Finger strength measurements for rock climbers – contents
- Finger strength measurements for rock climbers – Introduction
- Simple MVC-7 calculator
- The concept of MVC-7
- The MVC-7 to 1RM analogy
- Hang intensity vs. time to failure
- Selecting the test edge for finger strength measurements
- Putting theory into practice
- Simple MVC-7 calculator instructions
- Finger strength measurements for rock climbers – summary
Finger strength measurements for rock climbers - Introduction
If you're serious about training for climbing, monitoring your progress, and making the most out of your hangboard training, you need to have a clear finger strength benchmark. Just as you would measure the 5RM or 1RM load for your bench press or pull-ups, you can measure the maximum load for your fingerboard hangs. There are a few different methods for determining maximum finger strength, or Maximum Voluntary Contraction (MVC), as it is often called. In this article, I focus on the first and most basic method: measurement using two-handed weighted hangs. Then, I will explain other techniques in separate posts, including one-arm hang and dynamometer measurements.
In principle, it all sounds straightforward. Just add load to your harness, grab a stopwatch, choose an edge and hang away. In fact, it truly isn't difficult. However, a few nuances and factors need to be considered if you want to perform the perfect finger strength measurement. In this article, you'll find all you need to make accurate and reliable maximum finger strength tests that can later serve as a solid benchmark for designing your own finger strength and forearm endurance training drills and in-depth climbing data analysis.
Below, you'll also find my Simple MVC-7 calculator allowing you to convert any 5 - 20-second weighted or unloaded hang to MVC-7. Here you'll find detailed instructions on how to use the program.
I also made a short video to guide you through the MVC-7 measurement process to ensure that your measurements are perfect every time.
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Simple MVC-7 calculator instructions
Using the MVC-7 calculator is extremely simple. Type in your body weight and added hang load, and choose the test edge and the test time. You instantly get your result recalculated to standard MVC-7 on a 20 mm edge.
By default, select the Intermediate mode. The Beginner and Expert modes lead to significant differences only for longer test times. You may need to experiment a bit to determine which model is the most accurate for you at the moment.
Finger strength measurements for climbers - summary
Accurately measuring your finger strength is critical for evaluating your climbing performance. It lets you know how strong you are and opens the door for making meaningful endurance measurements and monitoring your training progress.
In this post, I have comprehensively covered how to measure your finger strength using the two-handed weighted hangs method. This method is simple and effective for intermediate and advanced climbers. However, strong individuals and pros will likely prefer one-arm methods or using a dynamometer, which will be covered in my future posts.
On top of that, I have also included a Simple MVC-7 calculator program, which will allow you to quickly convert any two-handed measurement on an arbitrary edge depth to a standardized 20 mm MVC-7 result. If you have any questions, go ahead and let me know. Good luck with your measurements!
