynamic. If they stay with it, the climber becomes anxious to spend their free time at the climbing gym trying new things. They put in their practice time, become part of the culture, and quickly hit a plateau in progression. This plateau is generally around the V5/6, 5.11+/5.12a levels because below those grades there are few stopper, strength-dependent moves, so climbers can make gains up to that point by simply spending more hours at the gym, honing their technical skills, and creating fatigue in the forearms. At this point in their training age, however, these athletes have had minimal exposure to distinct crux sequences that require grabbing small holds. And when they do encounter such moves, they generally flail because they still need to develop the recruitment, coordination, and joint/pulley stiffness required to control small holds. 

This is typically when most climbers realize they need to do some specific finger training.  But doing this training safely requires understanding how to manage both climbing and new finger-training stress simultaneously—and they’ll need to change their habits to manage both climbing and training. For many, the added volume becomes a new risk factor. 

Risk is not one thing—the problem with perception

It’s a mistake to suggest that climbers need to climb some V-grade minimum before they should use a fingerboard. If anything, there should be a V-grade maximum for moving past reliance on the fingerboard as a tool. Once strong climbers are seeking 2.5 lb incremental improvements for loads, they’ve reached a point where additional gains will never transfer to rock climbing performance. (See part 1 for more details.) 

One of the hardest things for intermediate climbers to understand is how their perception influences training adaptation. For example, because fingerboarding has more intensity than climbing at lower grades, introducing this new stress is only beneficial if athletes are able to recover, which requires reducing the overall volume load in their typical week (climbing and training combined) and then gradually increasing load as their body adapts. In other words, doing more may actually feel like doing less. 

Yet simply trying harder and being psyched while adopting a new training routine is not likely to be productive. Quite the opposite. One reason that fingerboarding has been perceived as so dangerous for so long is that many new fingerboarders train their fingers in a fatigued state. Training while fatigued increases the perception of effort, which makes sessions feel harder and, on the surface, more productive. But it also reduces motor unit recruitment and coordination, and unless these athletes create new training habits (more intensity, more frequency, less volume, dietary timing, periodizing their training, etc.) and learn to manage both climbing and training stressors simultaneously, fingerboard training is a risk factor. 

But it’s not the fingerboarding training itself that’s to blame. Conversely, fingerboard training can be considered preventative for injuries when used appropriately. 

The 3 V’s: Why fingerboarding is less risky than climbing

Variation: Variation refers to variable grip types and the directions of force. It should be evident to anyone reading this article that as climbing grade increases, holds get smaller and body positions get more complex. To accomodate these small holds and complex movements, climbers have to balance the body under hand positions that add rotational stress to the pulleys and joints of the fingers. Fingerboards, however, produce little variation or rotational stress, which is why it’s far safer to add weight while fingerboarding than while climbing. 

Velocity: the speed with which we apply contact strength also adds an element of risk to regular climbing. Loading the fingers dynamically on small edges puts a load on the ligaments that challenge their capacity. With every repetition, these tissues experience a rapid length change, defined as a strain. Current research supports the idea that light and fast loads, done at too high a volume, will increase the elastic response of the tissues. This increases the injury risk to adjacent collagen molecules. 

Conversely, fingerboard loading is heavy and slow, inducing a stress response in these tissues. Recent research suggests that this load type increases the stiffness of connective tissue, which is good news, since stiffer tissues can tolerate more repetitions of activity, i.e., more climbing. 

Volume: Volume is the most problematic of all. Increased climbing volume compounds the variation and velocity stresses discussed above. The number one risk factor for finger injuries is too many direction changes at variable speeds. In addition, the longer the session, the longer the recovery needs. For the psyched climber climbing in that  V5 to V8 range, you can only safely add finger stress if you correspondly decrease your  total climbing volume. Alternatively, you could begin a dedicated strength phase in which the climbing becomes the training intervention—i.e. you stop climbing set boulders and, instead of starting to fingerboard, begin slowly increasing your load on a spray wall or systems boards. 

Training suggestions for beginner climbers

The beginner’s finger-training crux is maintaining patience as their tendons adapt to the new stress. Their muscles will adapt in 4-8 months, depending on their athletic background, but their connective tissues will take years to build tolerance. Also, jugs provide support to the annular pulleys, giving them little capacity-building stress over the initial climbing grades. To remedy this, beginner climbers should use a fingerboard as their primary warmup tool and better prepare themselves for higher training stresses later in their grade development. 

A sample warmup/strength training protocol for beginners

Doing all three of the following circuits each day before climbing should be enough for the beginner. The beginner climber should aim to progress to body weight with all hangs and then slowly reduce the edge size. Once they can consistently climb in the V5/6 or 5.11c range, they can progress to the intermediate climber suggestions below. 

Circuit 1 

Two sets with 3 minutes of rest between sets

• Pull-up isometric starting at 90 degrees from a bench or stool. 5 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 5 reps. Rate of perceived effort (RPE): 5-7 out of 10, or 50-70% intensity. 
• Forward lunge/hip flexor stretch. 5 to 10 reps per leg.
• 4-finger drag (fingers pulled back on a jug) repeater. 5 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 3 to 5 reps at 5-7/10 RPE.

