I made my own pinch block cuz of you and I can definitely tell a difference in my pinch strength now. Thanks for all the tips I love the way you explain everything
There was this small pinch hold I struggled with back when I was starting out climbing. It reminded me of a nipple in shape and I couldn't fit more than three fingers around it at a time. I remember just stopping to stare at it as I recalled some random trivia about how pets need to played with and let them bite you when they're small, because if you don't teach them how much force is too much, they'll never learn it by the time they grow up into adults - and that's when uncontrolled strength can cause injuries. Similarly horses and other farm animals only need to be contained within high-enough fences that they can't cross them when they're babies. Once the learn they fence to be unsurpassable as a child, they won't even try to do it as an adult - even if they were now big and strong enough to do so. These are invisible barriers in their minds that they're not aware of, and if a horse or a goat by happenstance learns to jump over that fence once it's grown up, it's much more likely to repeat it over and over again. It reminded me how often kids in elementary schools and kindergardens get into physical fights with each other - in a similar way to the animals, life teaches us the rules of society, rules of our own physical body and how much we need to curb our strength to get the maximum benefits from our environment while staying at the minimal risks. Wild animals are dangerous not necessarily because they're stronger than tamed ones per say, but their invisible barriers are set far further in the extreme ends due to the environmental pressure - it's do or die more often than not. In extreme cases humans too can express this phenomenom of going "unhinged" in form feats of that are coined as 'hysterical strength'. So there I was, staring at that nipple-hold and wondering what are the invisible barriers of my own mind that stop me. What is that wordless voice in my head that urges me to slow my run into a walk, lest I pass out instead. I considered what kind of injuries I was being protected from when my grip failed at that pinch. Then, I meditated myself into a special kind of trance where I shed all those barriers - if only for a moment - as I tried again: I pinched that hold so hard I could feel my soft skin mold around the nib like it was butter, pulled myself up so effortlessly by it that I lost my form and balance from the surprise of the sudden ascend. In the end I didn't fall because my strength had failed me; I fell because that skin got peeled right off my fingers, causing me to lose the hold. You see, my hands were not calloused enough from habitual climbing, my technique wasn't good enough to compensate the strain, and using the strength outside of the environment I had lived in I had no control over it whatsoever; I acted like a cornered wild animal would, or a person in 'hystery'. However, what I learnt that day was the fact that, more than training our bodies to do these physical feats, we're especially training our instincts to adapt for the challenges we set for ourselves. TL;DR: Went apeshit on a hold, tore skin off the fingertips. Mind over Matter is useful to breach your own limits when training.
I made my own pinch blocks out of 4x4 fence post a while back and they work wonders. I've noticed improving ones pinch game is surprisingly helpful for lots of boulders! Love the training vids Eric, keep em coming! :)
I’ve been doing this for quite some time due to your older video which showed this method. I went to Home Depot and purchased a bed post topper which worked perfectly.
Very informative and reinforcement of why we need to train the pinch grip. I started a few weeks ago with Frictitious block and felt tremendous growth in strength-16 lb to 28 lbs training weight. I have always averted training because of perceived long weeks of training; I modified to 2 times a week, incorporated pushups between sets. Originally started 5 minute rest, but now cut down to 1 minute. Best part is my wife is doing pinch training (not a climber) for her finger pain/arthritis-it’s getting better and it’s an activity we do together.
Suggested Edit for the Video: at 1:44, your picture for "flexor pollicis longus" (FPL) muscle is incorrect. Flexors are on the anterior side of the forearm, while this picture is a posterior view (as can be seen by the Olecranon Process, or the bony part of the elbow, at the bottom of the picture). Also, the origin of the FPL is the Radius, not the Ulna. Since the muscle in this picture is originating from the ulna, it can't be the FPL. This is tricky because it appears you are looking at a left-hand front view... but the picture is an (upside-down) right-hand back view! The muscle shown in the picture appears to be the Extensor Pollicis Longus. Just for accuracy' sake! -OCD Kinesiology Student
youve got some good tips here, im trying to develope a tool for me and my friends to train grip/ finger and pinch strength. this video was really helpful thank you
Your going to have to go back to Squamish (no bad thing) and grip the stone by the narrow top. I battled that thing for years and never did get it. Great video
Ive been training pinch grip for some years now on a hangboard. I like to combine it with a pinch pullup. That way i dont have to time it since it takes around 7s. Ive been thinking about doing a pinch training with arms down and standing up but i havent found a "rack" to put the weight plates on.
