Weird fingerboard experience

[Wellsy]

So I was doing some max hangs the other day and I had a strange experience that I thought merited a bit of a chat

I warmed up and got to my working sets, which are half crimps, 35kgs added weight on the 20mm edge, going for ten seconds x 6. About 5 mins rest. Usually at the moment I get 10, 10, 10, 8, 8, 7 or thereabouts in terms of time, which tells me the weight is about right (when I can do all 10 seconds I'll add weight etc)

Anyway on the 5th hang I was approaching 8 seconds and I had this sudden weird sensation that if I dropped my left hand from a half crimp into a 3-finger drag, I'd be able to hang on for longer. Obvs bad form and not what one should be doing but in the moment I went for it to see if it was the case, and it was; after failing on my last go to hit 10 seconds that time I transferred grip on around 8 seconds and pushed it our

This seems very odd. My max hangs with 3-finger drag have always been a few kgs behind half crimp I.e weaker, and yet the change in grip to a weaker position seemingly gave me more time! Plus was on the weaker hand. I wondered if anyone else has experienced this? It seems very odd to me.

 

[cheque]

Are you surprised that fingerboarding has made your fingers stronger?

on the 5th hang I was approaching 8 seconds and I had this sudden weird sensation that if I dropped my left hand from a half crimp into a 3-finger drag, I'd be able to hang on for longer.

I have this whenever I do half-crimp hangs. I guess I’m just stronger in the drag position, particularly on my left hand which is wonky. If I’m doing repeaters (which is most of the time) I often have the choice of switching to dragging for the last one or two hangs of a set or not completing it.

 

[abarro81]

Sounds just like being tired in one grip but not so much on the other. Doesn't strike me as hugely surprising.

 

[remus]

Sounds just like being tired in one grip but not so much on the other. Doesn't strike me as hugely surprising.

:agree:

I assume that different grip types stress your forearms and connective tissue in slightly different ways, so switching it up could get you a bit extra.

I switch between half crimp and a drag on pumpy rests some times, seems to help a little.

 

[Adam Lincoln]

Someone inform Lattice, they need to rethink all finger boarding from here on out

 

[Hoseyb]

The science is that not any one muscle unit takes our body from a position of extension to flexion. Rather they work in teams with points in the range being where a different muscle unit is doing the majority of the donkey work.
That's not to say the other units aren't working, it's just different units / sections/ whatever are doing the grunt of the work.
Different positions load the team in different ways, but it's Still a team. Once enough members are knackered they will fail.
Not a miracle solution, but altering grips can buy you time, as anyone wrist guppying the holds to the chains will know...

 

[petejh]

Exactly ^. Try a gently overhanging route with 15 metres of flat crimps or pinches and notice how relieving on the forearms it is to get to a resting sloper...

 

[Bradders]

Sure I've heard somewhere that not only is that pretty bad form but also quite dangerous to let the fingers unfurl like that during a maximal hang.

 

[highrepute]

I'm sure I recall paxti doing something like this in his training segment in the film progression. Changing from open to closed during a hang.

It's common to catch a hold open and adjust to something more closed. Perhaps it makes sense to train it.

 

[Wellsy]

Sure I've heard somewhere that not only is that pretty bad form but also quite dangerous to let the fingers unfurl like that during a maximal hang.

To be clear I never do, other than this one time, out of scientific curiosity. Which yes was a bit silly but no harm no foul. I did it for you UKB!

Anyway good thoughts guys I was just interested to see what people thought

 

[CapitalistPunter]

I'm sure I recall paxti doing something like this in his training segment in the film progression. Changing from open to closed during a hang.

It's common to catch a hold open and adjust to something more closed. Perhaps it makes sense to train it.

Orrin Coley also does this as part of his warmup. He hangs and goes from drag to crimp and then back to drag as a form of injury prevention. No clue if it actually is worthwhile or has any science backing it preventing injury.

 

[Andy W]

I'm sure this has come up before. I seem to remember Andy Earl doing this, open to crimp. I've been doing this occasionally for many years on the basis that it is a replication of a fairly frequently occurring situation on rock. I would add that it is quite intensive and is probably approached as an excersise with caution. It feels like a small pull is needed to release weight from the open hand grip and transition into a crimp. Maybe this isn't really what other people are talking about, I suspect individual physiology might play a part.

 

[Murph]

I was always stronger open than half crimp. My understanding of why you're not supposed to train it is that you can't reach as high as from a half crimp and/or its because it says more about your ability to exploit friction or something than your actual strength.

Tbh I struggle to understand how anyone can hang more from half crimp than open!

 

[Liamhutch89]

Tbh I struggle to understand how anyone can hang more from half crimp than open!

My scores go:

Full crimp >>>> half crimp > 3 finger drag > 4 fingers open hand

 

[Fultonius]

I bet Aidan can pull harder on crimps!

I'm strongest on a chisel. Noticed on repeaters I have a tendency to start in half crimp but progress to chisel during the set.

 

[Wellsy]

I really can't chisel. My fingers are weirdly structured so I can half crimp or 3 finger drag but to get the little finger on it just turns into a half crimp.

My half crimp is a bit less on the 3 finger drag on my fingerboard max (52.5kgs on the 20mm for 5 seconds vs I think 47.5kgs). I much prefer the half crimp when climbing but I try and 3 finger drag more and more these days especially on grit, it often dry fires less which is preferable lol

My preference is for tiny sharp incut holds. I feel like I can just get so much from them!

But

 

[jwi]

Tbh I struggle to understand how anyone can hang more from half crimp than open!

My scores go:

Full crimp >>>> half crimp > 3 finger drag > 4 fingers open hand

Like mine in reverse... but surely that also depends on the hold? On big juggy flat edges (20 mm or deeper) I am 4 fingers chisel > 4 finger drag >> half crimp >> 3 finger drag > full crimp ≈ back 3 half crimp.

On thinner edges (10 mm or thinner) half crimp sometimes wins out, and if the edge is sharply incut sometimes crimp is the best prehension.

 

[CapitalistPunter]

My strongest position is at an angle just below half crimp, althoigh not quite open hand. I usually train with a half crimp and sometimes drag while fingerboaring, then train higher angle crimps on board where the holds are quite incut and feel better taking them that way.

Ned mentions something about how the length of fingers play a role in what grip positions works best for different people in his book.