So, what is hangboarding?
Rightfully called so, hangboarding is a medium to more advanced practice in the climbing world, one that involves what the word says: hanging on a board. It aims to improve endurance in climbing and strengthen the upper body, including the fingers.
It is an efficient way to increase strength in arms, shoulders, and fingers, and is also perfect for maintaining fitness when access to climbing is not possible.
My tip-top advice when you’re still discovering climbing
As someone who’s been climbing for 10 years (on and off), I believe focusing on movement should always come before hangboarding.
If possible, prioritise climbing as much as possible. By just climbing you will not only develop proprioception for the sport (in simple terms, body awareness that also tells you how much force to use when you’re climbing) but you will also get strong fingers. Plus more volume always comes with feeling more comfortable during climbing.
Also, having a better understanding of your climbing is what will help you later decide what it is that you need/want to train.
To do’s before hangboarding
Breathing
Improving your breathing technique can be extremely helpful. Personally, correct breathing has been a game-changer for me!
Whenever I start feeling nervous for various reasons, especially when I am above the bolt or I find myself in a difficult section and I don’t trust myself, I take a few deep breaths. This helps me release the tension and allows me to focus on the present moment. Consequently, it helps me stay focused on the climb rather than getting distracted by how pumped I feel.
Work on your core
This includes your pelvis, lower back, hips, and stomach. There are many good videos for that and not limited to the climbing world.
One morning, 2 years ago, my sister proposed we do an ab workout together – and this is how I discovered Pam Reiff’s abs and core workouts. It’s only fitness – some might argue but it’s a damn good one! I was surprised, to be honest, I couldn’t finish the 10-minute workout.
To diversify, Shauna Coxsey’s video on Core For Climbing as well as Lattice Climbing 8 Essential Core Exercises for Climbing are also really good!
Balance
Work on your balance by doing specific yoga. This will help you gain more confidence when going for that last far-away hold! Check out our detailed article on why yoga and climbing is a powerful combination.
Hip mobility
Don’t underestimate the power of hip mobility. Leva Luna has a great and fun video for this:
Falling
It’s important to reflect on your relationship with falling and make sure it’s not this that stops you from climbing harder. Many climbers, including more experienced/professionals, can experience fear of falling at times. By regularly taking intentional falls with trusted belayers and/or spotters, you can increase your confidence and reassure your brain that it’s safe to do so.
Rest
Are you taking enough rest between climbing sessions? Remember, the key to improving is not always strength, but also proper rest.
Ready to hangboard?
So agreeing upon the fact that we are all different, if you feel like you’ve achieved the easier (but so essential) gains in climbing, and you feel like you need a booster then hangboarding is a GREAT way for further gains such as grip endurance, grip strength, and overall climbing performance.
Guide to hangboarding
Here’s your (not so) simple guide to hangboarding. Carefully, efficiently, and injury-free.
No hangs
No-hangs are a great way to start hangboarding as a beginner and they are also great to warm up. The idea is to pull hard on an edge while your feet remain planted on the ground. You can do it with any type of grip you feel comfortable with.
- One set of no-hang for 7 sec + 3 sec rest x 5
- Adjust accordingly between 2-5 sets with 1-2 minutes rest in between each set
Beginners
Exercise 1: Pull-ups
- Choose the edge that fits you best
- 2 pull-ups (use an elastic if you need help) + 2/3 minutes rest x 5
- Perform 2 to 3 sets and rest 3 to 5 minutes between sets
- Feel free to add more pull-ups if you can complete all the sets
Exercise 2: Hangs
- Choose the edge that fits you best (open hand grip)
- One set: 12 sec hangs + 2 minutes rest x 5
- Perform 2 to 3 sets and rest 3 to 5 minutes between sets
Advanced
Exercise 1: Pull-ups
- Choose the edge that fits you best
- 5 pull-ups (use an elastic if you need help) + 2/3 minutes rest x 5
- Perform 5 to 6 sets and rest 3 to 5 minutes between sets
- Feel free to add more pull-ups if you can complete all the sets
Exercise 2: Hangs
- Choose the edge that fits you best (open hand grip)
- One set: 12 sec hangs + 2 minutes rest x 5
- Perform up to 5 or 6 sets and rest 3 to 5 minutes between sets
When you feel ready do the same but change your grip to a half crimp.
You can do these sets 2 to 3 times a week. Constant training will leave you feeling stronger so you’ll want to choose smaller edges on the hangboard that are more challenging to hold.
Also, once you’re comfortably hanging on the edges you can start leveling up by progressively adding weight. For progressive and safe training I appreciate Eric Horst’s advice, such as this video on finger strength and hangboarding.