@@training4climbing Ah tnx alot! Hard to search when you dont know the name. My hangboard doesnt have a wide pinch so im gonna make some blocks and se how my progress get with wide pinch training.
My left hand is significantly weaker than my right, should I use a higher weight for the right or just keep going with the same weight until the two hands even out?
Yes you should be warmed up to do these, and you can fit them into your strength and power day. You want to rest your climbing muscles on your rest days.
I broke my left thumb at that last joint a couple years ago and for some reason that hand has a stronger pinch grip. 🤷🏻♀️There was like a whole month when I couldn’t even hold a pencil...
For training the wide pinch grip and specifically the end of the thumb the Tension Block is better and what I recommend, although the Frictitious pinch can be useful sometimes as well.
@@training4climbing, in what way can the Frictitious pinch be useful "sometimes" as well? I got the Frictitious Block and I can see why the Tension Block is better suited for this exercise, yet it also works with the Frictitious block.
Quick question. How come you recommend doing repeaters rather than max hangs? Usually for training maximum strength you do roughly 10 seconds of maximal effort and then rest for quite a while. Why is it any different for pinches?
Hi Eric, thank you a lot for all these videoa and training tips. Do you think the training power balls are appropriate for the pinch grip protocol? I have got the biggest size and when i hold them the last pads of my thumb and fingers are just in the middle part of the ball. Or possibly use the balls as alternative and do one session with straight block and other with balls? Thank you and be sure your videos are watched as far as Czech republic as I share ypur videos amongs my climbing buddies. Take care...
Hi Eric, My left hand is way weaker than my right (due to old fracture in my non dominant hand). I assume my training weight will be what my weakest hand will hold for 12 secs. What if this is way too light for my strong/dominant hand? Imbalance in strength is unavoidable, but maybe you have some tips for that? (and so that both hands get a nice training effect)
You can move on to one arm hangs with a pulley system to remove some weight. This way you can customize the weight and difficulty for each hand. Simply attach a pulley week up and clip weights in it on the other side a handle to pull down with or something to clip into yourself to remove weight. Hope this helps!
The one I made was from 3 "2x4s" bolted together to be able to change thickness. However one that a company makes that works great is the Tension "Block", which I, and my boys enjoy alot.
the only problem I have with this type of pinch training is that it pull on my finger tips skin, which prevent me from training it consistantly. Since this method rely on the friction created by force pressing into the hold, it stretches the skin and potentially tearing it. It will be better if the training do not rely on skin friction(since you can hardly strengthen the skin effectively) but only rely on the pressing force. A potential better approach is a pincher (which is similar to a traditional grip trainer but pinch), but i can hardly find any product like that in the market currently.
I did a pretty dumb mistake and trained only my 4 fingers and totally neglected my thumb or pinch grip, now that I've reached a certain grade, my pinch strength is way behind my crimp power, so if anyone new to climbing, reads this, be smarter then me, and include your pinch grip training from the beginning.
Just curious, why the alternating hand repeaters rather than just doing 7/3 repeaters on one hand, then switching? Is the extra rest for the non-active hand beneficial?
Thank you. I am a packer at Amazon this will help me immensely. Thank you.
how the hell does this only have 2.5k likes!!! this guy is the OG. Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom with us.
Honored to be able to help! Thanks for the kind words!
Every once in a while you find someone who knows what they are talking about... Nice one, thanks!
Glad you enjoyed!
Love the tips! Insane on how you were able to pinch that huge rock!
@@Jacob0481 - So does strength. If chalk lifted things everyone would be able to do it.
