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TSchmidt
Jun 1, 2011, 11:59 PM
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Hi, I don't know much about climbing and to be honest I'm not very interested in the sport although I find it impressive and met some nice people who do it.
I'm very fit, can run long distances do push ups and stuff. But my fingers are very weak (and exceptionally flexible) and my forearms are not trained well. I would really like to have a stronger grip especially for martial arts like Judo and Jiu Jitsu.
Some of my friends go climbing and they said it's the best training for strong hands and forearms.
Would you agree, or does it only make sense to do climbing if you want to be good at it and I should do something else to get a strong grip quickly. I went twice and had to take breaks all the time while even untrained friends could hold themselves much longer (same posture).
Don't get me wrong I think it's fun but for me it's also expensive and time consuming and if it doesn't help, I'll do something else instead (I expect no magic).
Thank you very much for your advise and please excuse my lack of knowledge!
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rtwilli4
Jun 2, 2011, 12:28 AM
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Climbing will improve your finger strength for sure... but over a relatively long period of time. Also, I'm not sure that the improvement you see in finger strength will translate to martial arts.
In climbing we need to be able to hold onto tiny things with our fingertips. Think doing a dead lift at the gym with whatever weight you usually use, but only holding the bar with your fingertips. This kind of strength develops over a long period of time because it is largely dependent on the tendons that run from somewhere in your forearm to the tips of your fingers. Well tendons take months to get stronger, while muscles take weeks.
The strength you want for martial arts has more to do with muscle I'd imagine. You want to be able to squeeze certain pressure points, turn an opponent's hand or arm, etc. This kind of strength can certainly be developed by exercising with weights and/or using any of the "grip strength" training devices on the market.
If you really don't enjoy climbing and don't plan to do it often, I suggest finding another way to strengthen your grip. It will take you months, or even years to get to the point where you are good enough to actually need more "grip strength" than the average person. And only then will you actually begin strengthening your fingers. And two years down the road you might realize that it hasn't helped your martial arts at all.
On the other hand, the two disciplines are very similar in that they both involve a lot of mental training/strength, a lot of balance, proper breathing and core strength. They will compliment each other well... IF you like rock climbing.
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TSchmidt
Jun 2, 2011, 4:46 PM
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Thanks for the tips, I do think the required strenght is similar when it comes to the fingers and forearms, pulling and holding for a period of time without becoming stiff. I think I might do some of these (with a lot less weight):
http://www.youtube.com/...JdIDtB04vk&t=107
(This post was edited by TSchmidt on Jun 2, 2011, 4:47 PM)
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michael1245
Jun 2, 2011, 5:34 PM
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TSchmidt wrote: Some of my friends go climbing and they said it's the best training for strong hands and forearms.
you will definitely develop finger, hand, forearm strength from climbing. but, it's not limited to those areas.
TSchmidt wrote: I went twice and had to take breaks all the time while even untrained friends could hold themselves much longer (same posture).
get a good foot placement, and you can stand all day with just a couple of fingers on a hold to balance the rest of your body.
if you're just looking for a off-day activity, climbing is a great choice. I know a few guys who show up at random when they're bored with the day-to-day grind of weightlifting to supplement their activity.
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AKboulderer
Jun 15, 2011, 8:37 PM
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I found a great grip and forearm trainer. heavy-duty clamps. The things that people use to clamp glued wood together with. I guess you could buy them at a hardware store. if you just grab them and try to open it with one hand. your grip, forearm and climbing will improve. I'll try to send a photo.
(This post was edited by AKboulderer on Jun 15, 2011, 8:39 PM)
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squierbypetzl
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Jun 16, 2011, 3:53 AM
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AKboulderer wrote: I found a great grip and forearm trainer. heavy-duty clamps. The things that people use to clamp glued wood together with. I guess you could buy them at a hardware store. if you just grab them and try to open it with one hand. your grip, forearm and climbing will improve. I'll try to send a photo.
Dear lord....
I had a pair of those hand grip training clamps a few years back. Big, bronze, 45lbs to close. I wouldn't recommend it for rock climbing, it makes it too easy to overtrain.
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squierbypetzl
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Jun 16, 2011, 4:05 AM
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I've trained jiu jitsu for years. If you want something to make your grip strength better for jiu-jitsu, you're not really grasping the underlying fundamentals of jiu-jitsu (motion, position, inercia > brute strength/weight).
I'd recommend climbing, because it's fun and works your arms, core and legs without you really realizing it. If you don't enjoy climbing (for reasons that are beyond me) there are plenty of forearm training exercises you could do (that work well for supplementing a climbing training regime too).
OFf the top of my head, you can try wringing towels/shirts, crunching sheets of newspaper into a tight ball, clinching 2 or 3 plates of 2 or 5 lb weights for several seconds, or several weights-dependant exercises that focus on building up your forearms (I´ve noticed that weightlifters generally have good strong handshakes, whether from specific exercises or merely gripping the weights, I do not know). You can check the web for tons more.
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TSchmidt
Jun 16, 2011, 11:02 AM
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Thanks, those are some good tips!
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