1 Best Hangboard Overall

Trango Rock Prodigy Training Center







$140 USD List List Price See It



Diversity of edges and pockets Best progression of holds for strength-training Works well for a wide range of users Facilitates good form and ergonomics Most challenging model to mount Takes up more space than others Straight-across 1/4" edge is hard on fingertips

Polyester resin |12.1" x 9.1", 2 pieces

The Trango Rock Prodigy was designed by well-known climbing coaches Michael and Mark Anderson; authors of the famed book The Rock Climber's Training Manual. Their board offers a variety of pockets and edges that is the most systematic in its progression of difficulty of any board we tested. Many of the edges are tapered becoming progressively shallower as you move across and down the board. This design makes it easy to focus on and see subtle improvements in strength and make it easier to be more systematic in your fingerboard training (something that will help you get stronger more efficiently). This board also offers among the largest selection of grips of any model in our review, including several holds that are designed to be used in multiple ways. All of our testers also loved its two-part design that allows you to mount the two halves the perfect distance apart to match your body size and shape. This facilitates better alignment, encourages better form, and leads to reduced stress on your shoulders and elbows. The Rock Prodigy is super versatile from a difficulty perspective and works well for a pretty large variety of users, from people just getting into fingerboard training to those working on intensive 5.13 projects.

The downside of this model's size and two-part design is the effort required to mount it to the wall. It's easily the most challenging boards to mount and - depending on your home - takes up a good amount of real estate because not only is it two pieces, but there's space in between them. The Rock Prodigy is also a more substantial investment than many of the other options we tested. But if you are stoked to get the best training tool out there for what we think is a price well worth the payout, the Trango Rock Prodigy is our top recommendation.

Read review: Trango Rock Prodigy Training Center

2 Best Bang for the Buck

Metolius 3D Simulator







$80 USD List List Price See It



Excellent value Great selection of edges and pockets Well-designed to reduce shoulder and elbow stress Good progression of holds So-so texture Not for high-end climbers (folks already redpointing 5.13) Not compact

Polyester resin |28.0" x 8.7"

The Metolius 3D Simulator is mega-popular, and with good reason. This model has been through several iterations and updates over the years, with each new version, steadily improving on the last. The most recent Simulator making large strides in overall ergonomics while offering a more well thought out progression of holds. These are some of the reasons it remains a stand-out and versatile model even with more and more competition on the market every year. Once again, the 3D Simulator easily is the best hangboard for your money - although a better description might be an awesome board that happens to be exceptionally affordable. The Simulator offers a plethora of edges and pockets that provide one of the better progressions of grips from a difficulty perspective of any of the models we tested. It also offers one of the most ergonomic designs that encourages good form while reducing stress in your elbows and shoulders.

Though it may not be the best choice for top-end climbers, it's ideal for folks whose projects are in the 5.11-5.13a range, which is most of the community. It also isn't the most compact model, but still strikes a nice balance of being small enough to fit above most doorways with average height ceilings (8ft) while offering an impressive amount of edges and pockets. Don't let its lower price tag fool you; this board has what most climbers need to make progress and push to the next climbing grade.

Read review: Metolius 3D Simulator

3 Best on a Tight Budget

Metolius Project







$55 USD List List Price See It



Low cost Very compact A good number of hold options for small size Most used edges are in the middle of the board Not the most diverse hold selection

Polyester Resin |24.5" x 6.0"

The Metolius Project is one of the lowest-priced options currently available and offers reasonable performance for its cost. Though it's not the best board we tested, its low expense makes it a good option for those who are considering getting a hangboard but don't want to spend a lot of money. The Project is among the most compact models we tested and fits nearly anywhere that you could consider mounting a hangboard; including several places you couldn't squeeze the larger, more expensive boards. Without a ton of holds, there is still a nice progression to help build strength.

Those compact dimensions do come at the cost of some functionality - particularly it has fewer holds. While it has a reasonable selection of grips for its size, we prefer models with just a few more grip options. The other main disadvantage of the Project is that most of the holds of climbers habitually use are in the center of the board. This centered placement makes them less comfortable to use and harder on your shoulders. It's not the perfect training board, but it's our top recommendation in this price range.