Remember not to rush the process and keep in mind that even though hangboarding will not leave you drained, it is very aggressive to the fingers. This is why it’s very important to stick to your training plan even if you feel like you could do more. As Jorg Verhoeven mentions later in this article, full crimps are to be avoided on a hangboard.
Best fingerboard for beginners?
It’s hard to choose the best one – there are loads and loads of different boards for all levels. I would go with something that feels good and simple. I use the Vertical Board Light from YY super useful, it allows me to adapt edges and play with their size, the wood has a nice touch and it includes an elastic support to help me with pull-ups or other exercises if I need to.
Check out our full range of hangboards here.
No drilling in your home walls? No holes, no problem!
Something like an Iron Gym pull-up bar should be enough to be able to hang a portable hangboard or portable training toys.
Or you can get creative by following this video that shows you how to mount a fixed hangboard without drilling and use any model you like!
Cool hangboarding apps
- Boulder Trainer: best for Custom hangboards over 70 models. It has pre-loaded workouts for all the popular boards, and you can also take a picture of the board to build a custom workout.
- HangTime: it trains your finger strength and is free.
- Zlagboard: they say it’s a true revolution in hangboard training.
- MyClimb: you can train with Pro Climbers, access personalised training plans, break through plateaus, and much more!
- And, of course, the Beastmaker apps.
Top tips to reduce injury risk
Here are my top tips on how to reduce your injury risk and enjoy climbing for longer:
- ALWAYS do your hangboarding before your climbing session because you need to be at your best when applying force on your fingers
- Drink water during your hangboarding and climbing sessions to decrease the risk of injury
- Avoid painful holds. If it hurts, you shouldn’t be doing it
- Write down your training sessions so you can track down your progress and take smarter rests. The Climbing Doctor explains well how to measure Finger Strength and he gives good examples
Done correctly, hangboarding will give you stronger fingers, longer endurance, and faster recovery in smaller holds so basically more climbing as you’ll be able to do longer climbing sessions.
Reasons for which you should be hangboarding
- Experience the magic of finger strength.
- Move on to the next level: You’ve been climbing for a while, you feel comfortable moving on the wall and you feel your body could use some strength to unlock powerful moves.
- You found yourself a motivating project and you feel weak on certain moves. Be it the crux move or some problem you’re not able to link, hangboarding is one of the best ways to increase strength in our arms, hands, and fingers.
- You want to build a stronger upper body to prevent injuries. You want to be able to “hang in there by developing better endurance in climbing and improving your grip.
- You have a normal job that doesn’t leave you too much time but you want to climb harder therefore you need some spark to your climbing skills.
Tips on how to hangboard strong and injury-free
I always say injury is a move away and believe me when I say, I am an optimist and I love fairies! What I mean by that is when you’re being too focused on the results you might be tempted to speed up a process or skip some steps.
Warmup
Yeah, you guessed it, a climber’s favorite: warm-up! A full body warm-up before hangboarding is great for preparing your body. Cardio is great for that because it gets the blood pumping while shoulder shrugs reduce pain and stiffness in muscles, tendons, and joints and also extend your range of motion. How long should that be? at least 15 minutes.
Posture
Hangs should be done with shoulders engaged and slightly bent elbows.
Are you up to it?
Never…just never hangboard when you feel tired!
How often?
Intensive hangboard training is hard on your connective tissues so don’t do it more than 2, or 3 times a week.
Motivation
Stay focused on your motivation and on WHY you started hangboarding.
We often become tempted to take on challenges such as to hang from the smallest edge possible. Avoid doing that and remember that in the same way, some of the strongest climbers are not necessarily the best, putting too much pressure on your connective tissues at once will not help you climb that one harder route you have in mind but most probably will get you hurt.
Shoulder shrugs
Not only do they improve your posture and increase your shoulder stability but they also prepare you for hangboarding.
Warm down
We tend to skip this bit part but it’s so important to reduce soreness and stiffness the very next day. From my experience both climbing and training/hangboarding without a warm-down at the end of each session leaves me stiff and sore.
Depending on your situation, you could do some easy climbing, massage, or stretching. A little bit from all 3 would be ideal! This will not only speed up recovery but also reduce the risk of injury. After a hangboarding session, I like to focus on stretching my wrists, forearms, shoulders, and back.
Here’s an example for you out of which you can also choose just a few moves as this video is a complete guide to stretching after climbing.
Advice from my (stronger) friends
But wait, there is MORE to it! While working on this article, my inner perfectionist took over and my interest in the subject was intensified! To satisfy my curiosity, I reached out to some of my stronger friends and decided to use friendship as an excuse to ask what their thoughts were on whether beginners should use hangboarding.
