Hand Exercises & Grip Strength Training for Climbing

Written by: LindaKennedy

Rock climbing requires a unique combination of skill, strength, endurance, and flexibility in order to be successful. Once a climber has mastered basic rock climbing techniques, upper body strength, and in particular, hand strength, is usually the limiting factor. In fact, once your grip is gone, you're done climbing. Therefore, climbers, especially novices, should undergo specific training to increase hand and grip strength.

First, it is important to emphasize that the best way to become a better climber is to climb. No amount of weight training will significantly improve your climbing ability. So when in doubt, don't substitute a climb for a weight training session. However, if you are climbing regularly and having difficulty with forearm and hand fatigue, then one or two sessions per week in the weight room can be beneficial.

Most weight lifting regimens use isotonic muscle contractions which means the joint moves when the muscle contracts. For example, when you contract your biceps muscle, you're joint moves and the hand moves toward the shoulder. However, rock climbers should emphasize a different type of muscular contraction when training the hands isometric contractions.

If you think about the actions of the hands during a typical climb, the fingers flex to grab a handhold and then they stay flexed. The muscle is contracting but the joint is not moving. That is the main principle of isometric contractions. Obviously, when you grab a handhold, you don't open and close your hands. You keep your hands flexed. So why would you train your hands with isotonic contractions in the weight room? Remember, the rule of specificity states that if you want to improve in a particular sport, you must practice that sport as much as possible and you must simulate the actions of that sport when training to become stronger.

The next step is to identify effective hand and grip exercises.

A staple exercise for climbers is heavy-duty spring hand grippers. However, instead of just doing repetitions with the grippers, practice holds with the grippers instead. For example, squeeze the gripper and then hold the position for 30 seconds. Release and rest for 30 seconds. Then, repeat another 30-second hold. Complete four sets of 30-second holds.

Another subtle shift in technique that can improve your open hand strength (strength without use of the thumb) is to use a thick training bar. With a standard 45-pound Olympic bar, you can lift more weight since you can wrap your thumb around the bar and lock the thumb on your pointer finger. With a thick bar, you can't achieve this lock. Although you can't lift as much weight this way, it demands a much greater level of hand strength to maintain your grip.

Hanging on a pull-up bar with the palms facing away is another great way to build isometric muscle strength not only for the grip, but for the back and biceps as well. Try to build up to 3 sets of 1 minute each. Once this level can be reached, try these holds in a location where you can hang with only your fingertips, which more closely simulates true climbing technique. The final level is to complete these hangs with one arm at a time.

A final exercise that incorporates isotonic contractions of the chest, shoulders, and triceps, but isometric contractions for the hands, is fingertip pushups. Perform a standard pushup, but instead of resting your palms flat on the floor, support yourself with your fingertips only. Although this exercise is excruciating for most beginners, hand strength will improve quickly with regular training.

Finally, if grip strength is a true weakness for you, you should do your grip exercises at the beginning of a strength training session also known as priority training. If you do your grip work after doing upper body exercises, your grip will already be shot before you start your focused hand and grip training.

Rock climbing is a strenuous sport that requires the climber to be in peak condition. Another way to insure success with this remarkable sport is make sure that a proper diet is followed. Whole unprocessed foods that are abundant in natural vitamins and minerals are a staple for a healthy and strong rock climber. While many athletes may depend upon vitamin supplements in order to maximize daily nutrition, it is best to get your daily dose of vitamins from fresh whole foods.

The bottom line: Grip strength is a critical component of rock climbing success. Although plenty of training time on the rock is important, a focused strength-training program for the hands and grip will quickly improve your time before fatigue during a climb.

Contributed by:
Dr. Linda Kennedy MS SLP ND

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