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Does hangboard training work

cseisun

21-Sep-2010
11:42:01 AM

So.. is it worth buying a hangboard for the home for regular training... opinions


ajfclark

21-Sep-2010
11:56:33 AM

Depends how hard you're climbing/bouldering and what facilities you can make it to regularly. Can you go bouldering regularly? If you can't, a fingerboard can be a great way to get a quick workout.

As for whether they work, in my experience, yes. Particularly if you want to work on something specific.

cseisun

21-Sep-2010
11:58:56 AM

Indoor boulder (melbourne) once a week ...


Billie W

21-Sep-2010
12:00:18 PM

Both my strength and confindence has improved I have only had mine a few months Id say go for it buy one


ajfclark

21-Sep-2010
12:03:03 PM

If I was trying to improve my strength specifically, I'd go bouldering more than once a week. Weeks that I couldn't find the time/cash to go more than once a week, I'd use some fingerboard training too. If you've got strong doorframes, you can just use those for some open hand hangs...

It's probably worth pointing out that a fingerboard can be both a useful training tool and a good way to hurt yourself. Also, more strength isn't always the solution to the problem...

gfdonc

21-Sep-2010
12:09:18 PM

I echo ajfclark's comments. I've had mine up for a year or two, don't use it often enough to hurt myself, but I do find 5-10 minutes once or twice a week helps finger strength and some core strength (depending on what you use it for).

Bouldering is a better overall training exercise, but if I can't make the time a few minutes on the fingerboard works as a backup.


Eduardo Slabofvic

21-Sep-2010
12:14:24 PM

I can never seem to figure out the foot work


ajfclark

21-Sep-2010
12:16:30 PM

On 21/09/2010 gfdonc wrote:
>I do find 5-10 minutes once or twice a week helps finger strength and some core strength (depending on what you use it for).

If you can manage to convince the other half to let you hang it inside above a doorway you use all the time, that works really well. Staying at my cousin's place and doing a hang or a chin up every time you walk in or out of the room really adds up...

As for core work, mmmmmm knee lifts...

devlin66

21-Sep-2010
12:31:13 PM

Front levers.


markq

21-Sep-2010
12:52:26 PM

Just go easy mate. I did my finger in doing door frame chin ups and now I have to climb like a nancy till I'm better. Which may take longer than expected.


Gavo

21-Sep-2010
1:44:21 PM

sorry to sound daft but.. do you just hang on the hangboard... I mean obviously you can do chinups or so on but do people just get them and literally.. hang.. as a way of building endurance? Whether its on a board or just on a doorframe?


ajfclark

21-Sep-2010
1:55:04 PM

Hangs and pull ups are probably the two main things but there knee lifts, front levers, offset pull ups, moving hangs... There's a bunch of fingerboard stuff here: http://www.nicros.com/archive/physical.cfm (the rock rings stuff probably applies too). Metolius has some stuff here: http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/training_giude_simulator.html

davepalethorpe

21-Sep-2010
2:26:28 PM

I've got a pair of metolius rock rings hanging up in the carport and I think they are pretty good for improving open hand grip strength. Handy that it is practically impossible to crimp on them too!

http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/training_giude_rock_ring.html


ajfclark

21-Sep-2010
2:37:03 PM

I have a pair of those too. They lie in their description of them though:

That's not a 3 finger pocket... It's more like 4, 3 and 2 for me...

On 21/09/2010 davepalethorpe wrote:
>I've got a pair of metolius rock rings hanging up in the carport and I think they are pretty good for improving open hand grip strength.

Extend them a bit and you can do dips too... At buffalo a while back someone (egosan?) had a pair. We ended up hanging them offset and doing a figure 4s from one to the other...


pmonks

21-Sep-2010
4:35:15 PM

On 21/09/2010 cseisun wrote:
>So.. is it worth buying a hangboard for the home for regular training...
>opinions

Parroting what others have said, but a big "yes" from me. I generally go bouldering once a week and then do the Metolius' intermediate 10 minute routine once (or occasionally twice) a week and it's really helped keep me in climbing shape.

That said I'm also a bit paranoid about injury and usually do some cardio before using it (get everything nice and warm before jumping on), and set a strict limit of no more than twice a week.

Also, don't underestimate "general" training exercises - pushups, situps (or their Pilates equivalents), chinups etc.


ajfclark

22-Sep-2010
9:15:56 AM

There's some sense in this note that can be applied to training (fingerboard or otherwise):

chriss

22-Sep-2010
4:39:30 PM

Get one of these, they are the nuts. Also check there site for good training advice.

http://beastmaker.co.uk/


D.Lodge

22-Sep-2010
4:58:45 PM

Short answer YES! Longer answer, best training for finger strength around, and as finger strength is the most important for climbing then get on it. But as everyone else says, Beware of the over training monster. Words to live by on a hangboard is that you should walk away thinking you have not done enough, then tomorrow feel like you have done too much!


IdratherbeclimbingM9

22-Sep-2010
9:02:25 PM

On 21/09/2010 ajfclark wrote:
>I have a pair of those too. They lie in their description of them though:
>
>

>
>That's not a 3 finger pocket... It's more like 4, 3 and 2 for me...
>
... Actually not that either, as the real answer is 2000.
~> This being the milestone number of posts that another Chocky addict has racked up!
Congrats4ezajollygoodposter etc!
☺


monkeyboy

22-Sep-2010
9:19:09 PM

On 22/09/2010 chriss wrote:
>Get one of these, they are the nuts. Also check there site for good training
>advice.
>
>http://beastmaker.co.uk/

I concur - I climb routes a couple of times a week now since getting a beastmaker try to get at least one hang board session in - I have totally noticed the difference in finger strength. Just a note though I have the 1000 and the slopers are hard and the tiny pockets are impossible for me at the moment. So unless you boulder / climb hard steer away from the 2000

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