Does Hangboarding Work?
Yes for finger strength and endurance, and probably for climbing performance. A 2023 meta-analysis of 11 studies and 225 climbers found that adding finger or resistance training beat climbing alone for finger strength, rate of force development and forearm endurance, though the studies were small.
“Just climb more” is common advice, and for a beginner it is good advice. But for climbers who already climb a lot, does adding a hangboard actually make a difference? Here is what the research shows, including where it is still thin.
What is the short answer?
Yes for finger strength and endurance, with consistent results from small trials. Probably yes for climbing performance, with weaker evidence.
What does the meta-analysis say?
A 2023 systematic review in Biology of Sport gathered 11 studies with 225 climbers that compared resistance training, including fingerboard and campus-board work, with climbing alone. Pooling the comparable studies:
| Outcome | Effect of adding finger or resistance training | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Finger strength | Better than climbing alone | Small to moderate (0.41) |
| Rate of force development | Better than climbing alone | Large (0.91) |
| Forearm endurance | Better than climbing alone | Large (1.23) |
| Climbing performance | Mixed results, not pooled | Unclear |
The authors flagged the weaknesses of the evidence: small samples, no blinding in any study, and only one of the five pooled studies with an adequate sample size. Their conclusion: resistance training “may be more effective” than climbing alone.
What do the best individual studies show?
- Randomized trial, 2021. Climbers new to hangboarding who added weight progressively over 8 weeks improved grip strength more than those who only climbed.
- Randomized trial, 2022. Four weeks of hangboarding twice a week improved maximal strength by 12 to 14% at high intensities, and endurance at moderate ones; the climbing-only control group barely changed (+0.7%).
- Large real-world dataset, 2024. Among 526 climbers logging training in the Crimpd app, those who only climbed did not change their strength-to-weight ratio, while those who added max hangs, low-intensity hangs, or both, improved.
Does it make you climb harder?
This is where evidence is weakest, because climbing performance is hard to measure in a few weeks.
- In boulderers, 5 weeks of weighted one-arm finger pulls raised finger strength but not bouldering performance compared with bouldering alone.
- In a 2026 pilot with advanced climbers, both finger-training groups climbed more moves on a test route after 5 weeks, and gains in finger strength correlated with gains in climbing (r = 0.62); there was no climbing-only control group.
- In a study of 307 climbers, finger strength accounted for about two thirds of the variance in climbing ability that the tests explained, so it is reasonable to expect stronger fingers to help, given time and climbing to use them.
What should you take from this?
- If you climb regularly and want stronger fingers, adding structured hangboard work is well supported. See max hangs and repeaters.
- Strength gained on a board needs climbing to turn it into performance. Keep climbing, especially on the kind of holds you want to get better on.
- Measure it. Testing every 4 to 8 weeks tells you whether your program works for you, which is ultimately more useful than any average. See our testing guide.
More in plan your training: hangboarding for beginners, how often to hangboard, max hangs and a hangboard routine.
Do this in Entralpi
You can test in the app and test again later (Take a test), so you can see whether your numbers move. Choose a workout from the Train tab or build your own. Without the plate, the timer runs the session but measures no force.
Sources
- Stien N, et al. (2023). Effects of climbing- and resistance-training on climbing-specific performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biology of Sport.
- Mundry S, et al. (2021). Hangboard training in advanced climbers: a randomized controlled trial. Scientific Reports.
- 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.
- Saeterbakken AH, et al. (2024). Five weeks of dynamic finger flexor strength training on bouldering performance and climbing-specific strength tests. Frontiers in Physiology.
- Andersen V, et al. (2026). Comparison of low load blood flow restriction and high load resistance training of the finger flexors in advanced level climbers: a pilot study. Frontiers in Physiology.
- Berta P, et al. (2025). Validity and normative scores of finger flexor strength and endurance tests. Journal of Sports Sciences, 43(3).