I made my own pinch block cuz of you and I can definitely tell a difference in my pinch strength now. Thanks for all the tips I love the way you explain everything
There was this small pinch hold I struggled with back when I was starting out climbing. It reminded me of a nipple in shape and I couldn't fit more than three fingers around it at a time. I remember just stopping to stare at it as I recalled some random trivia about how pets need to played with and let them bite you when they're small, because if you don't teach them how much force is too much, they'll never learn it by the time they grow up into adults - and that's when uncontrolled strength can cause injuries.
Similarly horses and other farm animals only need to be contained within high-enough fences that they can't cross them when they're babies. Once the learn they fence to be unsurpassable as a child, they won't even try to do it as an adult - even if they were now big and strong enough to do so. These are invisible barriers in their minds that they're not aware of, and if a horse or a goat by happenstance learns to jump over that fence once it's grown up, it's much more likely to repeat it over and over again.
It reminded me how often kids in elementary schools and kindergardens get into physical fights with each other - in a similar way to the animals, life teaches us the rules of society, rules of our own physical body and how much we need to curb our strength to get the maximum benefits from our environment while staying at the minimal risks. Wild animals are dangerous not necessarily because they're stronger than tamed ones per say, but their invisible barriers are set far further in the extreme ends due to the environmental pressure - it's do or die more often than not. In extreme cases humans too can express this phenomenom of going "unhinged" in form feats of that are coined as 'hysterical strength'.
So there I was, staring at that nipple-hold and wondering what are the invisible barriers of my own mind that stop me. What is that wordless voice in my head that urges me to slow my run into a walk, lest I pass out instead. I considered what kind of injuries I was being protected from when my grip failed at that pinch. Then, I meditated myself into a special kind of trance where I shed all those barriers - if only for a moment - as I tried again: I pinched that hold so hard I could feel my soft skin mold around the nib like it was butter, pulled myself up so effortlessly by it that I lost my form and balance from the surprise of the sudden ascend.
In the end I didn't fall because my strength had failed me; I fell because that skin got peeled right off my fingers, causing me to lose the hold.
You see, my hands were not calloused enough from habitual climbing, my technique wasn't good enough to compensate the strain, and using the strength outside of the environment I had lived in I had no control over it whatsoever; I acted like a cornered wild animal would, or a person in 'hystery'. However, what I learnt that day was the fact that, more than training our bodies to do these physical feats, we're especially training our instincts to adapt for the challenges we set for ourselves.
TL;DR: Went apeshit on a hold, tore skin off the fingertips. Mind over Matter is useful to breach your own limits when training.
Great story and comparison. Gotta push through those mental barriers!
I made my own pinch blocks out of 4x4 fence post a while back and they work wonders. I've noticed improving ones pinch game is surprisingly helpful for lots of boulders! Love the training vids Eric, keep em coming! :)
Thanks! Training the thumb especially the first pad is key.
I’ve been doing this for quite some time due to your older video which showed this method. I went to Home Depot and purchased a bed post topper which worked perfectly.
Cool!
Very informative and reinforcement of why we need to train the pinch grip. I started a few weeks ago with Frictitious block and felt tremendous growth in strength-16 lb to 28 lbs training weight. I have always averted training because of perceived long weeks of training; I modified to 2 times a week, incorporated pushups between sets. Originally started 5 minute rest, but now cut down to 1 minute. Best part is my wife is doing pinch training (not a climber) for her finger pain/arthritis-it’s getting better and it’s an activity we do together.
Awesome! You and your wife are definitely gonna get noticeable gains.
Pinches have been my weakness since I started climbing, so it's time I work on it. Thanks for the video!
Happy to help!
Suggested Edit for the Video: at 1:44, your picture for "flexor pollicis longus" (FPL) muscle is incorrect. Flexors are on the anterior side of the forearm, while this picture is a posterior view (as can be seen by the Olecranon Process, or the bony part of the elbow, at the bottom of the picture). Also, the origin of the FPL is the Radius, not the Ulna. Since the muscle in this picture is originating from the ulna, it can't be the FPL. This is tricky because it appears you are looking at a left-hand front view... but the picture is an (upside-down) right-hand back view! The muscle shown in the picture appears to be the Extensor Pollicis Longus.
