Climbing training: 5 exercises to improve your hangboard skills

Why train on a climbing hangboard ?

The climbing traininghangboard is an indispensable tool for building up your finger muscles, strengthening your grip and improving your blocking on holds. Unlike a classic indoor or climbing session, training on a climbing hangboard allows you to work specifically on your strength and stamina in the most technical grips.

Are you looking to improve your bouldering skills or stay longer on long routes? These exercises will help you strengthen your forearms, improve your hold on small holds, and avoid involuntary finger openings.

VERTICALBOARD ONE | VERTICALBOARD EVO | VERTICALBOARD FIRST | VERTICALBOARD LIGHT

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Exercise 1: 2 by 2 - Improve your finger motor skills and endurance

The 2 par 2 is perfect for finalizing your warm-up and refining your finger coordination. It also helps you activate your muscles gradually, without tiring them too quickly.

How do you do it?

1. Get a comfortable grip on your climbing traininghangboard by applying light tension (~5 kg).
2. Alternate your fingers maintaining tension :
   • Index + middle finger
   • Index + ring finger
   • Ring finger + little finger
3. Go back following the same pattern.
4. Complete the round trip with all four fingers.

📝 Recommended routine :

• 3 round trips per hand
• 3 sets with 1 min 30 rest between each

💡 Tip: This exercise is ideal for gradually building up your fingers and improving your hold on long routes or bouldering.

VERTICALBOARD ONE | VERTICALBOARD EVO | VERTICALBOARD FIRST | VERTICALBOARD LIGHT

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Exercise 2: Develop your finger strength

If you want to progress in climbing, you need to work on your finger strength to hold the most demanding holds. This exercise strengthens your flexor muscles and improves your ability to hold on longer.

How do you do it?

1. Choose a grip that is difficult but can be held for at least 6 seconds.
2. Suspend yourself completely, keeping your shoulders engaged.
3. Hold the position for 6 seconds, then release.
4. Rest for 1 min before starting again.

📝 Recommended routine :

• 3 repetitions of 6 seconds
• 1 min rest between each

💡 Tip: Alternate between semi-arched and stretched to strengthen your fingers without hurting yourself.

VERTICALBOARD ONE | VERTICALBOARD EVO | VERTICALBOARD FIRST | VERTICALBOARD LIGHT

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Exercise 3: Develop your explosiveness with contact force

To excel in bouldering, you need to be able to activate your muscles very quickly. This exercise will boost your tensile strength, ideal for successful dynamic movements such as throws.

How do you do it?

1. Get a comfortable grip on your climbing training hangboard .
2. Pull on it as fast as you can, as if you wanted to bring the hangboard towards you.
3. Stabilizes for 1 second, then releases.
4. Alternate arms and repeat 10 times on each side.

📝 Recommended routine :

• 10 repetitions per arm
• 3 sets with 2 min rest between each
• Increase the difficulty by taking smaller grips with each series.

💡 Tip: This exercise is top for improving your quick blocks and helping you better manage throws and dynamic movements.

VERTICALBOARD ONE | VERTICALBOARD EVO | VERTICALBOARD FIRST | VERTICALBOARD LIGHT

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Exercise 4: Strengthen your resistance with blocks

Isometric work is a great way to gain stability and hold on holds. This exercise will help you last longer on difficult moves and better control your climbing posture.

How do you do it?

1. Choose two solid sockets (tubs recommended).
2. Pull up until you reach the angle indicated at the elbows.
3. Hold the position without moving for the time indicated.

📝 Recommended routine :

• Set 1: 5 seconds of blocking at 120°, then 2 min rest
• Set 2: 5 seconds of blocking at 90°, then 2 min rest
• Set 3: 5 seconds of blocking at 45°, then 2 min rest
• Finale: 3 explosive pull-ups to end the exercise

💡 Tip: If it's too hard, use a rubber band to take the weight off and progress smoothly.

VERTICALBOARD ONE | VERTICALBOARD EVO | VERTICALBOARD FIRST | VERTICALBOARD LIGHT

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Exercise 5: The gripping pyramid - A fun, progressive challenge

If you're looking for a fun and effective exercise to add to your warm-up, the grip pyramid is perfect! This challenge consists in linking pull-ups without pause, going from the easiest to the most difficult holds.

How do you do it?

1. Take an easy grip and do a full pull.
2. Move immediately to a more difficult catch.
3. Continue until you reach the hardest possible grip.

📝 Recommended routine :

• 1 pull on each grip, from the best to the hardest
• 1 single cycle, to be completed alone or in competition with a friend

💡 Tip: If the exercise becomes too hard, use an Elastic Band ⬈ to take the weight off and keep your technique up.

VERTICALBOARD ONE | VERTICALBOARD EVO | VERTICALBOARD FIRST | VERTICALBOARD LIGHT

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Incorporate these exercises into your climbing workout

hangboard climbing training is a great way to build finger strength, improve explosiveness and increase muscular endurance. By adding these exercises to your program, you'll progress faster and reduce the risk of injury.

🔥 S ummary:
✅ Refine your coordination with the 2 by 2
✅ Develop your finger strength with the suspensions
✅ Boost your explosiveness with the contact force
✅ Improve your posture with the blocks
✅ Challenge yourself with the gripping pyramid

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