Hangboard Training for grip?

[AdriaanRobert96]

So the question asked is if hangboard training in any possible way helps grip strength?

I know it’s a lot of open hand and finger strength but I am looking to maximize my hand strength on every single level.

Thanks

[Blacksmith513]

1 hour ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

So the question asked is if hangboard training in any possible way helps grip strength?

I know it’s a lot of open hand and finger strength but I am looking to maximize my hand strength on every single level.

Thanks

I think they will make your fingers stronger, which I’m sure will help with grip.  But I don’t think it will make you specifically stronger on any lift.

Be careful with them. I’ve been told that new climbers should climb for a year before using one. 
 

Honestly, pick 2 or 3 lifts/goals and focus on them. Don’t have too many irons in the fire.

[Climber028]

There's not a good enough benefit for a non-climber and the risk of injury is higher than most all other implements. If you're not climbing there's no need, you can just use things like the tips tester or the stirrup to accomplish similar strengths but even those aren't necessary to be extremely strong. 

[climber511]

62 years using weights - 20 years in grip sport - and 40 years as a climber - so take this as you wish.  Skip the hangboard (especially if you are larger) and train the widest variety of implements you have access to.  Becoming well rounded should be the goal.  And be very careful with my Tips Tester invention - read up on "pulley tears".  You never know what might be in the next competition so specializing is not a good idea until you have spent a lot of time developing your "base".  

Edited November 11, 2022 by climber511

[AdriaanRobert96]

4 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

I think they will make your fingers stronger, which I’m sure will help with grip.  But I don’t think it will make you specifically stronger on any lift.

Be careful with them. I’ve been told that new climbers should climb for a year before using one. 
 

Honestly, pick 2 or 3 lifts/goals and focus on them. Don’t have too many irons in the fire.

It makes a lot of sense, altho I become very obsessive about grip strength for some reason so that’s why I wanna do it all

I will keep your advice in mind, thanks a lot legend

[AdriaanRobert96]

3 hours ago, Climber028 said:

There's not a good enough benefit for a non-climber and the risk of injury is higher than most all other implements. If you're not climbing there's no need, you can just use things like the tips tester or the stirrup to accomplish similar strengths but even those aren't necessary to be extremely strong. 

Coming from a climber I see, well I truly appreciate any advice I can get and I am thankful for it.

It just so happens that I wanted to upgrade my grip tool library so to speak and wanted to find something new and exciting.

Altho like you said, I’ve read that the injury risk is very high.

I will definitely look into the stirrup and tips tester

Thanks bud!

[AdriaanRobert96]

3 hours ago, climber511 said:

62 years using weights - 20 years in grip sport - and 40 years as a climber - so take this as you wish.  Skip the hangboard (especially if you are larger) and train the widest variety of implements you have access to.  Becoming well rounded should be the goal.  And be very careful with my Tips Tester invention - read up on "pulley tears".  You never know what might be in the next competition so specializing is not a good idea until you have spent a lot of time developing your "base".  

Well rounded is the goal, hence me wanting to try on the hangboard and expand my exercise selection etc..

With this said, I’ve read before that the risk of injury is very high so I will definitely keep in mind what you said

Also with the risk of being too much, what would you consider a good base?

I am 6 foot 248lbs so I guess hangboard is out of the equation

[Blacksmith513]

18 minutes ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

It makes a lot of sense, altho I become very obsessive about grip strength for some reason so that’s why I wanna do it all

I will keep your advice in mind, thanks a lot legend

Thank you for the kind words but I’m very very far from being a legend.

 

[Climber028]

1 hour ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

I am 6 foot 248lbs so I guess hangboard is out of the equation

It's not put of the question, many climbers could add weight via a vest or a harness up to 250lbs and use a hangboard without any injury risk, it is just a journey that will take years of dedication, all for no noticeable results in general grip strength. The right way to do it if you truly wanted to is to use a pulley system and harness to decrease your weight, then extremely gradually decrease the assistance overtime, many years. And all this effort will get you... nothing relevant for gripsport or general hand strength. The return on investment is just too low for someone who doesn't have climbing or bodyweight specific goals. 

[climber511]

2 hours ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

Well rounded is the goal, hence me wanting to try on the hangboard and expand my exercise selection etc..

