Hangboard/Fingerboard Workout Ideas for Rock Climbers

Hi everyone!

Today I’m writing up a quick post to share some of the hang board workouts I’ve been doing recently.

I like to keep things simple and I prefer workouts that don’t take much time. These workout ideas can be scaled to your level and constructed to take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. I’ve really been enjoying these workouts as a quick and simple way to build finger fitness and I can already feel my finger strength coming back after only a couple of weeks.

IMPORTANT - with all finger training, please take care not to go too hard. I always limit myself to about 80% max effort (or less!) and I stop before failure. The idea is to leave enough fuel in the tank at the end of your sessions so that you can recover completely before the next one. I try hard when I’m on the wall and I use exercises as a supplement, but I always strive to save my max effort for when I am actually climbing. This strategy has allowed me to work as a full-time routesetter for 7 years with zero injuries.

Always remember that the fastest way to get stronger is to never get injured!!

I have been using the Eva Lopez hang board for these workouts which allows me to easily and gradually increase/decrease the size of edges I am hanging on. If you do not have access to this board or similar, just choose 3-5 grips that span the range of very easy-challenging for your body. I have also done versions of these workouts using the different sized campus rungs which are available in most gyms. The point is to find a way to incrementally ramp up and dial back the difficulty as needed.

Workout #1:
Descending/Ascending Repeaters
Good for: basic finger health and endurance

5 sec hang/5 sec rest for 1 minute (6 sets per minute)
Rest for 1 minute
Repeat, changing holds each set

Move to a smaller edge for each subsequent set until reaching your desired level and then begin moving back up in size every set until you return to the starting hold.

I start on an 18mm edge and move down in size every set until reaching 12mm. Then I begin moving back up each set until finishing on the 18mm edge.

So it looks like this: 18 - 16 - 14 - 12 - 14 - 16 - 18

If you can only hang comfortably on a few holds, you might go up and down several times as follows:
20 - 18 - 16 - 18 - 20 - 18 - 16 - 18 - 20
In this way, you are getting more volume in with less risk of straining yourself by using grips that are too small.

Especially if you are new to finger training, it will greatly benefit you to spend more time on easier grips than to crux out on challenging holds.

Since the hardest set is in the middle, you should focus on breathing deeply and minimizing energy expenditure as you ascend back up on better holds. If you’ve gauged the difficulty right, you should have full confidence in your ability to complete this workout. This is a great way to practice recovering after a crux section on the wall. Even though you are going deeper into the workout, you will find that you can get your body, breath, mind, and emotions to calm back down and be more efficient. This will come in very handy when you are climbing!

This is meant to be an easy-medium level workout so please use the appropriate holds for your current level. I liken this workout to a light or medium jog; it gets the blood flowing, gets me working a bit, but doesn’t fatigue or exhaust me. It feels like this really increases the actual health of my fingers and they almost always feel better the next time I’m on the wall. This is one of my go-to workouts for times when I am getting back into finger training after a break. If you make it too hard for yourself it will not have the intended result.

The main reason I use this workout is to increase my finger’s ability to handle a larger volume of training. This feels like it really helps acclimate my body to the training without exhausting or over-stressing anything.

Don’t underestimate the effect of going from climbing 3 days a week to climbing 3 days a week PLUS finger training twice. It’s actually a very large increase for your fingers.

Workout #2:
The Vanishing Edge
Good for: Finger strength, finger endurance

5 sec hang/5 sec off for 1 minute
Rest for 1 minute
Repeat on a smaller hold until you approach your limit

This is a more difficult workout that will actually improve your finger strength and ability to do harder crimp lines. I continue until it becomes quite hard, but before I actually start completely failing. I am nearing my limit but not crossing it.

For me this looks like: 18 - 16 - 14 - 12 - 10 - 9 - 8 - end

I would suggest you keep going smaller and smaller until you ALMOST fail a set and then stop there. This will allow you to gradually improve your strength over time, while minimizing the risk of injury. Depending on how hard your climbing session was that day, you may need to stop sooner during certain sessions. Listen to your body and take care of yourself.

How often should we train our fingers?

I would recommend that most people begin by training twice per week at a difficulty that they can complete comfortably. By working in a gentle and sustainable way for your body, you can continue to see progress steadily over a long period of time.

Stronger climbers might go through periods of training more/harder but personally, I much prefer to arrange my sessions so that I am climbing as much/hard as possible and then training fingers twice per week. I could train fingers more often but then my climbing sessions would have to be dialed back a bit and I prefer the opposite. Climbing is my priority and then I add in workouts that fit with whatever remaining strength/fitness I have left after climbing.

My top advice when starting any finger training program:

Acclimation is key! Your goal for the first few weeks is to complete all of your normal training and climbing while also ADDING in the hang board sessions. You need to allow time for your body to safely handle this increase in volume, which is why I recommend going lightly at first. Once you are certain that your body has adjusted to this additional load without feeling tweaky or weak, you can begin to increase the intensity in a systematic way. If you feel that your climbing is beginning to suffer at any point, take a break from the finger training and start again with easier workouts. You want to get stronger for climbing, not be too tired for it!

I hope this helps give you all ideas for your own training workouts and strategies. When done correctly, you will find that hang boarding will help your fingers eat crimps for breakfast! Best of luck to you on the wall and in your life.

Cheers