The other day, I was at the climbing gym and overheard a conversation between two climbers. One of them, a climbing coach, shared a relatively new fascinating tip to increase climbing strength. Can you guess what it was?
Hanging every day. Ì became curious so I looked into it – it turns out there are plenty of ways to hang every day for better climbing strength and mobility. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be strenuous training.
Explore our guide and find out how to do it in an easy and fun way.
Why are strength and mobility important for better climbing?
Mobility is the ability to do controlled moves within the body’s full range of motion. Two of the main advantages of climbing are faster recovery and a smaller risk of injury.
Strength is the force your muscles can bring into play during climbing, especially when trying hard. Of course one can focus on strengthening muscles but without working on the mobility of the body while at it, a climber can’t reach its maximum potential.
Climbers who work on both strength and mobility simultaneously can approach harder bouldering routes – at the gym or outdoors, climb with more flow, do dynamically controlled moves, and conserve energy.
Are you looking for a good way to get stronger by mixing both technique and physical exercises as a beginner?
Look no more. Getting Stronger Quickly as a Beginner!
Mobility for better climbing
Mobility in your hips, shoulders, and ankles comes with an increased range of motion that takes you far – literally.
Efficient movement comes with less pump and good mobility helps you adopt optimal body positions, reducing strain on your muscles and conserving energy.
Mobility improves your balance and allows you to do subtle weight shifts and body adjustments, especially on technical or slab routes.
Here’s a fantastic example from elite climber Anna Liina Laitinen, showcasing how mobility can outshine height when it comes to finding solutions and reaching holds that others may deem completely inaccessible.
The synergy between strength and mobility
When I first started climbing, I received a lot of advice from more experienced climbers. One of which was that technique is more important than strength when you’re a beginner.
How true is that?
Back then I didn’t know any better but today I beg to differ. Sometimes, when you’re strong you just don’t know how strong you are. Therefore, what feels easy for you and requires little to no effort, for a beginner might be a crux.
Why is that? Because you have a good level of body strength. But wait, does this influence technique?
Often technique is backed up by strength and certain moves cannot simply be done through technique only. Here is where body conditioning comes into play – even for beginners.
Watch this interesting experiment on it – Hooper’s beta put it to a test and it turns out it’s not what you expect at all.
Two main ways to hang for better climbing as a beginner
Dead hangs
Dead hangs became a popular training method for those who wish to increase general grip endurance and improve shoulder strength. You can either use a hangboard that has a big edge or a pull-up bar.
Beginners can start with an edge of their choice:
- 4-second dead hang, 12-second rest
- 3 sets x 8 rounds x 2 min rest between rounds
- Two to three times a week, at the beginning of your climbing session
Intermediate climbers can start with an edge of their choice:
- 8-second dead hang, 24-second rest)
- 3 sets x 8 rounds x 2 min rest between rounds
- Two to three times a week, at the beginning of your climbing session
Tips and tricks: Make sure you always have your shoulders back and engaged, and squeeze your core while pressing your legs together to create full body tension.
In both cases, if you want to make it harder, just add weight.
New to it? Get started by following this easy 10-minute daily challenge.
Hangboarding to build finger strength
If hanging targets key aspects of climbing performance such as grip strength, shoulder stability, core engagement, and mobility why not do it every day?
It turns out you don’t have to do much to get stronger fingers: only 10 minutes twice a day can take you far!
But don’t believe us, check out what Emil Abrahamsson and his brother discovered. While their experiment is not backed up by science I think it’s worth testing out new protocols as long as you pace yourself and make sure it doesn’t get you injured.
- Hangboard Training 2 Times Per Day For 30 Days
- Hangboard Training 2 times per day for 2 years
Do you want to deepen your hangboarding knowledge with practical training tips? Last year we wrote a detailed guide on Hangboarding for beginners.
Better climbing strength and mobility inspired by the Bioneer
Whether you’re decompressing after a tough session or building strength for your next project, daily hanging is a powerful and accessible way to level up your bouldering game.
