@paradigmclimbing: Stronger Toes = Stronger Climbing The best slab climbers all have one thing in common: their toes are insanely strong relative to their bodyweight. They can stand on terrible feet and it just… sticks. When I was competing, I trained this directly, and it made a huge difference in my slab climbing. I went from V8 to V12 on slab in 4-Months and sent every slab in competition that next year, including the Boulder World Cup I did that season! I basically just treated my toes like my fingers. Same idea; lock in a joint angle, apply load, progressively overload it. Your toe flexors (FHL, FDL, and the intrinsic foot muscles) are what let you create tension in the toes/foot. If they’re weak, your foot collapses. If they’re strong, you can support your weight on bad holds. I started with bodyweight repeaters on a small edge, then progressed to adding weight and holding a fixed position, just like adding weight to a hang. You can either make footholds smaller (more specific but less controlled), or add weight to better holds (more consistent and easier to track), same as finger training. I also made sure to train different positions, straight toe, inside edge and slight rotation because that’s how we actually climb. I always wear a very old (soft) version of the shoe I climb in most so that I don’t simply rely on the insole for support. But just like fingers, this doesn’t transfer automatically. You still need to get on the wall, climb slab, and practice loading your feet with intent. Otherwise you just end up with strong toes you don’t know how to use. AND OF COURSE… this is something you have to respect. Your toes aren’t used to this kind of loading, and you can absolutely irritate them if you rush it. You can injure your toe’s connective tissue if you push too hard; just like your fingers! I built it up slowly, kept the volume low, focused on clean positions, and stopped before things got sloppy. Share this with someone who dislikes slab… they might just have weak toes 😂 @physivantage @cruxpowerclimbing @pitch.six @organicclimbing @fazabrushes @hardwoodholds @climbbutora #climbing #bouldering #sportclimbing #climbingtrain

Coach Charlie Schreiber, CSCS

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Wednesday 11 November 2026 01:23:01 GMT