When it comes to climbing, our fingers and wrists endure immense strain and require targeted warm-ups to prevent injury and improve performance. This article provides essential wrist and finger mobility exercises for climbers, starting with foundational warm-up stretches and advancing to specialized tendon glide techniques. By incorporating these exercises into your routine, you’ll better prepare your wrists and fingers for the demands of climbing.

Here, we’ll cover two specific finger stretches and a dynamic wrist mobility exercise designed to prep your joints. Begin with dynamic wrist stretches before climbing, and save the static finger stretches for post-climb recovery.

To perform the lumbrical stretch, bend the middle joint in each finger, then gently press the finger backward to stretch at the base. For the finger extension stretch, keep the finger straight and extend it backward with your opposite hand, ensuring only a gentle stretch and avoiding hyperextension.

The dynamic wrist stretch involves extending your arm forward and stretching your wrist in four directions: palm facing down, inward, outward, and upward. This range of movement promotes wrist flexibility and primes your joints for climbing.

Tendon glides improve the mobility of the finger tendons. Most climbers are familiar with standard tendon glides, but advanced variations can improve tendon excursion even further. Using a double-length sling to fix the wrist in extension, you can lengthen the tendons crossing the wrist joint, increasing the exercise’s effectiveness.

Here’s how to perform advanced tendon glides with a sling:

1. Flat Fist: Begin by folding your fingers into your palm.
2. Full Fist: Draw your fingers in toward your knuckles.
3. Hook Fist: Curl your fingers into a claw-like position.
4. Straight Fingers: Extend your fingers fully into an open position.

Dynamic wrist flexibility can be developed through exercises like “paint the wall,” “pronation punches,” and “sun salutes.” These exercises help warm up the wrist with a range of movement patterns essential for the demands of climbing.

Paint the Wall: Stand facing a wall with your arm outstretched. Slide the back of your hand up the wall, rotate your wrist until the palm is against the wall, then slide your hand back down, returning to the starting position.

Pronation Punches: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and your fists ready. Punch forward while pronating your wrist, rotating it back to the start before repeating on the other side. This is an ideal warm-up for clipping.

Sun Salute: Inspired by yoga, this move stretches and strengthens the wrists. Stand with feet hip-width apart, pressing your palms together with fingers facing down. Rotate your fingers upward into a prayer position, bring your arms overhead, rotate your hands outward, and bend your elbows to bring your arms down, returning to the prayer position.

Integrating these wrist and finger mobility exercises into your warm-up routine will prepare your hands for the complex movements in climbing, improving flexibility and reducing injury risk. Whether you’re working on dynamic wrist mobility or advanced tendon glides, these exercises can elevate your climbing performance and keep your hands in peak condition.