Blog

Fingerboard Training 202

• September 2009
• Climb Training

Hi Steph,
I was just planning my fingerboard workout for tonight and found your page while looking for some more ideas online. It’s incredible that a world famous climber like you takes the time to share her workout experiences with everyone who wants to read about it. While your name is known to me only from climbing videos and impressive stories, your wonderfully personable responses show genuine caring and your down to earth attitude.

I planed to periodize my own fingerboard workout into a 2-3 week hypertrophy phase, a 2-3 week power phase and possibly 2 weeks of endurance at the end. Practically that will result for hypertrophy in 3-6 sets of 10 reps (always 7 second hangs and 3 second breaks for 1min and 40sec.) Only in the power phase I was planing to do pull ups and catches on the fingerboard. What do you think about splitting up power, strength, and endurance training for climbing?

Thank you very much for making climbing a sport where it is possible to read about the workout routines of the best not only in a book.

Your site made my day.
Tammo

Thanks Tammo!
I am absolutely not an expert on the best use of the fingerboard. My general feeling is that using one is good. Which gives you some idea about the level of my expertise 🙂
My friend Eric Hörst has written a bunch of books about training, so I figured I should ask him what he thinks about your very good questions….and he was nice enough to answer. You can check out his blog(s) for more about technical questions, as well: NICROS.com and TrainingForClimbing.com
Thanks Eric!!
xxSteph

Dear Tammo,
The fingerboard is indeed a good training platform, and I’ve written extensively on this in my books (and I’ve even designed a couple of fingerboards that are sold commercially). That said, I do not advocate using a fingerboard as your primary method of training for climbing—the stress is places on the tendons and joints can lead to overuse injuries when used extensively. I suggest limiting fingerboard use to isolating the forearm muscles with a few sets of targeted exercise at the end of a climbing session/workout on a home or gym climbing wall. Only when there is no climbing wall available should you engage in an extensive fingerboard-only workout (try to limit yourself to a maximum of 1 or 2 such sessions per week).

Per your question, it is best to focus a fingerboard workout on training either strength or endurance. (It’s difficult to effectively train “power” on a fingerboard.) Strength sessions, as you point out, should be comprised of brief, near-maximum intensity hangs—this program best activates the nervous system and can yield significant gains over time. Training longer sets on larger holds, or doing many “Repeaters” on the same holds, will yield a significant pump, thus, training anaerobic endurance. Long term you’ll get the best results by focusing each fingerboard session on either training strength or endurance, rather than attempting to train both at the same time. And, as stated above, get on a climbing wall and real rock as much as possible, since you will only develop the critical mental and technical skills by actually getting out and moving over stone.

Good luck!
Eric
www.TrainingForClimbing.com – Climbing Performance and Research
www.NICROS.com – Nicros’ Online Training Center
www.Podclimber.com – Training Tips Podcasts