Climbing Hangboard Training: Enhance Your Performance – Delta

Climbing Hangboard Training: Enhance Your Performance – Delta

If you've ever climbed a wall for a few moments, you've probably felt your forearms tense up under the effort. Climbing requires strength, precision and endurance. To reach new heights and climb harder, training on a climbing hangboard can quickly become essential. Climbing hangboards , also known as climbing training boards or bars, enable you to improve both your strengths and weaknesses, and to progress faster while reducing the risk of injury. Here's what you'll learn in this article:
  • The benefits of climbing-specific training
  • How do I choose the right workout for my goals? 
  • Why train on hangboard ?
  • How to train for better climbing on a hangboard ? 
  • Is there a miracle exercise for fast climbing?

    The benefits of climbing-specific training

    Climbing-specific training consists of targeted, well-thought-out exercises to improve key skills required for climbing. These may include improving strength and endurance, as well as technique, mobility, mental focus or even specific muscles. These exercises can be performed while climbing, or by using tools such as hangboards , while keeping your feet on the ground.

    Not everyone needs to train; it depends on your practice. Training is not a goal in itself, it's a powerful tool for progress. If you have long-term climbing goals, if you want to be a good climber in all styles, or if you want to prevent injuries more easily, specific training may be the solution.

    The benefits of targeted training are many. Firstly, it offers measurable results, as you focus on specific areas of your physical condition. This allows you to track your progress and see concrete improvements.
    Another advantage is that it saves time. Unlike climbing sessions that follow on from each other, a targeted workout can be short but effective, which also leaves you more time for pleasure climbing. A person who does 4 big sessions a week, with the same objective of climbing harder boulders at every session, may not progress as quickly in strength as someone who only does 2 sessions a week, but with precise, short and effective training. This also avoids the fatigue of long sessions and enables you to maintain a better balance in your life.
    Finally, targeted training reduces the risk of injury by working on specific areas that may be weak points, such as shoulders, elbows or wrists. This allows you to improve your strength and endurance with less risk of injury, which is crucial for lasting progress.

    To sum up:

    • Training works! Climbing-specific training allows you to measure progress and target specific skills.
    • Training can be time-saving: Short but effective training sessions allow you to climb more for the fun of it.
    • Less risk of injury: By strengthening weak areas, you reduce the risk of fatigue-related injuries.


    How do I choose the right workout for my goals?

    To choose the right workout for your goals, it's important to understand the key elements that define each exercise. These are exercise type, volume and intensity. These three criteria help determine whether the exercise will help you achieve your goals, whether it's to improve your strength, endurance, mobility or climbing technique.
    • Type of exercise: Think about what you want to improve. If you want to improve your pulling strength, it's best to perform small repetitions with maximum weight and plenty of rest time. If it's endurance you're aiming for, you'll need more repetitions and less rest time, but you'll also need to be less weighted. Flexibility and technique may also be the types of exercise to work on for your goals.
    • Volume: Volume refers to the total number of repetitions, sets, or time spent training. High volume may indicate an emphasis on endurance, while lower volume with heavy weights may focus on strength.
    • Intensity: Intensity measures the level of difficulty of each exercise. To build strength, you can add weight. To increase endurance, you maintain a medium intensity but lengthen the exercise time.
    When choosing exercises, keep your goals in mind. To make progress, find the balance between these three elements and try to integrate these exercises into a well-thought-out, balanced routine. This is known as a program or training plan. A good program should be adaptable, taking into account your level, your current state of fitness and your aspirations.


    Why train on hangboard ?

    The hangboard is a real Swiss army knife for any climber, as it's an excellent way of developing all the physical qualities of what keeps you hooked to the walls: your fingers, arms and back. Here are just a few reasons why training on a hangboard can be beneficial:
    • Best in all respects: The hangboard not only builds finger strength, but also endurance and stamina. It's one of the most effective tools for the job, and all you have to do is hang yourself from it.
    • Targeting weaknesses: hangboard allows you to work on different types of grip, which can help you to be a better climber in different climbing styles, but also reduce the risk of injury.
    • Intensity control: You can adjust the difficulty of exercises as you progress, using elastic bands or a pulley system. This also makes training on hangboard accessible to all levels.
    • Convenience: with hangboard at home, you can train easily and at any time.
    All in all, training on a hangboard helps you to effectively improve the majority of the skills that keep you suspended. What's more, you can be really precise in your exercises and progress at your own pace.

