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Fingerboard Instructions

and

Tra n ng T ps

Congratulations on purchasing a Crusher Holds

Fingerboard. This document will provide you withideas and advice on how to use your fingerboard,and give an introduction to some finger trainingconcepts and routines. Finger boarding can behighly addictive and can be a revelation to yourclimbing ability. With planning and attention toroutines and detail, everyone can experience thebenefits of their use.

Please read through it before you install yourboard and before you start training. ll theinformation is given as a guide to help you gainthe most out your board, but as with all sportinge!uipment, your own "udgement and discretionmust be used to ensure your own safety and to

protect yourself from in"ury.

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Where and how to position your board

There are many ideas and variations formounting a fingerboard from the obviousto the ingenious and a !uic# search onlinewill reveal a wealth of information andforum discussions on how climbers havealready done so.

$t is also worth considering the followingbefore ma#ing your decision%

Prolonged fingerboard training can test your tenacity and motivation, sogive yourself a fighting chance. Find somewhere that is easily

accessible and that fits in with daily life, somewhere near to otherforms of entertainment such as a television or radio, or where familymembers spend time. &ver the doorway of a lounge, a beam in the#itchen, or a "ig in the hallway of your house. Try to avoid dar# cellars,garages, sheds and areas where you might have to move items to setup space to use the board.

The board should be in a position where you can load the holds straightfrom below without the body swinging.

The board should be in a position where you can reach the holds with

feet on the ground or on a stable surface with arms slightly bent. The board should be mounted hori'ontally with the face at () degrees

to the floor.

The surface or ob"ect, be it wall, wooden "ig, hanging frame, pull up baretc. that the board is to be fixed to, should be structural sound andcapable of supporting your own weight plus the excess forces appliedduring exercising.

&nce fixed the board should not move during use. ny movement, even

the slightest twisting of the board can cause "olting*shoc# loading ofthe ligaments*tendons of the fingers and arms, and possibly result inin"ury.

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Fingerboard Training A Dark Art?The great advantage of owning a fingerboard is that your approach to usingit can be as flexible or structured as you wish. $ts use can be integrated intoa pre existing training routine, you can design a training plan around it, it canbe a large*small supplement to your general climbing, it can be a +life saver+when regular climbing is not readily available and it can be planned arounddaily life so not only are your fingers #ept happy but also the family.

$t is advisable in +ideal+ circumstances to thin# of fingerboarding as a supplement to normal climbing and tounderta#e short sessions maybe -) minutes atregular intervals two or three times a wee#. This way

all other aspects of your climbing wont be affected andyou will be able to gauge after a month or so whetheryou are doing the right amount, too much or notenough training. This would be a more +general+approach to training and finger boarding where youwill ma#e steady gains and decreasing the li#elihood ofin"uries by being consistent and controlled. Thosehighly experienced obsessed/ climbers with serioustraining regimes will be constantly riding the waves of

training phases, fatigue build up, performance pea#sand troughs and recovery phases. Here the in"urytightrope is wal#ed and only experience, #nowledgeand a good awareness of your own limits and recoveryrates will stop the inevitable. 0pecialised boo#s,research and papers are available on these types ofadvanced training.

1ood indicators of overuse are swelling of the finger

"oints and sustained periods of soreness in thetendons and muscles of the forearms. 0ome degree ofsoreness and aching will obviously occur as does withall physical training, so try not to mista#e these goodaches indicative of well wor#ed muscles*tendons withoveruse.

lso you will find that tissue on your fingers might initially swell*thic#en,giving a feeling of having fat fingers, this is also good, a short term responseto training. The important observation is that within 23*34 hours fat fingers

and the warm aching should have dissipated, if not then this a shore sign youare over doing it.

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fter fingerboard sessions you must allow yourself ade!uate time forrecovery and healing of any micro tears to occur. How long is dependant onmany factors, metabolism, immune system, diet, age, stress levels to namebut a few. $t is only yourself that can get to #now the +feeling+, the feeling ofthe body in recovery and the refreshed feeling of the body recovered and

ready for action.n important fact to #now andappreciate when it comes to thefingers and forearms responses totraining, is the duration at whichstrength development occurs. Thetendons and muscles of the fingersand forearms being smaller andcomplex in nature, have evolved for

dexterity and not ma"or weightloading. Therefore, the muscle buildingand tendon strengthening processta#es considerably longer compared tothe big muscle groups.

