What are the most effective training systems for climbing and which tools do most climbers use? Recently, we have seen the emergence of new methods and influence from other athletic disciplines. However, classic tools such as the hangboard, Moonboard, and other specific climbing equipment never go out of style. Let's take a closer look at the strengths of different types of equipment.
In its most artisanal form, it was probably the first tool created to train fingers to "squeeze" micro edges and develop the specific strength needed for our sport. The abundance of available hangboards now gives us the choice between massive gym models with pockets, pinches, and monos, and more minimalist versions for warming up. Among all the specific tools, it is the one that instinctively attracts climbers of all levels when they arrive at a climbing gym, as well as the simplest to integrate into home walls.
We can therefore imagine that, among all the options for training finger strength, it is the most accessible for most climbers. However, we should never underestimate the specificity of these exercises, which move away from the technical movement and put much repetitive strain on our fingers. Therefore, they must be used with caution, and preferably under the supervision of a trainer if you have been climbing for less than a year or if you are particularly young.
While the hangboard has reigned supreme for centuries in gyms, home walls, and now even in the bags of traveling boulderers, the Pan Gullich has a specific date of birth - 1988 - and represents a tool with much greater volume. Its use requires even more specific physical preparation than the hangboard: it is often said that training on the Pan Gullich trains in a always proportionate way. It is considered by many to be a training tool accessible only to those who have strong shoulders, both physically and metaphorically, but we would add, literally, also the elbows and fingers.
On the other hand, as American sites often point out, the Pan Gullich was invented by one of the strongest climbers in the world to prepare for the first 9a climb in history.
As the slope gets steeper, exercises become much harder due to the incline. The most classic exercise, as well as the one used for approaching and warming up, is climbing - with elegance and fluidity - coupling hands on every hold. Among the benefits of this tool is explosive strength training, coordination and arm, shoulder and back strength. Although it is a "not-for-all" tool, for those who already have years of training to rely on, it can offer extraordinary results (like the first ascent of Action Directe).
The Moonboard has been the subject of increasing enthusiasm among climbers, despite its modest debut initially taking place in the cellars of the strongest climbers in Sheffield. It was the year 2005, and the idea of its founder Ben Moon was futuristic: to combine the effectiveness of a "mini wall," or the real climbing motion that is lacking on a hangboard, with a reference system that was equal for all climbers in the world and trained fingers furiously. Now it is a "must-have" for any gym in the world, as well as a highly appreciated option as a "home wall."
By sparing the burden of having to track, try out and eventually evaluate boulders made to measure for you, it collects countless proposals for passages of all difficulties collected in the app. In addition to the sets of grips that have been renewed over the years, now including a wooden set, there has been the possibility of mounting LED lights for some years, so as not to have to memorize the grips each time.
System wall
The Moon Board maintains the creative side of climbing, giving everyone the opportunity to create their own boulder, upload it, share it, and virtually try it together with other climbers at the same level, but who may be located thousands of kilometers away. The System Wall, similar in its original idea as a "mini-wall," sacrifices this artistic side a bit to put into play a more geometric approach to climbing, in order to properly assimilate the basic climbing techniques. The holds mounted symmetrically offer the undisputed advantage of training the exact same movement with both the right and left hands (think of a pinch), obtaining immediate feedback on any gaps, aspects to improve, and angles to strengthen. It is an excellent training tool that adopt symmetric climbs from the Pan Gullich and combines them with a well-coordinated use of the feet, and can be used without too much drama even by novice climbers."
Bouldering wall
Finally, we come to the bouldering wall, which is probably the most comprehensive, diverse, and universal tool of all. It is unanimously recognized as the best, most complete, and with the lowest risk of injury for those starting out in rock climbing. On a well-traced bouldering wall, you can find everything from finger boulders to coordination ones, from balance plates to "physical" overhangs. With a decent consistency in spending a handful of hours each week in the gym, you will develop finger strength, explosive strength, and coordination without compromising technique and gesture quality. Of course, its main flaw is the difficulty of being able to install it in a medium-small-sized house, and, in case we had space to build one, of inventing and tracing perfectly training boulders.
Photo credits: Jess Glassberg / Black Diamond