ClimberMayJune2020

68 may–jun 2020 http://www.climber.co.uk

We are specifically looking at how a total beginner to

hangboarding can use it to develop finger strength. As

stronger fingers help us use smaller holds, linger longer

on holds, recover on smaller holds and have more

stamina. It can also help the biceps, shoulder and core.

For around £80 you can set yourself up with a home

training facility. Even if you don’t have a hangboard at

home using one at the wall for a session a week will help

you focus specifically on developing finger strength.

NEUROLOGICAL VERSUS STRUCTURAL

ADAPTATIONS TO STRENGTH

Neurological adaptation comes down to the nerve signal

strength from the brain to the muscle, the synchronisation

of the muscles firing and the number of muscle fibres that

are recruited for the contraction. These can be improved in

a very short period of time when hangboarding. As quickly

as a couple of sessions to a couple of weeks.

Structural adaptations are the muscle size, capillarisation,

the ability to source, store or replace energy and the enzymes

that help these pathways. To achieve this hangboarding we

need more volume, shorter rests and more sets. It takes six

or more weeks of training to improve this aspect of strength.

You will benefit more from the neurological improve-

ments initially and once you have these move on to

structural improvements.

WARMING UP

This is essential for such intense work-outs to avoid injury,

especially if you are doing them at home where warming up

the fingers ready for climbing is quite hard.

1. A pulse raise – running on the spot for three minutes with arm
   swings and finger mobility exercises.


2. Three to four sets of five to eight gentle pull-ups on jugs with
   feet up on a chair with a one-minute rest (gradually reduce the
   weight the feet are taking over the three to four sets).


3. Protocol specific warm-up – warm-ups for each protocol below.

GRIP TYPE

Generally, at first, we recommended that you only use an open

crimp when you are doing hangboard training because it is the

friendliest grip type for the tendons, ligaments and pulleys. There

is a growing thought that as hangboarding is so closed and specific

that instead we should cycle through a variety of hold types

starting with the open crimp, then onto the full crimp, before

finishing on the half crimp. This is to stop us ‘losing’ the strength

in the half or full crimp which are much more common grips in

‘real climbing’. If you do mix it up the best order is open, full and

then half crimp. The more friendly open crimp helps us warm up,

then we use the most aggressive full crimp whilst we are warmed

up but still fresh. We then finish on the half crimp as it is arguably

the strongest grip. If you are totally new to hangboarding it may

be better to wait a month or more before adding the full crimp. 6

HANGBOARDING FOR

FINGER STRENGTH

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE by mark Reeves

the climbeR’s coach

the fingers are arguably the weakest link in our bodies when we climb, with

our digits never really evolving to hold bodyweight. Whilst climbing and

bouldering specifically can help focus on our finger strength. one way to

developing finger strength is hangboarding, which isolates the finger in an

easy-to-manage way that can help both short and long-term gains, it is

though just a small piece of a much larger jigsaw that is training for climbing.