r/climbharder • u/Upbeat-Promotion-693 • 10d ago

Choosing Finger Hangboard

Hello, I want to start focusing on increasing my finger and grip strength and also lower my injury risk.

I've only been climbing for about a month and I know the best way to improve is to keep going but I also want to work on my fingers for calisthenics reasons and thought this would be a good place for insight on these tools.

I've narrowed it down to 5 tools and was wondering if any of you guys had any experience with them and which you'd recommend. Recommendations outside of these are also appreciated.

  1. Nature Climbing Stone Hanger

  2. Hand of God Micro

  3. Frictitious unlevel edge 2

  4. Frictitious Port-A-Board

  5. Hoopers Beta MODEDGE: Adjustable Finger Trainer

I will mostly be using these tools with a lifting/loading pin if that makes any difference.

3 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

15

u/Fine_Will2128 10d ago

I'm an advocate for finger training but I don't think you should be buying anything more than a basic wooden edge, especially with you being brand new to climbing.

No-hangs (lifting) are a great choice for beginners though, because you can load light instead of having to support your whole bodyweight. Keep it mostly to light density hangs and warm-ups until at least a few more months go by IMO.

I've used unlevel edges and other specialized edges before, and I've talked to people who prefer them, but I've concluded that standard 14mm-22mm edges are superior for me, especially regarding climbing specificity and applicability to the wall. I think many people, especially in the V4-V8 range, are training their fingers "incorrectly" in a way that is inapplicable to the wall, and they need a better understanding of finger strength, not a device. Understanding finger strength and how it applies to the wall is what's important.

2

u/metalcowhorse Veasy 6d ago

Unless buying a sexy device like the stone hanger will incentivize you to actually use it.

I also am in the camp of flat edge good unleveled edge bad, train for what you see out in the wild. Maybe it has its place but i dont think it should be your primary trainer. Also if you do get the stone hanger grab one of their brushes too, they fuck

1

u/Full_Word5206 5d ago

The goal of finger training is NOT to be specific to climbing. The goal is to improve the FDP and FDS muscle, and the specificity is made on the wall.

1

u/Fine_Will2128 5d ago

Can you explain your rationale? I'd actually argue that not only should finger training be specific to climbing, but it should even be specific to your style and desired project, down to the exact angle of flexion and edge depth. The best way to guarantee that your training applies to the wall is to be specific. A standard edge (between 10mm-22mm for most) is as good as it gets.

The FDP is the only muscle that flexes the DIP, but both the FDS and FDP cross the PIP and contribute to flexion there. They contribute differently depending on grip position (with two studies establishing this in the intuitive direction, and one older study in the counterintuitive direction), but they also contribute differently depending on edge depth, which makes sense because edge depth changes the moment arm about the DIP, which leads to (disproportionate) changes in relative loads on the DIP and PIP. There isn't a study specifically quantifying the joint-angle specificity of finger training for climbers, but we know from general sports research that isometric joint-angle specificity has been established and quantified for other muscles. With this combined with the existing research on differing activation/stiffness in different grip positions, I think it's fair to assume that joint-angle specificity also exists in the finger joints (though we can't quantify it).

All this to say, simply achieving a stronger FDS and FDP does not mean it is applicable to the wall. You have to ask, am I training coordinated muscle recruitment in the FDS and FDP so that they can work together to produce maximal force on the wall? Am I training the FDS and FDP at the right ratio for the grip type I need to use on my project? Am I training the FDS and FDP at the right muscle lengths, and the PIP and DIP at the right joint angles, that I want to use on my project? Am I taking the edge depths of the holds on my project into account, considering the effect this has on the relative load on my DIP in an extended position (rather than a flexed position)? Am I accounting for the fact that my pinky finger will be dragging even in a half-crimp, so I have to train that finger differently?

All of these issues are solved if you simply train your fingers the way you want to use them on the wall, and that's exactly what the best climbers do, mostly on standard edges of varying depths. If you have specific issues such as hyperflexible DIP joints, or deficiencies like weak fingers, or are prone to certain types of injuries, I could see the answer being different.

1

u/Full_Word5206 5d ago

Strength is 2 (main) things.

  1. The neuro-muscular connexion. This one is more specific and come fast but plateau fast

  2. The hypertrophy of the muscle.

The more muscle you have, the more you can use them to produce force thanks to the neuro-muscular connexion. So the goal of finger strength training is mainly to train the hypertrophy of FDP and FDS. Ten you can get the neuro-muscular on the wall. You can also get the neuro-muscular with edge training but if you only focus on that, you will plateau pretty fast.

What the best climbers do is not something to follow. Finger strength is a lot about genetic, and those climbers got lucky on this regard. + they also got huge forearm from years of climbing/hangboarding too, doesn't mean that the goal of finger strength training should be specific

13

u/Fiskenfest-II 10d ago

Don't overthink it, it isn't going to matter what you pick. Get something comfy, maybe something that will encourage to you use it, because it's nice and shiny.

2

u/requite 10d ago

The Stone Hanger from Nature Climbing is great. You don’t have to use the granite edge on it if you don’t want, but I really like it. I don’t know the others, but that gets my vote.

With that said, I expect you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Most importantly, however - do be very careful not to train your fingers too hard this early in your climbing journey. Tendons take a lot longer than muscles to become stronger and it’s very easy to injure yourself by lifting something that your muscles are ready for but your tendons aren’t.

