The position of a finger can be either straight, arched, or hooked. The hand morphology, the various grips available outdoors or indoors (CG), the climber’s level, and his personal abilities are factors which determine the possibilities of seizing a hold.

The fresh climber prefers using the crimp grip. A maximum strength is liberated while gripping, and in a way, this fact reassures the athlete – emotional pole. As he gets more experience, learning new movements, his former crimp grip posture turns gradually into the open hand one. These various changes depend on his physical and emotional skills but also on his own sensations. It is important to develop all the possible tactics by training on various supports – different degrees of steepness, orientations, sizes, spaces, numbers of holds – especially outdoors in order to face any situations.

Reducing the seizing of holds to one posture – crimp grip or open hand grip – would be like decreasing the numerous possibilities available in rock climbing. In addition to finger locks and fist jams, some holds can be tackled combining the crimp and open hand grip using all the fingers in turn. These grips are essentially present outdoors, but some factors make them compulsory in CG. The steepness of a hold can require what will be called a mixed posture, that is to say, a crimp grip for some fingers and an open hand posture for others. A more developed musculature is consequently required between the deep finger flexors (DCF) and the superficial finger flexors (SCF). The finger common extensors (FCE) play a main part (cf. ch. Assessment and Safety). And later in the book, it will be demonstrated how important it is to reinforce them, to improve the stability of the joint system, and to support the strain endured, especially in the open hand posture.

To conclude, it is rare to find a hold perfectly linear as regards grips, especially in natural sites. The angles, width, depth, and steepness of the hold are various factors which give a vast number of actions to each finger. Therefore, according to these factors, the surface in contact or the necessary strength will change.

Hand morphology is also an important matter. Bearing in mind the differences between the four fingers and comparing the climbers’ hands, it becomes quite understandable why some of them can’t always use the open hand posture or the crimping one.

From beginner to advanced level, the climber improves his way of gripping discovering new and various holds. The fresh climber will limit his experience to the crimp grip posture, which is safer and more natural for him since the strength involved on the hold (hooked grip) allows him to be in contact to the structure.

As previously explained, the open hand posture is gradually achieved through a right adaptation and training to master the proper and different weight to be applied on the last phalanx of the fingers used (P3). In open hand posture, the other phalanges (P1 and P2) can also be in contact according to the size of the hold. This method stimulates at the same time the FDS and FDP, which requires a muscular reinforcement of FDS since the tendon is much more strained in open hand posture than in crimp grip − 165. N in open hand posture versus 113.2 in crimp grip. This kind of practice requires a gradual muscular fitting.

Does that mean that it is much better to climb in the open hand position? For sure the crimp grip is a stronger strain for pulleys – especially the A4 pulley on which the risks of rupture are higher – but it is also more convenient to seize the small and not too deep holds. Besides, according to the climber’s hand morphology and level, the open hand position does not always help him to maintain a hold, which makes him quite uncomfortable. Indeed, a quite long middle finger or a too short little finger may be a source of trouble. Therefore, the enlightened climber has to adapt to his morphology and his skills, combining the open hand, crimp grip, or mixed position. In order to reduce the number of lesions, the climber has to be trained in all these different techniques. Nonetheless, the advanced climber has to put forward the open hand posture to limit the tension on the pulleys. Outdoors, during high-level competitions, and to achieve good results, fingers are excessively prompted. This is why open hand posture relieves some of the finger tension especially over the pulleys. After a finger injury, during a period of reeducation, this posture combined with a proper strapping is highly recommended. The adaptation to the crimp grip posture will have to be gradual, as will be explained further in this document.

For a climbing expert, the maximal intensity measured on a same hold is identical whether he uses the open hand or the crimp grip. It would be quite interesting to train the fresh climbers to use more often the open hand posture. Climber coaches have to bear in mind this phenomenon to preserve the beginners from finger injuries. The sooner a great variety of seizing holds is learned, the more aware and less injured the fresh climbers will be. The more trained the young climber is, the more experimental he is, and eventually he becomes more qualified to choose the righter and safer finger posture according to the situation throughout his future sports career.

In order to avoid an exhausting training, the athlete has to adjust the quantity to the intensity of the work. During the physical preparation (PP), the training sessions have to be numerous so that the body may get used to effort and sustain the following sessions which will be more numerous and intensive. The more voluminous is the training session, the lower the intensity has to be, and reciprocally. It is dangerous to have enormous sessions in PP with routes close to the maximal level of the climber. During a specific preparation (SP) for a competition, the athlete’s training sessions are focused on the specificities of the competition. The intensity is close to the maximum level or supramaximum, and the time to recover is longer. Indeed the body needs a certain amount of energy to try the route again.

