forearm strength for climbing,

[a boardman]

I have started indoor climbing and after about an hours climbing (or sooner) my forearms are aching and my grip does not seem as good (not good whilst climbing)

what is the best type of excerise to help with this,

[Stevenj214]

These? - http://www.amazon.co.uk/York-Fitness-Handgrips/dp/...

[ShadownINja]

Climb more regularly!

You need to do anything that induces that pumped forearm feeling. Perhaps hang dumbells off the tips of your fingers for 30 minutes while watching tv. Or dangle from a doorframe in a static hang. Or lift your desk off the ground a few mm with just the tips of your fingers. The muscles in your forearm are used to contract the fingers and open the hand.

[ShadownINja]

Stevenj214 said:

These? - http://www.amazon.co.uk/York-Fitness-Handgrips/dp/...

They can be useful if you semi-grip and hold the angle until you want to cry.

[ShadownINja]

PS the best advice is to stop now. It will only result in years of pain (shoulders, elbows, fingers, wrists, back, knees, ribs, ankles...).

[M400 NBL]

Check the net for armwrestling grips. I have a pair of 300kg grips that I can only move just over half way... but I didn't know that when I purchased them.

I also have an adjustable pair of golds gym grips that are very good. 100 reps on teh highest level burns like hell.

My cousin used to do indoor climbng when he was at Warwick uni and despite his grip being a lot weaker than mine, I couldn't keep up with him. The main reason was me weighing a lot more than him. Just a thought if you aren't a rake

As suggested already, doing the real thing is the best way but obviously using grips are possible at work whereas indoor wall climbing probably isn't!

[996 sps]

We ve got a heaving beam hung up at work with finger holds going from full hand to 2 finger holds, use it for chin ups. The lads who are serious about climbing are always on it.

[Dale19]

I`d assume with it being needed for climbing, you want something to train hands and forearms alone, avoiding other bodyparts as much as possible?

You could try simple things like door grabs, hanging from a bar for time, grippers (not the york type, they offer very small resistance, something more like the captains of crush, or i believe david horne makes a well recomended gripper) also wrist curls and see how you go on. Thats about all i can think of for now.

[dontfollowme]

At this stage the gains will come from better movement/technique e.g. using feet better.

[a boardman]

thanks for the tips

this is the place where we go.

http://www.preston.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/spor...

slowly getting better still leaning and only going up walls 4+ to 5+, wish I had started when I was younger, fitter, lighter (started when i was 40 and 13 stone)

but I enjoy going once a week for about 5 weeks and makes me feel good that I go up a route that on previous weeks could not get up.

would them powerballs help?

Edited by a boardman on Sunday 1st November 10:15

[996 sps]

Get on a heaving bar and get rope climbing that will square your forearm grip away.

[spikeyhead]

can I recommend a book by John BAchar, called Free climbing.

It has an excellent chapter on isometric and isotonic exercising for climbing, and also covers avoiding and recovering from injury.

[ShadownINja]

a boardman said:

thanks for the tips

this is the place where we go.

http://www.preston.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/spor...

slowly getting better still leaning and only going up walls 4+ to 5+, wish I had started when I was younger, fitter, lighter (started when i was 40 and 13 stone)

but I enjoy going once a week for about 5 weeks and makes me feel good that I go up a route that on previous weeks could not get up.

would them powerballs help?

Some things are not meant to be used when your shadow is cast against a curtain. That's one of them. As for whether it's useful, I'm in two minds. You need to get it spinning really, really quickly so that there is enough force that it requires you to grip it enough to get your forearms pumped, so it's not something you can do while watching the TV or typing one-handed as you need to concentrate. Also, you'll have to work out which way you need to spin it in order to generate the right forces or you'll end up exercising your biceps or triceps more than the forearms.

TBH having looked at that venue, if you can climb more or do one session of roped climbing and one session of bouldering a week, you'll develop good technique plus required strength from doing all the overhangs. Or simply install a fingerboard in the garage and hang off that for an hour a day.

[spikeyhead]

ShadownINja said:

.... Or simply install a fingerboard in the garage and hang off that for an hour a day.

I wouldn't recommend doing any exercise for an hour a day, for the body to get stronger, recovery time is necessary.

I also wouldn't recommend hanging off fingertips for more than thirty seconds at a time with no more than three minutes every other day.

Once you're up to speed and can hang off a small ledge for a minute, instead of hanging for longer, add a weight belt.

Also mix in some pull ups.

Having said all that, a significant issue that many climbers sucumb to is overdevelopign some muscles and underdeveloping others, especially on the rotator cuff, leading to major shoulder problems. I suggest the OP does some serious research before doing too much of a specific exercise.

...and don't forget to enjoy it, get fun, once you can happily solo at a decent level you'll find there's no bigger buzz available.

[ShadownINja]

I was being silly, hence the emoticon. I doubt anyone could hang off a fingerboard for an hour without either tiring or getting seriously bored.

[ewenm]

spikeyhead said:

ShadownINja said:

.... Or simply install a fingerboard in the garage and hang off that for an hour a day.

I wouldn't recommend doing any exercise for an hour a day, for the body to get stronger, recovery time is necessary.

Depends what level you're at surely? When in full training I do up to 4 hours a day. Yes recovery is important but 1 hour a day isn't really much exercise. As my coach often says, at times you need to exercise to how you feel - if you feel good, train hard, if you feel tired, take it a bit easier and recover well for the next session.

[gun12b]

forearm power wrist curls,& reverse curls.

[996 sps]

ewenm said:

spikeyhead said:

ShadownINja said:

.... Or simply install a fingerboard in the garage and hang off that for an hour a day.

I wouldn't recommend doing any exercise for an hour a day, for the body to get stronger, recovery time is necessary.

Depends what level you're at surely? When in full training I do up to 4 hours a day. Yes recovery is important but 1 hour a day isn't really much exercise. As my coach often says, at times you need to exercise to how you feel - if you feel good, train hard, if you feel tired, take it a bit easier and recover well for the next session.

I agree, I do cardio in the morning before work and strength training of some type at lunch, an hour is not what I would call overtraining. To be specific in your training and I know it was wrote in jest but I would smash the finger board chin up and hangs, as for rotator cuff work you could not judge this unless he has had problems, he could look up scapula setting to help him set a neutral position before training.

[996 sps]

ewenm said:

spikeyhead said:

ShadownINja said:

.... Or simply install a fingerboard in the garage and hang off that for an hour a day.

I wouldn't recommend doing any exercise for an hour a day, for the body to get stronger, recovery time is necessary.

Depends what level you're at surely? When in full training I do up to 4 hours a day. Yes recovery is important but 1 hour a day isn't really much exercise. As my coach often says, at times you need to exercise to how you feel - if you feel good, train hard, if you feel tired, take it a bit easier and recover well for the next session.

I agree, I do cardio in the morning before work and strength training of some type at lunch, an hour is not what I would call overtraining. To be specific in your training and I know it was wrote in jest but I would smash the finger board chin up and hangs, as for rotator cuff work you could not judge this unless he has had problems, he could look up scapula setting to help him set a neutral position before training.

[ewenm]

gun12b said:

forearm power wrist curls,& reverse curls.

That would just get in the way when climbing! Lean, wiry strength is what's needed not big muscles.