Beastmaking: A fingers-first approach to becoming a better climber

by Ned Feehally

‘When it comes to training for climbing, you are your own experiment.’

Beastmaking by Ned Feehally is a book about training for climbing.

It is designed to provide normal people – like you and me – with the tools we need to get the most out of our climbing.

It is written by one of the world’s top climbers and a co-founder of Beastmaker.

It features sections on finger strength, fingerboarding, board training, mobility and core, and includes suggested exercises and workouts.

There are insights from some of the world’s top climbers, including Alex Honnold, Shauna Coxsey, Adam Ondra, Alex Puccio and Tomoa Narasaki.

Free from jargon, it is intended to provide enough information for us to work out what we need to train, and to help us to train it.

Genres: Climbing, Nonfiction, Fitness, Sports

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2021

Reviews

[H G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A easy to read, concise guide to how to become a better climber.

I found Beastmaking both enjoyable and insightful, a tricky balance in something that could be pretty dull!
The book provides a range of ideas and methods for training for climbing. It mostly focusses on training more at the power end of the spectrum, though does contain a section on endurance training.
The author regularly uses examples from his and his partners broad experience to demonstrate a range training ideas. Both the ideas behind the training methods, and example workouts are clearly presented. The author is not prescriptive, but provides a starting point and suggests ways to induce variation in the training, and to maximise "gains". The writing feels like talking to a knowledgeable friend, informative and informal in the perfece balance. It is jargon free, meaning both a relative beginner and experienced training hero could read this book and get useful information from it.

This book does not provide details on the nitty gritty science underpinning the methods, mental aspects of training, or climbing technique. It is a focussed book, which distills the training literature, combines it with the experience of Ned and his peers, and presents an entertaining and informative guide as to how to train.

The aesthetics of the book are great, there are inspiring shots sprinkled throughout, useful clear photos of various stretches and exercises, and clear diagrams. Text is broken up, so never feels monotonous.

In the intro Ned says he has extracted the most useful and usable nuggets of information and is passing them on as simply as he can. He has done a great job on this.

If you are interested in becoming a better climber, have a read!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most concise training book I’ve ever read on climbing.

[Irene Jurna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Na een jaar niet klimmen, speelde ik met het idee om weer te starten met trainen. Daarom begon ik aan ‘Beastmaking: a fingers-first approach to becoming a better climber’.

Voor mijn klim-stop bestond mijn ‘training’ vooral uit circuits afklimmen (lees: proberen om alle boulders van een kleur of niveau te halen). Ik dacht dat trainen efficiënter kon door fingerboarding toe te voegen, maar wist niet hoe ik daarmee kon beginnen.

Na het lezen van dit boek, denk ik dat ik fingerboarden ga laten. Afgelopen donderdag klom ik met een oud klimmaatje weer een 6b+. Ik denk dat ik met mijn oude stijl nog wel richting 6c kan trainen.

Wie weet dat op een later moment de adviezen van dit boek er nog eens bijpak. Wat ik mogelijk nu al meeneem: “train your weaknesses”. Dus als je me in een klimhal ziet, neem me mee voor arm- en schouderkracht-oefeningen! (En heupflexibiliteit)

- - -
“When it comes to training, there isn’t a right or wrong answer. Everybody is different. You are your own experiment.”

[Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the first 1/2 of the book was a super in-depth look at fingers and how the fitness of them relates to climbing. I found the second half of the book to be still good, but not as interesting as the first half. Still, I would highly recommend this book to all climbers.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little book filled with useful information. Perhaps a little basic at points, but simple isn't necessarily bad. Great stuff, well written and clearly presented. Well worth it!

[Jim Hulbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book, beautifully designed and well illustrated throughout. Ned has done a great job distilling the enormous amount of fingerboarding and training information on the internet into one book. The advice is a mixture of received wisdom and Ned’s personal suggestions which makes for a good combination; where his approach differs from the norm he always says, and crucially, says why. Having this amount of training information collected in one place rather than having to search for individual questions is invaluable. Essentially, this is the book you want if you want to get into training and don’t know where to start; I don’t think there is anything better available and it will save you loads of time. For more experienced climbers, the book is still extremely useful and contains lots of information and insights that were certainly new to me, as well as giving new ideas fpor where to take your training next. On a practical note, the size of the book was a pleasant surprise (I was expecting an enormous tome) and the writing is always clear and jargon free, making it very easy to read. Pictures and diagrams appear throughout and add enormously to the text. Overall this is a great book and is highly recommended for anyone interested in training for climbing, particularly from the perspective of fingerboarding and board climbing.

