Hangboard Routine: Sample Weeks by Level

A good hangboard routine is a full warm-up, two hard sessions a week at most, and a lighter week when your fingers or numbers say so. The sample weeks below are assembled from our library’s articles and the studies they cite. Evidence level: moderate for the structure (two sessions a week for 4 to 8 weeks), low for the exact week layouts, which no trial has compared.

What does a hangboard session look like?

Every session follows the same order: warm-up, hangs, then climbing. The warm-up routine takes about five minutes:

1. One minute of cardio, such as a fast walk or jumping jacks.
2. The five tendon glide positions, three times through.
3. Four pulls of 10 seconds with 5 seconds rest, at 20 to 30% of your maximum.
4. Low-load specific work, such as one-finger hangs.
5. Easy climbs, then harder ones in a pyramid.

Then do the hangs at the start of the session, while you are fresh, and keep the rest of the day moderate.

How many days a week should I hangboard?

Two, for hard work. The studies in our frequency guide used two sessions a week, at least 48 hours apart, and found gains in 4 to 8 weeks. Light loading can be daily: see the daily training routine. Count hard climbing as a hard finger day, and avoid three hard finger days in a row.

Sample week for beginners

Start here after at least a year of regular climbing and with no pain. The beginner guide bases it on a 2021 trial of climbers new to the hangboard. Use a 20 to 25 mm edge, open hand and half crimp.

Sample week for intermediates

Move here after the 8 weeks, or if you already hang 20 mm comfortably. Use max hangs on an 18 to 20 mm edge in a half crimp.

An optional extra: no-hangs, about 10 minutes at roughly 40% of max, once or twice a day, at least 6 hours from other training. This came from a retrospective study, so treat it as low-risk, not proven.

Sample week for advanced climbers

For climbers who test their maximum and work in phases. In an endurance phase, keep one max-hang session and add repeaters and a base session, as the endurance guide suggests: one base session below critical force, one interval session above it, on separate days.

Build the base for 3 to 4 weeks first, then add the interval session while keeping one base session.

How do I progress?

• Max hangs: 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 before smaller edges. Two studies favoured adding weight on a medium edge first. Keep the edge, grip and hang length fixed within a block.
• Repeaters: if the whole set feels easy, raise the load next session; if your grip opens before the last rep, lower it.
• Retest every 4 to 8 weeks on the same 20 mm edge. Improving numbers mean the load works; flat or falling numbers mean more recovery or a different stimulus.

When do I take an easier week?

Drop a session and lower the intensity when you see the warning signs from the frequency guide: pain still there the next morning, test numbers falling over two or three sessions, hangs that suddenly feel heavy, or stiff, swollen joints. When you start a new block, remove something else or keep climbing easier for the first weeks. No study we cite tested a scheduled deload, so a fixed “every fourth week” rule is coach practice, not research.

Who should not do this

• Anyone with current finger, wrist or elbow pain, or a recent pulley injury.
• Anyone still growing. Young climbers should hangboard only with a coach or sports physician.
• Climbers with less than a year of regular climbing.

Pain stops a session. If pain at the base of a finger lasts into the next day, back off for a few days and see a physiotherapist.

Do this in Entralpi

The routines above are written as percentages of your maximum. In the app, the max strength test measures that maximum; type it in Settings (Profile, then Settings, under Physical Profile, Max strength). Then follow a plan or build your own workout with these hangs and rests. Without the plate, the timer runs the on and off times.

Sources

• Mundry S, et al. (2021). Hangboard training in advanced climbers: a randomized controlled trial. Scientific Reports.
• 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.
• 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.
• Giles D, et al. (2019). The determination of finger-flexor critical force in rock climbers. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.
• Baar K (2017). Minimizing injury and maximizing return to play: lessons from engineered ligaments. Sports Medicine.
• 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).
• Library articles: hangboarding for beginners, how often to hangboard, warm-up routine, daily training routine.