https://gripped.com/news/an-interview-with-ethan-salvo-on-his-ascent-of-the-legendary-lucid-dreaming-v15/

 2025

last undone move on Aloha

multiple v10s on TB1 

v9 flashes on TB1

rings muscle up

Bench, DL PRs

setting again

2026

climbing film, product company

405 DL

Handstand push up

205 Bench

275 squat

1-5-9 med

1-4-7-10 sm

S Tier climbs indoors (eg Prism) outdoors (eg Aloha)

30 Gogglns

3 clean OAPs

5.14  sport

rings plaunch 

OAP's pr

 

7A+, 7B, 7B+ day

In Order to have balance there must be opposites

 at every session I was making progress, without rushing, just staying patient until everything clicked. It was also much easier mentally than last year" Simon Lorenzi

 

 

My weekly climbing life has essentially no structure …Yeah literally all I do is just try hard tensionboard climbs.

Sean Houchins-McCallum

claw grip training

 

• 20mm ish edge (comfortable, not max effort)

• Start hanging and pull with the fingertips, imagining “scratching the edge downwards.”
• Hold 5–10s.
• Rest 40–60s.
• 4–6 reps x 3–4 sets.

Hamish Fingertip Pulls” on a Plate or Doorframe

He sometimes practices this between reps while resting:

• Touch a surface with fingertips.
• Apply downward force JUST with DIP joint.
• The forearm flexors near the wrist and the FDP belly should activate strongly.

3–5 second micro-reps

8–12 reps

Very low load—this is activation, not strength work.

• Never overload the DIP with max-weight hangs.
  This is a coordination + recruitment pattern, not a “max strength” protocol.
• Don’t allow DIP hyperextension.
  If the finger collapses backward → stop.

Many climbers (including Aidan and Hamish) combine both:

High-angle crimp

+

Active DIP claw

The strongest, most controlled crimp position for tiny holds.

This produces:

• maximal contact security
• maximal force through the deep flexor (FDP)
• better load distribution along the tendon
• fewer pulley tweaky positions vs. collapsed DIP
• more “precision bite” on micro edges

But high-angle ≠ claw unless the DIP is actively doing work.

🔍 

Think of It Like This

High-angle crimp

= What the middle joint is doing

(PIP flexion)

Claw

= What the fingertip is doing

(DIP flexion)

You can have:

• High-angle + DIP collapsed → classic crimping, risky
• High-angle + DIP clawed → elite crimping, strongest
• Mid-angle + DIP clawed → Hamish semi-crimp claw
• Low-angle + DIP clawed → precision dragging / small holds

⚠️ WHY THE DISTINCTION MATTERS

If you train only 

high angle

:

• Great for PIP strength
• But DIP may collapse → transfers stress to A2/A3
• Less precise hold engagement

If you train 

claw DIP activation

:

• Builds control and force transmission from fingertip
• Protects pulleys by distributing load
• Works across multiple grip angles (not just high-angle)

Best results come from combining both, not confusing them.

🧗‍♂️ 

Elite Examples

Hamish McArthur

Claw = recruitment + precision → DIP control

Aidan Roberts

High-angle = powerful crimping

Often adds DIP flexion, but doesn’t call it “claw grip”

Daniel Woods

High-angle half crimp often without full crimp

Less explicit focus on DIP activation

Still extremely strong because of raw PIP/A2 strength

Source: Chat GPT, The Struggle Podcast

7A+ ⚡️, 7B, 7B+, 7C in a session

Good milestone "postpartum" 

勝

muscle up progress

 7B+ ⚡️

fun pogo on V9