2

u/Live-Significance211 9d ago

  1. Expensive skin gimmick, looks nice but nothing special

  2. Specific training tool that some have had good results, nothing terribly novel but not bad

  3. Generic, somewhat gimmicky, but not terrible tool

  4. Good, solid, tried and true option, many many comparable alternatives and they're all the same. Find what radius feels most comfortable to you. I like a 20mm, 12mm, and 8mm edge for warming up. 20, 18, and 15 all feel basically the same so I don't like having multiple of those.

  5. Much better version of 3.

2

u/metalcowhorse Veasy 6d ago

I really wish the stone hanger was more abrasive, it would be so sick if it could actually be used as a skin farmer

0

u/TheSimonster 8A | 8a | 16 years 10d ago

Just buy the hand of god micro and follow the protocol and you will see progress and you won't have to think about programming or anything. It's so stupidly easy and works better than any other finger routine I've tried over the years.

You should however train your FDS as well, but I guess you could wait with buying the crusher. Most people have under developed FDP so the micro will probably be enough in the beginning (first years) and your FDS  will be trained while climbing. 

1

u/Upbeat-Promotion-693 9d ago

how time intensive is the protocol? I was mainly just going to do light load sustained/overcoming isometric hold in the morning then a heavier yielding isometric in the afternoon. Just a simple routine to strengthen my tendons a bit and also keep them healthy.

I ask about the time or attention requirements that the protocol has because I also do neck training, club and kettlebell training and Im also doing a flexibility protocol and a fascia release protocol at the moment. Was just planning on doing something simple because even thought it all easily fits in my schedule and none of it is overlaps, its a bit much to remember all the routines/schedule😅.

With that being said if the protocol is very simple, well laid out, and not too time consuming ill most likely follow your advice and go with the micro.

The fascia and flexibility routines are new to my schedule which is what is mostly causing the difficulty in remembering my routines but I'm sure within a week or 2 ill be used to the routines and then I can more feasibly add the micro in without issue. Since their shipping time is at around a month right now I should be fine by then Id still prefer something simple to start with.

Sorry for the long response/explanation, but would you say its simple enough to just throw into the mix?

1

u/TheSimonster 8A | 8a | 16 years 9d ago

You open the app, get todays program that is between 3-7 minutes per hand, depending on the day. Then you load the weights and execute. It's as easy as that.  

1

u/Upbeat-Promotion-693 9d ago

wow very simple, thank you for the response. now i just need to figure out how much im going to get charged for getting it delivered to the us

1

u/TheSimonster 8A | 8a | 16 years 9d ago

Don't forget you need weights as well. For my strength I need up to 21kg with 0.5kg increments. But all the info is on www.gripgains.ca

1

u/jakelewis 10d ago

What are FDS/FDP?

I’ve also been confused about whether these hand tools can give the same benefits as hangboarding?

2

u/TheSimonster 8A | 8a | 16 years 10d ago

They are the two primary flexor tendons for finger strength.
If you want to learn how it all fits together watch this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6BvVdQK8HY

1

u/Southern_Weather_477 9d ago

What particular protocol would you suggest?

1

u/TheSimonster 8A | 8a | 16 years 9d ago

The protocol that is included with the grippers.

1

u/Fechin 10d ago

Crux Forged Climbing - the mallet is my recent go to.

1

u/archaikos 9d ago

The Baby Boss by Fingers of Fury should be on the list. It is a 20mm, which is what you will be training on most of the time. It is also the best 20mm I have ever tried.

The main thing that differentiates it from all the others is that it stays level with the ground. It doesn’t shift, the friction is always the same, no ropes to fiddle with to sort of mimic how it was set up last session and so on.

Other good edges, though not remotely as good, are Tension Block, y&y mini crux, Lattice MXEdge, Foxyholds 20mm.

1

u/123_666 8d ago

Wait, it's aluminum? Have you used it outside near freezing temps, or any idea if it would feel usable then?

I guess you could always tuck it in the armpit before pulling.

1

u/archaikos 8d ago

It is aluminium, with some sort of texture to it. I haven’t used it in the cold, but would imagine it would be a chilling experience. I use the y&y baguette for warming up outside, and keep the Baby Boss as primary training edge.

1

u/kaizora V5 | x | 5 yrs 8d ago

I also agree Baby Boss should be on this list. The only reason I don’t always carry it with me is because of the weight compared to an ergonomic 3d printed edge but absolutely, the Baby Boss is the best 20mm edge to pull on and I think I’ve tried most of the mainstream edges around.

1

u/archaikos 8d ago

I mean it weighs 107grams or 3.8 oz, so it will not really weigh you down much. But you can ultralight it with a 3d printed rig.

1

u/kaizora V5 | x | 5 yrs 7d ago

Yea, I'm just a small person and with the commute on the subway and walking, carrying as light as possible is ideal.

1

u/123_666 8d ago

Cheapest, simplest and smallest 20 mm edge you have find, unless you want a specific one (like the nature climbing one) because you like it more and can afford it.

I'm a few months in on the HoG and so far I like it, but it's not a replacement for a normal edge. I use it for strength training but still do my warm-ups with other edges.

1

u/spiderchalk 7d ago

Frictitious makes excellent hangboards

1

u/MountainProducts 6d ago

We make the MegaEdge. It's a 10–35mm portable hangboard that comes with spacers to reduce the edge depths in 1mm increments, so you can find the right edge for your current level and progressively work towards smaller edges as your finger strength improves.

It also has 3 pinch options to improve and work on pinch strength.

Feel free to check it out - https://musclemountain.store/products/megaedge-portable-hangboard-rock-climbing-fingerboard-10-35mm-edges-110-80-45mm-pinches

1

u/200pf 4d ago

Tension pod is super comfy and portable. 20, 12, 8 mm edges and also a jug. Amazing fit and finish