Read review: Metolius Project

4 Great Value for a Wooden Board

Metolius Wood Grips Compact II







$80 USD List List Price See It



Great value Compact dimensions Classy look Fewer edges and pockets (but just enough) Not our favorite wood texture

Wood |24.0" x 6.2"

The Metolius Wood Grips Compact II is one of the best-priced wooden models on the market. Wood boards are generally easier on your skin and look nicer aesthetically if you need to mount it in a commonly used area of your house. This board also has compact dimensions, meaning that finding a place to mount it is much easier than a full-sized version. This board can be mounted above doorways with below-average-height ceilings, squeezed into basements or other areas where a full-sized model wouldn't stand a chance of fitting.

While small, our testing team feels that the Compact II still offers enough hold options to be used for consistent, long-term training, but only barely. As with many smaller models, there are simply fewer holds available on this board. However, for a compact, wooden model that keeps the price friendly and pleases the eye, this model is tough to beat.

Read review: Metolius Wood Grips Compact II

5 Best Slopers and Pinches

So iLL Iron Palm







$110 USD List List Price See It



Excellent for sloper training Best pinches we tested Wide dimensions are easier on shoulders Takes up a lot of space Fewer edges

Urethane |27.0" x 11.5"

Breaking away from what most fingerboards offer, the Iron Palm more than lives up to its name. Whereas most boards tend to focus on finger strength on crimpers, the Iron Palm instead has exceptional slopers and pinches that are among the best in the game. The first thing you'll notice on the model is the two huge balls at the top two corners. These rounded features are actually more flat on top while gently sloping off to the sides, allowing you to easily adapt your workout as you improve your grip strength. While we tend to think of fingerboard training taking place on flat-topped edges, our minds were opened by these softball shaped holds. The Iron Palm also has the best pinches of any board we have ever seen. It has two separate sets of pinches that can be used separately or mixed together to create three different pinch sets that will help improve your ability to squeeze juice from a novel. The unique slopers and pinch grips on this board are great for both fine-tune these specific skills as well as general strength building through a variety of possible uses.

An overall unique board, the Iron Palm also has only four, board-wide edges, and no pockets in the traditional sense. The idea is that you can use any number of fingers on its four uniquely shaped edges. This has the added benefit of feeling more difficult because you can't "cheat" by using friction on the sides of the pocket. The board also has a nice progression of edges but we wish it had one that was slightly smaller. It's also a fairly large model, which can reduce your options for mounting locations. However, if you have the space for it, these wider-than-average dimensions encourage better form and are generally be easier on your shoulders and elbows. If you're looking for a board that offers more options than most, this is a great choice.

Read review: So iLL Iron Palm

6 Best for Hardest Difficulty (5.11+ and above)

Atomik Yaniro Power





$100 USD List List Price See It



Plethora of holds Great progression of difficulty Excellent design of holds Great ergonomics Best texture Large size limits mounting options Not very useful for beginner to moderate climbers No real pinches

The fully-featured and burly Atomik Yaniro Powerboard is our strong recommendation for stronger climbers looking to take their climbing to another level. No other model can match this model for its impressive number of challenging holds. Furthermore, the attention to detail in the shape and depths of each grip offers a seemingly perfect incremental ladder of difficulty. This model also proved incredibly skin-friendly and despite being made of polyester resin, having some of the best texture in our review that was even comparable to some wood models.

As the choice for stronger climbers, it isn't that 5.10 climbers can't use this board, but folks already sending 5.11b/c or harder will get the most out of it. As the largest model we tested, the wider-than-average design encourages good ergonomics making it more shoulder and elbow friendly. This large size does come with a cost and its wide design means mounting options might be more limited, but we found it can still fit above most doorways with average height ceilings (8ft). If you are pushing upper grades, this is a fantastic training board to help you get there.

