Finger injuries are the most common problem in indoor bouldering and rock climbing. At Bould Move, we teach you how to build resilient, bulletproof fingers that can withstand the demands of bouldering without breaking down.
Why Fingers Fail
Fingers are small joints under huge loads in bouldering. Poor warm-up, overtraining, or skipping recovery leads to common injuries like pulley tears or tendon strain.
Injury Prevention Strategies
Part 1: The Warm up
Off the Wall
- On your drive to Bould Move start squeezing your Hand Gum.
- In every way you can imagine
- Each finger, each angle (between fingers), vary effort
- Lead the making of a fist with your fingertips, etc.
On the Wall
- 100 finger repetitions recommended
- If there are 10 hand holds per boulder problem – complete 10 easy boulders
- Slowly increase the load you place on your fingers throughout your 10 warm up boulders
- Be sure to focus on each finger for a few consecutive moves
- Make them fun – try be light, try climb short, make it smooth.
- Focus on your fingertips throughout
- How they feel
- Have them lead the gripping of the hold – ie. Make a fist where the fingertips lead the closing of the hand
3 Actionable Takeaways
- The warmup starts on the way to Bould Move
- Do 10 easy boulders to start each session
- Focus on each finger and fingertips