Just for accuracy' sake!
-OCD Kinesiology Student
Thanks Eric
You're welcome!
youve got some good tips here, im trying to develope a tool for me and my friends to train grip/ finger and pinch strength. this video was really helpful thank you
Glad to help
Thanks for this video! Saludos desde México 🇲🇽
please add more grip and pint training videos.
I'll keep it in mind!
What a legend.
Thanks!
Your going to have to go back to Squamish (no bad thing) and grip the stone by the narrow top. I battled that thing for years and never did get it. Great video
Will do!
I just started pinch training. Your timing is impeccable! Thanks for the video!!
If you want to make your own pinch block here is my How to for any skill level.
ua-cam.com/video/NGNQXxgGXHE/v-deo.html
Great information! Thanks for sharing!
Happy training, and god bless my friends
Thank you! You too!
Thank you for this informative video!
You are so welcome!
When is the best time to do this pinch training, immediately before or after a climb, or a random time throughout any day?
I do it as part of my strength workouts. I do it towards the end after my hangs and other sorts of exercises.
great video thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Ive been training pinch grip for some years now on a hangboard. I like to combine it with a pinch pullup. That way i dont have to time it since it takes around 7s. Ive been thinking about doing a pinch training with arms down and standing up but i havent found a "rack" to put the weight plates on.
You can buy a rack for the plates online if you search "loading pin" and it will come up. Happy training!
@@training4climbing Ah tnx alot! Hard to search when you dont know the name. My hangboard doesnt have a wide pinch so im gonna make some blocks and se how my progress get with wide pinch training.
Great video, subbed!
Awesome video! Way to go on the pinch haha
Thank you!! 😁
Thanks Eric!
Can I share my How to Make a Pinch Block video here? Although now I think some redesigning is in order :)
Yea for sure, you can put it in the comment section.
so now i just need to repet it for few months and ill see progress right?
My left hand is significantly weaker than my right, should I use a higher weight for the right or just keep going with the same weight until the two hands even out?
Would you train pinch the same day as you use the finger board ?
Thank you for this great video. Question do you need to be warm to do it? Plus, shoud I include this routine into myrest day ?
Thank you again,
Yes you should be warmed up to do these, and you can fit them into your strength and power day. You want to rest your climbing muscles on your rest days.
I am definitely going to start training this now!
Will the pinch block help with building forearms? And also grip strength for bjj?
They will help with both forearms and grip strength for bjj. The thumb can get incredibly strong if trained right.
Exactly right!
Weird question but if i don’t have a pinch block, would pinching a thick rubber 35lb plate work too?
I broke my left thumb at that last joint a couple years ago and for some reason that hand has a stronger pinch grip. 🤷🏻♀️There was like a whole month when I couldn’t even hold a pencil...
Wow!
really interesting video! Do you think hand gripper could be use for improving pinch grip? (I mean if only the thumb is use for closing it) Thanks!
In some ways yes, but it is less specific and requires more forearms. Pinch block training is much more effective for climbing specific gains!
Does anybody have a good idea of when to perform this excercise, lets say twice a week? If I also want to climb twice a week
You can perform this as a supplemental training at the end of the workout. It is quick and can be useful to target specifically after a full session.
Great video and detailed instruction!!!
Would you recommend using the Tension block over the Frictitious block and why?
For training the wide pinch grip and specifically the end of the thumb the Tension Block is better and what I recommend, although the Frictitious pinch can be useful sometimes as well.
@@training4climbing, in what way can the Frictitious pinch be useful "sometimes" as well? I got the Frictitious Block and I can see why the Tension Block is better suited for this exercise, yet it also works with the Frictitious block.
I can tell this is doing something I got a 2 lb and a 3 lb small dumbbell and just pinching the top
Glad it helps!
Quick question. How come you recommend doing repeaters rather than max hangs? Usually for training maximum strength you do roughly 10 seconds of maximal effort and then rest for quite a while. Why is it any different for pinches?