Read review: Atomik Yaniro Power

7 Decent Value and Performance

Get Out! Doorway





CDN$ 98.57 at Amazon CA See It



Lower price than most Compact Only requires 5-screws Ergonomics Lacks a solid progression

One of the lowest-priced hangboards available, the Get Out! Doorway is an option for those who might be unsure if they want to commit to hangboard training or a more expensive option. Manufactured of a near-identical appearing material as Metolius's line of polyester resin boards, the Get Out is geared towards 5.10 and 5.11 climbers. We found its texture to be very similar to Metolius and its smaller than average size makes it easy to find a place to mount.

The downside of this model primarily lies in its relatively low number of holds and their respective depths. Most climbers who buy this board will spend a lot of time using the 4-finger edges, and with this board, two of its three 4-finger holds offer the same depth, one is just at a diagonal. Additionally, there is only a single option for both a 2 and 3-finger pocket. They are designed to be nice depths for 5.10-5.11 climbers but overall we didn't think this model offered as good of a progression of difficulty compared to most other models, even more-priced focused ones. We think this board is an okay option for those looking to get into hangboard training or as a warm-up board for a steep home wall. Folks who are or want to get serious about their training would be better off with a board that offers a better progression of holds from a difficulty perspective.

Read review: Get Out! Doorway

Each member of our review team thoroughly tested each model and compared them in five categories. We mounted each one to our walls, measured the size and the depth of each pocket, and spent hundreds of hours hanging off all of them for our review.

Why You Should Trust Us

All of these boards were tested by a strong crew of climbers. While this was a group effort, the review longtime GearLab Editor and UIAGM/IFMGA guide Ian Nicholson led the charge. Ian is an exceptionally avid climber who is passionate about training and incremental improvement. He has been climbing for over 20 years and working as an IFMGA/UIAGM guide for 15. He loves every facet of climbing from bouldering and hard sport-climbing to El-Cap-in-a-day pushes and remote alpine first ascents. Basing in the damp Pacific Northwest he is hardly blessed with being able to train outside for much of the year and instead turns to the climbing gym and his personal collection of hangboards to stay strong. Ian's passion for detail and thorough enjoyment of the training-for-climbing process not only helps him to convey the pros and cons of each board but also to analyze their benefits for certain types of users, from budding climbers to hard-sending veterans.

In the testing cycle, our testing team, as well as our friends, performed at least eight extended workouts on each board. We pinched, crimped, and hung-on open-handed on each board. We wore a weight vest to increase power but also to truly decipher differences in texture and friction. After all of our extensive testing, we learned insight as to which models were better at certain training aspects, or excelled at different types of training regimes or user abilities. Guided by the results of our unbiased testing procedures, we hope to give you the straight-up best advice possible on the best hangboards currently on the market.

How to Choose the Right Hangboard

Hangboards (AKA fingerboards or training boards) have long been part of climbing training regimes and with good reason. It's hard to find a better way to target pure finger strength than with a hangboard. If you have never used one, it is hard not to be amazed, and with a good training plan, you will notice impressive improvements after just a few weeks. That may sound like an infomercial, but it's true. For not a ton of money you can get a lot very climbing-specific finger strength in a short amount of time. For the price of one month's premium gym membership, you can train two to four days a week in your spare time for years.

Will it help you?

Jonathan Siegrist: "In the business of grabbing rock, our fingers can never be too strong."

Tony Yaniro: "If you can't hold the holds, then there's nothing to endure."

No climber ever complained that their fingers were too strong for a given route and to Tony Yaniro's point; if you can't hold the holds to begin with, then endurance doesn't even play a factor. These dedicated training boards are the ticket to boosting finger strength tremendously and, in reality, hangboard workouts don't even take that much time to perform.

A lot of people climb easy routes at the gym over and over. While this is no doubt fun and great for the ego, in reality, climbing is a power-based sport and climbing one route that you barely make it to the top of (or don't make it to the top of) does far more for you than climbing a route that is super easy for you 5-10 times. This couldn't be exemplified more than Yuji Hirayama who trained for his attempt at the Nose speed record by climbing an approximately fifteen move V14 boulder problem. Seem crazy? There are countless examples of this and hangboarding is the epitome of this power-improving focus. It has the potential to help many aspects of your climbing, from pushing harder grades to giving you more confidence for that long all-day route.

