Backcountry Beacon

Hangboard workouts

Following up on yesterday’s intro to hangboarding, I’ll now delve into some workouts. When you are hanging from a fingerboard, keep in mind you are training the small tendons and ligaments in your fingers and hands. It’s really easy to over-train and get injured. Err on the side of caution. The workouts posted below are based on what I’ve read and set/rep structures my friends and I have developed on our own. As with all things in life, personal accountability is huge. To quote Pavel Tsatsouline: “If you get hurt, it’s your fault!” So with that in mind, a few caveats … Read More …

Hangboarding at home

With winter in full swing, climbers in most locales have to settle for gym training to stay fit. While there is no substitute for actually climbing—even on plastic—a hangboard (or fingerboard) is an indispensable tool that every climber could benefit from. My first exposure to concerted hangboarding came after a major traumatic accident involving more injuries than I care to recall.

Two months after the accident, climbing was still a LONG way off: I couldn’t move, but I could hang. Following the guidance of Josh, my climbing partner and spiritual advisor regarding all things geeky, I paired some time on the fingerboard with my physical therapy. Despite being largely incapacitated, and initially skeptical, I greatly improved my contact strength. Once I could finally start climbing, I was well ahead of the curve and was eventually able to come back to pre-accident levels of performance on rock. Read More …