The Bioneer is a trusted voice in movement and functional fitness. In his video, he highlights the transformative effects of hanging for improving upper body health and performance.
By adopting this simple practice, you can combat the sedentary effects of modern life while also unlocking the potential to climb harder and smarter.
Benefits of hanging every day for bouldering
Bouldering is an intense, often aggressive sport that pushes your body to its limits. If you’ve been climbing for a while, you’ve probably experienced the physical toll it can take. Intense bouldering sessions can leave you feeling compressed, tight, and fatigued. But there’s a simple, restorative practice that can help with that: hanging.
Hanging daily is the climber’s equivalent of Shavasana in yoga – a way to reset, decompress, and build strength while relaxing. When done even for just a few minutes, it brings a remarkable range of benefits that directly translate to bouldering performance. And well-being.
Decompress and rejuvenate
Climbing can compress your spine and leave your shoulders and upper body feeling tight. Passive hanging counteracts this by gently stretching and decompressing the spine. It also helps realign posture after long hours of sitting – a common trait of modern work and life.
By simply hanging, you create space in your joints and release tension, leaving your body feeling more mobile and balanced.
Better shoulder stability and rotator cuff strength
Muscle imbalances in the shoulder area are common injury factors in climbing. Regular hanging strengthens stabilising muscles in the shoulders and rotator cuff, helping to prevent those common injuries in climbing.
Stronger core
Active hangs or variations like leg raises engage your core, which is crucial for body tension and control on the wall. Moreover, active hangs can serve as a warm-up before indoor or outdoor climbing.
Mobility gains and improved health
Passive hangs stretch and mobilise the shoulders and thoracic spine, enhancing your reach and flexibility. When you hang every day you don’t just change the way you climb for the better – you also improve your life quality.
Even my friends who don’t climb, when they visit, have a natural tendency to grab my hangboard. They say just hanging it helps relax their backs after a long workday.
Improved climbing technique
Decompressing your spine after a long day creates an overall feeling of well-being. When you know how to relax in stressful situations you also learn to stay calm while being on the climbing wall. Therefore it gives you the space and time to practice technique.
Endurance
Longer or repeated hangs build the stamina a climber needs to literally hold on. Advanced variations like one-arm hang or hangboard training can boost your ability to generate power while climbing. If you are only beginning with this type of training, try using elastic bands like one of these for support.
Improved finger strength and overall grip strength
Daily hanging builds finger strength, hands, and forearm muscles, preparing your body for small holds and powerful moves.
An 8-week finger training study done on well-trained sport climbers showed significant grip endurance gains thanks to dead hangs. Although all three of them are efficient (maximal, intermittent, and a combination), according to the study, the intermittent isometric effort is a more determinant factor of sport climbing performance.
What does my ideal hanging session adapted for bouldering look like?
- 10 shoulder shrugs 30-sec rest
- 10 shoulder shrugs with 30-sec rest
- 4 sets x 4 no hangs on 14 mm (10 sec x 50-sec rest in between sets)
- 4 sets x 4 hangs on 20 mm (10 sec x 50-sec rest in between sets)
- a number of pull-ups you feel comfortable with x 4 reps
Should beginner climbers hangboard? Find out the truth!
Key takeaways to avoid injury and make your hanging efficient
Incorporating daily hanging into your routine can be a game-changer for climbers of all levels. Combining strength and mobility is key to unlocking your full climbing potential, and hanging is the perfect exercise to target both.
Mix techniques: Practice various hanging styles to adapt to different holds.
Warm-up: Always warm up your fingers and arms to prevent injuries.
Listen to your body: Avoid overtraining, especially with intense styles like full crimp or mono hangs.
Use a hangboard: For controlled and targeted hanging exercises.
From beginners experimenting with dead hangs to advanced climbers refining their finger strength on a hangboard, this practice can be always adapted to your needs and goals.
Hanging is the epicenter of climbing movement. Doing it every day will not only help with your spine mobility but it will also make your climbing better by increasing your strength and your chances of sending that hard boulder you’re projecting.
When to fingerboard, how often, and when to start? Here’s your Climbers Guide to Hangboarding
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