Strengthen your Grip for Rock Climbing
Those of you that are in the rock climbing community know the importance of having strong hands for hanging and supporting your weight, not to mention the need to have endurance to make it through a days climb. Your grip is a key link in your climbing ability and your grip strength could be the first to go after a couple hours of climbing. If you add some strength training to your hands and forearms you will much more able to hold on with less loss of endurance. Listed below are some workouts you can use that are designed for the climber. Try hanging from a pull-up bar by your fingers. Just hang until you just cannot hang on anymore and your fingers slide off the bar. Try the same thing only using one hand then alternate to the other hand. Place your finger tips on the narrow ledge of the door jam above a door and hang on for as long as you can. Do push-ups on your finger tips. If this is painful or difficult for you, try just holding yourself in a push-up position on your finger tips for a few seconds at a time until you get stronger. This exercise will work the muscles that both open and close the hands. Do not neglect the rest of the body, you should have a good overall workout routine that you can do. Try doing pull-ups, this is one of the best upper body exercises that you can do and it mimics climbing. Also exercise your core strength which is your mid section. This is only an example of some of the exercises you can do. Another great way to exercise the forearms and hands is to simply go out and climb as much as you can. This way you will work out your grip in the most realistic way. Go to Grip Strength for more info on how to improve your grip strength. Tim Archbolds interests are Fitness Training and Health.