Thin#ing of finger strength gains in terms of months and years will help tomaintain motivation and commitment to your training.

$t is not uncommon to find initial muscular strength gains occurring !uite!uic#ly, in a matter of wee#s. 0o it is also important to realise that relative tomuscles the ligaments and tendons gain their strength at a slower delayedrate. This delay can be over months. This needs to be constantly addressedto avoid in"ury. When you notice the muscle strength has increased, be sureto ease bac# for a period and let the ligaments and tendons catch up.0o dedication to consistent controlled training over years is the #ey, there areno short cuts. $f you ta#e a loo# at the number of climbers in their twenties

hanging about at climbing walls, you+ll notice fingers full of tape. This all toocommon and sure sign of pushing to hard, too !uic# and paying for it within"uries. Thin# long, thin# steady, thin# dedicated and you wont go too farwrong.

For those new to finger boarding an ideal initial approach is to first find your+wea#est lin#+ and set to target these, thus balancing your overall fingerstrength and build a solid platform to develop from. common examplefound in the 56, is that your crimp strength far outweighs your open hand

strength, or your mono strength on your middle finger is far greater thanyour index finger. Finding your strengths and wea#ness is !uite a simple tas#and your fingerboard can be used to !uic#ly reveals them.

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Try the following tas#, using the table provided and "ot down the results.

$t should go without saying that you are fully warmed up before hand andready to pull with full power 7 see warm up section

5sing and standing on aset of standard weighingscales positioned directlyunder your board, hangfrom each digit

individually using amono poc#et.8ote how much weight you remove from the scales and repeat the process acouple of times. 9ou now have an average strength for each of your fingersof each hand.

Try performing the same tas# again on the 2)mm deep rounded edge usingthe following%

full four finger crimp, a full four finger half crimp, a full four finger

open hand hang. three finger crimp, a three finger half crimp, a three finger open hand

hang.

bac# three middle, ring : little finger crimp, a bac# three finger halfcrimp, a bac# three finger open hand hang.

front two index : middle crimp, half crimp and open hand

middle two middle : ring crimp, half crimp and open hand

bac# two ring : little crimp, half crimp and open hand.

8ow the above may ta#e awhile and is actually a goodwor# out on its own. $t hasprovided you with a means ofidentifying your strong andwea# fingers and fingercombinations which can betargeted for training.

Hold on to this record and be sure to repeat it regularly monthly/, thereforegiving you a very precise gauge of your progress.

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;eftHand

Weight iddle >iddle

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Fingerboard Training Warm Ups

The aim of a warm up is to firstly slowly raise heart rate, increasing bloodflow to muscles thus oxygenating them, increase temperature and initiatemuscle energy systems for intense activity. 0econdly to mobilise "oints slowly,increasing synovial fluid movement, lubricating both cartilages and ligaments.t the end of a warm up you should feel comfortable and ready to pull onyour fingers and arms with full power.

Warm ups can be incorporated into a daily routinebefore you use your board. &bvious you maythin#, but often over loo#ed. Having a foam ball inyour car to use on your drive home from wor#, abris# wal# to the shops for a pint of mil# or a ten

minute #ic# about with the #ids can all helpprepare you for a !uic# -) minute board session. warm up for a finger boarding session doesn+thave to be as complex as for a normal climbingsession. fter an initial heart rate raiser you cantarget "ust your fingers, arms and bac#.

The following is an example of a warm up that should prepare you for a fullsession%

1eneral Warm 5p

=.

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8ow repeat the general warm up again, this time increasing the intensityslightly. This should usually suffice for a general warm up but if you feel youre!uire more then repeat as appropriate.Ta#e a minute or so brea# and then move onto the following.

