[Fiend]

Christ it sounds like I'm fucking half-dead already. Possibly not far from the truth.

Anyway since getting back into climbing in the last couple of months, I've had problems with my hands getting cold (still sweat tho) and my hands and arms stiffening up when I'm climbing. It's not like a pump stiffness thing, more like a general rigidity and dead feeling. Makes it harder to grip and stuff, and I sometimes get a pumpless pump (arms feel tired and lose the power without feeling pumped).

I've a sneaking suspicion this might be because since I've got back into it I've got stronger again pretty quick, and my arm muscles might have bulked out too quick for their own good? And I probably haven't done enough stretching either?

Anyone got any advice? Anything dietary there? (Haven;t changed my diet, still based around saturated fats as before...). Any tips as how to improve this problem in general?

[SA Chris]

There's something herbal that is meant to improve circulation, buggered if I can recommend what it is; ginko bilboa ?

Have a search?

Maybe it's cod arm?

[saltbeef]

maybe you have myasthenia gravis, and raynaud's syndrome.

[Paz]

someone's got to ask:

It's not just that you're getting cold is it?  Does it happen when bouldering or climbing indoors?
I don't know how much training and climbing you've been doing or how much of a beast you are but won't most strength gains over a few months be neuromuscular?

[a dense loner]

christ fiend, are you the jr model 2005? :wink:

[Fiend]

Ummmm no it doesn't feel like the usual coldness. I've been out plenty of times in previous years (and some this year) where my fingers have gone numb, then got the hot aches, etc. This is more than a surface numbness, it definitely feels like a lack of blood flow. It's happened quite a bit indoors recently, when it's been cool but not that cold in the wall. Often when I'm on steeper, more powerful stuff, even warming up on big holds, it feels like when my forearms are working hard they start to seize up...

It's something new as well, I can't remember it happening in previous years....and the only thing that's different is that this year I've had a long break, and then regained my (low level of) strength pretty quickly...

Maybe it's a fitness thing?

[Paz]

Weird shit.  You've said it's not a flash pump either.  But it's not just something that you can burn through is it?  I'm fucked if I know, but that's never stopped anyone else guessing before.

One aspect of climbing fitness/ endurance or stamina is precisely the amount of blood you can get to your fore arms.  More fitness never hurts anyway.  More CV work in your warm up would increase your BPM wouldn't it?  Try running down the Moor to when you go to the Edge with a towel round your neck like Rocky.

[squeek]

I get something similar to what you're describing when I'm at the wall, especially at this time when the holds are pretty cold when I first get there.  I warm up quite slowly, try to swing my arms about, then take a break for 10 minutes that seems to allow the blood to flow about and get my hands warm.  If I don't take a break my hands will still stay cold, at a guess I think it's because I don't stretch much so my muscles are stopping the blood flowing to my hands.  Warming up on jugs probably stops blood getting to your fingers because of the pressure at your 2/3 joint.  

I have no evidence to back any of this up, but it works for me.

[webbo]

your not on beta blockers or something.one of my mates has been precribed these for high b/p and when hes warming up he gets white finger like in renards disease.maybe you should check you have'nt got low b/p.

[andy_e]

do you get pins and needles a lot? if so go and see a doctor, it's probably a condition

[fatboySlimfast]

I get all kinds of weird shit with my forearms and hands. Borderline carpel tunnel syndrome most of the time and all manner of strange cramps.  I found its worse when i start training again after a lay off and when ive been doing to much work and climbing(loads of spannering/using drills etc and running laps on problems etc)
Get your thumb and press down on the top of the forearm, by the elbow where all climbers have that egg shaped muscle which joins into the base of the tricep, at the hand end of it press into the tendons etc dig around a bit. Now ive just done mine and it fucking kills!!!!!!! Basically i go to a sport masseur who strips down the muscles etc with direct friction and believe me when i say it frigging kills, also you wont climb for 2 days after. But it gets rid of the pins and needles , cramps and general probs i have with mine for months!