Circuit 2 

Two sets with 3 minutes of rest between

• Push-up isometric at 90 degrees. 10 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 5 reps at bodyweight intensity.
• Double leg hip thruster (120-degree knee angle) with heels on a box. 5-10 reps.
• 4-finger half-crimp (40-35mm) repeater. 5 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 3-5 reps at 5-7/10 RPE. 

Circuit 3 

Two sets with 3 minutes of rest between

• Dumbbell front, scapular, and lateral raises (The classic: I, Y, T). 5 reps in each direction per set. RPE: 5-7/10. 
• Goblet squat at body weight, squating to a comfortable depth. 5-10 reps per set.
• 4-finger half-crimp (25-20mm) repeater. 5 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 3-5 reps at RPE: 5-7/10. 

An example of a traditional fingerboard protocol

Training suggestions for the intermediate climber

The intermediate climber’s crux is that they still spend 80% of their climbing time on medium-sized holds, and their grade progression plateaus because the strength (coordination, recruitment, tendon stiffness, etc.) gained on these medium-sized holds WILL NOT transfer to smaller ones. 

In my opinion, this is the most critical time for a habit change. These athletes need to spend more time on smaller holds. To do so, they should start/continue using a fingerboard to develop pulley stiffness, but they should also train small hold coordination on a climbing wall. This likely requires working in two to three week blocks of intentional strength training, in which they do less powerful movements on holds that are closer together but have a small average hold size. This isn’t necessarily an attractive prospect to most climbers, but it’s necessary at this point, and it will be benefitial in the long run. Getting stuck in a grade rut is too familiar to most commercial gym climbers; I know it was for me. 

A sample warmup/strength training protocol for intermediate climbers

Do each of these three circuits before climbing, up to three to four weekly sessions. 

Circuit 1 

2 sets with 3 minutes of rest between

• Pull-ups to 90 degrees. 1 to 5 reps with a 3 second hold at bodyweight intensity (BW).
• Forward lunge/hip flexor stretch. 5-10 reps per leg.
• 4-finger drag (on a jug) repeaters. 5 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 3-5 reps at BW.

Circuit 2 

2 sets with 3 minutes of rest between

• Push-ups at full range. 10 reps at BW.
• Double leg hip thruster (120-degree knee angle) with heels on a box. 5-10 reps.
• 4-finger half-crimp (30mm) repeater. 5 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 3-5 reps at BW.

Circuit 3 

2 sets with 3 minutes of rest between

• Dumbbell front, scapular, lateral raise (I, Y, T). 5 reps in each direction per set. RPE: 5-7/10. 
• Goblet squat at body weight, squating to a comfortable depth. 5-10 reps.
• 4-finger half-crimp (20mm) repeater. 5 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 3-5 reps at BW.

Additional finger strength training protocols for intermediate climbers

1. Non-climbing strength session example (recruitment)

Half-crimp weighted hangs on a 30mm edge. 

Pick a load you can hang for 3 seconds with 5 seconds of rest between reps. Hang 3 seconds per rep; rest 5 seconds between reps; 3 reps per set; and do 3-5 sets with 4-5 minutes of rest between sets.

Another option is to pull on a 30mm edge with one arm at max intensity: the equivalent of trying to one-arm-hang a 30mm edge at half crimp. Use the same work/rest/rep ratio. 

Progress by adding load for 3 to 4 weeks before taking a rest week.

2. Non-climbing strength/hypertrophy session example (coordination)

On-the-wall coordination/small edge training.

In this exercise, you’ll do 5-8 sets of slow, controlled climbing on a 30-40 degree overhanging spray wall, system board, or campus board with the feet on. Try to use the smallest edges you can grab, and make sure to vary grip directions. Use large feet to ensure that each hold is smaller than the typical holds you climb on without being impossibly hard to use. This is the best time to train the full-crimp position. 

The intention here is to treat the climbing wall like a fingerboard. You’ll do 3-5 reps per hand on small holds close together; do 5 to 7 sets with 4-5 minutes of rest between them. Be sure to use variable body positions so that you can optimally control each handhold. 

Progress by (a) doing more volume (i.e. hand moves) per set hand moves, (b) using smaller edges, and (c) doing more sets. Train in a 3-4 week block, then take a rest week and move on to regular more-powerful climbing.

Here, Kerry Scott demonstrates on-the-wall coordination on the Tension Board 2:

Training suggestions for advanced climbers

The advanced climber’s crux is a plateau in literal recruitment to the finger flexors. They’ve put in their time on the wall and the fingerboard but stopped seeing a progression in strength gains. In this context, aside from the warmup routine, this is when a fingerboard protocol will provide the least return. These athletes (climbing at V8 and above level) already have high levels of finger recruitment, stiff connective tissues, and coordination at their current grade. The only way many of them will see small gains in recruitment is if they add hefty loads,* which has more risk than reward, or if they target their active tension. At this point, a flashy new fingerboard protocol will not bust them free from the plataeu.

