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konrad7
Aug 11, 2010, 2:39 PM
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Hello,
I've been bouldering for 4 months.
I'm climbing at around V5 and although I can do it, when I get down my fingers can feel really sore for a few minutes before I can climb again.
I'm not sure what to do, if I keep climbing at this level then my fingers feel on the verge of snapping but nor do I want to do climbs below my level as I won't improve any more!
What would you do?
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edge
Aug 11, 2010, 2:44 PM
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konrad7 wrote: Hello, I've been bouldering for 4 months. I'm climbing at around V5 and although I can do it, when I get down my fingers can feel really sore for a few minutes before I can climb again. I'm not sure what to do, if I keep climbing at this level then my fingers feel on the verge of snapping but nor do I want to do climbs below my level as I won't improve any more! What would you do?
You will likely improve faster and for the long haul by dropping down a few grades and focusing on proper technique occasionally rather than thugging your way up climbs at your limit and risking tendon or pulley injuries.
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Rudmin
Aug 11, 2010, 3:17 PM
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konrad7 wrote: Hello, I've been bouldering for 4 months. I'm climbing at around V5 and although I can do it, when I get down my fingers can feel really sore for a few minutes before I can climb again. I'm not sure what to do, if I keep climbing at this level then my fingers feel on the verge of snapping but nor do I want to do climbs below my level as I won't improve any more! What would you do?
Popping tendons and ruining your joints won't help you improve any more either. I remember when I climbed as much as I could I used to get really stiff knuckle joints in the morning. I felt like I had to use my other hand to straighten and bend my fingers. If I kept at it like that I probably would have had arthritis at 25.
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ryanb
Aug 11, 2010, 3:53 PM
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konrad7 wrote: Hello, I've been bouldering for 4 months. I'm climbing at around V5 and although I can do it, when I get down my fingers can feel really sore for a few minutes before I can climb again. I'm not sure what to do, if I keep climbing at this level then my fingers feel on the verge of snapping but nor do I want to do climbs below my level as I won't improve any more! What would you do?
This sounds pretty normal to me. You'll know your technique is improving when your whole body is sore for those few minutes.
There are some things you can do, but you will always need to take adequate rest between attempts on at your limit climbs, and adequate rest days between hard bouldering sessions.
In terms of preventing injury in your fingers try working problems with big, sloping holds, or long reaches with bad feet (ie things that are hard but not hard on the hands) and training your hands so that you can grab most crimps open handed.
http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/...or-not-to-crimp.html
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Builderdash
Aug 12, 2010, 10:33 PM
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You only beat me to that username by a half a decade damn you!
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JAB
Aug 13, 2010, 5:47 AM
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konrad7 wrote: Hello, I've been bouldering for 4 months. I'm climbing at around V5 and although I can do it, when I get down my fingers can feel really sore for a few minutes before I can climb again. I'm not sure what to do, if I keep climbing at this level then my fingers feel on the verge of snapping but nor do I want to do climbs below my level as I won't improve any more! What would you do?
One idea would be to stop bouldering for a month or two and instad focus on something that is easy on the fingers, like crack climbing. Only climbing easy boulders quickly gets boring, so try doing something different instead. This will give your fingers some time to recover.
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j_ung
Aug 14, 2010, 2:34 PM
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konrad7 wrote: Hello, I've been bouldering for 4 months. I'm climbing at around V5 and although I can do it, when I get down my fingers can feel really sore for a few minutes before I can climb again. I'm not sure what to do, if I keep climbing at this level then my fingers feel on the verge of snapping but nor do I want to do climbs below my level as I won't improve any more! What would you do?
I would answer a few more questions...
You started climbing 4 months ago, or you were already climbing and you just started bouldering? Where do you boulder? What types of problems do you spend the most time on? Crimpy, slopey, juggy? What do you do to warm up?
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konrad7
Aug 14, 2010, 5:27 PM
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I started climbing 4 months ago.
I boulder in England, mostly in gym and also on grit.
mostly juggy, at a steep angle. But more and more crimpy stuff, still haven't got the hang of slopers.
To warm up I spent half an hour working my way up in difficulty with rests in between climbs stretching my fingers and rotating my shoulders.
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desertwanderer81
Aug 14, 2010, 5:52 PM
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take a rest/climb more outside/climb easier stuff/don't climb as long
Do some combination of the above.
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marc801
Aug 14, 2010, 10:20 PM
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Echoing the same advice others have given. Don't forget that tendons and their attachment points take *much* longer than muscles to develop to the same level of endurance. You might get your muscles to handle V8 in 6 months, but it might take 18 for the tendons to get there. If you rush it you risk torn and detached tendons that can take literally years to completely heal.
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kobaz
Aug 14, 2010, 10:25 PM
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konrad7 wrote: Hello, I've been bouldering for 4 months. I'm climbing at around V5 and although I can do it, when I get down my fingers can feel really sore for a few minutes before I can climb again. I'm not sure what to do, if I keep climbing at this level then my fingers feel on the verge of snapping but nor do I want to do climbs below my level as I won't improve any more! What would you do?
To start, that's damn impressive. I finally got to V5 after about 4 years of climbing, and V6 after about 5 years. This is my 7th year and I haven't been bouldering as much as I used to, and I'm down to about a V4. But my onsite trad climbing has been improving tremendously just from experience, mileage, and confidence increases.
Climbing below your level is very important for improving. It makes you work on the most important aspect of climbing... the mental aspect. Without having to worry about "how hard do I need to crimp this move", you can focus on body positioning, footwork, and finding rests.
Climbing skill is a pyramid. You need to build your base levels before you can really excel. Sheer strength is just one aspect of many that will propel you to great climbing.
One great improver is endurance. Climb your warmups in a circuit until you are completely tired. And only your warmups. Once a week I would tire myself out on just bouldering v0 to v3 for as many hours as I could. Do all the v0's in your gym... and then do them again... followed by all the v1s... and keep repeating the cycle. That's just one of many ways to work on improving.
Edited to add: And one more thing... don't forget to REST. And take some EASY DAYS. I've gone through two finger injuries in my career so far, it's not fun at all.
(This post was edited by kobaz on Aug 14, 2010, 10:29 PM)
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KPC
Aug 17, 2010, 3:06 PM
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edge wrote: konrad7 wrote: Hello, I've been bouldering for 4 months. I'm climbing at around V5 and although I can do it, when I get down my fingers can feel really sore for a few minutes before I can climb again. I'm not sure what to do, if I keep climbing at this level then my fingers feel on the verge of snapping but nor do I want to do climbs below my level as I won't improve any more! What would you do? You will likely improve faster and for the long haul by dropping down a few grades and focusing on proper technique occasionally rather than thugging your way up climbs at your limit and risking tendon or pulley injuries.
I am actually having a very similar problem at the moment. I have started climbing recently and I have quite a bit of power. I am able to do v4s (indoors and out) after a few trips to the gym (horrible technique though, I am sure) because of a good amount of strength I came into the sport with.
My only real concern is that like you said, I might injure tendons or my hands because the strength I do have so far, is not in my hands.
What would be the best way to negate any possible damadge? And do the multiple grip training products on the market protect you from injuries like those mentioned above?
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