You could very well train pinch for max strength, however I prefer to train more volume for pinch and the repeaters allow you to do that.
@@training4climbing Ok thanks. I just assumed you were doing it for max strength as you demonstrated picking up that rock, which looked maximal.
Hi Eric, thank you a lot for all these videoa and training tips. Do you think the training power balls are appropriate for the pinch grip protocol? I have got the biggest size and when i hold them the last pads of my thumb and fingers are just in the middle part of the ball. Or possibly use the balls as alternative and do one session with straight block and other with balls? Thank you and be sure your videos are watched as far as Czech republic as I share ypur videos amongs my climbing buddies. Take care...
Hey Jiri! Yes, if the balls are big enough to engage the last pad of the thumb (primarily), then I think it's a good alternative. Happy training!
@@training4climbing thank you for your taking time to reply all comments and questions!
Thanks for your tips!
Thanks!
Hi Eric,
My left hand is way weaker than my right (due to old fracture in my non dominant hand). I assume my training weight will be what my weakest hand will hold for 12 secs.
What if this is way too light for my strong/dominant hand?
Imbalance in strength is unavoidable, but maybe you have some tips for that? (and so that both hands get a nice training effect)
You can move on to one arm hangs with a pulley system to remove some weight. This way you can customize the weight and difficulty for each hand. Simply attach a pulley week up and clip weights in it on the other side a handle to pull down with or something to clip into yourself to remove weight. Hope this helps!
What is the device you have for holding the weight for the pinch grip? How would I make one myself or have something similar?
The one I made was from 3 "2x4s" bolted together to be able to change thickness. However one that a company makes that works great is the Tension "Block", which I, and my boys enjoy alot.
my thumb always starts shivering when i try pinching
haha. Train it!
the only problem I have with this type of pinch training is that it pull on my finger tips skin, which prevent me from training it consistantly.
Since this method rely on the friction created by force pressing into the hold, it stretches the skin and potentially tearing it. It will be better if the training do not rely on skin friction(since you can hardly strengthen the skin effectively) but only rely on the pressing force.
A potential better approach is a pincher (which is similar to a traditional grip trainer but pinch), but i can hardly find any product like that in the market currently.
Iron Mind Titan’s Telegraph Key
This looks like it will really help a text thumb
Haha!
is wood grip strengh is same thing as pinch grip?
Im not 100% on your question, but this wood block grip helps train pinch grip if that is what you're asking.
I did a pretty dumb mistake and trained only my 4 fingers and totally neglected my thumb or pinch grip, now that I've reached a certain grade, my pinch strength is way behind my crimp power, so if anyone new to climbing, reads this, be smarter then me, and include your pinch grip training from the beginning.
Great advice! Training the thumb is key!
Just curious, why the alternating hand repeaters rather than just doing 7/3 repeaters on one hand, then switching? Is the extra rest for the non-active hand beneficial?
Doing 7/3 one after another on the same hand wouldn't allow your grip to recover enough to have a meaningful and strong end of the set.
Nice and very informative video- love the new relaxing music ....can we have more follow along as well (like the abs one)?
Glad you enjoy it! And yes, there are more videos like that in the making, such as a second core video.
Keep the wrist straight or flexed?
The wrist should be extended for proper pinch training. Happy training!
came here so i can pinch my siblings harder, went out to become an athlete.
Haha!
Great advice, how do you call the rack where you put the weight plates on for this exercise? Looking to buy one. Thank you
amzn.to/2S0eIIg
They are called "loading Pins"... you can find them on amazon. Great for pinch training and weighted hangs.
I use a good old brick for this
Maybe...but not to add as much weight! Drill a hole in it to add weight maybe!
Hey that was cheating on the Squamish pinch block, haha. Can't grab from the side, top only. 😉
haha, I was going to post the same!
What’s the record I wanna smash it
Would you train pinch the same day as you use the finger board ?
You can certainly do that, as do I, because you are working on the same energy system.
@@training4climbing very much appreciate the reply