[Muenchener]

My favourite local climbing areas are Frankenjura limestone and can involve monos even on routes at the moderate grades I climb. Last year I tweaked my left middle finger on a mono crux on a 6b, yesterday my right on a 6c+.

These aren't bad injuries, but they do mean two or three weeks of no or severely backed-off training, and I'd like to avoid them in future. They don't feel like pulley tears - they are more directly along the line of the tendon, and generally ok for a direct linear pull along the axis of the finger; there's some general aching and stiffness, but they only feel really bad if there's a bit of lateral component to the load.

The point of this post isn't diagnosis and treatment of the current problem though, it's how to build up pocket strength so it doesn't happen again in future and I can approach routes involving monos in future without Teh Fear.

What I've done so far/in the past: whenever Frankenjura season is coming up, I do some sets of two-finger pocket ladders on a system board. I alternate front two and middle two; back two feels hopelessly weak and far away from achieving anything. On a Beastmaker I can hang front and middle two on the deep pockets, but again nowhere near back two. I think I'm relatively stronger on multiple finger crimping; I can hang the BM small crimp much longer and more comfortably than I can hang the deep two finger pockets, I like climbing on slate, etc.

I generally don't do routes involving monos indoors, doesn't feel like it's worth the risk. And I'm nowhere near being able to pull monos on an overhanging system board (the routes on which I hurt myself on monos outdoors weren't overhanging)

(Maybe I just need to build up more gradually/show more tactical sense? Last year's injury was when I was fatigued the day after a hard redpoint; this year's was on my second day out of the year on actual rock, whilst trying a project at my limit after working the moves on my mate's two-grades-harder project.)

[nik at work]

I've recently ish got involved in some mono specific routes and tried to do some mono prep before. These are just a few thoughts based on my experience (I.e. No scientific backing...)
1) If you want to use mono's then use mono's, I found that trying to build up via two finger pockets was not helpful. For some reason mono's feel very different (and much scarier) than two fingers and I didn't find much crossover between improvement on one and improvement on the other.
2) I'd suggest starting with good ( deep, comfy, positive, non tweaks) mono's on a vertical wall, or the deep BM mono's with feet on floor and build up very slowly.
3) Go slow, it is actually quite easy to make good initial progress as the first improvement is learning what you can do rather than improving what you can do. By which I mean your body automatically tries to protect you from doing stupid unnatural things like hanging on mono's, so kicks in the STOP! signal quite early. So initially you won't get stronger on mono's, just re calibrate your bodies baseline back off signal. Don't get fooled into rushing things, see an improvement and be happy with that.
4) Not using mono's indoors because it's too risky is not a sensible approach, it simply means when you meet one en-route you're unprepared for it and so get tweaks...
5) Listen to your fingers, a bit of discomfort and feeling like you're working things good, pain bad. Allow rest time, don't do two days on the trot until you're well into it.

Good luck, mono's are scary but cool. Like all things, if you think about what you want to achieve and construct a reasoned approach then good progress can be made.

[nik at work]

A couple of extra points
Back two weakness is irrelevant in terms of mono use. Unless your fingers are outrageously fat and the mono is tiny you're going to be using your middle finger.
Without want to sound like a cunt, having read through your post again I'd guess your baseline strength is probably a bit lower than mine. The same principles will apply but just at a level you're comfortable with.
And finally you mention the mono's were on non-overhanging territory. Whilst it's cool to get better on mono's is there also a possibility that you are over pulling on the hand and not using your feet to their full potential. On slabby/vert ground i'de expect to be at worst lightly pulling on the hands unless the feet are babba.

I'll shut up now...

[Muenchener]

Without want to sound like a cunt, having read through your post again I'd guess your baseline strength is probably a bit lower than mine.

Not sounding like a cunt in the slightest; I completely take it for granted that my baseline strength is lower than yours.

And finally you mention the mono's were on non-overhanging territory. Whilst it's cool to get better on mono's is there also a possibility that you are over pulling on the hand and not using your feet to their full potential. On slabby/vert ground i'de expect to be at worst lightly pulling on the hands unless the feet are babba.

On yesterday's little adventure the feet were tips of toes just barely stuffed into more monos, then a case of lunge-and-grab instead of trusting them and standing up smoothly.

