Max Finger Strength and Pull Power

Earlier this week, I did my first proper climbing-related max strength test with my climbing friends. It was a good crew for this kind of session — we're at similar levels and age group, with quiet focus and ambition. We settled on the Lattice benchmarks because they’re well-researched and notable.

I warmed up with cycling, mobility work, body weight hangs, and a few easy climbs to get the blood moving. My warm-ups initially felt a little off. Not tired exactly, just rusty. I did come out of a 10-day deload, which can cause some slowness at the beginning. But once we got into the rhythm of the first tests, I found myself settling in. That shift from “do I even want to be here” to “let’s go” is familiar now. It always comes when I’m focused on the process rather than the outcome.

No 20mm edge was available, so we used an 18mm edge for all the finger strength tests. Close enough.

I came in around 121 pounds that day, and the results surprised me — in a good way. First, I tried the instantaneous finger curls since my friend had a Tindeq device. Lattice didn’t have benchmarks for these specific tests, so I relied on AI. AI says my numbers were solid: 29 kilos on the right, 28 on the left. While over my 50% body weight, that’s just shy of the ~30+ kg benchmark cited by AI for V8-V10-level climbing (If you know where to get concrete benchmarks for this, please share).

My half crimp instantaneous pull strength was also solid. I hit 46 kilos on the right hand, 44 on the left. That translates to nearly 165% combined pulling — AI says not elite, but getting there. It's good to know that I have the finger-pulling potential, and that it probably won't be my limiting factor moving up to V9.

For the real tests, I worked up through a series of 7-second max hangs on the 18mm: starting at body weight +18 lbs, then +35, +48.5, and finally +60. I managed +60 lbs cleanly, which is about 150% of my bodyweight. That’s solidly in V8-V9 territory based on Lattice. I pushed to +72.5 for curiosity and held it for about 3.5 seconds, then came back down to +66.5 for a 5.5-second hang. I didn’t need to go that far, but I wanted to see where the edge was. It looks like I'm also on the cusp of V10 level.

The pull-up test revealed my biggest weakness. I did two clean reps at body weight +20 lbs, barely made it through +35 (~130%), and failed at +48.5 (140%). Compared to the rest of my numbers, this was noticeably behind, in the V6-V7 range, according to Lattice. If I want to be able to lock off powerfully or stay on when steep problems get desperate, this is the capacity I need to build. I did experience this weakness when I attempted a 45-degree V9 crimp problem this last weekend. My crimps were great, but I failed to pull into the wall to stay close, which caused problems with holding tension.

By the end of the max strength session, I was wiped. My quads were sore from lugging weights around and gearing up for the tests. It reminded me that even the testing setup takes a toll. Still, it was a satisfying kind of tired. Like I had a limit climbing day. Just the pure fatigue that comes from pushing hard.

Looking at everything together, I’d say I’m about 85 to 90 percent of the way to a real, repeatable V9 base. My finger strength is there. Core and body tension are solid — I’ve been holding advanced tuck levers and doing L-hangs consistently, and they’re clearly paying off. What I need now is more upper-body pulling force. I don’t want to squeak through V9 by luck or perfect beta. I want to climb it with authority.

So the next steps are simple. Train weighted pull-ups — clean doubles at +45 lbs is the near-term goal. Maintain the lever work and posterior chain exercises that have been building my tension. Keep finger curls in rotation to push that last bit of strength. And once a week, show up for a limit bouldering session and test it all under real conditions.

Written with help from ChatGPT