Hangboarding is without a doubt one of the most specific strength exercises in the sport. exercises you can do to climb, in addition to climbing itself. Hangboarding’s transfer from off-the-wall training to on-the-wall performance is almost instantaneous, especially considering that improvements in finger strength will increase both max bouldering and sport grade. What is often less clear is what variables climbers should pay attention to when practicing fingerboarding, such as; maintain the size, intensity of the suspension, and the number of fingers (or arms) used during training reps. Additionally, there are a host of “methods” to use in Hangboard sessions, such as repeaters, max locks, or long locks, all of which have their time and place.
In part One of this article, we will walk you through the basics. We’ll introduce you to each important aspect of your hangboard training and explain why it’s important. In the second part, we’ll cover some of the most common exercise sessions, including when and how long you should complete this type of training. While these articles are by no means exhaustive of all approaches, they should act as a signpost for your training, and I must stress that each The climber must take an individual approach to his training. Theory and methodology have their place, but they must be matched by key factors such as training history, performance goals, and the resources (time, facilities, budget) available for training.
A Lattice, we have trained some of the strongest, boldest and most talented climbers in the world: Alex Honnold, Hazel Findlay, Will Bosi and Tommy Caldwell to name a few. We don’t just brag about the names though, we take what we learn and apply it to the elite and make it work for the enthusiastic hobbyist. You may be surprised to learn that these megastars are not that different from you and us.
Hanging board edge size and shape
The size of the holds on your hanger board will likely range from jars to less than a toe pad if you have one at home or are using the board at the gym. In general, the size of the hold means the distance from the front of the hold to the rear “stop point” on the dash. It does not take into account the front curved radius of the cellar. This is very important, because many manufacturers vary this (typically 3-10mm) and you will find significant differences in difficulty and comfort from brand to brand. At Lattice, we use a 20mm rim size for most training and research, which has a 10mm front radius.
The shape of the hold normally refers to the angle at which the loading surface is oriented. A sloped fixture will be on the negative side of the perpendicular mounting angle and a shear fixture on the positive side. In some rare cases, some boards may have a designed curve from side to side.
Why does that matter?
- The size of the rim will determine how the forearm muscles are activated and how the tendon and ligaments are loaded. There are significant differences between single-joint (20 mm or less) and double-joint (25 mm and more) grip positions.
- For beginners climbing larger holds, training on larger edges may be more beneficial. For intermediate to elite climbers, we generally recommend 20mm or less.
- The very small “micro” edges limit the total force we can transmit to the forearms, so this form of exercise is of limited use when developing maximal muscle strength.
- The greater the grip used, the greater the load distribution across the soft tissues of the hand. As such, this can be an important component of initially reducing injury risk for some climbers.
Homemade hangboard at the camp below the towers, Torres del Paine, Patagonia. The grips on your board can vary… it’s how you use them that really counts. (Photo: Hayden Carpenter)
Articulation angle and type of grip
The use of the joint angle or the type of grip is somewhat interchangeable, but in any case it is a very important factor that all climbers should pay attention to. We typically have a choice of a spectrum of grip types or joint angles in more or less any grip size or shape. Using a more “open” grip is when the finger is straighter and the angle of the joint is greater. In contrast, the more “closed” grip is considered a “full crimp” in which the angle of the joint between all the fingers is high, and in addition, the thumb wraps over the index finger to provide additional force. Climbers will argue endlessly about which grip position is the best, but there really isn’t a preferred method. We believe this is due to the fact that individual finger morphology can affect grip strength biomechanics, and also a climber’s training and injury history has a great influence. What does seem pretty certain is that the best climbers in the world are capable of using a wide variety of grip types.
Why does that matter?
- Selecting the correct grip type for the correct grip size and shape is critical. Most climbers will find that certain holds will only work if they are used in a particular way. An example of this is on a Moonboard. Here, half crimp and full crimp will generally result in the highest yields.
- Some grip types are more “active” than others. The more open position, often referred to as “drag”, is extremely useful for resting on large, positive prey where the high contact surface with the prey allows for friction assist.
- Gripping types such as the full crimp carry an additional risk of injury due to high attachment angles. Climbers must be very careful when training with high loads and understand that while this grip is very effective, it is not without risk.
- Varying the angle of the joint can be an excellent way to rehabilitate injured fingers. If an injury causes pain in a full or half crimp position, you may be able to load in an open position initially with much lower levels of discomfort.
Vary finger positions and maintain size to reduce the chance of injury. Beginners will want to start with open positions, like this three-fingered “shuffle,” and minimize time on smaller holds and limit use of the “full crimp,” which increases stress on the fingers. (Photo: Tom Randall)
How many fingers and arms?
When you hangboard, you can create multiple training options by varying the number of fingers used in a rep and also by the number of arms you hang from. Finger picking can range from elite methods, such as the one-finger monkey, to standard introductory exercises involving all four fingers. Interestingly, when we come to the two and three finger options, we have several options: the grouping of those digits can strongly influence performance results and how we load the soft tissues of the forearm and hand. As for the number of arms, it is simply a choice of one or two. In climbing training we still refer to hangs as “one arm,” even when the other arm is using the aid of a rope and pulley or a rubber band.
Why does that matter?
- Certain forms of grip, such as pockets, load soft tissue in a very specific way. In this way, it is often productive to train in a way that reflects the demands of the sport. If you have two fingers on your project, it makes sense to prepare specifically through training.
- Reducing the number of dangling fingers will typically increase the load on the involved soft tissues and thus the risk of injury. Finger group isolation should be used with intent, rather than a scattershot approach.
- Two-arm hangs should be considered the staple for most beginner and intermediate climbers, as the load is distributed across the entire shoulder girdle. It also means less equipment set up for training.
- Single arm hangs are appropriate for advanced climbers who want to incorporate an additional training stimulus. It is not a replacement for two-arm hangers, but an additional tool to use in the right circumstances.
How long, with what intensity and how often
Once you’ve decided on the size, shape and form of your grip, how many arms and fingers, the final piece of the puzzle is the training load. The easiest way to think about this factor is to break it down into three parts. The first is how long you hang (duration/volume), the second is how hard (intensity), and the last is how often you train (frequency) on your hang board. The critical element of this to understand is that the sum of these three factors impact your training load. Even if you don’t adjust the duration or intensity, but instead increase the frequency of your training, then your training load has increased.
Why does that matter?
- Training load is one of the most important variables to improve performance. When we apply a training load to the body that requires it to adjust and adapt, we see physical improvements over time.
- It is one of the most common factors for climbers to abuse/ignore and consequently get hurt. Large increases in training load are a huge risk factor for any discipline specialty, age group, or gender.
- Climbers who constantly push themselves, whether in the gym or outdoors, but see no improvement, will often see big gains if they make adjustments to the load. In our experience, the most important one to pay attention to is frequency.
With all parts of your understanding of the hangboard now taken care of, we’ll cover the “how to” when it comes to training in the next article. Remember, none of the above are best or secret methods or anything like that. They are just components to build your hangboard routine and the best climbers are like experienced chefs: they know their ingredients very well and know exactly how they relate to the result they expect. You can do exactly the same!
If you’re interested in testing your own finger strength for free, we’ve created an online resource for the climbing community called My fingers, which helps you understand how strong your fingers are compared to a global dataset. We also have Youtube videos demonstrating the form, method and training approaches for strong and healthy fingers here.