Alberto De Pablo
Alberto is climbing coach and fanatic Catalan climber, Codirector of 100×100 Rock Climbing Camp, Coach at CCT21 Club de Escalada, Barcelona
“I believe that climbers should begin using a fingerboard to train their finger strength only when their climbing skill is no longer the limiting factor. Some climbers who are already very strong (in terms of climbing grades) do not need to train their finger strength, as they already have more than enough for their current skill level.
It is difficult to define what a beginner climber is solely based on the grading system. Instead, factors such as the climber’s skill level, the condition of the soft tissues in their fingers, hands, and forearms, and the number of hours they have spent climbing should be taken into account. We all know that person who has been climbing for 20 years and never tried more than 6c. Does that make him a beginner? I don’t think so!🤔”
Alberto makes a good point on what a beginner is and I believe an interesting study on the topic is briefly explained here: Reporting Grades in Climbing Research.
“Why get strong fingers? I’d say because of these two things:
The first one is a combination of strength training and skill, which is essential for good performance in climbing. You need to be able to grab the holds and hold positions in a route before you can think of progressing in it, and that depends, among other things, on the finger strength.
The second is injury prevention. Doing finger strength training allows us to work on a higher demand of the finger flexors and all the soft tissues and other muscles around it than climbing itself, but in a more controlled environment so this takes us in a safer zone of finger demand while climbing.”
Long story short, Alberto says “hangboarding reduces the chances of getting injured while climbing because the intensity of the climb can be reduced by training in higher demand than the climb we want to do, always with a controlled program supervised by a professional.”
Jorg Verhoeven
Jorg is professional Dutch climber, ex-competitor with around 150 world cups both bouldering and lead, the 4th free ascent of The Nose on El Cap (5.14)
“I think the answer is not quite simple. In theory, one should hangboard right from the beginning but the intensity should be very low to avoid injuries and let pulleys, tendons, etc adjust to the unusual strain. Many people start way too fast and see it more as a challenge to see what they can achieve but getting your fingers stronger should be done in a very controlled and specific way to prepare them for climbing.
Climbing is very basic in the sense that the only contact between you and the wall is done by your fingers and feet so it’s key to train your fingers in the different types of contact options: drag, half crimp, and full crimp, gain strength on slopers, pockets, crimps, etc.
The problem with hangboarding full crimp is that it is quite dangerous for pulleys and joints so the risk of injury is high, hence most people do drag and half crimp.”
Sofie Paulus
Sofie is a professional German climber with very strong fingers and co-founder of the initiative Ecopoint-Frankenjura:
“Even though I am not training or doing any fingerboard stuff I still think strong fingers are important. My training was probably to go to Frankenjura and have many sessions outdoors on the famous finger pockets there. (she laughs) so I am not sure I am the right person because I simply don’t do it.
I don’t feel motivated to train and I am afraid of getting injured. I think I love the movement climbing involves and I allow my body to do that instead of putting my fingers on a board. But probably I am also lazy. (she laughs again). I think it is worth mentioning Sofie can climb 8b/8c in just a few sessions.”
Svana Bjarnason
Svana is professional French/Icelandic climber, competitor, and indoor training freak.
“I think the key to making progress in the first years of climbing is to climb. I believe most people who climb regularly can get to a 7c/8a level by just climbing.
However, when you start trying hard, finger strength becomes important to prevent injuries. Indoor climbing holds are getting smaller and crimpier these days or they require a lot of compression, so indoor climbing is more traumatic in general.
This is why it’s super important to have your fingers ready and a good preparation beforehand along with a good warm-up are essential before pulling hard on them.”
Final thoughts
So as you can see, it would be wrong to fit everyone in a box, especially in the same one. Climbing is a complex sport and even more than any other sport, there isn’t any strict recipe for success – there are only guidelines.
The more I climb, the more I read and talk about it with other climbers, I realise there is so much more to know on the subject and it makes me think about one thing: climbing IS science and there are yet things to be discovered.
I dare say the Tokyo 2020 Olympics came as a result of the evolution climbing has known in the past 30 years and it was a trigger for people to invest more time, attention, and resources in climbing. The truth is I know better by now that people don’t follow the same path and there is no clear recipe: the sky’s the limit – climbing included.
I hope this article gives you a better understanding of what hangboarding is, when it should be done, and how I’ll leave it up to you to decide what is best for you.
If you do decide to start your first session, stay mindful of the fact that as a beginner in hangboarding you’ll see the benefits right away. However, resist the urge to push yourself too hard. Hangboarding should not be done every day, or you risk injuring yourself. Be patient and stay committed to your goals while enjoying the journey!
What is your experience with hangboarding?
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