As a beginner you need technique more than raw strength. You have a few options for improving tech, like buying a book (Self Coached Climber), taking classes, watching others climb and simply climbing more. If you climb a lot, then your body will figure out what to do, especially if you conciously aware of your footwork, shifting your center of (m)ass, not overgripping, shaking your arms down, etc.

I agree with this. But there is one V1 boulder that, well pretty much seems to me to be a strength move(at least for a beginner). I'm on an overhang/incline and the next grip is way up on a straight wall, where I need to sort of swing myself to reach it. The problem is, I'm semi-upside down and simply lack the strength to hang and then swing. Is there a special technique to reach it?

Don't feel too bad about yourself. The boulder grading is not very good for easier problems, even V0 is pretty hard.

Agreed. The average person off the street probably could not do a V0 boulder problem.

The average person is a unemployed drug addict with multiple crack kids to multiple smack heads.

I thought I'd post an update.

I've been climbing every other day, since I first posted. On my off days, I do exercises, such as pullups, finger hangs and one arm static hangs of my body weight.

I can climb almost every V1 at 3 different gyms now and some V2s. The remaining V2s require additional grip/pinch strength and pulling strength/endurance than I currently possess.

There is a V2 that requires a 1-armed mantle on a slight slope, with the other arm stretching directly above to grab a sloper. The entire wall slightly is inclined, so the very act of reaching for the overhead sloper causes me to fall. I can do the mantle, but I simply don't have the grip to sufficiently grab the overhead sloper to stop my fall.

While there is plenty of technique to be gained, the sheer increase in grip and pinch strength required for harder grades keeps pointing me to specific exercises to address those weaknesses.

I can do the mantle, but I simply don't have the grip to sufficiently grab the overhead sloper to stop my fall. While there is plenty of technique to be gained, the sheer increase in grip and pinch strength required for harder grades keeps pointing me to specific exercises to address those weaknesses.

The average person is a unemployed drug addict with multiple crack kids to multiple smack heads. Tape a bag of brown at the top of a wall and you will see a skin and bony version of sharma scaling v15.

I think you might be cruisin for a bruisin and/or barking up the wrong tree. It is stupid not to give your body time to recover during sessions. Any gains you have seen were because you were climbing every other day, not because you were doing all of the supplemental stuff in between.

99% of the time, when a beginner thinks he needs finger/grip strength, he isn't doing a move in the optimal way. Get out to real rock, even III-IV routes have "shit" holds and such, but with proper balance and footwork they are the easiest things in the world.

But I also think that perhaps you veterans forget how much stronger your finger and overall hang/pulling strength is compared to a beginner.

I'm told to keep my body as close to the wall as possible...but doing that on a roof requires great strength! So at home, I practice hanging and pulling myself up using my kitchen table as a roof.

This usually isn't the case on severely overhanging routes. Most of the time, you will use a straighter arm technique. Again, evidence that you need to really examine your technique, not your strength. Climb better and your strength will improve as it needs to.

Yet even the mere act of hanging on a roof is challenging for beginners because of the inherent finger strength involved in holding up over 50% of your body weight by your finger tips.

my finger and grip strength definitely is stronger now, and that just came with more climbing. I for the most part disagree with your comment about pull strength being stronger though. I can BARELY do 2 pullups, and in most cases that doesn't limit me. What limits me is bad body tension, sloppy footwork, bad positioning etc. On a roof I use way more core tension and footwork than pull strength.

There is a reason most here are saying technique technique technique...

Alright buddy, I'm done trying to offer advice. You obviously know it all. Just consider what part of your body is cutting from the wall...if you're landing on your feet, you may want to consider what is actually causing you to fall.

I don't feel that my pulling strength is my limiting factor. 1st, if you've seen my other thread on gloves, its, uh, my weak, girly skin that gives out before anything.

2nd its my finger/grip strength. Even on solid holds, on roofs, my fingers weaken just from hanging upside down...that is if the skin on my fingers don't wuss out first.

Damn it, all this talk is making me itch to get back to the climbing gym.

I don't know anything, but I want logic to prove my ignorance otherwise. You say technique, which I agree with, but I've played many sports and every sport has elements of technique and strength. NO SPORT is pure technique. And it seems to me that even doing basic things in rock climbing require a baseline level of strength to accomplish.

If I'm hanging on a roof, I can use technique to minimize the strength required, but is it false to claim that strength IS required and that strength may exceed the 2 week beginner?

As for my failures on my V2 roof, its not the fall that fails, its me. I simply drop down from fatigue. It transitions from a roof to a wall and by the time I get to the wall, I'm spent.

I want to add that I'm grateful for everyone's replies and advice and I'm taking them to heart. I question because I need to see the why and how. So I don't mean to offend.