[Charlie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully presented and illustrated book which tells climbers everything they need to know not just about how to train fingerboard training, but also about physically how training improves us. Great lessons about the perils of overtraining or neglecting certain aspects of training. And, perhaps most importantly, brilliant advice about how to set realistic and achievable goals to fit around your life rather than setting oneself impossible challenges that will prove counterproductively dispiriting when not met. Lastly, the hundreds of colour photos throughout (featuring many a meaty grimace!) make the text even clearer and include great tips that are often overlooked, such as how best to apply finger tape and footless training.

I think my Beastmaker may finally morph from decorative wallpiece to useful training device!

[Mike Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well put together book on every aspect of training to improve your climbing. Everyone from a novice to an expert will get something from this.

Everything is explained in non-technical/non-medical language and thus is easy to read. You wont find academic references here to any papers on the subject but if you want to dive into an area of interest its easy to follow.

No masses of dull text to wade through, if you wish you can dive straight into the section you are interested in.

Everything is all backed up with real life examples from world class climber.

Finally its very well illustrated showing both indoor and outdoor techniques.

[Luca Lollobrigida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un ottimo manuale di allenamento che, come da titolo, si concentra fondamentalmente sulle dita. Ho apprezzato molto il fatto che l'autore non sponsorizzi il Bestmaker, che lui produce, ma propone esercizi da poter eseguire su qualsiasi pannello o trave. Come scritto in altre recensioni, gli esercizi spiegati sono pochi ed essenziali, ma alla fine quelli so. Se volete più varietà forse è meglio Training for Climbing o Jollypower vol. 1, altrimenti, se cercate un testo che vada diretto al punto, potrebbe essere il manuale che fa per voi.

[Christoffer Andersson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Underhållande samt intressant till och från men bra info och insikter konstant!

[Laetitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psyched for becoming a beast now

[Harry Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, bit advanced for me right now

[Tarmo Pungas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read some parts, skimmed others. As a beginner, it had some valuable information, but generally I would recommend this book more to someone who's been climbing for 1-2+ years. The book is helpful in finding a good training regime on and off the wall.

That said, some parts did feel repetitive and stretched.

[Kate Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!
Since starting this book instead of dreading training I've actually started to enjoy it! The most useful thing I got from it was about having a back up plan - if your body doesn't feel right one day, scrap the power and endurance session and focus your session on something else instead, it sounds really simple but it's completely shifted my mindset.

[James Mcclelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

East read, good layout and easy to find specific information. I have made some changes to my hang board routine based on the book and notice some differences. The layout, writing style and quality of the book overall make a fairly mundane subject interesting to read about.

[Tim Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book. Well laid out with great photos.full of information but not too heavy. Even the seasoned climber will walk away with some nuggets.

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I had read this a few years ago - climb 8A now but would be so much further along if I actually knew *how* to make fingerboarding a more consistent & desired part of my life.

Some might argue it's shallow but I thought it was a way better beginner/intermediate intro to hanging than RCTM or SCC is.

Loved the Q&A in the back with those who have the strongest fingers in the world.

Would've been cool if it cited just a few more sci sources, thoughts from a PT perspective, Eva's research (and any new stuff that refutes it), and some ongoing debates/confusion such as chiseling (not the same as open per Neil Gresham) and true mm measurements on rounded edges vs flat edges!

[Reuben HF · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and highly readable, I enjoyed this far more than when I soldiered throught the RCTM a few years ago. I really liked the comparisons between Ned and Shauna as two very different climbers. The book is let down by a very quick coverage of endurance training - understandable since the author is primarily a boulderer - hence only 4 stars.

[Nejc Bizjak · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an intermediate climber I learned a lot. Now I know that I must train all grip types. The book also motivated me to start stretching regularly. I really appreciated the comparative segments (Ned vs. Shauna).
Since this book is intendent for beginner to intermediate climbers, I missed a chapter on training cycles and plans. This is also the reason for 4/5 rating.

[Aida Tincu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A syntethized version of training for climbing, so it might work if you don't want to read too much, but I personally prefere the more scientifical aproach of Eric Horst. I feel safer taking his advices since he delivers only evidence based information.

[Zamfir Andrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Primita cadou de la Darius si Rebe, faina tare! Sa vedem daca e buna pentru 8c…in 2 ani.

[P M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb resource for the dedicated climber. This is a fairly specialist book and it makes no qualms about it, though the fairly jargon free writing means that anyone looking to improve their climbing will be able to use the information provided.
As would be expected from a dedicated boulderer and co-founder of 'Beastmaker' the authors focus is as the sub-title says 'a fingers-first approach to becoming a better climber' the book however offers much more than that with chapters on tactics, flexibility and core amongst other things.
The book distils a lot of information that's out there into a usable format, giving suggestions whilst leaving the fine tuning to the user depending on their aspirations and experience level. With such a variety of differing ways of training the book is certainly for those who have built a solid base of climbing experience, it is not a 'how to climb' but is no worse for that.
The book feels nice, is scattered with inspiring photos of climbers doing their thing on boulders across the world on some really aesthetic problems. The text, formatting and chapters feel well done, intuitive, good for browsing or for finding some dedicated information.
I think the quality of writing is to be really commended, writing in an accessible format whilst attempting to put down on paper the density of experience that the author and his partner must have gained through hard won experience is something that cannot have been easy. It makes what could have been a rather academic text far more approachable and should help see this book sat on many a climbers bookshelves or hopefully open beside the fingerboard.

