| If you enjoy rock climbing and especially if you are | | | | can only do eight to ten reps with and perform three |
| new to the scene you will know that the first thing | | | | to four sets. |
| to go is your grip. All too often people will stop | | | | There are some great products out there for building |
| climbing for the day when they are still keen to climb | | | | up strength in your fingers, you can get hand |
| but they just can't grip the holds anymore. | | | | grippers, specially designed rubber balls and rings and |
| So how can you increase your grip strength and in | | | | on the upper end of the scale there is a great device |
| turn your rock climbing abilities? | | | | with which you can train each finger independently of |
| Your grip strength comes from two areas and these | | | | the other (this device is also great for guitarists). All |
| are your forearms and your fingers, we will need to | | | | these are great and defiantly worth the investment |
| look at both these aspects in order to build up | | | | but there are other ways of developing stronger |
| improved grip strength for rock climbing. | | | | hands and fingers without these devices. |
| We will start by looking at the forearms. | | | | The push-up can be used for strengthening the |
| You can start by building up your strength and | | | | fingers by performing it on your finger tips, this can |
| endurance in your forearms by hanging of a chin-up | | | | be painful at first but you fingers will soon adjust. At |
| bar for as long as possible aiming for a minute when | | | | the start you will find you can't do nearly as many |
| you either can't hold any longer or reach a minute | | | | push-ups as you would do normal style but aim for |
| shake your arms out and rest for3- 5 minutes and | | | | three to four sets of ten to fifteen reps. |
| then hang again, try for three sets of one minute | | | | By picking up two weight plates and squeezing them |
| hangs (trust me when I say these will burn). | | | | together you can build up great grip strength, try to |
| Once you can easily hang for one minute three times | | | | choose weights that you can only keep squeezing |
| it's time to progress on and you can do this by | | | | for thirty seconds and do three to four sets of |
| starting of hanging by both hands then drop one arm | | | | these. |
| down and shake it out for five seconds then grab | | | | Finally for your fingers you can do finger rolls using a |
| the bar by both hands again and drop the other arm | | | | barbell. Sitting down resting your hands on your |
| down and shake it out for five seconds. Try to do | | | | knees, palms facing up let the barbell roll down your |
| this for a minute and a half for three sets resting for | | | | fingers and then curl it back to the top using your |
| five minutes between each set. | | | | fingers. |
| While the bar hangs are great for building up your | | | | Using these exercises regularly will greatly improve |
| grip endurance you might want to add in reverse | | | | your grip strength and endurance allowing you to |
| curls. Reverse curls are performed by holding a barbell | | | | spend more time on the wall to improve your skill. |
| or dumbbells if you want with a overhand grip instead | | | | There are many other great exercises that will |
| of the usual underhand grip and curl the bar up to | | | | improve your climb but improving your grip is the |
| just past ninety degrees, choose a weight that you | | | | most important. |