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.

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:

The authors flagged the weaknesses: 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 individual studies show?

• Randomized trial, 2021. In 30 intermediate-to-advanced climbers, adding 1.25 kg to the hangs each week improved grip strength more than climbing alone over 8 weeks, with a small effect; max hangs covers the trial.
• 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 gained 3.2%. The low-intensity-hang gain was not significant against climbing alone; daily low-intensity hangs covers the study and its limits.

Does it make you climb harder?

This is where the 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 do with this?

• If you are new to climbing, climbing alone is enough for now. Hangboarding for beginners says when to start.
• If you climb regularly and want stronger fingers, structured hangboard work is well supported: max hangs for strength, repeaters for strength-endurance.
• Keep climbing, especially on the holds you want to get better on. Strength gained on a board needs climbing to become performance.
• Test every 4 to 8 weeks to see whether your program works for you, which is more useful than any average. See how to test finger strength.

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).