If you are familiar with rock climbing, you’ve probably either experienced a finger injury or know someone who has. Finger injuries are a common occurrence in rock climbing due to the high demands of supporting your body weight on small, irregular holds - sometimes just by the tips of your fingers. You may [...]
In the middle of an intense 6-week training regimen for climbing, you notice a catching and locking in your left ring finger when opening and closing your hand. There is a pain in your finger and in the top of your hand. Since you want to send your project this year and don’t [...]
Are you sending hard only to jump off and twist your ankle and/or knee? Day 1 in the boulder gym we all learn proper falling technique, “gently land with your knees bent and roll to your butt…” but… how many of us actually do that on a regular basis..? Unless you down-climb 100% [...]
You begin reading the route, noting all the tiny footholds you will have to balance on. You imagine placing your weight on those holds, and dread begins to set in as you prepare yourself for the ache that will come. As you begin the climb, you consciously guard against putting too much weight [...]
You’re on a week-long climbing trip to Smith Rock State Park with your gym friends, psyched on trying to send your big project after a winter of good training in the gym. You climb hard for three days, almost sending the climb but stuck on the second to last move. Feeling your raw [...]
Have you hit a plateau in your climbing and are trying to figure out what to work on? Have you ever wondered if you need to include core training in order to reach that next level? Climbing is often considered a whole-body activity that works a lot of different muscle groups in the [...]
Rock climbing as a sport and a lifestyle has been around for centuries. However, climbing began its transition to the industry it is today just as recently as 1987 with the opening of the first indoor climbing gym. Since then, the total number of climbing gyms worldwide has risen to 2,167 according to [...]
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in adults following Alzheimer’s disease, affecting nearly one million people in the U.S.1 It is caused by loss of nerve cells that produce the chemical dopamine in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra.1 Individuals often develop symptoms slowly, and the progression [...]
Rock climbing is a sport which can be enjoyed by people of all ages and walks of life. The sport is continuing to grow in popularity, as shown by its Olympic debut, and research on climbing has surged. Recent research has been published on the application of rock climbing as an effective and safe [...]
You’re at the crux of the climb. Your arms are pumped, legs shaking, the pain in your fingertips creeps down into your forearms and lights them on fire. Yet, all you can focus on is the endless ping-pong of mental chatter that screams all the reasons why you should give up, let go, [...]