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Very short hangs (Read 4144 times)

matts

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Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 01:30:19 pm
Hi.

I have a question about very short hangboard hangs (3 seconds or less). I'm asking because I have no real access to climbing for a few months and I can't put up a fingerboard where I live. Even the door frames are to flimsy to hang from. However, I have a balcony with a brick wall and I realized that I can hang from the gaps inbetween the bricks. The edges are very small and I can only hang them in full-crimp for a maximum of 3 seconds. I'm hanging from the bricks on the sides of the balcony door (there are no bricks above the door), so my arms are farther apart than usual (wider than shoulder width). I'm doing kind of a wide 90° lock-off to hang there. I came up with a workout I could do under these conditions and I wanted to ask you if it's going to be effective at all.

My workout:

I warm up with some climbing putty for like 15 minutes then I do some shoulder/back mobility/warmup drills. Then I start to hang very briefly from the edges (Not really hanging, I jump up a little but don't fully weigh my fingers). I'll progressively put more load on my fingers until I feel like they're warmed up. Then I start my workout of very short hangs, trying to hold on as long as possible (my max. is 3 seconds). I do 10 sets of these short hangs with like 90 seconds rest inbetween.

I read that strength is best trained with really high loads and I guess that this would classify as a high load. But is this time too short to provide a stimulus to my muscles? Any thoughts on only training in full-crimp? Will it at least transfer to half crimp?

I did this workout 2 times so far. My fingers ache a little right after the hang, but this is comparable to the feeling I get when I climb a boulder problem with really tiny crimps (tiny for me). There's no pain after the workout or on the next day. I also don't feel tired during or after the workout at all. Is this a bad thing?

Thanks for your help!

Three Nine

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#1 Re: Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 01:48:16 pm
If i had a balcony id get some rock rings rig up something to hang them off using the balcony. I've no idea about hang durations but your idea about hanging from cracks in a wall sounds likely to end in tears

bendavison

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#2 Re: Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 01:51:14 pm
If its all you've got then do it! It'll get you really recruited for crimps if nothing else. Have you though about getting some rock rings or similar which you can hang off a tree branch/banister (if they're metal!) to do hangs on.

matts

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#3 Re: Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 01:53:01 pm
Nothing to hang rock rings from. I also believe that none of the climbing shops really ship to the country I live in right now (Bosnia). The post is also rather unreliable.

dave

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#4 Re: Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 01:54:42 pm
You could try rigging up some kind of freestanding/nonstructural support for a fingerboard - i.e. a pair of expanding argos pullup bars, or some kinds of wooden a-frame thing. Google that shit.

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#5 Re: Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 02:13:06 pm
You seen this:

SA Chris

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#6 Re: Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 02:22:10 pm
Do the supporting walls not even have solid doorframes? Hanging from the edge of bricks sounds a bit like looking for trouble.

matts

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#7 Re: Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 02:30:54 pm
Cool vid! Looks beastly. Will be on the lookout for something like this.

Quote
Do the supporting walls not even have solid doorframes? Hanging from the edge of bricks sounds a bit like looking for trouble.

The doorframes are kinda weird. Some flimsy wood as doorframe with a glas window above every door. Don't want to hang from them at all. Feels like I'd easily rip them out.

I understand that hanging from brick edges is a bit unusual, but some hangboards have really small edges too. Like the Transgression Board from Lopez, I think it has 8 and 6mm edges (they are also pretty sharp). My edges are not smaller than 6mm I guess. They're about a quarter pad deep (not for all fingers though).

So recruitment for crimps is the only thing I'm going to get out of this (I'll be very careful not to injure myself)?

SA Chris

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#8 Re: Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 03:05:52 pm
You would have thought the buildings there would be bulletproof (sorry)

abarro81

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#9 Re: Very short hangs
May 22, 2015, 03:23:30 pm
I second Dave's suggestion of building an A-frame or something to mount a fingerboard on. Or is there definitely nothing to hang rock-ring/mini-fingerboard style stuff off? I just used a beam that was part of an enclosed bike rack when I was away with work the other week.