Related: Best Rock Climbing Ropes of 2020

Simply put, there's not a better or more versatile hangboard for the price. The 3D Simulator is loaded with holds, sports a shoulder friendly design, and is up to the training task for the vast majority of climbers.

What to Look For

The ideal hangboard for you should have several holds you can barely grip and a few you can't yet manage hanging onto. Contrary to popular belief, a fingerboard's primary purpose isn't for doing pull-ups regardless of how many folks you might see cranking them out at the gym. If you can hold onto the holds forever (or even like 20-30 seconds), you're not building any power, you're just inefficiently building endurance and you should be hanging off smaller edges.

Key considerations should be finding one that fits the space you are dedicating to training and the right ability level for you. It should have some warm-up holds, lots to challenge you, and a few you can't yet even hang from.

Hangboards are built for enhancing finger power and maximum crimping and grip strength. Pick a board with at least a few holds you fall off of after 7-10 seconds and others that you'll at least get tired and will struggle on after 3-5 sets of 7-10 seconds. Finally, there should also be a few holds you can't yet hang at all from without a foot dab (bouldering term there). A few jugs and slopers are nice to warm up on and for use toward the end of your workout when your open-handed crimp strength is fried. However, you'll be best served if the rest is all business. Put your ego aside, crimp until you fail, and fail quickly, then take solace in knowing that you're getting stronger, even if you feel like you're abysmal because you can only hang on for a few seconds.

Contrary to what is sometimes popular believed, fingerboards are not primarily for pull-ups. They are for building finger strength which requires a good progression of holds that are challenging for their user.

Material

There are three materials commonly used: wood, polyurethane, and polyester resin, each with subtle advantages and disadvantages. For perspective, polyurethane and polyester are what nearly all climbing holds are made from, and the two share most but not all the same characteristics.

Wood's primary advantage is its low friction; meaning it's far easier on your skin than the majority of resin polyurethane or polyurethane models. Besides just being easier on your skin; the low friction also makes holding on subtly harder which is a small bonus while training. When using wood boards try not to use too much chalk (with almost none being best). A little chalk early on is fine, but excessive chalk use over time covers the pores of the wood, creating an undesired gummy and slick feeling. Be sure to wipe it down occasionally with a warm, wet rag and allow to dry completely.

As one of the best-priced wood boards, the value of the Metolius Wood Grips is not to be underestimated.

The disadvantage of wood is that its shapes tend to be a little more limited and don't have the variety of holds compared to resin boards; for example, wood boards rarely have pinches or anything other than a linear ramp for a sloper. Wood boards do tend to have comfortable pockets and edges and slippery slopers. Wood is lower weight than resin, and while this makes mounting easier, once your board is up, this doesn't really matter. Wood is also a good choice for climbers who have to mount their board in a common area for no other reason than it looks nicer hanging on your wall. Lastly, in warm climates or hot attics, wood will hang onto heat a lot longer than resin resulting in potentially poorer friction or a warmer feeling workout.

While wood still garners the favor of many climbers, polyester resin and polyurethane continue to get better and better. A handful of models, like the Atomik Yaniro Power, offer a similar smooth finish, plus the advantages of cooling quicker and being easier to clean.

Polyester resin is the same material that many climbing holds are made of, however, in recent years, this material has slowly being replaced with polyurethane because it's lighter and slightly more durable to resist cracking if a route setter happens to over-tighten them. Polyester resin's primary advantage is that it can be formed in almost any shape imaginable, and most resin boards have more diverse and interesting hold options than their wooden counterparts. Resin boards tend to feature more interesting slopers and cool arrays of pinches and rounded edges. Lastly, unlike with wood, feel free to use as much chalk as you'd like with it, though it's still not a bad idea to clean it now and again.

