At-home climbing training exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. If anything good came from the shutdown, it’s the expansive knowledge of how to train in your living room.
Climbers needed their fix after all the gyms closed. Plus, they needed a way to stay in shape for when the gyms eventually opened back up.
What many folks found when their favorite activity was taken from them was that they could train at home. With a bit of equipment and a lot of determination, you, too, can fully train in any space. Follow along to learn the ultimate home training for climbing!
Tools for climbing
There’s no way around it; you’ll need some climbing training equipment to get started. You can build your first setup, but you should look into investing in some quality products designed for training.
Hangboard
A hangboard, AKA fingerboard, will be crucial equipment for building finger strength. When looking at fingerboards, consider what you want to train and if you want something that you can improve with.
If you’re new to hangboarding, you’ll want something with larger edges and pockets. The YY Vertical Board Light was designed with beginner hangboarders in mind. The sleek design is visually pleasing as much as it is functional.
It features four-finger pockets: 45mm, 25mm, 20mm. Plus a central handle that allows the use of a resistance band to help take weight off. Two slopers: 30°, 20°, and two jugs.
The Beastmaker 2000, aptly named, is suited for those familiar with finger training. The perfect tool to increase your finger and contact strength to climb harder.
This fingerboard offers three slopers: 45°, 35°, and 25°. A mouth jug and medium and smaller three-finger pocket is all this beast has for “warming up.”
It also includes back two pockets, big, little, and sloping two-finger pockets, plus a sloping and one-pad mono.
Portable hanging grips
A hangboard can be substituted with portable hanging grips if you can’t mount anything to your walls. You’ll need to be flexible with how you use them, but they offer the same benefits as a hangboard.
Metolius Rock Rings 3D are made with a grained texture to maximize grip. They feature a large jug, 40mm four-finger pocket, 35mm three-finger pocket, and a 25mm two-finger pocket.
YY Penta is a modern take on traditional hangboarding. These pentagram wood rings feature seven different grip options. Edges of 30mm, 25mm, 20mm, 15mm, 10mm, and a mono. All you must do is spin them to whichever hold you want, sling it, and bam, there is your grip!
Gym rings/TRX bands
Rings are an excellent way to incorporate more exercises into a smaller space. All you need is somewhere to mount them, and you’re set.
The YY Gym Rings are perfect for transforming a space into a dedicated training area. They’re strong enough to support whatever exercise plan you choose yet small enough to be easily stored away.
Find a catalog of ring workouts to improve your climbing in our guides.
Pinch block
Many hangboards lack the option for pinch training. Improve your grip strength by making or picking up a pair of pinch blocks, like this one from Lattice: Lattice Quad Block.
You’ll need some weight to lift: a kettlebell, a water jug, your cat, whatever works!
The Lattice Quad Block features an anodised aluminium finish that is even kinder to the skin than wood. It has four different pinch options, plus a 30mm edge.
If you want to avoid buying these, consider building your own with my personal setup.
I’m unsure where I found this idea (it was long ago) but my pinch blocks have served me well!
Use a single piece of 2×4 for a slimmer grip and insert an eye bolt. Connect some paracord and a carabiner, and sand it down. Voilà, slim pinch grip!
For a wide grip, cut two pieces of 2×4 and glue/screw them together.
Insert an eye bolt, sand it, and you’re ready to start pinching!
Chalk
The ultimate home training for climbing setup isn’t complete without some good chalk! Have you tried performing a hangboard exercise without any? The workout is hard enough; there’s no need to make it harder!
Chalk is an excellent addition to any home gym. When I say good chalk, I mean it. Not the kind that immediately wipes away when you grab the first hold.
Here are two great options found in our shop:
Super B is Tokyo Powder’s premier-level chalk. This powder was made with high-level competition climbing in mind, so you know it’s great.
You can also check out their guide to help you find the best chalk for your skin.
Whether you’re a sweaty-handed indoor or dry-skinned outdoor climber, Tokyo Powder has the chalk for you.
Moon Dust is the same folks as the Moon Board; they know a thing or two about good chalk.
This chalk is 100% pure magnesium carbonate and is free of all additives and drying agents. For those with sensitive skin that can’t figure out a good solution, check out Moon Dust.
Books!
For when you have downtime in your home training routine or need inspiration. A good book can take you to faraway places or teach you new things.
They can also provide psych for when you can’t get to the crag or climbing gym!
The Science of Climbing Training belongs in any home training setup.
Learn what training is and how different methods are reacted within the body. You will also learn how to improve your training to achieve your goals.
Mastermind is proof that climbing is more than just physical; it’s mental.
This includes being nervous above the ground, understanding systems, and knowing how to move your body.
Beastmaker Beastmaking, written by the cofounder of Beastmaker, aims to help you figure out what you need to train.
Find sections on finger strength, finger boarding, board training, and more in this jargon-free, straight-to-the-point text.
‘The brain is the most important muscle for climbing.’ – Wolfgang Güllich
Climbing board
Look, I understand that not everybody can afford, or even has space, for a climbing board for their training setup. But if you’re someone who does, you may never climb at the gym again.
Whether you have a shed, garage, or space inside the house, a board is the ultimate addition to any home climbing training. You can choose from many different boards when building your home training setup. Most options have a database that you can connect to where you will find thousands of documented climbs.
Want to go rock climbing at home? Your options include a Moon Board, a Kilter Board, a Systems Board, or a Tension Board.
You can also build your Spray wall and add any holds you want!
Lattice training tips
Home climbing training is a great way to avoid a gym membership and cut down your commute. Walking to the garage has never been more fun!
Here are some tips by Tom Randall to give you the best success for training at home:
1. Ease Into Hangboarding
Switching from climbing to hangboarding requires caution. Your fingers aren’t used to the same loading, so shorten your sessions and rest more.
2. Train Your Whole Body
Climbing is a full-body workout—your training should be too! Don’t just focus on finger strength.
3. Use What You Have
No hangboard? No problem! A crimp or pinch block can be just as effective.
4. Active vs. Passive Finger Training
Train active grips (like opening/closing a crimp) only with a crimp block—doing so on a hangboard can be risky.
5. Vary Your Grip Types
Use different grips when hanging:
- 50% half crimp
- 20% open hand
- 20% 3-finger
- 5-10% full crimp
Half crimp is the most transferable, so focus on it.
6. Strengthen Your Forearms with Dumbbells
Slow, controlled movements improve forearm strength:
- Flexor curls: Palm up, roll weight into fingers, then back up.
- Extensor curls: Palm down, use a lighter weight.
7. Warm Up Your Shoulders
Dead hang on a jug, engaging and disengaging shoulders. Try single-arm hangs with support if needed.
8. Avoid Door Frames for Hanging
They’re often too weak, sharp, and slippery. Instead, build a simple budget-friendly fingerboard.
Training for climbing at home
At-home climbing training can look vastly different depending on what resources you have available to you. Some climbers might have a total gym set up with a spray wall in their garage, and that’s super rad! But others may have a homemade fingerboard and some dumbbells, and that’s also super rad!
Make do with what you have and create the best training set up that you can. You can always transform your home training routine as you gain more strength and experience.
Remember that training at home isn’t the same as climbing. Work out your entire body to stay fit and in climbing shape!
Do you have the ultimate home training for climbing setup?
We’d love to see it!
Tag us with your climbing equipment and comment with your routine!
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