With this said, I’ve read before that the risk of injury is very high so I will definitely keep in mind what you said

Also with the risk of being too much, what would you consider a good base?

I am 6 foot 248lbs so I guess hangboard is out of the equation

At 248# I would NOT hangboard - but that said hanging from a bar should be good as would farmers walks.  I hate to say anyone should aim for certain weight on a given lift without knowing a little about other weights you can use.  I would think different goals for a 248# serious powerlifter than an office worker who hasn't lifted. but wrist curls - reverse wrist curls - wrist curls behind the back and reverse curls plus some sledge levering for perhaps a month or so would be a good very start and what I have recommended for years to new gripsters.  I know that's not the "popular" movements but I am a big believer in the "injury proofing" that his gives before starting in on grippers - various width pinches - different size fat bars etc.  I would hold off on bending for a little while also.  Give me a little history and I'll try to give you some standards so to speak.

[AdriaanRobert96]

29 minutes ago, climber511 said:

At 248# I would NOT hangboard - but that said hanging from a bar should be good as would farmers walks.  I hate to say anyone should aim for certain weight on a given lift without knowing a little about other weights you can use.  I would think different goals for a 248# serious powerlifter than an office worker who hasn't lifted. but wrist curls - reverse wrist curls - wrist curls behind the back and reverse curls plus some sledge levering for perhaps a month or so would be a good very start and what I have recommended for years to new gripsters.  I know that's not the "popular" movements but I am a big believer in the "injury proofing" that his gives before starting in on grippers - various width pinches - different size fat bars etc.  I would hold off on bending for a little while also.  Give me a little history and I'll try to give you some standards so to speak.

So this is basically my “athletic” background ..

So I’ve been into Muay Thai, Boxing, 60, 100 and 400m, and gym on and off from 13-16..

From 16-26 (current time) I’ve done serious strength work/ fitness.

Grip strength I’ve only done on and off for a year or so but got serious about it the last 3 months maybe.

I am 1cm off of closing the Captains of Crush #3.5, I can No Set and CCS a hard #3.

My rolling thunder is at 100kg on the spot and my pinch grip is very mediocre for some reason.

Before my current job I was into IT (Web Designer/ Developer), shortly I was a Full-Stack Developer but that literally drained me.

Always being an active person makes it hard to sit at the PC for 8+ hrs a day..

My work now is pretty much like area administrator (which is basically like a janitor I think) which takes care of a whole part of the area we live in.

Plants, grass, the apartments/ houses, electricity and even landscaping and small renovations.

That’s my background and work very briefly..

Edited November 11, 2022 by AdriaanRobert96
typo

[AdriaanRobert96]

2 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Thank you for the kind words but I’m very very far from being a legend.

 

How some see us if very different from how we see ourselves

 

[AdriaanRobert96]

1 hour ago, Climber028 said:

It's not put of the question, many climbers could add weight via a vest or a harness up to 250lbs and use a hangboard without any injury risk, it is just a journey that will take years of dedication, all for no noticeable results in general grip strength. The right way to do it if you truly wanted to is to use a pulley system and harness to decrease your weight, then extremely gradually decrease the assistance overtime, many years. And all this effort will get you... nothing relevant for gripsport or general hand strength. The return on investment is just too low for someone who doesn't have climbing or bodyweight specific goals. 

Well I know very little about anything when it comes to climbing altho I could’ve sworn I’ve seen lots of climbers performing very well at a lot of grip implements, one name that comes to mind is Yvea Gravelle which weighs at 66kg I believe and does insane grip feats

[Climber028]

25 minutes ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

Well I know very little about anything when it comes to climbing altho I could’ve sworn I’ve seen lots of climbers performing very well at a lot of grip implements, one name that comes to mind is Yvea Gravelle which weighs at 66kg I believe and does insane grip feats

Yves is an extreme outlier and is much stronger than most climbers especially in the typical gripsport lifts. I've tested many climbers and some put up phenomenal numbers on pinch implements or thick bar, some can't even close a CoC 1 gripper so the variation is all over the place which makes sense since climbing is a very technical sport and not strictly a measure of your hand strength. There's even many experienced climbers who perform well but literally cannot do a single pull up, just on a regular bar which I still find surprising even after seeing it often. 

