Steel Fingers 2

My current Steel Fingers program takes 37 minutes to complete (not including warm up), and looks like this:

1. BLOCK 1 (14 minutes total to complete)
   Set 1: Full-Crimp Grip (7s:3s x 6 sets/60s)
   Two-Handed Hang with arms in deep lock-off.
   Rest 180s/3 minutes.
   
   Set 2: Open Hang Grip (7s:3s x 6 sets/60s)
   Two-Handed Hang with arms in deep lock-off.
   Rest 180s/3 minutes.
   
   Set 3: Half-Crimp Grip (7s:3s x 6 sets/60s)
   One-Armed Hang with arm in deep lock-off.
   Rest 300s/5 minutes.
   
   (Wrist push ups x 10)


2. BLOCK 2 (14 minutes total to complete)
   Set 4: Full-Crimp Grip (7s:3s x 6 sets/60s)
   Two-Handed Hang with arms in 90 degree lock.
   Rest 180s/3 minutes.
   
   Set 5: Open Hang Grip (7s:3s x 6 sets/60s)
   Two-Handed Hang with arms in 90 degree lock.
   Rest 180s/3 minutes.
   
   Set 6: Half-Crimp Grip (7s:3s x 6 sets/60s)
   One-Armed Hang with arm in 90 degree lock.
   Rest 300s/5 minutes.
   
   (Wrist push ups x 10)
   
   
3. BLOCK 3 (9 minutes total to complete)
   Set 7: Full-Crimp Grip (7s:3s x 6 sets/60s)
   Two-Handed Hang with arms in arms almost straight.
   Rest 180s/3 minutes.
   
   Set 8: Open Hang Grip (7s:3s x 6 sets/60s)
   Two-Handed Hang with arms in arms almost straight.
   Rest 180s/3 minutes.
   
   Set 9*: Half-Crimp Grip (7s:3s x 6 sets/60s)
   One-Armed Hang with arm in arms almost straight.
   *There is no allotted rest time after the last set.

Steel Fingers 1

In my bid for fingers of steel, and after a long lay off from climbing, I have formulated the following finger program based upon Encores and Repeaters and Ben Davidson's program.

My digits are weak at the moment so I need to use two handed hangs.  I've been foot-on laddering twice a week for a few weeks in an attempt to condition my fingers, but now is the time to specialise!

A quick word about my warm up prior to the climbing routine.  It is similar to my generic warm up - joint rotations and limb swings.  Then to a bit of rope climbing to work shoulders and elbows, and to give the full hand a shakedown.  Finally I do some light finger work on the campus board - all foot-on, and then with a few foot-off moves.  This takes around 20 minutes.

Terminology & Broad Outline

• The basic exercise is a HANG which comprises 7s Time Under Load (TUL) with 3s rest for a chosen GRIP.
• The hang is repeated five times (so six hangs in all) - which means 60s of work.  This is a SET.
• Three SETS form a BLOCK.
• Each of the three SETS within a BLOCK uses a different GRIP.
• The GRIP chosen will be one of:
  - Full crimp,
  - Half crimp, and,
  - Open crimp. 
• Rest times between each SET within a BLOCK is 180s (3 minutes).
• Each BLOCK is repeated for a total of three times with
  - Arms almost straight,
  - Arms at 90 degrees, and,
  - Arms in a full lock position.
• The rest between BLOCKS will be 5 minutes.

Finger Strength

Some good ideas from guys with strong fingers.  First up...Eva Lopez has some great articles on finger strength and how to develop it here.  There is LOTs to absorb on this site.

Next up, a short video from Chris Webb Parsons:


Chris Webb Parsons Hangboard Program from Climblox.com on Vimeo.

And lastly a guy who went from non-climber to 8C within a year!  Ben Davidson Secrets of the Powerful:

• Repeaters: 3 sets. 6 or 7 grips per set. 1 minute of 7 seconds hanging, 3 seconds rest per grip. 2 and a half minutes rest between grips, and 6 minutes between sets. That’s your basic structure, tweak it as necessary. You should aim to have the intensity such that you fail on the last second of each minute. These is the grip types I have been using on the beastmaker 2000:
  
  30 minute progressive warmup.
  
  Half crimp on 15mm rung – I find 4 finger too easy, but 3 too hard, so I alternate one hand with 3 fingers the other 4.
  
  Slopers – again, I find the 35′s too easy and the 45′s too hard. I used to use 3 fingers on the 35 to make it harder, now I use hand on the 35 and one hand on the 45′s, but use my thumb and nestle my index against the crease to make it possible. Just.
  
  3 finger drag on 15mm rung
  
  Half crimp again – I feel like this is one of my weaker grips and is used often in climbing which is why I do it twice
  
  Middle 2 small pockets
  
  Back 2 – one hand in back 2 pocket, one hand in medium pocket
  
  front 2 small pockets

Some previous posts on this topic include 321s, the Metolius routines, the Moon Deadhanging routine and finally some thoughts on Digit Strength.

Gymnastic Week 3 W/O1

It's a good time for Paleo as a concept.  There are some really strong ideas coming through, and an ambition to cut through the BS.  I've been spending more time in the Asylum and this post is a good example why.  Melissa at HuntGatherLove also has a thought provoking piece up at the moment.

I've read nothing to sway me from my own approach to the paleo-gig.  Real foods, some seasonal bias, respond to hunger and no grazing throughout the day.  Keep it simple - the science can bamboozle, the pseudoscience doubly so.  Avoid gurus (and messiahs!).

