Why test finger strength?
A test tells you where you stand, whether your training works, and when you are ready to push harder after a break or an injury. Maximal finger strength is also the main physical predictor of climbing grade: in a 2025 study of 307 climbers it accounted for about two thirds of the variance the tests explained. What predicts your climbing grade covers what studies of hundreds of climbers say about strength, endurance and speed of force.
Compare yourself with yourself first. Against other climbers, use a percentage of your bodyweight: on that scale the same 2025 study found no significant difference between men and women. How strong climbers are at each grade, and how to read your number against them, has its own article in this topic.
What should you test?
Three qualities, each with its own test.
Maximum force is the most force your fingers produce on an edge. Start with it: it is the biggest predictor and the simplest test. Warm up, then pull as hard as you can for about 5 seconds, three times with 3 minutes of rest, and keep the best. No sensor? Find the heaviest load you can hang for 7 seconds on the same edge, and add it to your bodyweight. How to test finger strength gives the full protocol.
Critical force is the highest intermittent force you can sustain for a long time. It averages about 41% of maximum in trained climbers, but in practice climbers hold their measured critical force for minutes, not indefinitely. A 4-minute all-out test finds it: one hand, 7 seconds of maximal pull and 3 seconds of rest, 24 times. Trust it for tracking change, not for setting loads: a 2026 study found it very consistent but higher than the classic method (122 N against 98 N). The critical force test explains how far to trust it.
Rate of force development is how quickly you reach high force. It matters on dynamic moves and catches. It is the advanced test: with your feet supported, take up the slack, then pull as hard and as fast as you can. It is noisier than peak force, so keep the best of several attempts. It needs a device that samples quickly and shows the force curve: research setups record at 200 samples per second or more, and the Entralpi plate at up to 100, enough to follow your own trend over a 0 to 200 ms window but not to compare with lab values. Rate of force development covers the test and how to train it.
How do you make results comparable?
Keep everything the same. A 2025 review of 15 studies found maximal finger strength tests highly reliable and recommended edges of about 20 to 23 mm. Keep these fixed:
- a 20 mm edge in a half crimp,
- the same device each time,
- the same 10 to 15 minute warm-up,
- rested fingers, the same time of day, no hard climbing the day before,
- your bodyweight, so you can use a percentage.
How often should you test?
Every 4 to 8 weeks, ideally at the end of a training block and after a rest day. Testing more often mostly measures day-to-day variation. Log the date, edge, grip, bodyweight and device with each result.
Which tool do you need?
A crane scale is enough for a max pull number every month or two, if you are happy to rig a hold. For live feedback, the critical force test or rate of force development, you need a device that records every pull fast: an inline load cell or a force plate. The Tindeq Progressor and the Entralpi plate were both compared with a laboratory force platform. Crane scale vs force plate compares them.
Do this in Entralpi
The Entralpi plate measures what leaves it when you hang from your own hangboard. The app has three tests: max strength, endurance and finger strength, one finger at a time. Take a test shows how to start one.
What each test measures explains the numbers. The Your profile tile compares each skill with your own best, not with other climbers. Max strength also gets a verdict for your grade: the app checks your force for your weight against the range usual for the grade you gave it.
Sources
- Berta P, et al. (2025). Validity and normative scores of finger flexor strength and endurance tests. Journal of Sports Sciences, 43(3).
- Pérez-Cordero J, et al. (2025). Reliability of finger strength assessment methods in climbing: a systematic review. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.
- Giles D, et al. (2019). The determination of finger-flexor critical force in rock climbers. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.
- Boklaschuk P, MacDougall K, MacInnis M (2026). The validity and utility of the all-out test for forearm flexor critical force. European Journal of Applied Physiology.
- Labott BK, et al. (2022). Validity and reliability of a commercial force sensor for the measurement of upper body strength in sport climbing. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.
- MacDougall KB, et al. (2023). Validity of the Entralpi force plate in the assessment of finger flexor performance metrics in rock climbers. Sports Biomechanics.
