Try This to Train Fingers More Effectively and Recover Faster // Zachary Laschober

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This clip is pulled from a full podcast interview:
Climbing Coach Zachary Laschober joins to discuss:
Sports-specific versus non-sport-specific finger training
Limitations of the "standard" 20mm flat edge
Hand and finger physiology for optimal performance and recovery
Evolution of training implements featuring an "unlevel" or "natural" design
Isometric yielding (resisting) vs overcoming (curling) training methods
Detailed protocols for developing maximum strength and endurance in fingers
Applying finger strength to rock and plastic

[@thestruggleclimbingshow]

Use code ‘STRUGGLE’ for 15% off Magjuice & Apparel from Rúngne ▶︎ thestruggleclimbingshow.com/Rungneyoutube2

[@johannielsen463]

Some great takeaways and points there about the effectiveness of your training vs weight and how finding/using handle/grip variety can maximize your results/gainz.

[@zacharylaschober]

one specific note is finding and using the correct handle or grip in the variety is what'll be likeliest to maximize gains, though variation is useful once progress greatly diminishes. I only mention this as I see many programs which suggest grip variation within the same session rather than a greater interest in adaptation off the wall. if you find the one which let's you consistently produce the most force through finger flexion, which requires some experimentation, you'll gave a better chance to practice the sport.

[@theflaggeddragon9472]

To offset the issue of undertraining the middle two fingers with a flat edge just do some hangs with fewer fingers

[@zacharylaschober]

as the musculature and connective tissue of the fingers is generally shared across all fingers, this generates significantly greater fatigue while limiting force production and therefore motor unit recruitment and connective tissue stiffness (and other adaptations). while a suggestion, adaptations and fatigue are not localized to individual fingers, and while you could make this work the additional time for training and recovery with worse outcomes means this is a solution for a specific circumstance, not a starting point.

[@mrmonsterhunter808]

@@zacharylaschober You can like "phantom hang" on the fingers you're not actively training by just flexing them and applying as little contact as possible. I used this method to encourage muscle recruitment when training my middle and ring fingers for pockets as doing a fist like position with only my middle 2 fingers gave me frequent issues with my lumbricals and connective structures like my pulleys. Tom Randall and Alex Megos have both discussed this in the context of pocket finger training. Applying the opposite seemed to work.

[@theflaggeddragon9472]

@@zacharylaschober I see good to know! Where can you get an "ergo" pulley block?

[@zacharylaschober]

@@mrmonsterhunter808 the motor unit recruitment will be lower with this method due to not using fingers. what you're gaining on the hangboard is skill with this particular exercise and the potential for tolerance and confidence. the latter two are fine, but these are not lasting nor lengthy adaptations. lumbrical discomfort through heavily flexed pocket hangs is not uncommon since the lumbricals are being pulled in shear in those positions, but the reason this position is stronger is because the muscle and much of the connective tissue is shared across fingers. train the fingers without an overcomplication off the wall and then do intentional practice of relevant grip positions snd movement on the wall and you'll see greater stimulus for less fatigue. glad the method helped you, but there are better means, and there is one context I can think of where such a method may be effective but this has many other programming considerations and would be under guidance of a finger rehabilitation specialist which is why this is not general advice.

[@zacharylaschober]

@@theflaggeddragon9472I make them via Specialized Masochism (may ask to get the link included in the description).