The fact that polyester resin boards are heavier isn't a big deal except during the moment when you are mounting it overhead. The difference in texture has also decreased, and while wood is still superior, it isn't near as big of a gap as it was five or six years ago.

The main downside of resin is that more-often-than-not the texture tends to be harder on people's skin. How much harder depends a lot on the manufacturer and the finish they use. Additionally, it is worth noting that it is rare that two models have exactly equal texture even when directly comparing two models under the same brand. Resin has the advantage that it will never splinter, but it can chip. Resin won't conduct heat as much as wood and thus won't feel as warm to the touch after extended sessions or workouts in hotter spaces.

Times are changing, and now more and more climbing holds are being made out of polyurethane than polyester resin both because it's lower weight and less likely to chip while mounting, storing, etc. Polyurethane shares most of the same user interface characteristics with resin providing unique shapes and thus a more diverse array of holds than wood. Polyurethane also shares what is the biggest downside in most people's eyes of non-wooden models in that typically they are more textured than wood and thus harsher on your skin. Technology is improving, though, and manufacturers are trying harder and harder to produce polyurethane models with a smoother texture with some models now being very similar equal to wood.

The Iron Palm is made of urethane, which is quite strong and can make versatile shapes. Here you see the hollow backside of this model, which helps make it lighter overall.

Another major difference is that polyurethane breaks down quicker than resin when exposed to weather and is a poor choice for a board that will be mounted outside. Polyurethane also polishes slightly quicker after repeated use compared to polyester resin which is an interesting note because it is otherwise more durable when it comes to resisting chipping or cracking. While Polyurethane does polish faster, few people will use their hangboard so much that they will wear it out in a non-commercial setting. We think this true even if you are sharing your home board with five or more of your roommates and the main "wearing out" more quickly is mostly an issue for climbing gyms. Polyurethane is the material primarily used by hangboards produced by So iLL, Trango, and the Detriot Rock Company (DRC). Metolius and Atomik recently released a line of climbing holds made of polyurethane, but as of now, their fingerboards are still resin.

You don't need a ton of holds to be able to train effectively but you do need a nice progression of difficulty relative to your strength and more holds make it easier to hit that sweet spot and simply make training can more fun.

Variety of Holds

More holds don't necessarily make a given model better than another but a good selection is obviously important. What you should seek out the most is a nice progression of edges and pockets that are mostly too hard for you to help you get stronger and ideally grow with you as they improve at least for a while. Ideally, there are 2-3 hold options of incremental changes in depth across the board. In general, our testers like pocket and edges that decreased by around 1/4" increments once a hold gets smaller than one inch. We also like to have 2-3 depth options for a given width (for example 2-3 different 4 finger pockets all with depths incrementally spaced between .25"-.5"). It's always worth remembering its totally okay to put 3-fingers in a 4-finger pocket. However, it's nearly impossible to adjust the depth. For example, it can be harder to position your fingers 1/2-inch deep in a 3/4-inch pocket.

Besides facilitating a better workout a good variety of holds will also keep your training a little more diverse and interesting making it even more likely that you'll stick with it. The Trango Rock Prodigy seen here has one of the largest arrays of holds on the market, several of which offer numerous uses for each edge.

Nearly all of our testers appreciated having at least one set of jugs and one or two sets of slopers in which to warm upon. We think pinches are nice and they can be good for certain route-specific training, building whole-hand power, and offer a way to mix it up but flat-ish edges are by far and away more important. While other holds' shapes can be fun might offered unique benefits the bulk of grips should focus on shallow, fairly flat-topped edges and pockets.

More grip options are generally better, but a good progression of holds regarding their depth and difficulty is the most important thing. Holds should get progressively smaller without large leaps in difficulty.

Edges and crimps are the bread and butter of fingerboard training and what most climbers should focus their decisions around when purchasing a board and spend most of their time hanging from while training. Don't be afraid of the smallest looked edges, the depth might seem impossibly difficult at first, but give yourself a month and you'll be surprised by what you can hang onto. It's pretty awesome.

