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General Climbing Discussion

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How do you get arms and fingers of steel?


Rich

10-Nov-2003
5:17:42 PM

On 10/11/2003 earwig wrote:
>I've got a friend who's kinda medical - he's into taxidermy actually -
>but he reckons plactic surgery isn't that hard and if you like, he could
>organise it so you're something like Edward Scissorhands, but with climbing
>gear, your fingers and thumbs all wired nuts and cams and stuff. Should
>be able to hang onto the rock then.
>

I can just see it, you mistakenly stick one of your cam fingers too deep into a crack and before you know it you're not going anywhere mate, at least not until all the scavengers come with their scalpels looking for some booty! ;-)

kieranl

10-Nov-2003
10:59:28 PM

If you want a serious response : fingers of steel, traverse the richmond bridge. When you can do laps in rock shoes, change to a pair of dunlop volley's. When you can do laps in those, rip the laces out. It won't give you arms of steel but it can give you fingers of steel. The key here is not to overwork your fingers. If your fingers are sore go to a gym and work on your arms.


Jimbo

11-Nov-2003
12:46:41 PM

Thanks all for the many fine suggestions...sounds like less house renovations, beer brewing/drinking and more bouldering is the answer....but wait....with the renovations...I'm thinking climbing wall and wet bar...now how to convince the misses!


Rich

11-Nov-2003
1:00:01 PM

On 11/11/2003 Jimbo wrote:
>Thanks all for the many fine suggestions...sounds like less house renovations,
>beer brewing/drinking and more bouldering is the answer....but wait....with
>the renovations...I'm thinking climbing wall and wet bar...now how to convince
>the misses!

is that meant to be 'missus' jimbo? cos if it isn't and u have a missus, then i wouldn't go inviting the all those 'misses' over.. i bet she won't be too impressed hehe ;-)

Glens

11-Nov-2003
1:08:54 PM

Perhaps not fingers of steel, but to armourplate the pinkies coat them in superglue. It gives a nice hard shell which makes the sharp edges a bit less painful.

Warning, it is probably best to let the superglue dry before touching rock!!!!

Matty

11-Nov-2003
4:50:59 PM

Anyone got any tips then on climbing more efficiently. I think I am reasonably fit yet it doesn't seem to make much of a difference as to how many climbs I can bowl over in a session/day.

Maybe I am hanging on to hard,(especially leading) or hanging around too much.
I know a few basic rules, like keep your arms straight where possible, use your legs as much as possible, keep your weight as close to the wall.
Anyone got any ideas for conserving a bit of energy.

Maybe then we won't need as much super glue on our fingers :)

(removed)

11-Nov-2003
4:57:56 PM

Climbing efficiently:
Being a heavier and weaker climber, I normally had to resort to tricks. Tricks can get you a long way. Heels everywhere, no handers by squatting on a turned out heel, there's all sorts. Generally weaker climbers find them because they have to.

Not that he's weak, but Dave Jones is THE master of tricks.

11-Nov-2003
5:40:13 PM

I found that my climbing efficiency improved markedly when I suffered from elbow tendonitis. Out of necessity my climbing style went from powerful to more technical. I feel that my climbing now is much better for having had tendonitis, than it would of been had I not had it and consequently not focused on technique.

I would, however, advise against getting tendonitis as a means for improving technique and efficiency!


shiltz

11-Nov-2003
5:54:43 PM

My knee injury did the opposite. It stopped me from dropping my right knee and meant I couldn't climb as efficiently. I had to get quite creative to get around this restriction and probably became more aware of body position as a result.
Exercises such as bouldering with one hand behind your back or with no hands at all can help to develop better awareness of body position.
Garth Miller adapted a dancing technique (can't think of the name at the moment) that relies more on bones and joints and less on muscles. I think he had an article in Climb about this.


tmarsh

11-Nov-2003
8:59:10 PM

Feldankrais? Alexander Method? I remember the article and it was one of these two. Having seen the almost effortless way GM climbs at times, it doesn't seem to have done him any harm.

tim

Lisa c

8-Dec-2003
4:27:11 PM

every day i do 100 push-ups, 100 chin-ups and 100 sit-ups. push-ups are good for fore arm. you can also try hanging off something for a couple of minutes with different points of your fingers, like a 2 point hang uses the first two sections of your fingers etc. if you are not used to just hanging there then start or easy with a three point hang for 1 minute and then work it up, you can start to do a 1 point hang with two or three fingers and one hand for a couple of minutes after a while. your fingers will get very strong - mine are! there are other ways of getting strongers too, like rope ladders etc but for fingers i think that the hangs work well! good luck


nmonteith

8-Dec-2003
4:35:13 PM

jeez - the enthusiam of youth. I remeber that sort of training dedication when i was younger. These days it takes me an hour of socializing before i even put hand to plastic.


GG

8-Dec-2003
4:44:37 PM

I try to do at least 15 Beer-Ups a day ~~~~~~~~

Lisa c

8-Dec-2003
4:47:27 PM

yea im not that young - im 16 lol, maybe i am young! well i also do alot of horse riding. my muscles are pretty muscly and it looks funny coz im a chic but i dont really care! im new to this forum so wat sort of climbing does evryone here do? do alot of you compete?

Lisa c

8-Dec-2003
4:48:47 PM

i just got back from araps yesterday...


nmonteith

8-Dec-2003
4:50:39 PM

Take a look back through the forums. There is a very wide group of climbers on Chockstone. A fair few compete in States and National comps. Some of us like big mountains, trad, sport ect... we are all climbers however! Do you train at a particular gym?

Lisa c

8-Dec-2003
5:00:31 PM

yes i train at the rock- in geelong mostly and i also train alot at cliffhanger, everybody at cliffhanger knows my coach and they are better climbers there than at the rock, i have done a bit of outdoors climb and i like that alot and want to do more of it


nmonteith

8-Dec-2003
5:20:27 PM

Hopefully we will be doing another Chockstone Gathering - i think at Camels Hump in the near future. It woudl be a perfect opportunity to come along and meet the Chockstone crew and get some more outdoor experiance. Until then - i'm not sure what you can do!

Lisa c

8-Dec-2003
5:29:46 PM

that sounds good,
michael tong ( our coach) took a group of us up to araps for the weekend but it is hard for him to take us on trips because he is a teacher at my school and there are rules, policies etc. i like climbing outdoors! how often do u guys meet up and climb? is there anyone my age?


nmonteith

8-Dec-2003
5:39:43 PM

A lot of us climb/boulder at Vic Ranges gym on Tues/Thursday nights. Apart form that we all have our missions we head out to on the weekends. Personally i bash my way around the scrub of the Grampians looking for new routes! I don't think you will find that many people willing to take you outdoors immeditaly - especially at your age! Have a good chat to the experianced guys/grls at the gym and get to know them a bit better. When they feel confident with you and your skills then i am sure you will be invited into the great outdoors. Hopefully this Chockstone trip wil happen in late January! I started climbing at 16 and was always mega keen to get out - i made a lot of mistakes though. Maybe consider doing an outdoor lead course if you have the cash. Its a shame we don't have any urban crags in Melbourne (like Kangaroo Point in QLD) were climbers can meet and train in a non-gym setting.

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