Hangboard Workouts

This blog was started mostly so I could document my training. I'll begin be explaining all of the things I do separately and finish with how they fit together into a "program". Its worth noting that I have no formal education in these matters, but I have spent a considerable amount of time reading training material for climbing and other sports in general. Also I've been involved in sports at a high level that have more systematic training than climbing: gymnastics and diving.

First of all which hangboard to I use. I started out with the Revolution "Hovah", then moved to a Moon Board, then I used a combination of the two plus a single small campus rung. Now and for the foreseeable future I'll be using the Beastmaker 2000.

When I do a a hangboard workout I use five main grips.

1. Back 2: ring and pinky finger.
2. Front 2: index and middle finger.
3. Middle 2: middle and ring finger.
4. Half Crimp
5. Sloper

I have 3 different types of workouts I do with the hangboard. I'll describe each.

Repeaters:

This is the main workout described on the Beastmaker website. 1 set of repeaters consists of hanging for 7 seconds, resting for 3 seconds, and repeating 7 times. Between each set I rest 2 minutes. I order the grips as follows:

1. Back 2 (7s+3s)x7, rest 2 minutes
2. Front 2 (7s+3s)x7, rest 2 minutes
3. Middle 2 (7s+3s)x7, rest 2 minutes
4. Half Crimp (7s+3s)x7, rest 2 minutes
5. Sloper (7s+3s)x7, rest 2 minutes

I'll do two rounds of repeaters per workout with some one arm pull-up work between(to be described later). If I make it through all 7 "reps" in a given grip during a workout I'll add 2 or 3 extra pounds the next workout. If I fail before the 5th rep I'll subtract weight next time. This is the hardest of all the fingerboard workouts I do.

Maximum Repeaters:

These are performed the same as repeaters except there are only 4 "reps" per set, and I rest 3 minutes between sets. This allows for more resistance in the form of more added weight, the use of a worse hold, or hanging with only one arm(with a pulley system for assistance). I order the grips like this(with notes how I increase resistance):

1. Back 2 (7s+3s)x4(smaller hold), rest 3 minutes
2. Front 2 (7s+3s)x4(smaller hold), rest 3 minutes
3. Middle 2 (7s+3s)x4(more weight), rest 3 minutes
4. Half Crimp (7s+3s)x4(one arm), rest 3 minutes
5. Sloper (7s+3s)x4(one arm), rest 3 minutes

As above I'll do two rounds of these with some one arm pull ups between. If I make it through 4 "reps" in any grip I'll add 2 or 3 pounds next time. If I fail on the 1st or 2nd hang I subtract weight.

Single Hangs

These are well named. I do 3 single hangs in every grip type with as much rest between as needed. Here I use enough resistance to fail within 5 seconds. I order the grips as follows(with increased resistance):

1. Middle 2 (small sloping pockets)
2. Front 2 (with more weight)
3. Back 2 (1 arm)
4. Half Crimp(1 arm and smaller holds)
5. Sloper(45 degree sloper: HARD)

Sometimes I add mono work to the single hang day. Currently only index finger monos, but in the past I've done middle and ring fingers too. If I perform any hang for 7 seconds I add more resistance to the next hang. I'll only do one round of this during the workout.

In upcoming posts I'll discuss my one arm pull up workouts , there are three of these that fit in with the three fingerboard workouts, campus board workouts, bouldering wall workouts, cross training, and how I train while climbing outside(bouldering and routes).

Routesetting

After visiting my local climbing gym (AIR) and finding there were not really any new problems since my last visit (around 2 weeks ago). I decided to save my $12 and not climb. This is a nice luxury given to me by the wall in my attic. I began wondering if it makes financial sense to hire a routesetter to cater to people wanting more difficult boulder problems. So we'll run the numbers.

Lets say the gym strives to set 4 new problems in the V7 and up range each week. This can be done by a skilled routesetter in about 2 hours. The question becomes: if the setter is paid $15 an hour(is this a good rate for this type of job) it means the gym has to earn $30 more each week to off-set the cost. Assuming the people who take advantage of this use a punch card(~$10/visit at AIR) the gym needs 3 extra people each week. This seems very reasonable to me.

So now the question becomes: Why do Albany area gyms not hire a routesetting team?

Purpose

This blog will seek to perform a variety of functions including but not limited to the following.

1. Discussion of training as it pertains to rock climbing.

2. Creation of a universal catalog of videos of climbs organized in a simple easy to use way. See my youtube page for a preview.

3. Updates from travel and daily life.