TheTwig

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#10 Re: Very short hangs
May 23, 2015, 05:15:07 am
build something, or the next least worst option, chisel out some of the mortar to make the 'holds' bigger. Something that you have to full crimp and can only hang for 3 sec and at that shoulder angle really does sound like an invitation for a quick injury. Good luck!

If you scroll down there is a pic of something really basic (bits of scaffolding looks like) with a hangboard mounted on it

http://eveningsends.com/climbing/catch-hangboard-buzz/

alternatively you can modify the various styles of pullup bars in different ways to let you stick hangboards on them

nai

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#11 Re: Very short hangs
May 23, 2015, 10:29:21 am
 :off: but

Is it just me or are there some fairly poor examples of hanging technique in that article, last three full body pictures all have straight arms and shoulders look like they're being pulled out of their sockets.  Despite the advice:

Quote
Hang the grip with slightly bent arms (keep elbows and shoulders engaged).

Arty though.

TheTwig

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#12 Re: Very short hangs
May 24, 2015, 02:22:35 am
:off: but

Is it just me or are there some fairly poor examples of hanging technique in that article, last three full body pictures all have straight arms and shoulders look like they're being pulled out of their sockets.  Despite the advice:

Quote
Hang the grip with slightly bent arms (keep elbows and shoulders engaged).

Arty though.

I only posted it for the pic of the frame, agreed that their hangboard technique looks shit. I think people who are writing articles on websites, blogs whatever have a responsibility to make sure their information/pics/advice is accurate and safe, or say they are punters making it up on the back of a fag packet.

Gulmark

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#13 Re: Very short hangs
May 25, 2015, 10:25:37 am
maybe to can get something to stand on to easier reach the edges, then you can use one foot to take some weight of so you can maybe half-crimp instead of full and make longer hangs, which would probably give you better overall finger strength gains. If you add a normal body scale you could kind of measure the load you hang with.

DAVETHOMAS90

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#14 Re: Very short hangs
May 25, 2015, 11:28:18 am
maybe to can get something to stand on to easier reach the edges, then you can use one foot to take some weight of so you can maybe half-crimp instead of full and make longer hangs, which would probably give you better overall finger strength gains. If you add a normal body scale you could kind of measure the load you hang with.

Hey, you beat me to it!

I have a good little protocol for use with bathroom scales/two hands/small crimps.

A note of caution though - I may be a punter making this up on the back of a fag packet  ;D - but generally, I like to experiment, and find out what works for me, with what I've got available. See what you think, but take care, obviously.

Weight/load figures are for example only. I'm fat and weigh 12 stone. You can do the maths and convert to Kg.

After a good warm up, stand on scales - on ground, chair, whatever, to reach finger edges.

Start with an open grip, with three fingers each hand.

Pre-load the hang by taking one third body weight off the reading on the scales - from 12 stone, down to 8 - whilst keeping the open grip.

Now go through the motion of moving from the open hang, to a half crimp, whilst increasing the load on the fingers. Reading on scales goes from 8 stone down to 4. Hold there for about 4 seconds, increasing the load - reducing the reading on the scales if you think you can/feels safe to do so.

Total hang duration 8 to 10 seconds.
Repeat x4 with x4 minute rest between.

Take extra care during the phase where you transition from open to half crimp.

Would be good to know what you think, if you give it a go.

DT.

matts

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#15 Re: Very short hangs
May 25, 2015, 12:32:32 pm
Thanks guys!

I realized that I've only got 2 months left until I can climb again. Your posts got me thinking and I'm not sure if I will continue the workout. Would be a shame to injure myself now that climbing is in sight again.

Maybe I'll experiment a lil bit with standing on the floor/a chair. Will let you guys know if I do so and write about my results.

Gulmark

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#16 Re: Very short hangs
May 25, 2015, 08:07:07 pm
8 weeks of finger hangs could give you good strength gains, but a think that the full crimp approach is probably to dangerous. Taking weight of with one of your feet and 5-10 sec half-crimp controlled hangs shouldn't be more prone to injury than normal hangboarding imo?

 

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