[Luke Owens]

Just thinking about this after seeing the thread pop up.

On Sat and Sun just gone I training max hangs and some endurance stuff on the fingerboard for a couple of hours both days. Went out bouldering on Monday even though my forearms felt pretty worked and felt really strong (for me) and recruited. Didn't feel tired at all, felt like the hangs had helped for sure.

[k2ted]

Similar story for me. Did a short Eva style fingerboard session at lunch today. This evening I went to Brownstones and did a Pigswill eliminate and Pigswill sit start, that I've never managed before YYFY! Never done a fingerboard session and climbed on same day before. Seemed to work for me. As others have said, it's finding a balance and not doing too much.

[moose]

I've found that a quick (15-30 min) fingerboard session is a good warmup for a day of RPing.  My usual pre-crag routine is 6x 7s/3s repeaters on 18mm, 14mm, 12mm, and 10mm edges, then a single 10s hang on a 9mm, 8mm, then a 7mm edge.  I find it reassuring to arrive at the crag feeling I've done harder hangs than anything on my project - and it seems to get me in the zone far better than a desultory trip up Consenting Adults or Open Road (I've done 8a'ish links as a "warm-up" at the crag, having arrived with my fingers pre-tested by a bit of fingerboarding - which given how creaky I feel on a morning seems a pretty good sign).

[Nibile]

I think that there's a difference between recruitment hangs and really max hangs, especially if we consider the latter as a form of training with a long term progression aim.
Recruitment hangs are rarely maximal, and they are project specific, with very little volume.
Max hangs in a training cycle are a different thing, you need the intensity and the volume, and you don't want to simply recruit your CNS or to "grease the groove" for a session, but to keep progressing over a long period of time.
This is much trickier in my opinion.
I got back into fingerboarding more seriously and more constantly in the last weeks, and I figured out four sessions that I do at the beginning of every week, one session per week. They target different aspects.
I try to fingerboard every Monday, after taking Sunday off or doing non fingery stuff. Then Tuesday is off, then usual training the other days but no fingerboarding.
Depending on the session, I need up to four days to recover completely, so I plan my board climbing accordingly.
Not having any rock related goal helps a lot, I don't need to peak for a trip.
HTH.

[tomtom]

Quick Max hangs Q thats not related to the OP, but didn't seem worth a new post...

How often do you up the weight? Been on the same max weight for about 3 weeks now and need to go up.. best to creep it up (e.g. 1-2kg a time)?? or is there a different way to calc weight to add?

(I'm only pulling c.15kg at the moment... I weigh 70)

[andy_e]

I was wondering about this too. Do you need to have a dedicated recalibration session where you find your new max hang weight?

[gme]

I am not the most experienced at hangs having only gotten into them this year but i put the weight up once i can complete a a session.

My sessions are 9 hangs x 7- 10 secs on three minutes. I aim for 10 secs but allow a drop off to 7 secs. If i manage to complete all 9 hangs within these rules i up the weight next session. I normally go up 2 1/2 kg which usually means i will only complete the 1st 4-5 hangs.

I suspect if you have done lots of hanging you will be nearer your max and have to go up in smaller increments.

[monkoffunk]

Not something you'd want to be doing too regularly (edit: full recalibration session I mean)? In Dave Mason's video he adds a little based on how comfortable the previous hang was. I'm guessing there will be some minor variability up and down depending on how you feel on the day. I suppose important thing is logging it to ensure that overall progression is upwards. Not sure how rapidly it should be going up!

[moose]

No science in this (and n=1) but my own regime has been to stick with the same added weight for 3-4 weeks, then, to have a calibration. 

My approach for calibration is to have a curtailed session of max hangs at the "old max weight", to make sure that I am firing on all cylinders  - less hangs than normal, so fatigue does not give a falsely low impression of my capacity.  I then calibrate - trial and error to identify the weight that I can hang for 12-13s on the chosen hold, and use that added weight for the next 3-4 week block of 10s max hangs.

[andy_e]

I like the rigour of that approach moose.

[tomtom]

Cheers Moose - Stubbsy tweeted me a link http://www.stevemaischtraining.com/fingerboarding-for-maximum-strength.html which did something similar...

Though I might try just adding a kg or two every couple of weeks if it feels OK...

[Nibile]

Late reply, sorry.
Looking back at my progression, it took me a few years to get to the current values. I went up by 2 kg increments, judging basically on how good I feel and felt in the previous sessions. It's not scientific at all.
As of late I decided to stick to training at 90% of max, and it gave me good references also about my 100%. I can definitely feel 90% as much easier than 100%, hang times and sets go up quite a notch.
I'll stick to this because I like that it's less condition dependant and can bear more volume. Probably it's a good mix between CNS activation and long term sustainability.

[dave]

Remember the main thing is you need to be having to try bastard hard. If you're completing your sets every time then by definition you can't be trying quite hard enough, so either go longer or heavier. How often that happens is clearly going to differ widely for different people.

[tomtom]

Thanks all - I did a load last year (or before - forgotten) but used my cheaty open handed beastmaker hold and got up to 20kg.. I'm doing this years plan training myself to use the half crimp... and gone up from 10 to 15kg (I think).

They've gone (over the last month) from being only just holding for ten secs trying really hard, to being straightforward - so defo time to chuck some more weight in my weight bag...

[gme]

I guess i am still a bit old school but very much believe that if i dont fail on the last few hangs its not hard enough.
If i manage to complete a whole session i up the weight and do a few more to failure at the end.