I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it, but your post struck a chord with me because recently I've observed two things: 1) my new gym's bouldering wall is centered around dynos and 2) I'm not naturally good at dynos (i.e. I can't do them). The reason your post resonated is because I also find myself saying, "Well, at least I can do this (single non-overhanging) V3 here by holding onto these little crimps"...but of course that's not good enough. So my hypothesis is that the people who are "muscling through" these routes are, besides being stronger than me, also just instinctively better at dynamic moves. What do you think?

Here is my take on it.

1. Eventually, the less experienced climbers won't be able to muscle through the problems, especially when the climbs get higher in grade. In my perspective, its starts at 3s and 4s, but gym grades are subjective.

2. Dont worry about them, climb for yourself and your satisfaction. I found myself also puzzled at why certain people were able to send 2 and 3s on their first visit. I then decided to forget them and focus on climbing for fun.

3. Focus on movement and balance. Watching some of the smaller women climb at the gym has helped me realize that strength i'snt everything. And while at one point I was struggling to send 2s, they were sending 4s and 5s with ease. I know its like a broken record at this forum, but "The Self Coached Climber" is a great read. It helps you understand the movement on a technical level -why certain moves work and others don't.

4. Start climbing 0s on the 30 wall and then the 45 wall (I also climb at BKB). After than do the 1s and 2s there and in the cave.

5. Since your max bouldering grade seems to be a V2, try to send all of the 2s and below in the gym PERFECTLY -focusing on footwork, balance and movement. Again, the book has great exercises to help you with that.

Finally, you should continue finger boarding (which is probably why you have an easier time with crimps -I personally struggle with them), but also include a bit of weight training. Don't do it to muscle up, so it to keep your self tone. Adam Ondra is not a muscle man, and he's considered one of the best climbers in the world.

Hope this helps. I was where you are at one time, and I know that it can be frustrating.

I said for a while now, there is a difference between the "Strong" climber and the "Good" climber and one does not equal the other. You can be both but most are just one or the other.

Steep bouldering requires a lot of deadpointing and dynamic movement.

Not if you're good

What exactly do you mean by muscling through a problem?

Muscling through is using brute strength to reach the top instead of technique and finesse.

In regards to the original question, I think it becomes pretty hard to muscle through after V3 or so. Technique becomes so important after that.

With that said, strength is always very important, and you need to have both strength and technique to do well.

Keep working on your fingerboarding and do pull ups for strength. Pick routes you know you can do, and climb them repeatedly with slow, perfect footwork and technique.

You'll get there!

Muscling through: Completing a route or problem despite complete lack of technique. Usually a pejorative term used by a (often slightly jealous) climber to describe someone with equal or less experience climbing a route they themselves cannot climb. Primarily the province of the fit beginner male climber, whose baseline strength will often get them up V2-3 problems.

I think it depends what you want to do. If you only ever want to boulder, then strength plays a big part but lets face it, before bouldering rooms and climbing walls existed, climbers were not so strong. They still climbed up to dizzy heights and overhangs on grit and lime stone with the grace and finesse of lizard, when all they had to rely on was great technique and a healthy pair of lungs.

Climbing walls seem to be all about being strong and getting stronger but you only have to sit and watch those big armed muscular men bouldering around for an hour to understand that most of them have poor technique.
I agree there has to be a balance of technique, strength, cardoio fitness and stamina to be a good climber but imo far too much emphasis is put on strength.

People bouldered on real rock dude, they also trained in other ways.

Firstly I'm not a dude, Im female.

Secondly I'm not saying you can't train in other ways. I consider cardie-vascular drills really important for good climbing ability.

Whilst I agree that fingers/forearm muscles have to be strong, there is good reason why a body builder can't hang by his forearm any longer than the next guy.

Our bodies unfortunately are not adapted to hang on to tiny pinches or high force pulls for long, no matter how strong you are because as we squeeze the fingers those tiny blood vessels shut (like a tourniquet). During the hold, blood can't flow in and blood can't flow out. We are pushing those muscles to their limit and unless we can quickly give that muscle group a brief rest, the contraction will just let go of the hold because no blood to those extremities causes rapid muscle fatigue.

Our legs are naturally stronger than the arms. Our muscle groups in the legs are huge in comparison to the forearm. There is not enough emphasis on foot and leg forces when it comes to completing a climb. How many times do you use the tip of your toe on the tiniest of holds to launch you forward to that final reach? IMO many climbers are far too passive with their lower body.