Hooper’s Beta Ep. 52

Viewer Question Ep. 5

Fun Fact:

Killer whales are not whales, in fact they are the largest species of dolphin.

Questions:

Question 1: Kevin Wong asks: Which finger is most likely to get an A2 pulley tear in climbing?

Video in reference: A2 Pulley Injuries: Everything climbers need to know (STRAINS, TEARS, & SURGERY)

 The ring (4th digit) and middle (3rd digit) fingers are definitely the most common to suffer a A2 pulley injury. The ring we know because studies have consistently shown it is weaker than the middle and index fingers and the middle is next most commonly injured. Despite it’s good strength, due to the length and positioning of the middle finger during half and full crimping, it takes a larger percentage of the force during these holds, making it more susceptible to injury.

 Question 2: StormCrow asks: Do you think I'm not seeing gainz because I skip the Swing step in Train-Climb-Swing-Repeat?

 Plz unsubscribe if you aren’t doing the swing. You don’t even gainz. But really, check yourself if you’re not. It’s imperative you do. 

 Question3: Rumps I'm wondering about how to combine max hangs/repeaters with campus board training and on-the-wall training exercises. Could you talk about this? 

Video in reference: Why it's usually OK TO HANGBOARD with STRAIGHT ARMS

 So, what your referencing is not an ideal combination. You're talking about combining 3 different forms of training. maxhangs favor strength and focus on our phosphagen anaerobic or creatine-phophsate energy system which really is work just in the first, approximately 12 seconds. Repeaters favor endurance which depending on your training style will incorporate the aerobic and possible anaerobic glycolytic energy system. Campus board training favors power and/or power endurance, which again depending on your reps may be focusing on the phospagen and anaerobic glycolitic systems . For ideal programming you want to train specific energy systems. It's definitely not impossible to train all 3, you just won't get "great" at any one of them and won't see as much progress because of the multiple systems. You would be better off developing a long term training calendar where you train strength, endurance, and power in different phases each like 4-8 weeks long for each depending on your goals.

Question 4: Sal Durrani  are one arm lock offs that useful for climbing?  I feel like I've read mixed things about them from Eva Lopez and Steve Bechtel.  Critiques ranged from it not being useful for advanced climbers to not really working the full range of arm motion as well as inverted rows being more climbing specific.

Video in reference: Full Body Home Workout for Rock Climbers (HARD!!)

Honestly that's a great question! Lot's of topics to address here. So first off I would say it really depends. There are a handful of skills in climbing that are absolute necessities, and then there are some that vary between climbers, areas, and styles. 

The ability to lock off on a hold is super useful on certain climbs. If your long term project has a lock off or two, you definitely want to work on that. Familiarize yourself with the move and the tension it requires, that way when it comes to sending your project, you can comfortably complete the move. On the other hand, if strength is NOT your issue but rather technique is, then you don't need to have a 1 arm pull up in your arsenal, rather, you need to work on your technique. One example is to look at Kyra Condie, she can do a 1 arm pull up with a lock off on a hangboard, but in one of her semi recent videos on instagram acknowledge she can't do a front lever and rather showed what she is working on. She is an olympic level athlete. She is 100x better at climbing than I am, even though I can do a front lever. .... she works on her 1 arm lock offs, so it goes back to the answer of “it depends”. 

I don't like the argument of "it not being useful because it's not working the full range", well... duh. You should be training a full range with a bunch of other exercises lol. That argument is like saying you should only do pistol squats because it works the full range..... not reasonable or realistic. 

Finally, I love what you mention on inverted rows, and yes, I love that exercise. It is great at mimicking climbing, especially cave climbing, and I advocate it in another one of my videos. In this case, I didn’t include it in the video you commented on because  that requires straps / equipment and generally the theme of this workout was with minimal equipment. But I definitely advocate for climbers to work on it. 

Question 5: kevintheoreo  Hi really helpful video! *Aww, thanks Kevin* Should i use the coban tape while climbing or when i'm not climbing? And how long should I have it on (Will a whole day be too long or does it not matter?) :)

Video in reference: Why are my finger joints swollen and what can I do about it?! - Hooper's Beta Ep. 12

 Well Kevin, If you get the pressure right, you can use it all day. It’s just adding compression to help modulate your blood flow and if you wrap it correctly you should still have full function of your joint. I do recommend giving it a break midday though. See how the finger is feeling, take the joint through full range of motion, and dump the tape for a new batch because it may have lost some of its elasticity. I don't recommend wearing it during climbing though. It will likely affect your grip and will  possibly give you a false sense of security. Great questions!

Question 6: Jack Nearing  I'm severely guilty of being all cave, all undercling, all side pull, all the time.

Video in reference: Biceps Pain or Climbers Elbow? The Mystery of the Brachialis Muscle Revealed (QUARANTINE RISK)

Let’s go, Jack! Get those biceps jacked with all that cave climbing. It’s summer my guy. But really, while I do advocate working different styles of climbing,  if you love your style of climbing and you're staying injury free .... Keep doing what you love Bud. 

Thanks for tuning in! Until next time: Train. Climb. Send. Repeat.

Disclaimer:

As always, exercises are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting new exercises.

Written and Presented by Jason Hooper, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CAFS

IG: @hoopersbetaofficial

Filming and Editing by Emile Modesitt

www.emilemodesitt.com

IG: @emile166