     

    How to train for better climbing on a hangboard ?

    Below you'll find a few ideas for exercises to suit your level and objectives, but first a few basic rules for the best training on a climbing hangboard :

    • Warm-up: Before you start, make sure you warm up as you would before a climbing session. Just squeezing different holds with full hands without hanging on them is a good start. Then gradually intensify your suspensions, taking your time. This prepares your muscles and joints and reduces the risk of injury.
    • Avoid arches: to protect finger joints, it is advisable to stay on holds in a tense or semi-arched position.
    • Start slowly: Don't rush into the more difficult exercises. Start by hanging with your feet on the ground or using a chair to take some of your weight off.
    • Using elastic bands: To lighten the weight on your fingers and increase suspension time without overloading, use elastic bands. This allows you to adapt the resistance and progress at your own pace without risking injury.
    • Recovery: After each session, take time to recover. This can include light stretching or simply resting to allow your muscles to regenerate.

    Exercise ideas on hangboard

    • For beginners

    If you're just starting out, what you need most is to learn and understand the movements involved in climbing: proprioception, foot placement, resting positions, clipping quickdraws. Climbing efficiently will help you progress quickly at first! At some point, however, progress in this area will be slower and you'll need to start thinking about improving your physique. Here's a simple exercise to help you gradually improve your climbing skills:
        1. Choice of holds: Choose holds wide enough to hold comfortably for at least 10 seconds. Don't hesitate to use an elastic band if necessary.
        2. Execution of exercise: Do 3 to 5 repetitions of 10-sec suspensions with 1 minute's rest between each.
        3. Progression: Increase the suspension time or decrease the size of the holds. You can perform this exercise 1-2 times a week. 

      • For experienced climbers

      Max Finger Force" exercise: 

        1. Choice of holds: Choose a 10 to 20 mm deep strip on which you can hang for about 10 seconds. If you can hold on longer, you can add ballast. The closer the ruler is to 10mm, the more specifically we'll be working on holding small holds. The closer the ruler is to 20mm, the more we'll work on gripping strength on a wider variety of holds.
        2. Execution of exercise: Perform between 4 and 8 suspensions of 6 to 8 seconds each, taking at least 3 minutes' rest between each suspension to allow your muscles to recover.
        3. Do this exercise no more than twice a week.


      Force Max Tractions" exercise

      Do three to five sets of weighted pull-ups for a maximum of 6 to 8 repetitions before increasing the load. Perform this exercise no more than twice a week.

       

      Exercise Work on forearm endurance:

      1. Choice of holds : Select holds to hold comfortably for more than 20 seconds with both hands.
      2. Execution of exercise: Alternate 20 seconds of two-handed suspension with 40 seconds of rest. Repeat this sequence as many times as possible, without exceeding a total of 6 to 7 minutes.
      3. Session organization: Perform 2 to 3 rounds of this sequence, with a long break of 5 to 7 minutes between each round. The actual work volume should be between 2 and 7 minutes.
      4. Progression: To increase intensity, switch to 30 seconds of suspension followed by 30 seconds of rest. For the more experienced, try 40 seconds of suspension followed by 20 seconds of rest to increase forearm congestion.

           

          Is there a miracle exercise for fast climbing?

          There's no such thing as a miracle exercise for making rapid progress in climbing. What works for some will not necessarily be effective for others. The key lies in a balanced and diversified approach. It's important to understand your own needs and limits, and to have a training program that matches your objectives. Effective climbing training is based on perseverance, variety of exercises, and adaptation to your own abilities and weaknesses.

           

          Conclusion

          To optimize your climbing performance, training on hangboard is a key tool. The variety of exercises allows you to target specific skills such as finger strength, upper body power and endurance. By following a well-thought-out, structured training program, you can measure your progress and adjust your exercises to suit your goals.
          To get the most out of training on hangboard, plan your sessions carefully and focus on quality rather than quantity. Adapt exercises to your needs and alternate routines to ensure balanced progress. In this way, you'll optimize your performance while reducing the risk of injury.
          - Noé YDAIS
          Tagged: training adaptation endurance specific training training on hangboard climbing pull-ups finger strength training intensity hangboard climbing and beginner climber progression upper body power
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