Training for Climbing, 2nd: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Performance (How To Climb Series)

few tight turns of tape (especially if you plan to train with added weight). Limit your use of the fingerboard to a maximum of three days per week—any more than that and injury risk skyrockets! Furthermore, stop training at the first sign of pain in joints or tendons, and consider taking a few days or more rest from training.
     
    Complete a general and specific warm-up. That is, work through various basic warm-up and stretching exercises, and then move on to some general climbing and bouldering lasting at least thirty minutes. Now clip on your weight belt and predetermine a target number of “burns” (attempts and ascents) that you will perform at hypergravity. As a guideline, limit yourself to about five burns on your initial session, then build to fifteen to twenty burns as you gain confidence and strength.
    Select nontechnical, overhanging boulder problems that possess small- to medium-size holds, but no tiny and tweaky features. Since you are climbing with a weight belt, favor problems that are a couple of grades or more below your limit. It’s important to avoid taking an out-of-control fall while climbing with the extra weight on your body. Climb the problem two or three times with a rest for three to five minutes between ascents.
    Move on to another strenuous-looking problem that appears to target a different grip position. Consider taking the time to set “theme problems” that possess only holds of a certain shape and size—this is the best way to target and train a weak grip position. Ascend this problem two or three times, with adequate rest between attempts.
    It’s important to remember that hypergravity bouldering is stressful on the fingers, elbows, and shoulders, and it’s critical that you stop training at the first sign of pain in any of these areas. Gradually work into hypergravity bouldering over the course of a few weeks. Begin with five burns, one day per week, and work toward the advanced program of fifteen to twenty burns, twice per week.
FINGERBOARD PULL-UPS
     
    When I first began climbing in the mid-1970s, fingertip pull-ups on a doorjamb were the main form of home training for climbers! All these years later, performing these crimpy pull-ups on a 0.75-inch-deep fingerboard edge is still good for a quick training fix if you have no access to a climbing gym or other equipment. Perform one to two sets of pull-ups using each of the three primary grip positions—full crimp, half crimp, and open hand—and perhaps a couple more sets using the finger pocket holds if you are accustomed to this grip. Always perform the finger warm-up and stretching exercises detailed on page 102 before training.
FINGERBOARD REPEATERS
     
    Repeaters are the best fingerboard exercise for developing maximum grip strength, since they target specific grip positions with repeated high-intensity contractions. Before you get started, however, it’s imperative that you perform a complete warm-up—otherwise your fingerboard may become the “injury board.” Don’t take chances; use the upper-body warm-up and stretching exercises detailed in Chapter 6. Consider reinforcing the tendons at the base of your fingers with a few tight turns of tape (see Prophylactic Taping Methods in chapter 11).
    Begin by surveying your fingerboard to identify pairs of grips that you can use—both hands must engage identical holds! Select five to ten grip positions to be trained: for example, open hand, pinch, crimp, sloper, three-finger pocket, and various two-finger pocket combinations. Begin by training your weakest grip position—the one that is most difficult to use when climbing—and end with your strongest.
    Execute one set of ten Repeaters. Each hang should last just three to five seconds with a rest between hangs of less than five seconds. To be effective, the hangs must be high intensity and require that you bear down hard to maintain the grip for a three- to five-second count (count one thousand one, one thousand two, and so on). You may need to add anywhere from five to twenty pounds of weight around your waist (hypergravity training) to make the task this difficult. It may take you a few sessions to determine the exact amount of weight needed for a specific grip position. Use a smaller fingerboard feature if you need more than twenty pounds to make this exercise difficult (see table 7.3).
    After completing a full set of Repeaters, take a three- to five-minute rest. Perform light stretching or self-message during this