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Intro to Hangboard, my story

reboot · · . · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 125
Tom Sherman wrote:And in seven seconds I can't: take my hands off, shake them once, and get them back on the board. Let alone trying to chalk. But literally, seeing the screen flash and telling myself to put my feet down, take hands off, lower them below my heart, quick shake, raise them back up and get them aligned where I want on the board. It's seven seconds strong and seems rushed.
That's what happens when you mount your board high instead of easily accessible level. You'll get better at it & 5 seconds should be plenty (but not enough time to chalk & shake). I sort of like Dan Mirsky's 8/5 interval as you squeeze 5 reps in exactly 1 minute, although it takes a bit to remember the start/rest points.

I don't like 3 sec rest; there isn't any time to low the arm, let alone chalk. I end up hovering around the hold for the rest duration. All the videos I've seen of people supposedly do 7/3 intervals end up looking like they rest at least 5 seconds.
Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974

Just wait till you are doing 7 on 3 off!

No time to chalk.
Drop arms to sides, simultaneous quick shake and deep breath, reposition fingers, hang!

Only works if board is low enough to reach holds while standing on ground. Or you could use a sturdy box I guess.

Ken Noyce · · Layton, UT · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 2,648
reboot wrote: That's what happens when you mount your board high instead of easily accessible level. You'll get better at it & 5 seconds should be plenty (but not enough time to chalk & shake). I sort of like Dan Mirsky's 8/5 interval as you squeeze 5 reps in exactly 1 minute, although it takes a bit to remember the start/rest points. I don't like 3 sec rest; there isn't any time to low the arm, let alone chalk. I end up hovering around the hold for the rest duration. All the videos I've seen of people supposedly do 7/3 intervals end up looking like they rest at least 5 seconds.
I definitely do 7/3 intervals and don't rest any longer than 3, but you are correct that there isn't time to chalk between hangs. The most I ever get is a 1 second shake because I need 2 seconds to get my hands back on the board and aligned correctly, but I generally don't really even take my hands off the holds during my rest, I just release all pressure on them. By the last couple of reps of the last holds in my workout I will start to do the quick 1 second shake, but that's it.

The key for me to not have to chalk up is to make sure and have a fan blowing on my hands as I hangboard. Also, I use the RPTC and adjust the width of each hold which does speed up the process of getting my hands back on the board since I generally don't even have to look at them to do it. They just go where they naturally want to go, and I just have to remember how high up to grab for that particular hold.

I like the 7/3 intervals mostly because I do 6 reps per set and I just always start on the 10 second mark on my digital timer, makes it really easy to remember.
Nick Leuck · · Evergreen, CO · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 20

I'm new at this too and interested in the replies (and I have the same board) so my advise is probably going to be incorrect... instead of a pulley system, I stand on a step stool and split the appropriate amount of body weight between the board and my feet. I understand and share your desire to not commit to installing pulleys, bolts, and ropes around the door frame.

I also want to piggy-back off your post with another general question. How does one warm up for a home hangboard? I specify "home" to explain that I can't traverse for a few minutes or climb easy routes. I'm always afraid of injuring myself on that thing without a proper warm-up.

Ben Circello · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 95
Tom Sherman wrote:So just throwing some my 2¢ around... You guys told me do 10secs on, 5secs off etc. I typed it into my interval timer as 7sec rests because I thought 5 seemed ridic. And in seven seconds I can't: take my hands off, shake them once, and get them back on the board. Let alone trying to chalk. But literally, seeing the screen flash and telling myself to put my feet down, take hands off, lower them below my heart, quick shake, raise them back up and get them aligned where I want on the board. It's seven seconds strong and seems rushed. Are you guys advocating the 5 sec rests, timing yourself how I am or just eyeballin' a clock?
I do the 7/3 rotation on a RPTC board. And a lot of my observations mirror others (hovering around the hold, etc). Some tips that I have found helpful for maximizing the rest.

