"Grip training" and "finger training" get swapped around like they mean the same thing. They don't, and the confusion sends climbers to the wrong tools. Grip training is the whole category. Finger training is one important part of it. Here's the map.
What grip training actually covers
Grip sport, which has thought about this longer than climbing has, splits grip into a few distinct types. They're trained differently and they don't fully transfer to each other.
| Grip type | What it is | Classic tool |
|---|---|---|
| Crushing | Closing the whole hand around a handle | Gripper (the "close the gripper" thing) |
| Pinching | Thumb opposing fingers on a flat surface | Pinch block |
| Support | Holding a load hanging from a closed hand | Fat bar hold, farmer's carry |
| Finger / open-hand | Loading the fingers on an edge, open or crimped | Hangboard, lifting edge |
All four are "grip." A strongman with a monster crushing grip might have mediocre open-hand edge strength. A climber with strong fingers might struggle to close a heavy gripper. The grip types are related but distinct, and training one doesn't automatically build the others.
What climbers actually mean by "finger training"
When climbers say finger training, they almost always mean the open-hand and crimp end: loading the finger flexors on an edge, whether by hanging or lifting. That's the grip type that matters most for holding onto rock, because most climbing holds are edges, crimps, and pockets that load the fingers rather than the full crushing grip.
So finger training is a subset of grip training. The subset climbers live in. Pinch is relevant too (compression, thumb-dependent holds), and support grip matters a little (holding swings, big jugs), but crushing grip, the gripper stuff, has the least direct climbing transfer of the four.
They're trained differently, and they don't fully transfer.
Why the distinction changes what you buy
Walk into this confused and you'll waste money. Grippers are grip trainers, and they're great for crushing strength, but they do very little for the edge and crimp strength climbing demands. A climber who buys a set of grippers thinking they're "finger training" is training the wrong grip type.
What a climber actually wants, in priority order:
- Finger / open-hand strength first. Edges and crimps. This is the hangboard and lifting-edge work. Highest transfer.
- Pinch second. Thumb opposition for compression and pinch holds. Pinch blocks.
- Support and wrist as supplements. Resilience and the occasional big-hold demand.
- Crushing last, if at all. Fun, and fine for general hand strength, but the least climbing-specific.
The honest nuance
None of these are useless, and there's overlap. Pinch involves fingers. Support involves the whole hand. Grip sport athletes cross-train all of them and get generally strong hands, which isn't a bad thing. But "generally strong hands" and "the specific finger strength that holds a crimp" aren't identical, and if your training time is limited, spend it on the grip type that actually shows up on your project.
The short version: all finger training is grip training, but not all grip training is finger training. Buy for the type you need. For the tools that cover the climbing-relevant end of the spectrum, browse the training collection.