[a dense loner]

If you still have the systems board 2 finger pockets problem, I'd suggest using 2 fingers on 1 hand and 1 finger on the other. Same when finger boarding. Do this for about 3 wks 2-3 times a wk, using combinations of fingers, forget you little finger or back 2 no one uses these or your index really. After a few wks of this try both hands mono's. Again using a combination. I'd go both middle fingers, then middle and ring, then both ring. If you don't feel comfortable just up the timeframe. This is what I'd do just to get your fingers stronger

[Muenchener]

Cunning idea, thanks. I've got a Frankenjura weekend planned at Easter. Assuming the current tweak gets better in a couple of weeks, I'll try to get a round of that in beforehand.

[ghisino]

i especially like asym fingerboarding (using monos for assisted one arm work)

other ideas (no science):

-both feet on the ground, grab two monos and very progressively pull them until the highest tension you are comfortable with.

-mono bolt holes on big indoor holds, feet on the ground or on large holds. Or similar work close to the ground on an appropriaqte piece of rock.

-use a mono grip as often as possible in light domestic tasks.


again, nothing too scientific but in the long term (months, years) it seems to work.

[krymson]

seems like with pockets/monos the collateral ligaments would get loaded more so than with other grips. I wonder if there's a way to progressively train those the same way we train our pulleys/tendons.

Using monos while climbing would obiously do it but surely there's got to be a more structured way.

[abarro81]

Like nik said, you need to prep monos in your training before using them outside. I find if I've not used them for a while it takes a few weeks to 'stretch' them out and feel comfy on them again. Similarly, I start with fingerboard and feet on floor, then some foot rungs, then assisted hangs then full hangs, just a few hangs to start and work up

[Rocksteady]

-use a mono grip as often as possible in light domestic tasks.

I like this idea. Mono shopping carries, mono toilet flush, mono door opening training. Bring on Action Directe...

[Muenchener]

mono door opening training.

Could be an interesting one. I work in a tower block where the up/down draft in the building's ventilation makes such a big air pressure difference that it's hard to open the doors to the lift lobby with one arm. I might need a while to build up to  attempting the manoeuvre one-fingered.

[2 Tru]

Listening to the description of your injury it sounds like krymson is correct in suggesting it is your collateral ligaments you are injuring.

Therefore strength exercises designed to build up the tendon are unlikely to prevent future injury. I injured the ligaments in my middle finger whilst trying a dyno problem indoors last year.

I spoke to a physiotherapist afterwards and he suggested doing fingertip push-ups, against a wall at first then progressing to women's press-ups then proper push-ups. Presumably you could then step it up again and try one armed fingertip push-ups.

I also imagine working on footwork technique and learning to go for monos statically instead of lunging for them could also help. I've never climbed in the 'jura though do they have dynamic mono moves on < 7a routes?

 

[mrjonathanr]

I used to climb a lot at Buoux.

The first time I visited I had tendinitis (left ring finger) after a week.

Next time I was more circumspect and began to use front 2 rather more though it felt weaker. Over time monos were absolutely fine without specific training. ie I could yard as brutally as I liked off a decent mono (more than first pad).

I suggest you just do lots on bidoigts, (or whatever the German term is) mono strength will develop over time. I doubt you'll develop mono-cranking tendon strength in a timescale of months however, so be patient. It's quicker to progress that way than when injured.

If you want to train this strength, you could try steady traversing - just using two fingers.

[kelvin]

Regards mono gripping - I've tried this approach. I can wander around all day with a 10lt tub of paint hanging from one finger but I've not a chance of using a mono climbing unless on a slab, I just weigh far too much. It might be worth a try but you'd need to be aiming at seriously tough domestic stuff to make it worthwhile.

[Muenchener]

Lots of helpful advice here, thanks everybody.

I've never climbed in the 'jura though do they have dynamic mono moves on < 7a routes?

Not that often, but they do have a 6c+ on which the crux involves a big reach to a jug from a mono with high, poor feet on a steep slab. You can do this statically if you are my 7c-climbing mate, but not if you are me and don't trust your feet sufficiently. I lunged, and touched the jug as my feet cut. I didn't drop back onto the mono (and therefore still have my finger  ) I think I already felt the whatever-it-is straining during the move, before I fell. Probably collateral ligaments as you said.

Come to think of it, this isn't the only one of my 'jura 6c+ projects that involve monos on the crux. So: more often than one might think. The other one is a vertical wall, but has better feet and I can do it statically.

[a dense loner]

I did a lot of fingertip push ups years ago thinking they'd get me strong fingers, they were among the most pointless things I've done

[2 Tru]

Yeah they're not going to make you pull harder just prevent ligament injury, perhaps.