The intensity principle has to be considered throughout the session. Warming-up is a priority to prepare the different muscles and joints, though a great number of climbers tend to forget it and prefer climbing gradually. Defining a specific time to get an optimal warm-up is quite difficult. It depends on the daily physical condition, the level of tiredness, and the aim of the session. Being aware of one’s own body and paying attention to any physical signs are consequently extremely important.

Alternative principles can be divided into two categories:

The intensity and the volume of the training have to be reversed in order to avoid a habit in the body and to reduce possible trauma. After a full stop practice for whatever reasons – lesions, family matters, or personal reasons – it is dangerous to start practicing again at the highest level, because the body has more or less got out the habit of intensive efforts. Consequently, it is advised to start slowly and to increase gradually the intensity throughout the training sessions.

During a training planning and a regular practice, the principle of overweight is essential. To improve a prior factor of the performance such as the strength of the fingers, it is necessary to work on them by overloading them. For instance, the size of the grips, the number of supports, and the footholds can be reduced. Indeed, if the climber works only on good grips and comfortable footholds, he won’t develop his strength. On the other hand, once back to training, if he overworks on a hangboard or on a campus board, he might get finger lesions.

Progressive principles imply the fact that training sessions have to be global and then specific. At the beginning of each season, the coaching of a lead climber and that of a bouldering climber of the same level tends to be similar. As the season unfolds, the sessions differ completely for each climber and the training becomes more specific.

The aim is to evolve and turn quantity into specificity. The climber reduces the number of route attempts and focuses on particular movements according to the objective of the session or the cycle.

If a climber or a coach wants to make a progressive training, before defining a training session, they have to think about the tiredness factor and its impact.

Usually, interrupting climbing training whatever the reason and for more than a week is bad for a good preparation. Achieving good results, whatever the level, requires a more and more complete and demanding involvement. Going back to training is always a difficult time for climbers who do not perfectly know their bodies and their limits. For the most skilled ones, it is usually a frustrating period, because they are so eager to be at the top again that they often tend to do away with reeducation phases. An interruption – even if it has been only for 2 weeks – implies a gradual return to practice in order to avoid any injuries or recurrences. Several factors such as non-strained fingers or a not complete healing enhance the possibility of a new wound. A gradual return to practice is consequently highly recommended especially in case of former lesions. Initially, fingers have not been made for rock climbing; this is why they have to be protected.

A practice interruption involving no injury is to be banned, especially for someone preparing for a competition or a precise aim. This kind of interruption requires a change in the training planning to find the right balance between the daily activities to be fit for the D day.

After an intensive cycle and to make the recovery easier, it is healthier for the body to undergo a couple of less intensive sessions and to insist on the notion of pleasure or technique rather than stop practice completely. In case of injuries, the interruption must not be definitive. In fact, to maintain one’s form, a muscular training has to be followed including working out, electrostimulation, jogging, etc.

Climbing training has to be specific according to each individual. This principle has been widely reported due to the fact that each athlete responds differently to a given weight. Indeed, on the one hand, for an identical weight, the amount of work can be sufficient for an athlete, but on the other hand, it can be over the top for another athlete. Quoting Weineck, “Such a training method is perfect for one but is an extra work for the other one.”

The quality of training depends on characterization. All of the sportsmen do not have the same physical capacities, needs, experiences, levels, or objectives.

Several factors have to be considered:

The coach has to take a closer look at the climber’s social life. The latter’s love life, work, or future exams are important facts to be taken into account for the training planning.

This principle is the most complex of all the others, because only the athlete can tell how he feels and notice any pain in his body. The coach is supposed to detect any changes in the athlete’s state of mind – a feeling of desire, tiredness, or pain – but he can’t measure the intensity of them. It is a priority to understand that pain is a signal sent by the body to protect itself. When there is a pain, there is an injury –more or less serious. The sportsman has to tell the difference of the “good pains to the bad ones,” more precisely the ones felt in the forearms when the lactic acid is flowing.

Several parameters have to be considered:

This is why it is extremely important to talk to each athlete and help him to have a better understanding of his body. The coach has to adjust his training session according to the athlete’s present state of mind. The sportsman’s degree of concentration has to fit the required activities.

This effort consists of very intensive exercises on a maximal power. This category is entitled to work on strength liberating a great source of energy in a short time. During the session, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and also a small amount of creatine phosphate (CP) are used. When they are solicited at their maximum level, the very short reserves are used out after 7 s. This lapse of time is consequently a reference time in rock climbing practice. Climbers often mention the number of movements fulfilled. It is much better to work on the notion of required effort, which is more understandable. According to the movement, the quantity may change.