- I use some random Tabata app for the cycles. The key thing is it has audio cues for loading/rest, and for some reason I find this easier than staring at a timer.

- I hover my hands above the hold I am using, wiggle my fingers, and get all my weight off the hands. Half-way through the set I will bring my arms down with a big swing and shrug, just to get some fresh blood into my shoulders/arms.

-For the holds higher on the board (sloper/pinch), I use a small step up to reach easily from the ground.

For the pinch and the hateful crimp, I actually try to minimize finger re-adjustment. I find these holds to have a high friction and condition dependence aspect to them. They seem to slime up with off/on cycles and I perform worse with more adjustment.
Micah Klesick · · Charlotte, NC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 3,971

I do a 7 sec on, 3 sec off, and its perfect amount of time IMO. It takes about 2-3 seconds for your fingers to recover about 80-90% of their strength from before the 7sec hang. I have a workout timer set to do 7 sets of 7sec on, 3 off, then take a 3 min break. When the 7sec buzzer goes off, I put my weight onto the hold, then when the 3 sec rest buzzer goes, I lift my fingers up, and then repeat when the 7 sec buzzer goes off. You aren't supposed to be shaking your fingers, or chalking up. The whole point is to stress the muscles. You shake during the 3 min break between sets. Same concept with 10 sec on, 5 sec off.

Rui Ferreira · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2003 · Points: 903
Nick Leuck wrote:How does one warm up for a home hangboard? I specify "home" to explain that I can't traverse for a few minutes or climb easy routes. I'm always afraid of injuring myself on that thing without a proper warm-up.
Without any climbing facilities at home I recommend that you start with mobility drills for the shoulders as they are important for hangboarding (Eric Cressey has videos on these), then you can do some general band resistance shoulder external and internal rotations with elbows bent at 90-degrees next to your hips and wrists fixed throughout the range of motion. Follow this up with some push-ups, pull-ups and/or inverted rows. Finally do some light weight wrist curls and other similar exercises to warm up your forearms. To
"warm-up" the fingers hold different hangboard holds and grip for one or two seconds, with feet on the ground. I also like doing finger extensions with rubber bands or hold/pinch weights for 20 seconds or so.

This routine should take about 15 minutes and then you are ready to start with the actual hangboard routine. I recommend starting with a set on jug holds to get your nervous system activated for hanging on smaller tougher holds.
Ken Noyce · · Layton, UT · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 2,648
Ben Circello wrote: I find these holds to have a high friction and condition dependence aspect to them. They seem to slime up with off/on cycles and I perform worse with more adjustment.
Yes, I certainly agree with this point!
Nick Leuck · · Evergreen, CO · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 20
Rui Ferreira wrote: Without any climbing facilities at home I recommend that you start with mobility drills for the shoulders as they are important for hangboarding (Eric Cressey has videos on these), then you can do some general band resistance shoulder external and internal rotations with elbows bent at 90-degrees next to your hips and wrists fixed throughout the range of motion. Follow this up with some push-ups, pull-ups and/or inverted rows. Finally do some light weight wrist curls and other similar exercises to warm up your forearms. To "warm-up" the fingers hold different hangboard holds and grip for one or two seconds, with feet on the ground. I also like doing finger extensions with rubber bands or hold/pinch weights for 20 seconds or so. This routine should take about 15 minutes and then you are ready to start with the actual hangboard routine. I recommend starting with a set on jug holds to get your nervous system activated for hanging on smaller tougher holds.
Awesome, thanks!
Will S · · Joshua Tree · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 1,061
Micah Klesick wrote:. You aren't supposed to be shaking your fingers, or chalking up. The whole point is to stress the muscles.
Yes, the whole point is to stress the muscles, which you can't do if you slide off the board and don't get your reps done.

You may be using holds big enough that you don't need to chalk between any reps. I don't bother chalking on my warmup sets. But for me, particularly on very small edges and on difficult pinches, chalking once (usually after the 3rd rep) is almost mandatory.

