There are a million and one training routines out there, and I’ve tried many of them over the years, but I’ve settled in on what works best for me, and believe will work for all climbers that have a good finger strength base.

The minimum qualification for this is 5.11a or french 6b+ (routes), or V4 (bouldering), with some fingerboard experience. Below this level, one should focus more on technique and mileage, achieved through bouldering and/or route climbing.

The basic principles of this routine are:

The workout (excluding warm-up/cool-down) should take no longer than 30-45 minutes. Fingerboard training is so specific that it’s easy to overdo it and cause injury. It must take advantage of the contract-rest cycle which occurs naturally when climbing. This will simulate the same metabolic processes and should produce more transferable gains. There should be an element of movement – i.e. not just dead-hanging since most routes/boulders involve moving on the holds, and not just hanging! The intensity should be high enough that fatigue is reached within 30-60 seconds (including rest between hangs). It should be progressive, allowing you to work harder as your strength improves over time. It should involve a variety of different hand positions (grips). It should allow you to improvise somewhat based on your body’s cues, so you can do what feels right and avoid things that feel potentially injurious.

The Exercises

There are two exercises – no surprises here:

• Pull-ups: Do this on the holds/hand positions with which you can hang from for 6 seconds or longer. Perform sets of 2-10 repetitions. If you can do more than 10, use a smaller hold or add extra weight (advanced only).

15 or so minutes with light joggings, bouldering, calisthenics, skipping, etc.

Main Part (30-45 minutes)

Each ‘exercise’ focuses on one pair of holds. Start the workout with larger holds (“jugs”) to progressively warm your joints and muscles, and work your way toward smaller holds (or fewer fingers) with each set. Using the criteria above, perform either the pull-up or dead-hang exercise, depending how hard the hold is for you. Rest approximately 1-2 minutes between each set. Here is the KEY to this workout: For your first set on each hold, do about 30-40% of the max number of repetitions you are able to do. With each set, add 1 or 2 repetitions until you max out on the exercise (i.e. approach ‘failure’ for that set). Then move on to the next hold/exercise.

• Repeat this until (A) you feel your strength is starting to diminish, (B) you’ve worked to the smallest holds on your fingerboard, (C) you’ve exceeded 45 minutes, (D) you feel a sign of pain or discomfort in your fingers or other joints.

Here is my workout, completed on the Moon fingerboard. The numbers after the exercise specifications represent the number of reps for successive sets.

• Pull-up, mini-jug (2 inches, positive):  4, 6, 8, 10
• Pull-up, large 4 finger pocket, open crimp (1.25 inches, sloping): 4, 6, 8, 10
• Pull-up, small 3 finger pocket, open hand (0.75 inches, flat): 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (note: last set of 7 is the peak effort for the workout)
• Dead-hang, narrow edge, 4 finger open crimp, for 2-3 seconds: 3, 4, 5
• Pull-up, narrow sloper, 4 finger open hand, in L-set position (knees raised): 4, 5, 6

Closing Remarks

The exact workout above is just example, please do not emulate it exactly – start slow, and build up gradually over a period of months while listening to your body. Keep a journal so you can review your progress. 

So, please try this approach and let me know how it works for you. I would love to get your feedback and share your experience with it. Happy training!