Finger 0pecific Warm 5p

finger specific warm up aims to buildthe fingers up for maximal or nearmaximal contraction. 9ou are aiming toachieve is a warm, fluid, supple andstrong feeling, with a confidentawareness of your tendons, ligamentsand muscles. The speed at which this

happens is generally dependant on age.9outhful, springy, energetic fingers ormature, steely and taught/

common approach is to build the level of +power+ you use from about ?)Dto about ()D over a series of !uic# repetitions that last about ? secondseach with ? seconds rest between. This can be done !uite crudely butade!uately by standing on the floor and gradually ta#ing more weight off oneach repetition. $f you struggle to gauge the weight your ta#ing off, try usingthe scales again or try this...First rep @ with both feet down #nees bent, second rep 7 one foot bent #nee,third rep 7 straight hang no feet.&bviously you will have to ad"ust and twea# to your own ability and strength,but try following this idea.Here is an example of a series of hangs to carry out using the abovetechni!ue... Ta#e 2)@-) seconds rest between each set. $t will ta#e about ?minutes in total.

=. Hang from a full 3 finger edge with both hands.2. Hang from a - finger edge with both hands.-. Hang from a front 2 poc#et with both hands.3. Hang from a full 3 finger edge with both hands.?. Hang from a middle 2 poc#et with both hands.A. Hang from a full 3 finger edge with both hands.. Hang from a bac# 2 poc#et with both hands.4. Hang from a full 3 finger edge with both hands.

The above can be done with "ust an open handed hang. $f your trainingcrimping strength, "ust integrate a half crimp and a full crimp into the routine.

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Fingerboard Training Sessions & yc!es

s you may be aware or now understand there is no hard and fast rules tofinger training. bsorbing advice and researching what has been tried andtested, is crucial to building up ideas of what will apply or be willadvantageous to you. 8ot only are there many individual exercises andrepetition variables but also +periodisation+ and training cycles to consider.

Ta#ing the latter first, you can decide forexample your two finger poc#et strengthis a wea# lin# and needs training. Hereyou can concentrate solely on these for aperiods of wee#s and cycle them withperiods of rest and with periods ofreturning to general or crimp strength.

8ext you can plan long term training cycles over periods of months or years.0o that your training goal comes in line with say limestone poc#et pullingholiday or a summer attac# on the pea# district crimps. 8ote the slightvolume increase "ust before the target...

The above training cycles will last A months. 9ou have a number of optionsworth trying if you find it fairly successful. Change the target hang, twea# theexercise lengths or twea# the rest periods.s it is specific to finger boarding you will note that it follows a general cycleof - wee#s on to = wee#s rest. This is in general training terms, !uite a highamount of rest. $t is important again to reiterate that as finger boarding is sospecific and highly intensive that these amounts of rest are re!uired, to allow

recovery and micro tear repair. $f you are climbing and training on the roc# aswell then pay special attention to when you plan your rest and for how longyou need.

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0pecific 0et rrangement $deas

For building finger strength and power, current general thin#ing is basedaround +=) second+ cycles where the following routine is used and hangs areexecuted at maximum contraction. The routine%

The importance of these cycles is finding on the ?thor Athrepetition that youbegin to fail and do not achieve the full hang. Therefore you+ll need to ad"ustthe load on your fingers to hit failure at the right time. This can be done byincreasing*decreasing hold si'e, adding*removing weight weight belt, an#leweights, harness, hanging from a bungee etc., hanging single handed orhanging single handed with assistance.

$t is also common to vary the above routine slightly, as each person willrespond with different degrees of success. 0o pic# your own, stic# with it fora while, then mix it up and see if you feel its wor#s any better or worse foryou.For strength training if you follow the basic rulesE =2 seconds maximum hangtime and overall rest time should be e!ual to or higher than the time spenton the board.

n alternate routine that has wor#ed for me, again failing on the last hang%

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nother set arrangement is the Pyramid. Here maximum effort is used againon each hang, but the length of hang increases throughout the set. This hasa cumulative effect, seeming to +tune+ or +warm+ the fingers into the hang andappears to wor# well with two finger or mono hangs. gain you can twea#the durations and repetitions #eeping in line with logic. couple of routines%

complicated routine, but worth a try%

ll the above set arrangements can

be used to target one specific hang.With a simple session plan asshown right, you can add anotherhang into your routine.

0o... good luc# with your trainingand $ hope your climbing benefitsfrom this guide. >ost of all have

fun with your Crusher Fingerboard.

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