A good range of edges is an important factor when considering your purchase. You can use 1-3 fingers on a broad edge to simulate a pocket, too. We like at least 3 different edge depths ranging from 1/4" or 1/2" to 1" in depth.

Our review team overwhelming prefers at least three non-incut/positive edges (we prefer edges that are flat) with widths around, 1", 3/4" and 1/2". We also like when edges are slightly rounded at the entrance because it is generally less harsh feeling on your fingers (pads). This design also encourages a more open-handed crimp which not only is better for training overall but it is also safer than a curled over crimp in regards to a reduced risk of injury.

While you can easily put 3 fingers on a four-finger edge and there are advantages of this, having true pockets that are shaped appropriately can help reduce the chance of injury and straight-up inspire you to try the harder holds on your board.

Pockets are great because they force you (or provide the opportunity) to isolate one, two or three fingers on your board. This is an excellent training technique because it significantly increases the stress (typically your bodyweight) across fewer fingers, resulting in more efficient power gains. Like edges, having a solid progression of pocket pairings is more important than some flashy pinches or jugs, as they will facilitate better workout.

While you can perform any hang on a wider edge than you can on a dedicated pocket, a well-designed pocket can provide more support for the digit you are hanging off of. Using less than 4-fingers is another easy way to increase the load your fingers are taking to increase strength, though this needs to be worked up to.

Some climbers believe it's better to perform isolated finger workouts on broad edges rather than in specifically sized pockets (like the So iLL Iron Palm) because inevitably your fingers come into contact with the sides of the pocket and give you more surface area thus slightly increase holding power. They would argue that, while subtle, this is slightly "cheating you" of your power workout. We'll let you be the judge there. We are fine with both but slightly prefer having individual pockets in which to train as they certainly "inspire" progression.

Slopers are great for helping you warm-up, finishing your workout when your fingertips are trashed, and working on whole-hand strength but you shouldn't put to much focus on them as this is really only a small part of your workout. It also worth remembering that most of the slopers featured on models we tested don't feel too crushing on their own. However, 20 minutes into a fingerboard workout and those same slopers can cause annihilating forearm fatigue. We like at least one set of slopers, but two is nice if only to mix it up.

A straight-on view of this uniquely designed board. The huge slopers on the Iron Palm provide a nice diversity of holds to utilize throughout a workout.

All but one of the boards we reviewed features at least one pair of jugs. While they don't do a ton for making your fingers stronger they are key for warming up, working on lock-offs (don't underestimate the benefits of these), or just cranking out pull-ups, weighted, assisted, or straight-up. We don't feel that any board needs more than one set of jugs and they should be big enough that you could hang on them for more than a minute to work on the exercises mentioned above as to build arm, back, and core strength while not straining your fingers or tendons.

While atypical in shape, these jugs are still great for warming up or weighted pull-ups.

While pinches aren't a 100% necessary design feature, nor are they generally a large part of anyone's training regimen, they do add some variety and can be great for some route-specific training. This is especially true for people who frequent roofy crags or projects that are steep and blocky. We do think most of the models we tested offer mediocre pinches. They are often a normal hold that you can engage your thumb. While this is nice, we encourage people to look for a board with dedicated pinches rather than trying to make a pinch out of an existing hold as generally speaking it just makes the hold easier. For those looking for a pinch specific board, it is pretty tough to beat the So iLL Iron Palm.

Pinches, like slopers, help increase whole-hand strength but are of even greater benefit to climbers who log a lot of time in steeper terrain.

Level of Difficulty

A lot of climbers don't understand that there is a pretty large range in difficulty between different models. For example, an intermediate climber won't get nearly as much out of a burly board like the Atomik Yaniro Power Board as something like the Metolius 3D Simulator, which is a more intermediate board. In our review, we tried to pick models that would work for the biggest population of climbers who are interested in a dedicated training board; around 5.10 to mid-5.13. Some products we tested would be best for climbers above or below that difficulty range, but that range still guided the selection process for our review.

