When you think about finally sending that project you’ve been working on, or climbing harder/longer routes what’s the biggest thing stopping you? Some may say it’s grip strength, upper body strength, or just fear. However, everyone can agree that decreased endurance and getting that dreaded “forearm pump” is one of the reasons you [...]
Bouldering during pregnancy can be good for your mental and physical health if necessary precautions are taken. It also helps to feel part of the community as bouldering is a social sport.
Like many others during the pandemic, my local climbing gym got shut down. I was not as fortunate as others to have close access to outdoor climbing areas. It’s pretty flat here in Michigan, so this left me with two choices: drive 7+ hours to Red River Gorge or build a home wall. [...]
After a long day of work at the office you finally get to your favorite gym. You perform a quick warm-up and 15 minutes into it you are on the wall to try a freshly set of new boulder problems. As you push yourself harder and harder, you keep falling. After landing a few [...]
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 [...]