Warm Up (5 minutes)
Main (30 minutes).
1. Stairgators (1)
2. Barefoot Sprinting (1x10s, 1x10s, 1x10s, 1x10s, 1x10s)
3. Planche Variations (25s, 25s, 25s)
4ai. Rope Climb (3)
4aii. MU to Ring Routine (3, 3, 3).
5. Scissor Splits (3x '2L, 2R, 2C')
6. Barefoot Kill Carry (1)
7. 321 (8L, 8M, 6/8M)

Gymnastic Week 4 W/O1

Again I don't really feel that inspired tonight.  I've left the workout until late and it is cold and wet out!  Oh well, here you go...

Warm Up (5 minutes)
Main (30 minutes).
1. Stairgators (1)
2. Barefoot Sprinting (1x10s, 1x10s, 1x10s, 1x10s, 1x10s)
3. Planche Variations (25s, 25s, 25s)
4ai. Rope Climb (3)
4aii. MU to Ring Routine (3, 3, 3).
5. Scissor Splits (3x '2L, 2R, 2C')
6. Barefoot Kill Carry (1)
7. 321 (8L, 8M, 5/8M)

Sunday Strength Wk1 W/O1 (P1)

After a week off of active rest, I am psyched for another cycle of strength, again building up from a deloaded phase to pushing the max in a couple of weeks time.

Warm Up (5 mins)
Main (30 mins)
1. Stairgators
2. Barefoot Sprinting (1x10, 1x10, 1x10, 1x10)
3. 2xMU to L-Sits to Ring Routine (3x1)
4a. Scissor Splits/Cuts (3x3-way)
4b. 321 (7:3x8 A4, 7:3x8 A4, 7:3x8 A4)
4c. Tuck Planche (1x3s, 1x3s, 1x3s)
5. Barefoot Kill Carry

Climbing Routine

Separating off the finger strength workout seems to work quite well.  The rope climb slightly antagonised my elbow injury, but nothing painful:

• some wrist push ups (6, 6, 6).
• rope climbing (3 x up and down 1-2 times)
• Assisted pinch grip pull ups (5s, 5s, 5s) 
• a 321 workout

                 - front 3 open 8x7/3,
                 - back 3 open 8x7/3,
                 - 4 finger crimped

All over in about 15 minutes.

Strength Wk2 W/O1

I am doing two 'Finger Strength' workouts a week.  These comprise of:

• some wrist push ups.
• rope climbing,
• pinch grip pull ups (assisted) and then either:
• a 321 workout  (front 3, back 3 - both with open and crimped) or 8a Hangboarding.

Reckon I might invest in a Lapis Rollybar.  I used one the other day and they are fun.  Pinching roof beams will have to do until then.

I have picked up a slight soreness on the inside of my left elbow, so need to adjust intensity and volume accordingly.  Last week should have been less instinctive and more of the prescribed light session I had intended!

Easy as 321

The guys at Beastmaker have some brutal training trips for finger strength.

I like to post stuff like this up here as it means that I can browse these ideas on my phone when wanting to pull down a 'random' training program. I was thinking of 3-5 sets of 3-9 second hangs with rests of one minute in between sets (all on one arm at a time - if possible).

4 finger open hand large hold
4 finger open hand small hold
3 finger open hand - front
3 finger open hand - back
3 finger open hand - front - smaller hold
3 finger open hand - back - smaller hold
4 finger half crimp
4 finger full crimp
2 finger pocket - back
2 finger pocket - front

Although the goal is one armed hanging, it is possible to set up bungies or a pulley system to offset the strain. You could use two arms for some of the hangs, but one arm training is more intense due to the bilateral strength deficit- the difference in maximal or near-maximal force generating capacity of muscles when they are contracted alone and in combination with the contralateral muscles. (i.e. you might be able to perform a pull up with twice your bodyweight, but that does not mean you can do a one arm pull up).

More Deadhanging Routines

The Moon site has a good deadhanging routine:

1. Double armed dead hang on front three fingers open handed.
Hang for 6 seconds, repeat three hangs resting 2 minutes between each.

2. Double armed dead hang on middle two fingers open handed.
Hang for 6 seconds, repeat 2 times resting 1.5 minutes between each.

3. Hang open handed on three fingers on one arm, decrease resistance as required until hang can be completed.
Hang for 6 seconds, repeat 3 sets for each arm, resting one minute between hangs on alternative arms.

Rest 5 minutes.

4. Double armed hang on full crimp position, on a first joint edge.
Hang for 6 seconds, repeat three hangs resting 1.5 minutes between each.

5. Double armed hang on full crimp, this time slightly smaller than the last set, i.e., _ of the finger tip.
Hang for 6 seconds, repeat three hangs resting 1.5 minutes between each.

6. Single arm hang on 1st joint edge, decrease resistance if required until hang can be completed.
Hang for 6 seconds, repeat 3 sets for each arm, resting one minute between hangs on alternative arms.

Rest

Digit Strength Ideas

Isometric (Repeaters):
Set = 10reps x 10secs (5s rest between each hang)
4 mins rest between sets
3-5 Sets

Isotonic (Laddering):
Set = 5-8 Reps
30s -1min rest between sets
3-5 Sets

Plyometric (Double Dyno)
Set = 3-5 reps
4 mins rest between sets
3-5 Sets