While climbing is, first and foremost, a mental and technical skill sport, long-term improvement—and pursuing your genetic potential—demands getting stronger in a number of climbing specific ways. Numerous research studies have confirmed that elite climbers, compared with non-elites, have higher grip-strength-to-mass ratio, greater forearm endurance, and a higher rate of force development in the finger flexors. Therefore, assuming that you have solid technical and mental skills, training for stronger fingers is paramount to taking your climbing to the next level. In this episode you'll learn 5 reason why strong fingers matter--this will set the stage for the next podcast which will cover effective fingerboard training techniques. 0:15 - Intro 1:00 - Research on Finger Strength of Elite Climbers 1:42 - Reason #1 Why Strong Fingers Matter - They Can Grip Smaller Holds 3:00 - #2: Stronger Fingers Can Endure Longer 9:10 - About Zlagboard 11:55 - #3: Strong Finger Can Rest on Smaller Holds 15:25 - #4: Strong Fingers Have More Stamina 18:15 - #5: Strong Fingers Make Climbing More Fun! 18:50 - Summary 20:10 - Closing Comments Tune in next month for detailed coverage of effective fingerboard training for stronger fingers! Music: Misty Murphy Download all the monthly training podcasts for free by subscribing to the "Eric Horst's Training for Climbing" podcast on iTunes. Please leave a review on iTunes!