EP 202: Tyler Nelson Returns — How to Get Stronger Fingers, Habits to Prevent Injuries, and Why Climbers Shouldn’t Train Like Gymnasts

Dr. Tyler Nelson is back on the podcast! We talked about the biggest takeaways from all of his years of finger strength experimenting, how he warms up for a limit bouldering session, how to gain finger strength while minimizing risk, the value of wrist and hand training, common causes of climbing injuries, his advice for my trip to Hueco, what he learned from his trip to Squamish, why climbers shouldn’t train like gymnasts, what sets the best athletes apart, and much more!

Check out C4HP or Schedule an Appointment With Tyler!

camp4humanperformance.com

c4hpschedule.as.me

Become a Patron - 7 Day Free Trial!

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Check out Crimpd!

crimpd.com

Or download the Crimpd app for free!

The Nugget is sponsored by BetterHelp!

betterhelp.com/NUGGET

Use this link for 10% off your first month!

REGISTER NOW for the PCC!

www.performanceclimbingcoach.com

Use code "NUGGET" for 10% off Early Bird pricing until Jan 28th!

Check out PhysiVantage!

physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)

Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order!

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Zach Emery, Alex Pluta, and Matt Walter

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/tyler-nelson-returns

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:04:03) – The donut festival

(00:06:26) – Tyler’s granite spray wall

(00:07:46) – Mirrored boards

(00:13:06) – Alcohol and more donuts

(00:14:21) – Outline of topics

(00:16:17) – Finger training topics

(00:34:46) – How Tyler warms up for limit bouldering

(00:41:58) – Hand training, recruitment, and coordination

(00:49:23) – Summary of our session

(00:50:21) – When to end a session

(00:52:48) – Using a mix of tools

(00:54:26) – Intensity vs. volume

(00:59:49) – Building capacity off the wall

(01:01:39) – Supplementing your climbing with less risky hand/finger training tools

(01:05:22) – When to hangboard (and when not to)

(01:09:42) – Learning and changing your mind

(01:11:25) – Tyler’s guidance for me in Hueco

(01:17:25) – Should we climb less?

(01:20:24) – Lions don’t go jogging

(01:21:53) – Making sense of Alex Megos’ and Adam Ondra’s training volume

(01:23:31) – My takeaways for Hueco

(01:24:47) – What Tyler learned from his trip to Squamish

(01:30:02) – What is the campus board good for?

(01:40:14) – How important is RFD in climbing?

(01:44:33) – Common causes of injuries

(01:52:32) – Transitioning back to hard climbing

(01:54:55) – How your tendons change when you build capacity

(01:58:29) – Do our tendons get thicker?

(02:00:24) – Where does our long-term finger strength come from?

(02:02:57) – What sets the best athletes apart?

(02:07:46) – Takeaways

(02:11:48) – How Tyler changes his clients’ training habits

(02:14:41) – The future of finger training

(02:18:04) – Calisthenics vs. strength training

(02:26:19) – Are rings exercises strength training?

(02:30:12) – More strength training takeaways

(02:37:05) – Wrap up