[AdriaanRobert96]

6 hours ago, Climber028 said:

Yves is an extreme outlier and is much stronger than most climbers especially in the typical gripsport lifts. I've tested many climbers and some put up phenomenal numbers on pinch implements or thick bar, some can't even close a CoC 1 gripper so the variation is all over the place which makes sense since climbing is a very technical sport and not strictly a measure of your hand strength. There's even many experienced climbers who perform well but literally cannot do a single pull up, just on a regular bar which I still find surprising even after seeing it often. 

Yeah that’s true about Yves, but not a single pull up?

Very odd for sure, yeah that’s something I’ve noticed that open hand thick bar stuff seems to work well for some climbers.

Probably because of all the open hand strength from climbing?

[Dylan]

 

Does something for hand ligaments and finger fascia, ligaments and tendons at least. Having fingers engage can be very useful though.

Edited November 12, 2022 by Dylan

[Climber028]

Those are great techniques, but still too advanced for a non-climber. I would just make a jumbo fake hangboard, something like a 2x4 or 2x3 sized where you can have a good ledge but still make it more difficult than a bar. You could spend a long time working with something that simple and slowly build up the required strength without putting too much stress on the tip of your fingers which is going to be their weakest spot. 

[climber511]

I'm not training for competitions or feats anymore so I am viewing things with respect to carryover to other things and addressing personal weaknesses.  There's very little carryover from the things we do for gripsport to climbing or the reverse.  I really wanted there to be but there just wasn't - at least for me.  And it's highly personal as to those things one is just naturally good at - the things you suck at - and any relationship to climbing.  Your grip strength is already at pretty darn high levels - what events are you wanting to bring up or which do you see at your weaknesses?  Maybe list out where you are and where you want to be - then you'll know where to focus.  Also assess the risk factor of certain lifts - hangboard - tips tester etc. carry a higher risk than most other things we all train.  Blowing a finger pulley is kind of a big deal.

[Dylan]

20 hours ago, climber511 said:

I'm not training for competitions or feats anymore so I am viewing things with respect to carryover to other things and addressing personal weaknesses.  There's very little carryover from the things we do for gripsport to climbing or the reverse.  I really wanted there to be but there just wasn't - at least for me.  And it's highly personal as to those things one is just naturally good at - the things you suck at - and any relationship to climbing.  Your grip strength is already at pretty darn high levels - what events are you wanting to bring up or which do you see at your weaknesses?  Maybe list out where you are and where you want to be - then you'll know where to focus.  Also assess the risk factor of certain lifts - hangboard - tips tester etc. carry a higher risk than most other things we all train.  Blowing a finger pulley is kind of a big deal.

A number of climbers did very well on grip feats in a jujimufu video, so you were probably already well-trained on everything except hangboard and some climbing aspects, before moving to climbing. "You're as strong as your weakest link" probably best applies here. For most people I think there's a lot to gain.

https://youtu.be/7oYeKKQRT48

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Dylan
changed to link; reworded a little

[Blacksmith513]

22 hours ago, climber511 said:

I'm not training for competitions or feats anymore so I am viewing things with respect to carryover to other things and addressing personal weaknesses.  There's very little carryover from the things we do for gripsport to climbing or the reverse.  I really wanted there to be but there just wasn't - at least for me.  And it's highly personal as to those things one is just naturally good at - the things you suck at - and any relationship to climbing.  Your grip strength is already at pretty darn high levels - what events are you wanting to bring up or which do you see at your weaknesses?  Maybe list out where you are and where you want to be - then you'll know where to focus.  Also assess the risk factor of certain lifts - hangboard - tips tester etc. carry a higher risk than most other things we all train.  Blowing a finger pulley is kind of a big deal.

Listen to climber511...... and climber028 for that matter.

I'm not a legend, despite the compliment. Chris Rice is a legend and pioneer.

You heard him, your grip is already really good.  

If you have extra money, I recommend hiring Jedd, or if there is another coach you fancy hire them.. But i've learned so much since getting him as my coach in July and have some direction and focus.

I've learned (at least for me) grip training is a long slow journey. Look at Adam T Glass, as strong as he is and can do hand 2 hand passes with the inch, among many other crazy feats.... He is just now doing h2h with the 200lbs...  Thats only a 25-30lbs jump, which would be relatively nothing to add to a deadlift of bench.