Nailing the appropriate level of difficulty in your training board to push you to grow and gain strength without being too hard is crucial to maximizing the effectiveness of your purchase.

For the most part, when considering different models, the difficulty range starts pretty high, and there are no truly "easy" boards. At the easiest, they are aimed at hard 5.10+ climbers to low 5.11 climbers and go up from there. If you aren't quite climbing 5.10+ in the gym, fear not, you'll certainly get there, but a hangboard might not be the best tool for you to get stronger YET. At this stage in your climbing, you'll get more benefits from just continuing to climb rather than adding fingerboard work to your training.

Picking a board that is geared towards your current ability levels can help you maximize how much training you get out of your board. A good start can be looking for a board that you can already hang onto around 1/3-1/2 of the boards holds with two hands.

If you're not climbing at least 5.10 on top-rope in the gym, there is also a risk that you could injure yourself on any training board because your fingers and tendons aren't quite strong enough for the intense pressure they'll see while training on one.

What space you have in your apartment, house, or dwelling to mount your hangboard could be the number one factor influencing your purchase. Here the Metolius Wood Grips Compact II barely fits above a standard height doorway with a 7-foot ceiling.

We think it's best to look for a board where you can only hang onto 35-50% of the holds with two hands. It is okay if you can hang onto 75% or more of the holds but that means you are someone who should consider using a weight vest and or do more one-armed hangs. Don't buy a model where you can't already hang onto at least 1/3 of the holds using two hands. If you can't do this it means the board is too difficult for you and it likely won't offer as many options to help you progress.

Wide boards like the Atomik Yaniro more often offer more holds and generally encourage better ergonomics but can offer fewer options to mount. For example, this board BARELY fits above normal sized doorways in homes with 8ft ceilings.

Mounting Considerations

Hangboards vary wildly in size, dimensions, and mounting patterns. Having a bigger board typically means a greater array of holds, which is really nice but fear not it is not a requirement. A compact board can still be very beneficial with an open mind and the drive to suffer on it if that is all you have room for.

A bigger board typically means more holds, but don't underestimate how effective a compact board can still be if your space is limited.

For most climbers, mounting boards to anything that is not open framing (just framing, no drywall; which is obviously easier), means a least considering mounting the board to a pre-cut 3/4"-1" thick piece of plywood first. Then drilling that into the wall to make sure you are drilling into studs to get the strength necessary so you don't pull the board right out of the drywall. If you want your set up to look nicer, for a few more dollars you can buy plywood with one side finished (or you can finish it yourself), making it less of an eye-sore in shared living areas. A handful of manufacturers like Metolius sell pre-finished plywood boards that are sized appropriately and look great in a communal living space.

The Iron Palm is one of the larger hangboards we tested. This is mostly due to its width, which is actually a good thing as it encourages better form, making it easier on your shoulders. However, this board is tough to mount in smaller spaces or under shorter ceilings.

It's possible to "mount" a hangboard on a pull-up bar if you live in any kind of rental home, apartment, or simply don't want to drill holes in your wall. Our favorite option for this comes from Blank Slate Climbing, which offers expensive but super-effective systems.

The Blank Slate Slim mounts above a doorway without having to drill into your walls and can be outfitted with most models.

Training

Fingerboards are awesome training tools that take very little time to get an extremely productive workout right without even having to leave your home. These workouts are short but should be intense. Fingerboard workouts are pretty much like running wind-sprints or powerlifting for your fingers. Many incredibly strong and famous climbers like Adam Ondra, Tommy Caldwell, Alex Puccio, Jonathan Siegrist, Alex Honnold, Margo Hayes, Sonnie Trotter, and Daniel Woods use and have used hangboards extensively at different points during their training cycle. Sonnie Trotter, over a winter working a full-time construction job, once trained almost exclusively on hangboards, rarely visiting a climbing gym while preparing for his ascent of Necessary Evil (5.14c) in the Virgin River Gorge. He claims there was no doubt in his mind that this is what helped propel him to the next level.

There is a reason so many pro and top-notch climbers use these boards for targetted finger-strength training. The key is picking a board with enough bad holds that you can barely hang onto and some grips that you can't at all.

