The 10 commandments of your Finger & Back Strength program:

1. You will do your training after a deep and progressive warm up and stretching.

2. You will perform all of your training on holds on which you can NOT hold for more than 12 second (this means that you WILL FALL from the hold before 12 sec. Is does NOT means that you will let go) or less than 3 seconds. To enhance your strength you have to work your limit... you can´t expect to enhance your strength by doing one hundred reps with 5 pounds! You have to do anywhere between one to five reps at your maximum capacity and take long rests between attempts (usually 1 minute per rep done). With time and experience you may even do only one super hard rep and get the most of the exercise this way.

3. You will do you training at the beginning of your session, when you are fresh and ready. Because you will work a lot at your limit you need to be freh and focus... don´t expect to do well on your strength training after the endurance one!.

4. You will start your training with your “weak” holds or hand positions/technique (the ones that are your weakness). This holds and hand positions/technique stress you a bit more than the holds on which you are good. You better handle them at the beginning and do the “easy” ones at the end when you are a bit tired.

5. You will stop training if something tweaks or you feel tired. Because you are working with loads so big on your fingers is normal to feel them as cardboard after a hard deadhang. This feeling will go away after a couple of minutes. If it doesn´t you better stop training.

6. You will drink lots of fluid during your training. When your body lacks on fluids is more likely to get injure.

7. At the end of the training session you should still feel strong. Do NOT trash your fingers on a strength session. Don´t forget that when you train you may feel OK and still be really tired, this happens because your muscles and tendons are warm and ready but once you cool down you will feel them trashed. Now, if you are warm and you feel tired... man you really did it wrong! After the cool down you re going to feel like a train went over your fingers!

8. You will do a warm down and some light stretching after the work out.

9. You will do your training ONLY after 48hrs of total rest. NO climbing the day before!!!.

10. After a session of training you will wait 48hrs of total rest before any type of climbing.

REMEMBER: You get stronger while you recuperate. Give your fingers time to get stronger!