[Isaac Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beastmaking is a great book for the average climber who is looking to increase their performance. Ned Feehaly, the author, is one of the top climbers in the world and provides amazing insight into the essentials on how one can become better at climbing. The book has amazing images and is laid out in an easy-to-use way that makes it both very practical and aesthetic. I particularly enjoyed the summaries that Feehaly provides at the end of each chapter with the most important points that a climber should focus on. I also really like how the last chapter is just a bunch of sample exercises to do. My favorite aspect of the book though is the fact that it is truly focused on the average climber. I have read a few other training books and they love to just give tons of numbers and other statistics which overcomplicate the process. While this may be beneficial for a top-level athlete, the average climber is simply just looking to get stronger. One particular idea that he brings up is training for full crimps. Many other training books like to skirt around this idea because it is “dangerous” but Feehaly attacks it head-on and gives in-depth advice on how to become stronger at it. Really the only area that I feel the book is lacking in is advice on endurance and sport climbing. In conclusion, it is a very helpful book that I feel has improved my climbing significantly over the last few months.

[ifonly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, good book. I’m rather new to climbing, so it was nice to read a general guide of how to develop my training/what areas to focus on in the future.

Some annoyances. The author lists the qualities that are important for climbing in order of priority at the beginning of the book, but the order of the book doesn’t follow that list. That’s not a big deal, but the issue is intensified by the fact that he does not make more and more detailed recommendations based on how important he claims each quality is.

Not relevant to this review, but the last part of the book interviews professional climbers. What I gather from their answers is (assuming you don’t want to be a pro climber):
1) Training fingers on less than a 10-mm edge is not worth it.
2) Being able to do one static one-arm pull-up is probably the absolute max amount of strength needed before hitting significantly diminishing returns (i.e. training other things would be more beneficial).
3) Being able to do a 5-second one-arm hang on a 20mm edge is probably the absolute max amount of finger strength needed before hitting significantly diminishing returns (i.e. training other things would be more beneficial).

[Ray Lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well composed guidebook about finger training and approach to conditioning in climbing in general. It doesn't really gives you a workout plan, it makes you think about what a workout plan ought to look like. It's kind of based in the idea that one should train smarter instead of harder and that what works for person A doesn't necessarily apply to person B. So it focuses on you instead of the already known protocols out there.
If I had to choose between Eric Hörsts Training for Climbing: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Climbing Performance and this one, it would be Beastmaking.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content is great because Ned has clearly thought deeply about this topic and sorted the wheat from the chaff. We are very grateful to him for that because before his era, there was a lot of malpractice amongst people training for climbing. The frequent dry humour in this work is an entertaining bonus. The style is much more conversational than literary, which is fine, but unfortunately, the English is poor. Vertebrate Publishing is becoming a purveyor of critical modern climbing knowledge and should therefore have a more thorough editing process for fixing the the issues that this book has, e.g., clunky grammar, misphrasing, local word repetition, exaggerations, tautologies. In my opinion, the typsetting should be simplified in the ebook.

[Dr. Ashori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. I thought it would only talk about hangboarding but the author also talks about climbing and stretching in general. Great overview. I bought the book and excited to try different hangboard routines on it. Here in Spain I couldn't find the Beastmaker but found an equivalent version which I have been using. He did a great job talking about the core which I think many may mistake for just the classic core muscles. He even goes into taping and what kind of holds to use and how to use them. Solid!

[Quique · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3! Me ha gustado mucho, el contenido es crucial para entrenar de forma segura, y con progreso que te mantiene enganchado a seguir entrenando.

Pienso que una de las piezas de información clave de este libro es el descansar. A veces pensamos que entrenar más tiene más resultados, pero cambiar la concentración a entrenar con más calidad da resultados mucho más reales y progresivos.

[Greg Elgin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beastmaking is an excellent resource that every climber should consult at some point in their career. Organized and structurally broken down for ease of reading, Beastmaking contains a wealth of information based around the premise that every climber is different and individual anatomies will yield varying strengths and weaknesses.

[✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙ Fran *̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌟
6 stars ,
An informative , concrete book , that gives you real example of trainning , with a little bit of humor and real practical tips.
I felt that I was talking with my pro climber friend giving me tips how to improve.
Definetily would read again!