Knowing when to stop

[Chris W]

So I suppose the only way to really know your limit is to push over it and break yourself.

I'm trying to decide if I'm smart, stupid, or just a wuss.

I'll have to review my training logs tonight to see how long I've had some tenderness, but I've all but decided to stop hangboarding one session early. I have a mildly tender spot in the probable attachment of the A2 pulley on the ulnar side of the right middle finger. It doesn't obviously hurt while I'm hangboarding, but it's making me nervous.

It stinks, because I've matched my PB on the last session on my most important grips and am set up for reaching a new PB on my next session. I've been putting in some fantastically strong efforts and feeling good about my training.

Anyone have experience pushing up to, over, and backing off of that fine line?

[MarkAnderson]

Doesn't sound too serious to me. Definitely something to watch, but I wouldn't pull back just yet. What grip is the problem? I assume crimping but its worth asking. Assuming its crimping, LBing, etc is likely to be much more risky than HBing, something to think about. Campusing might be relatively lower stress on that particular structure.

[Chris W]

It's funny, but no particular grips bother it. That's where I'm a bit confused. If I had to pick one, I'd say it's the crimp, but I'm probably overthinking it at this point.

I thought about limit bouldering and campusing and my project being potential aggravators, however hangboarding seems to be the most stressful thing for my fingers. It may simply be the type of things I climb, but I suppose the theoretical danger of those activities is loading abruptly without having time to respond.

[Chris W]

So I decided to go for it and did my 9th and final HB session of this fall season. I emerged intact. I taped the base of my R middle finger first (placebo, I know, but so is vitamin C).

It's interesting; as athletes we must push ourselves, but when is it too much? As before, I think the only way to REALLY know would be to go past the limit and end up broken.

[RobF]

Had a coffee with my cycling friend the other day and he told me of a book you might like. Called Endure by Alex Hutchinson. All to do with pushing the limits with various aspects of human performance (2 hour marathons, immersion in cold etc). Sounds like a good read, think will ask for it for Xmas...

youtu.be/6Lv_sJ9mrgM