Rock Climbing Training: Pinches, Slopers, Forearms

Pinch like a vice, hang on slopers like sandpaper on sandpaper. That’s the goal.

Step 1: grease the groove with a grip strengthener (really)

Every time you go to the bathroom, squeeze a pinch trainer. It’s called Grease the Groove, where you do quantity of low-intensity reps to keep your muscles and neurons firing. The theory started with Pavel Tsatsouline, father of the kettlebell, and is used in military applications for training. I swear by doing a set of pinch trainers or hangboard hangs each time I go to the bathroom.

It really prevents muscle atrophy on your days off–meaning you’ll be starting off at a better base each day you actually climb.

Also do these with a “flat-finger” pinch–you’ll have to drop the resistance. You’ll feel your thumb and forearm kick in more.

Step 2: Dumbbell pinches

After each training session, spend a few minutes hanging dumbbells or small plates to blocks that you pinch. Train narrow to the largest size you can grip. Work on alternating sets of 10 seconds.

Bonus: you can hang these from a pull-up bar and try to dead hang from them. It’s way harder than having fixed pinches on a wall!

Step 3: The broomstick

The forearm roller isn’t just for warm-up or rehab. While the pinch hangs train max strength output in an isometric contraction (muscles aren’t lengthening or shortening), the curl will train control and stability in various wrist positions. Take a broom stick, chop it short, drill a hole through, and hang a rope.

Curl both ways. Pull wrists up to lift the weight, working out the extensors, and roll wrists down to lift the weight, working out flexors. The direction that the rope twists around the stick matters, too.

Go slow and steady. Count each time you roll a hand. Each roll should take at least 1sec. You’re training control, not max output.

Do this at the end of the workout after Step 2: the pinch dead hangs. Both should take <10min.

Step 4: G Strings

SICGrips Gstring. These specifically train slopers. Hang like hangboard workouts, X sec on, Y sec off. They’re completely adjustable for angle, and flip and you have a crimp. Do a 10sec hang each time you walk by.

Like the pinch strength trainer (step 1), doing these on your days off will grease the groove, so you maintain your gains between climbing sessions.

Step 5: Eye on the Prize

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