Below are the two primary Finger Protocols I’ll focus on each week during this strength phase leading up to my outdoor trip. Be sure to allow enough rest between these sessions to recover fully and train at the desired intensity 💪. For me, this typically means scheduling Session 1 on Monday, taking a rest day on Tuesday 💤, and following up with Session 2 on Wednesday. You can refer to this very brief weekly timeline on how I would pair the sessions together with my board sessions. Additionally, I always do these before the board sessions at the end of my warm up. This helps me to train at the desired intensity level, rather than being too pumped from the board session going into them.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinch Holds | Rest | 20mm Weighted Hangs | Rest | Rest | Rest | Rest |
| Board Mileage | Rest | Board Volume | Rest | Rest | Open Climbing | Rest |
Before starting these protocols, you will need to do a maximum test on both.
Lift for the prescribed duration of each said exercise, gradually increasing the load between reps until you reach failure (this should take no more than 6 to 8 hangs).
⚠️ As this is a maximal test, it comes with some risk. Start with a low weight and increase it incrementally. If you feel your grip slipping or your fingers starting to open ✋, stop immediately by putting your feet down and record the previous weight successfully lifted. The goal is to find your true maximum 💪, but not at the expense of injury. 🚫
Generally, you should be able to find your maximum between 5-8 sets of testing. If you already have an idea of what weight you will be able to test, you can start at a higher RPE (maybe 6-7/10) and do less tests building up to your max to save time.
| Set | Repetitions | Rep Work Time (secs) | Set Rest Time (mins) | Intensity/Load | Example Load (KG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | comfortable load, feels around 5/10 RPE | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 6/10 RPE | 12 |
| 3 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 7/10 RPE | 13 |
| 4 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 8/10 RPE | 14 |
| 5 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 9/10 RPE | 15 |
| 6 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 10/10 RPE | 16 |
| 7 | 1 | 10 | 3 | Try for 11/10 RPE, if fail, you know your maximum will be either previous test, OR: | 17 (FAIL) |
| 8 | 1 | 10 | 3 | go slightly down to 10.5/11 RPE instead | 16.5 (PASS & Max) |
⏱ Workout Companion & Progress Tracker
Similar to the actual protocols, the ‘Crimpd’ app also has max test programs that you can use as your workout companion and timer. Particularly, the most apt one for these programs will be:
This session is designed to build maximum pinch strength using a wide pinch block at 85% of your max tested load. Perform the exercise in a position that feels natural and allows proper form. If your grip starts to break down or drop out of alignment 💥, this counts as failure, and you should adjust the load accordingly.
Use this formula to find your target load:
(Max load / 100) x intended percentage
For example, if your max load on the pinch block is 20kg, then 85% intensity would be:
(20 / 100) x 85 = 17kg
This means you should aim to lift and hold 17kg during this session. 🏋️♂️