*Remember from part 1 that eccentrics are 1.5x greater in their load

Instead, these athletes need to utilize a type of contraction (concentric-like) which does not allow such an abundant load to the connective tissues (eccentric-like). In order to do this, climbers need to isolate the finger flexors more intentionally. This could be from multiple positions (for instance hanging from holds overhead, pulling up with arm at your side, or pulling horizontally), but the concontractile force needs to be from the fingers pulling/curling, not muscle or skeletal force in the upper limb.  

An example of an overcoming isometric pull

A sample warmup/strength training protocol for advanced climbers

Do this each day before climbing, four sessions per week. 

Circuit 1

2 sets with 3 minutes of rest between

• Power pull-ups (concentric portion). 1 to 5 reps at BW
• Forward lunge hops. 5 reps per leg
• Front 3-finger drape rapid repeaters. 3 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 5 reps at BW

Circuit 2

2 sets with 3 minutes of rest between

• Chest elevated power push-ups from a box (ideally 24 inches tall). 5-8 reps to standing each rep. 
• Box drops (24″ box) with controlled landing. 5 reps.
• 4-finger half-crimp rapid repeaters on a 30mm edge. 3 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 5 reps at BW.

Circuit 3

2 sets with 3 minutes of rest between

• 1-arm bar isometric at 120 degrees. 3 seconds per rep. 5 reps per set.
• Box jumps (24″ box) with controlled catch. 5 reps.
• 4-finger half-crimp rapid repeaters on a 15mm edge. 3 seconds on: 5 seconds off. 5 reps at BW.

Circuit 4 

2 sets with 3 minutes of rest between

• 4-finger half-crimp overcoming isometric pull on a 15-20mm edge. Pull at max perceived intensity (RPE: 10) for 2-4 seconds per rep, 2-3 reps.

Additional finger strength training protocol for advanced climbers

Non-climbing strength session example (recruitment)

In both the below exercises, the intention is to minimize the activity of the big pull muscles and isolate the finger flexors more intentionally. Progress by simply trying harder and documenting a force increase with the Tindeq Progressor. (If you want to buy one, help me out by inserting the code: c4hp.)

1a. Half-crimp overcoming isometrics 25-30mm edge. 3 second pulls at max effort, 3 reps per set, 3-5 sets. With the knees and elbows straight, pull the body into the ground by curling the fingers (PIP joint at 110 degrees of motion to start) for 3 seconds. Rest for 5 seconds between reps and 4 minutes between sets. 

1b. Curl-crimp overcoming isometrics 20mm edge. 3 second pull at max effort, 3 reps per set, 3-5 sets. With the knees and elbows straight, pull the body into the ground by curling the dip joint (all joints curled slightly to target the deep finger flexor) for 3 seconds. Rest for 5 seconds between reps and 4 to 5 minutes between sets. 

Overcoming isometric talon grip:

On-the-wall coordination/small edge training

In this exercise (see example video above), you’ll do 6 to 12 sets of slow, controlled climbing up a 40-50 degree spray wall or system board on the smallest edges you can grab. Use various grip directions. Use large feet to help ensure that each hold is smaller than the typical holds you climb on. This is the best time to train for the full-crimp position. The intention is to treat the climbing wall like a fingerboard. 

You’ll do 4 to 5 reps (hand moves) on small holds close together; rest for 4-5 minutes of rest between sets; do 6 to 12 sets. Be sure to use variable body positions to control each handhold better. 

Progress by (a) doing more volume (hand moves) per set, (b) using smaller edges, and (c) doing more sets. Do this for 3 to 4 weeks before taking a rest week. 

Wrapping it up

Finger strength training for rock climbers is not one thing and cannot be adequately trained using a standard hang time, exercise protocol, and edge size. As I’ve pointed out, we’ve put too much emphasis on the exercise (generally understood to be the 20mm edge weighted hang) instead of the specific adaptations that this type of hang creates. By doing this, we have way too many climbers dangling on 20mm edges hoping things change for them on the climbing wall. In a lot of ways, this misses the point. Everyone should train their fingers, but it should look different between individuals. 

For more of my work, check out my website for online and in-person courses and additional articles. Also check out my Instagram and the Camp4 Performance Podcast. 

Dr. Tyler Nelson is the owner and content creator for Camp4 Human Performance (@c4hp). For the last seven years, he’s been exclusively writing about and managing climbing injuries for athletes around the globe. His home base is in Salt Lake City, UT (USA climbing headquarters), where he does a lot of diagnostic ultrasounds, consulting and programming, performance testing, and writing for the climbing community.

While in chiropractic school, he completed a dual master’s degree in exercise science, emphasizing tendon loading and rehabilitation. This interest has led him to challenge the status quo with climbing training. He wants to better educate climbers and coaches about the rationale behind training interventions. He firmly believes that our sport moving forwards requires this nuanced approach.

In addition to his work as a physician and coach, Tyler enjoys playing the guitar, skateboarding with his boys, bouldering, and trad climbing with his daughter.