[Serpico]

...what exactly do you do on them?.....When i say lots i'd guess its usually a 10-15 min session.

Your approach is little and hardly at all by the sound of it. 

If you are going to do 10-15min sessions you should be thinking in terms of doing that several times a day for gains as opposed to ticking over. 

If you were going to train your biceps with 3 sets of curls it wouldn't take you more than 10mins (including rest periods), and you wouldn't do that 3 times a day.
Just because we spend all day at the crag doesn't mean we should spend all day on the fingerboard.

[shark]

Obviously Shark, eliminating 'take' from your vocabulary would bear more fruit than any amount of hanging - but God forbid you work your REAL weakness 

You've mentioned this and I don't think it inhibits my climbing - I do go for it above bolts if a redpoint or onsight is on the cards.

I can think of another four letter word you should eliminate from your vocabulary...

[shark]

...what exactly do you do on them?.....When i say lots i'd guess its usually a 10-15 min session.

Your approach is little and hardly at all by the sound of it. 

If you are going to do 10-15min sessions you should be thinking in terms of doing that several times a day for gains as opposed to ticking over. 

If you were going to train your biceps with 3 sets of curls it wouldn't take you more than 10mins (including rest periods), and you wouldn't do that 3 times a day.
Just because we spend all day at the crag doesn't mean we should spend all day on the fingerboard.

So how much, how often do you think is optimal ?

[Serpico]

So how much, how often do you think is optimal ?

  and it'd probably be different for you anyway.
Scroll to page 15 for some further reading.

[haz]

Apologies if this is off topic, avoiding making numerous threads about roughly the same ideas.

Does anyone have opinions about repeaters - when struggling to complete a set, would you drop the time of hang off or the number of reps?

[TobyD]

Actually meant to ask about rock rings and went off on a tangent...
Never used them.
Worth it?

I only use them / have them, as they were a freebie ages ago, and i do not currently have any other options which are less of a pain than driving to a crag to hang off some shit holds. They are notably less productive than a (well designed) fingerboard, but better than FA. I am not convinced of the applicability of the 'freehanging holds develop core, and shoulder stability' claims for them; i think they have value, though it is limited.

[webbo]

Apologies if this is off topic, avoiding making numerous threads about roughly the same ideas.

Does anyone have opinions about repeaters - when struggling to complete a set, would you drop the time of hang off or the number of reps?

Use a bigger hold.

[cjsheps]

of course, i'm not expert but here's my two cents...

i find that there's a definite value in longer sessions - you can really get into the exercise, and of course it teaches you to battle on and try hard. however, i used to train until i felt like collapsing (in some case, actually ending up lying in a heap on the floor) but all this did was mean that i could only muster up the energy to train hard like once a week

i'd say that a month prioritising the fingers is enough - when not doing so i'd still have one maintenance session a week if fingers are that much of an issue. 1-2hour sessions mixing it up is good during the intensive stint are about right - twice a week and you'll be able to feel the gains by the end of the phase.

[TobyD]

...what exactly do you do on them?.....When i say lots i'd guess its usually a 10-15 min session.

Your approach is little and hardly at all by the sound of it. 
If you are going to do 10-15min sessions you should be thinking in terms of doing that several times a day for gains as opposed to ticking over. 

I detailed the whole session on my blog
I am only using rock rings because I dont have access to a fingerboard during the day. The offset pull-ups sound like a good idea although I don't do them currently.

ditto, i only use rockrings when they are the only available option, and usually as a supplement to a day on the crag.

I would question (as Serpico has, I think) the specificity / applicability / benefit of hanging off the bloody things for an hour a day though. Apart from anything else I'm not sure I have the will!