I personally feel I got a better training effect from 10/5, even without taking the need for >3sec to chalk into account. I did sets of 5 or 6 reps @ 10/5 for maybe 4 years, 7/3 for 6 reps for about 3 years, and max singles for a couple cycles.

I have a few cuts of 2x8 under my board to use as a step. I can stack them or just use one, or none and those options let me be able to grab any hold on the board at slightly under full arm extension. Even so, unless I am chalking, I release and hover my hands over the hold. Sometimes I don't even move the fingers off the hold, just take weight back onto my feet and release pressure. That seems to help a lot of things, less need to chalk, less fiddling with positioning to get the feel right.
slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103
Micah Klesick wrote:... You aren't supposed to be shaking your fingers, or chalking up. The whole point is to stress the muscles. You shake during the 3 min break between sets. Same concept with 10 sec on, 5 sec off.
i don't necessarily agree with this - i think you will have more consistent workouts throughout your cycle(s) if you can manage to chalk/shake when possible.

i used to always just do 5 sec on 5 sec off, so that i could quickly chalk between reps. i wore 2 chalk bags in front of me to help facilitate this.

my current HB cycle, i am doing some sets of the 7 sec on, 3 sec off (as well as 6 sec on, 4 sec off). to be able to chalk really quickly in the 3 second windows, i have added some small hooks to my hangboard structure, just below and outside of the hangboard. this allows me to hang chalk balls here, and i am able to move my hands about 6-10 inches, chalk, and re-set my fingers for the next rep.

hope this helps.
Jason Antin · · Golden, CO · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,375
Mark Paulson wrote:If you're serious about hangboarding, it would behoove you to install a pulley system .....
I found this to be more helpful than anticipated -

J
Ken Noyce · · Layton, UT · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 2,648
slim wrote:... i have added some small hooks to my hangboard structure, just below and outside of the hangboard. this allows me to hang chalk balls here, and i am able to move my hands about 6-10 inches, chalk, and re-set my fingers for the next rep. hope this helps.
Nice thinking! I'm going to have to add this setup to my hangboard.
slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

man, i wish i had done it a long time ago. my first couple workouts i would put the chalk balls back in my chalk bags for the 5 on 5 off sets. then i figured, why bother, might as well just leave them up.

super cheap too, you can get the little hooks for probably a dollar or so. also, your hands never go inside a chalk bag (which is generally kind of warm, and sometimes takes away from the benefit of chalking).

Micah Klesick · · Charlotte, NC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 3,971
Will S wrote: Yes, the whole point is to stress the muscles, which you can't do if you slide off the board and don't get your reps done. You may be using holds big enough that you don't need to chalk between any reps. I don't bother chalking on my warmup sets. But for me, particularly on very small edges and on difficult pinches, chalking once (usually after the 3rd rep) is almost mandatory. I personally feel I got a better training effect from 10/5, even without taking the need for >3sec to chalk into account. I did sets of 5 or 6 reps @ 10/5 for maybe 4 years, 7/3 for 6 reps for about 3 years, and max singles for a couple cycles. I have a few cuts of 2x8 under my board to use as a step. I can stack them or just use one, or none and those options let me be able to grab any hold on the board at slightly under full arm extension. Even so, unless I am chalking, I release and hover my hands over the hold. Sometimes I don't even move the fingers off the hold, just take weight back onto my feet and release pressure. That seems to help a lot of things, less need to chalk, less fiddling with positioning to get the feel right.
Interesting. My current "difficult" holds are only 1/3 pad deep, so I might not be doing small enough holds to make that an issue yet. I've found that having a large fan hanging right behind me and the smaller fan blowing along the side of the board seems to keep the board cooler, and keeps my fingers pretty dry. Even with the pinch I haven't had an issue with needing to chalk yet. I definitely agree that on the smaller holds, not releasing your fingers from contacting the board is a good method to help complete the sets. I also brush the board really well between sets to get rid of prior chalk and sweat.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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