Campus boards: guidance on use

Campus boards are great for strength training but can seriously damage your fingers if used inappropriately.

The following BMC guidance on using campus boards has also been approved by the UIAA Medical Commission.
 

For those under 18

Feet-off dynamic campus boarding can permanently damage your fingers!

We advise that climbers aged under 18 do not campus feet-off or dynamically.

• While you are growing, you are at serious risk of injuring the growth plates in your fingers as they will not be fused yet.
• Injuries to your growth plates will mean no climbing for a long time.
• Growth plate injury can lead to serious permanent damage.
• Younger climbers benefit more from improving their flexibility, co-ordination and technique.

There is no need to campus feet-off or dynamically!

For those over 18

Campus boarding can still seriously damage your fingers!

• Don’t use a campus board with your feet off, or dynamically, unless you are an experienced climber and fully understand what you are doing
• Warm up properly, especially the fingers
• Use the campus board at the beginning of your training session – tiredness increases your risk of injury
• Don’t do double dynos unless you are very experienced in campus board use
• Warm down afterwards

For further information read the detailed paper on which this guidance is based.

Read an interview with Volker Schoffl about this guidance on PlanetMountain

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