Max Hangs: How to Do Them Right
A max hang is a 10-second hang at a load you could hold about 3 seconds longer, repeated 3 to 5 times with 3 minutes of rest, twice a week for 4 to 8 weeks. It is the most studied way to build maximal finger strength.
Finger strength is the single best predictor of how hard you climb. In a 2025 study of 307 climbers, it explained 68% of the variance in climbing ability in men and 64% in women.
This article covers what the research says, the protocol step by step, and the mistakes that stall progress or hurt fingers.
What does the research show on max hangs?
Much of the research on max hangs comes from sports scientist and climber Eva López, who compared hangboard methods in controlled studies.
- Max hangs build strength fastest. In López’s 8-week comparison presented at the International Rock Climbing Research Congress, climbers doing max hangs for all eight weeks gained about 28% in maximal finger strength, against about 14% for intermittent hangs.
- They also help endurance, but less than intermittent work. In the published version with 26 advanced climbers, grip endurance rose 34% with max hangs and 45% with intermittent hangs, although the difference between the groups was not statistically significant.
- Heavy work is specific. A 2022 trial with 54 climbers found that 4 weeks of maximal hangs raised maximal finger strength by 14.3% but did not improve endurance. Hangs at 80% of maximum improved both: strength by 12.4%, and endurance as well.
- Real-world gains are smaller but real. A 2024 analysis of 526 climbers logging training in the Crimpd app found that max hangs improved strength-to-weight by 3.2% on average over 4 to 16 weeks, while climbing alone did not change it.
The gap between lab studies and app data is worth noticing. Controlled studies supervise every session and test carefully; real life has missed sessions, fatigue and guesswork about loads. Expect results closer to the second number if you train on your own.
How do you do a max hang?
This is the structure López used, adapted for climbers training on their own.
| Parameter | Setting |
|---|---|
| Edge | 18 to 20 mm, half crimp |
| Hang length | 10 seconds |
| Effort | Hard enough that you could hold about 3 more seconds |
| Rest between hangs | 3 minutes |
| Hangs per session | 3 to 5 |
| Sessions per week | 2, with at least 48 hours between |
| Block length | 4 to 8 weeks |
Max hangs are short and heavy, with long rests. Repeaters and no-hangs are drawn on the same time scale for comparison.
Warm up first. Ten to fifteen minutes of easy climbing or progressively harder hangs. Cold fingers are how pulleys get hurt.
Find your load. Start with bodyweight on your chosen edge. If you can hold it for 13 seconds or more, add weight with a belt, or take weight off with a pulley system if you cannot. The target is a 10-second hang with about 3 seconds left in reserve. Most people underestimate this on the first session and overestimate it on the second, so adjust after every hang.
Keep the grip honest. Same edge, same grip, shoulders engaged, arms straight but not locked. If your grip opens up or you start to shake at second 6, the load is too high.
Max hangs use a half crimp, in the middle: the middle joint, marked in green, at about 90°.
Progress slowly. When the last hang of a session feels easy, add 1 to 2 kg next session. Gains come in steps, not every week.
Added weight or smaller edges?
There are two ways to make a hang harder: add weight, or use a smaller edge. In a small 2012 study of nine elite climbers, López found that starting with added weight on an 18 mm edge and then moving to smaller edges gave larger strength and endurance gains than the reverse order, although with so few climbers the differences were not statistically significant. Added weight on a medium edge is also easier to progress in small, measurable steps, and it is gentler on skin and joints than tiny edges.
Who should do max hangs?
Max hangs load the finger tendons and pulleys heavily. They suit climbers who:
- have been climbing regularly for a couple of years and can already hang a 20 mm edge comfortably,
- have no current finger pain or recent pulley injury,
- can commit to two sessions a week for at least four weeks.
If you are newer to climbing, climbing itself will build finger strength for a long time. Lower-intensity options like no-hangs or repeaters at modest loads are a gentler start.
Common mistakes
- Training to failure. The 3-second margin matters. Hanging until you drop turns a strength session into a fatigue session and raises injury risk.
- Short rests. Three minutes feels long. Cutting it shortens the next hang and changes the training effect toward endurance.
- Changing everything at once. Keep the edge, grip and hang length fixed for the whole block so you can tell whether you are getting stronger.
- Stacking with limit bouldering. Max hangs and hard bouldering on the same day add up. Put max hangs at the start of a session, after the warm-up, and keep the rest of the day moderate.
How do you know your max hang load?
The hardest part of max hangs is knowing your load. A weight belt tells you what you added, not how hard you pulled, and the right load changes with your day. Measuring force takes the guessing out: a load cell or a force plate shows your actual pull, so you can set each hang as a percentage of your maximum and see progress in numbers rather than feel.
With a ground force plate such as Entralpi, you stand on the plate and hang from your usual board; the drop in your weight is the force your fingers are holding. You can test your maximum at the start of a block, then train each hang at a target percentage without a weight belt. Our finger strength testing guide explains how to run the test.
More on finger strength: how long to hang, min edge vs added weight and no-hangs.
Do this in Entralpi
The max strength test measures your max (Take a test). Type it in Settings (Profile, then Settings, under Physical profile) and you can set each hang as a percentage of it. Choose a workout from the Train tab or build your own with loads in % max. Without the plate, the timer runs the session but measures no force.
Sources
- Berta P, et al. (2025). Validity and normative scores of finger flexor strength and endurance tests. Journal of Sports Sciences, 43(3).
- López-Rivera E, González-Badillo JJ (2019). Comparison of the effects of three hangboard strength and endurance training programs on grip endurance in sport climbers. Journal of Human Kinetics, 66.
- López-Rivera E, González-Badillo JJ (2012). The effects of two maximum grip strength training methods using the same effort duration and different edge depth on grip endurance in elite climbers. Sports Technology, 5(3–4).
- López-Rivera E (2018). Maximal hangs, intermittent hangs or a combination (summary of the 2016 IRCRA congress study).
- Devise M, et al. (2022). Effects of different hangboard training intensities on finger grip strength, stamina, and endurance. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.
- Gilmore NK, et al. (2024). Effects of different loading programs on finger strength in rock climbers. Sports Medicine – Open.
