Thoughts on my in-season hangboard routine

Hi!

I've tried different hangboard protocols during my strength phase with great success but have struggled to find a good simple protocol for in-season training that you can combine with outdoor climbing (after climb), until now. As background I should mention that I'm not a weekend warrior but climb outside 3-4 days a week during my outdoor season (april-october) and therefor need a training protocol that can work as a supplement to a high volume of climbing without adding to much volume/intensity to my overall climbing and recovery time between each climbing day.

When formulating this protocol I prioritized:
1) simplicity in execution
2) time efficiency
3) suitable after climbing

Earlier I have used a lot of two-handed maximum hangs per Eva Lopez, but also Steve Bechtels 3-6-9 ladder ( climbstrong.com/articles/20…) both with adding and removing weight. The problem with the Lopez protocol for in-season is that the maximum hangs with added weight (I need to add weight to keep the hangtime down) are to hard to add after outdoor climbing, and if you did more sub maximal hangs you would need to many sets to get the desired volume/intensity balance. Steve Bechtels 3-6-9 ladder with different grips on the other hand contains to much volume and also takes to much time to complete. I have earlier used this protocol once a week when maintaining my strength during a power phase after a strength phase.

After considering all of these variables this is what I came up with:
- 1-arm assisted deadhangs with resistance band (I grab the band with my other hand)
- 1 grip (four finger edge)
- 1 set = 3 reps of 3-6-9 second hangs on a 30 sec/clock
- 3 sets in total with 2 minutes rest between sets

Instead of doing one 10 second maximum hang or a 3-6-9 ladder for different grips I do a 3-6-9 ladder (3 sec hang, 27 sec rest, 6 sec hang 24 sec rest, 9 sec hang 21 sec rest) as one whole set for three sets with a two minute rest between each sets. As each set for each hand takes 90 seconds (3x30sec) I just have to add a 30 sec rest when alternating hands to get a whole two minute rest between each set for each hand. So when I do my left arm hang I am resting my right hand and vice versa. In doing this compared to two handed hangs this whole protocol for three sets only takes about 9 minutes to complete, and contains a total hangtime of 54 seconds for each hand with different intensity. I do this workout when I come home after climbing two days a week. I also decided to use a resistance band as my preferred method for assistance as it takes into account the variability of my day-to-day strength on climbing days by allowing me to compensate with my other hand to fully complete each hang. But compared to using a rope the elastic band does not allow me to lock off too much and give to much assistance. If I was to use a pulley system I think I would have to adjust the weight from day to day, which makes the whole thing way more complicated in my mind. The downside of the resistance band is that it is hard to measure progress. This doesen't bother me that much as this is an in-season protocol meant as a supplement to the outdoor climbing and not part of a structured strength phase. Also I have marked with a marker where I grab the resistance band for each hang to maintain some consistency in assistance for each workout, and by grabbing farther down or higher up I can add or remove assistance easily depending on my daily strength. You probably could measure progress by doing a two armed 1-rep max hang with bodyweight only every two-four weeks if you wanted to.

As I so far haven't seen any similar in-season hangboard protocols on the web (undoubtedly someone has tried something similar) I'm looking for feedback in case anybody have some brilliant thoughts and/or tweeks on my protocol :)

Hi John,
This sounds interesting to me, if it works for you that's great. BTW from what I have read on the 3-6-9 ladders you don't necessarily do 2 min rests between sets. Just roll from one grip to the next every 30-45 seconds. I have done all 3 sec grips, followed by 6 sec, followed by 9 sec grips, but prefer to do 3-6-9 on each grip before moving on to the next. I do 4 sets of three grips in about 18 minutes. So about double the time commitment, but gives you 4 times the TUT. I alternate between 4 sets with lighter weights and 3 sets at heavier loads depending on the climbing workout I am following and how I feel.

I have done repeaters in the past, but prefer lower intensity hangboarding after climbing. It would seem your workout is going to focus more on max strength(longer rests/heavier loads) and if that works for your elbows and shoulders it makes a lot of sense. To me this is the key element that a lot of the "training programs" miss. Finding what works for your body and your schedule, and sticking with it until it stops working. Then do something else. The simplicity of the 3-6-9 ladders combined with the fact that it works(for me) and I can still improve at my climbing at the same time makes it a great program for me. Instead of looking for your PR on any given workout you focus on consistent improvement over time. Not to mention it's a lot less painful to the fingers.

Good luck!

Hi Kevin and thank you for your thoughts :)

I am aware that Bechtel doesn't include a longer rest in between grip positions, but I chose a longer rest since I am training the same grip for all three sets, and as you say want to focus more on maximum strength. My reasoning behind this is partly that one of the things missing when only climbing routes during the outdoor season is focus on maximum strength. All the rock climbing I do is by nature low intensity - high volume with a submaximal effort (in contrast to bouldering), so focusing some training on maximum strength seems logical to me. Also, doing 3-6-9 vs only 10 second hangs is for me a way to add some volume to keep the intensity down. Three sets of 10 second deadhangs would require a higher intensity (read: added weight) to be effective, but would also put more strain on my fingers and elbows. In addition it would not be as suitable as a supplement session after a climbing session since really high intensity training is best performed in a state of no or little fatigue. Doing 3-6-9 with a longer rest for only three sets seemed like good compromise between to low intensity and too high intensity. It feels like I have found a good balance :)

As a reply to your comment on TUT (time under tension) I have to note that I only use this hangboard routine as a supplement after a climbing session, and never as a stand alone session. That means that I already have had a good portion of volume with submaximal effort prior to this hangboard session. If I where to increase the number of sets to gain more time under tension, in combination with prior climbing, then I would be concerned about my shoulders and elbows :)

Hi John,
I only bring up the TUT because I believe this is the primary training variableof the 3-6-9 Ladder program. I'm guessing you have read this article by Betchel, which points out that frequency and duration are more important than intensity in building isometric strength. My feeling is that this is also the main reason for training more than one grip position. By cycling the load duration and keeping the rest more or less constant you can get more TUT with less strain on the connective tissues. Rotating through several grips also plays a similar role in decreasing strain and improving recovery

So I guess the real question is if it's working for you. If you are getting stronger and not getting hurt then that's all that really matters isn't it?