The aim of the training is to remain focused on the available energy and use it efficiently.

This category begins on the first second but on a very low intensity. The intensity is higher after 10 s. The strength in use is high but not maximal. The intensity grows from 30 to 45 s according to the required effort. The function of the training is to develop a resistance against “lactic poisoning.”

It is false to believe that aerobics is useless in rock climbing. Of course rock climbing practice does not really appeal to aerobics, but it is nonetheless quite appropriate especially as regards PP.

Lesions being the main topic of the book, aerobics is first of all a good means to prepare the body of the athlete for the next season. All the energetic processes are developed through aerobics. But above all, it is a means to prepare ligaments and tendons for efforts.

In climbing, an increase aerobic process improves the recovery between two efforts. It can be quite useful in bouldering competitions, especially when the climber is allowed 6 min of recovery between two route attempts. Aerobics is also a good means to evacuate lactic waste – due to muscle contractions – and to improve the cardiovascular system.

In climbing, lead category is the most well known. Competitions take place in CG. The aim is to reach the top of the route. Though a limited time is required, it is the reached height which determines the rank. Time is not used to choose the winner. It is just a way to prevent too long performances. In case of equally placed athletes after the first round, the jury takes into account the height reached in the former round. If the finalists are still placed first, a super final is organized.

In climbing, a boulder is a short passage. The aim is to achieve a great number of passages. Two kinds of competitions exist:

This practice is the oldest one. The aim is to reach the top of the route as fast as possible. These competitions are rare in France but commonly practiced in East countries.

Routes are climbed with a top rope. Competitions are divided into two parts: qualifications and finals.

Numerous factors have to be taken into account before training with these specific tools. First of all, they are addressed to very high-level climbers. A beginner is not allowed to use one of these appliances because his body won’t be able to endure the strain. These tools are actually designed for highly skilled climbers (6c/7a) who lack strength and would like to progress. But above all, they are addressed to athletes who would like to achieve excellent results in competitions, outdoors or on CG for fun.

A gradual and complete warm-up is a good means to be more efficient during training sessions, but above all, it allows muscles and tendons to support the strain without getting injured. It has to be complete from generalities to specificities and has to last about 15–20 min. Besides, at the end of the training, it is important to stretch the muscles in order for them to regain their initial length. Repetitive contractions, especially concentric ones, tend to shorten the muscles which then become more fragile. It is a priority to bring them back to their initial size.

During a session, it is advised to combine climbing movements on artificial structures and the use of the specific equipment. This combination tends to enhance strength, without forgetting technical gestures, and mobilize the upper and lower part of the body. Consequently, it is important to make this association to get good results.

Training on this specific equipment requires a particular preparation due to the intense strain endured by the muscles and joints. This is why these tools can’t be used at the beginning of a session, because they are a real strain not only on the flexors. The body needs a period of adjustment to deal with this kind of pressure. These specific appliances can be added during the second phase of the PP and will complete the specific training according to the category – bouldering or lead – during the SP. During the PP, the training is first global even if the types of exercises (training circuit) are supposed to reinforce muscles without neglecting the antagonist muscles to maintain a proper balance.

During the second phase of the PP, the use of these specific tools can be replaced by “no foot” exercises on a campus board, which prepare the muscles gradually to concentric and eccentric contractions. The athlete or the coach can introduce these tools little by little and for a short while, in the training.

In SP and according to the chosen objective, the preparation can be focused on these appliances by the coach. The exercises are so demanding that most of the time the athlete is close to his limits. The training sessions must not exceed 45 min or 1 h (warm-up included), and long periods of recovery between each activity or repetition have to be taken.

Whether in PP or SP, the cycle on these tools must not exceed 3 weeks and has to be followed by a recovery cycle in order to gain strength and to avoid any tendon traumas (flexors and extensors). Three sessions a week is the maximum number during a cycle. Between the sessions, the period of recovery changes according to the aim: to gain strength, 24 h; to develop resistance, 48 h; and to maintain strength, 72 h.

To reduce any possible injury, it is highly recommended not to carry extra weight, especially during strength cycles. In theory, working with additional weight might increase strength, but it is also a supplementary strain on the tendons which are first designed to support the body weight. Fingers are not designed to bear climbing weight. Consequently it is much better to work on various grips, focusing on a specific category and according to the objectives of each cycle or session. On the other hand, working on grips is a good means to work on one’s strong and weak points. Using in turn the different holds (buckets, small edges, large holds, or round edges) and changing the fingers’ posture (open hand or crimp grip) lead to a more global work on strength. To relieve tendon strain, it is advised to use the slope posture rather than the crimp grip.