The key with this type of training is to hang off of holds that are BAD and extremely challenging for you (once warmed up of course). Every rep doesn't have to be super severe, but it should rarely be easy and most of the time it should be a battle to hang-on (think you are TRYING and can't wait for the 7-seconds to be over). This is the key to effectively building power. After you are thoroughly warmed up (minimum of 10-15 minutes), you should be training on grips that you will hold onto for less than 10 seconds, and some training resources suggest even less than 7. You don't need to fail in those early sets of 7-10 seconds, but it should be a slight battle for you to stay on, and later in your workout, there should be reps where you are fighting 100% for those seven seconds which will feel like an eternity and you are dabbing (putting your foot down) and or at times only able to hang on for 2-4 seconds.

There are many training programs, books, and inexpensive apps to help you focus your time and effort to improve finger strength. Here Graham Zimmerman uses a structured and systematic training regimen that has helped him open difficult new routes across the globe and get nominated for his second the Piolet d'Or.

Most training regimes involve 5-8 hangs for 7-10 seconds and then a 3-4 minute rests, equaling one set. Your goal is to perform 5-8 total sets, ideally really struggling or failing towards the end of those sets. It's okay to spot yourself by putting your foot down or by grabbing a bigger hold with one hand. If it's too easy, try hanging with just one hand for a power boost, or by hanging a weight off your harness or wearing a 15-lb backpack. There are plenty of great videos of suggested work-out regiments available for free online.

One common method of training is finger grouping. Training while hanging from two fingers, index and middle, middle and ring, and ring and pinky. If your finger grips seem too difficult, consider two sets of three fingers.

It's important to note that this type of training will greatly increase your finger power and to a lesser extent your contact strength (ability to dynamically latch onto a hold), both of which will enable you to hang onto progressively smaller holds. While finger increased finger strength will undoubtedly help any climber, for most people, these workouts should just be part of their training regimen that also involves the continued development of technique and skill via climbing of some form.

Adding Resistance

Adding resistance, similar to power-weightlifting, will boost your top-end finger and crimp strength. However, like any ultra-strenuous exercise; you need to be extra careful not to injure yourself. After effectively being able to hang off of all, or nearly all of the holds on your board, add a little weight (10-20 lbs.) and start with some of your board's larger grips before progressively working down in the hold size again from there.

Hanging weights off a climbing harness, a purpose-built weight-vest, or even a loaded backpack are the best ways to increase resistance but the possibilities are endless. Here Ian Nicholson adds the resistance of his 90-lb niece while working out.

As you continue to progress, consider doing more one-armed hangs or one arm with a little assistance with your second hand lightly hanging onto a nearby sling or large hold. All of these methods will continue to build finger strength quickly. It's a good idea to do some weighted sessions with two hands before committing to one-armed hangs on smaller holds because it will surprise you how much more difficult this is.

Here Billy Gierach brings the ruckus with a one armed hang and 35-lbs weight.

Read up on Training

Read up before diving headfirst into your first session. Nearly all Training For Climbing type books include a comprehensive fingerboard section. Some of our review team's favorites include The Rock Climber's Training Manual: A Comprehensive Program for Continuous Climbing Improvement by Mike Anderson and Mark Anderson, Training for Climbing by Eric Horst, and The Self Coached Climber by Dan Hague and Douglas Hunter. While those are some of our favorites there are unquestionable other good resources out there.

A selection of training books from our review team's library. Options abound, but few are as in-depth as the Rock Climbers Training Manual by Mark and Mike Anderson.

Conclusion

Training on a hangboard is an excellent way to increase finger strength and improve your climbing regardless of the style climbing you prefer. They are an affordable training tool that should last for years and hopefully offer some inspiration to train when you might have less than half an hour to spare. This is a review we are quite passionate about; we love climbing, training for climbing, and seeing people get better. We honestly hope that this review can help you decide between the different materials, types of holds, and difficulty levels to ultimately select the most appropriate product for you.