Pinch Block
In an effort to increase my rock-climbing ability I have decided I need to train my forearm and grip strength. One way many climbers do this is by training with a pinch block. This is typically a wooden block that allows for some sort of weight attachment, like a clip or rope. You attach the weight and pinch the block to see how long you can hold it to increase your forearm and pinch strength.
This is my process of building my own pinch block.
Supplies:
Wood, rope, miter box/saw, putty, sandpaper, or drill
Step 1: Cutting out the Shape of the Block
First I needed a block of wood. I had some leftover wood from building my workbench which I am using. Then I needed to cut out the size of the block that I wanted. I heard that the best pinch strength training is to use a block in which your grip is the largest. So I measured the block based on the length of my hand, it’s not a perfect measurement but that’s okay, it doesn’t need to be.
With the piece of wood I had, I had to choose if I wanted to deal with a check in the wood or some knots. Although not a huge deal with this project since it’s quite simple, I decided to work with the knots.
I cut the wood using a plastic miter box. It’s not the best or easiest to use but without a miter saw it gets the job done.
Step 2: Fixing the Knots
Now that I have the block of wood cut to the right size, I’m going to fix the knots in the wood. One, so it looks good and two, so I don’t cut myself or get a splinter while using it.
I’m using x putty to fill in the holes of the knots in the wood. Basically, I just filled in the holes in the wood and put a little excess to ensure the whole thing is filled. Once the knots were filled I now have to wait until it dries to sand it down.
Step 3: Sand the Block
After waiting over night for the putty to dry, the next step was to sand down the block. I’m using multiple different grit sandpaper and a sanding block to make it easier. I start with 80 grit sandpaper to shape the wood and then finished with 150 to make it smoother.
Typically on other wood projects, I would sand the project all the way up to 400 grit. This would make the project really smooth and ready to put a finish on it. For this project, I didn’t want to sand it that smooth because it is supposed to have some grip to hold on to.
Step 4: Drill the Holes
I went out to The Home Depot to pick up some rope for this project. I bought a nylon 1/4 inch diameter rope that has a working load limit of 124lbs. The type of rope doesn’t matter as long as it can hold the weight for your training.
Next, I found the center of the block and drilled two holes that were 1 inch apart from each other. At first, I drilled the holes using a 1/4 inch bit, the same diameter as the rope but it was just a bit too tight of a fit. So I re-drilled the same holes using a 5/16 inch bit, it’s a perfect fit.
When drilling the holes I clamped the block to the table but also used another piece of wood underneath it. This is to prevent me from drilling a hole in my workbench and to stop the back of the block from tearing out.
Step 5: Tie the Rope
Once the holes were drilled the last step was to attach the rope. I also did do some cleaning up of the holes with some sandpaper and other final touches like rounding the edges but nothing noteworthy. Guesstimating what a good length for the rope to cut would be. I wasn’t concerned as I had 50ft of rope to play with. A good rule of thumb is to just cut it to whatever is most comfortable.
I looped the rope through both holes and tied the ends together using a double fisherman’s knot. This created the loop needed to attach the weights to the block.
Step 6: Pinch the Block
The last step is to attach the weights to the pinch block by creating a slip knot with the rope. Then you want to pinch the block to increase your forearm and pinch strength. The best way to train is to put on enough weight so you can hold it for about 7 seconds, then switch hands.