When the Moonboard has been presented to climbers, that is to say years before the debut of Google Play Store in our lives, you could use the revolutionary training wall of Ben Moon only by printing reams of boulders' pictures and descriptions from the Moonclimbing official web site. The most avant-garde gyms had practical list holders with a rather articulated menu of boulders divided by difficulty. The real bet was to find and memorize the right holds for each boulder you wanted to try. As often happens, technology has given us a great support from this point of view: we are now living the era of the "training apps".
The Moonboard training app has opened the way to many other similar apps that have taken over the main features, such as the Kilter Board app and the Tension Board app, and a myriad of other smaller apps that will help many climbers who are looking for advice on hangboard training. Trying to playing it on ear among the countless climbing training apps, we thought to start by pointing out those that are born in combination with a specific tool (Moonboard, Beastmaker, etc.) to then go to discover something more about training apps who take into account different training tools such as hangboard, suspension training, Pan Gullich and so on.
The Moon Board, an extremely useful panel to develop explosive strength and train dynos. Credits SCARPA
The system is simple: download the app from Google Play, create your own account and "set" the MoonBoard according to what you will use, then setting size, inclination and hold sets. At this point activate the Bluetooth and connect it to the MoonBoard of your gym so that, by selecting a certain boulder, you will see the lights corresponding to the right holds turning on: you will be immediately relieved from having to remember the correct ones.
- What can you do with the Moonboard App?
The app offers multiple boulder options for you to choose from, divided into All and Setters categories, and listed by grade difficulty (it is all very easy to use). In the list that appears to you, you will also see the degrees suggested by users (if they do not coincide with that proposed by the creator of the boulder), the stars that indicate the beauty, the number of repetitions and, finally, indication about the footholds (almost always "Feet follow hands", that is: the footholds are the same holds of the hands).
If you access the "Apply filters" section, you will be able to select more and more accurately the boulders you want to try. You can choose between the most recent and the oldest ones, the most repeated, the least repeated, the "hard" or "easy" ones and projects. In short, even if there are more than forty thousand boudlers you can choose from, you will not have difficulties to smooth the choice by refining it according to your preferences.
If you have not been able to close the project you have been trying in your last training, you can click on the + at the bottom of the screen to add it to your personal list, thus to find it again very quickly the next time. Once you have climbed it, you can register it in your logbook, adding comments and number of attempts: this way you will have a history of the boulders you managed to climb.
- What shall I do if I set a new boulder up?
You can also add your own boulder, by indicating the alphanumeric code and proposing a degree: as it will be repeated by other climbers, it will gain stars ( 1 to 5 ) based on the beauty, repetitions and possible adjustments of the degree. The MoonBoard app is totally free and it is completed by many "how-to" videos to help you to know more about how does it work. Here is the link.
A very common "app" folder among climbers passionate about training!
App for climbing hangboards
We want now to talk about apps for hangboards, the most appreciated training tool by the climbers of all over the world. Its adaptability to small domestic spaces makes it particularly usable even by those who can not regularly go to the gym twice a week: the risk of training at home, however, is not to have a structure. So here come to the rescue apps that you can download - in most cases - for free from the Play Store and that help you have a plan to follow. Obviously, we are always talking about generic plans, which deviate from a real training program for obvious reasons.
In this post we will analyze in detail four apps that are meant to be used in conjunction with the following hangboards: Beastmaker, Metolius Simulator 3D and Zlagboard.
Beastmaker, one of the most appreciated hangboards ever!
This is the "official" Beastamker app: it is partly criticized by users - especially because it is paid - but, on the other hand, it is very often updated. Once you have downloaded it and created your account, you can select the type of Beastamaker on which you will train (1000 or ) or the Custom Workout option. At this point, whether you have Beastmaker 1000, generally recommended for a beginner level, or you have Beastmaker 2000, you can select a reference climbing level on which your training will be based.
The app will guide you to find the holds required for the first exercise, the type of "grip" (for example: Four fingers open, that is "thumbless, fingers stretched out"), the number of sets, the repetitions for each set and the hang time on the holds. When you’re ready to start, press start and your phone will become a timer that will also tell you the seconds of resting between repeats and the rest time between sets.
- Can I customize my training?
By accessing the Custom Workout section you can select the grip (change grip), hang time, rest time etc. At the end of the set, the app will ask you how much you felt your last deahangs at limit, so you can calibrate the intensity of your workouts. Obviously the app is exclusively focused on deadhangs, not including all the other types of exercises you can do with a hangboard (to say one: the pull-ups). For the same reason it will be up to you and your experience to determine whether you will have to lighten the exercise by discharging weight with a pulley, or intensify it by adding weight.
- If I climb on 6a, which training program should I follow?
As soon as you set the type of Beastmaker hangboard on which you will train, you will see a list of exercises in order of difficulty: you can start training for example from Beasty 5a and up. As specified on the official Beastmaker website, the grades are absolutely relative, that is - translated into more understandable terms - "the workouts are hard for the degree". On the other hand, if you have already tried the Moon Board boulders, you already know that sometimes a "6b" feels like 7a+ or something like that. On the official website app-guide we can read: "The grades (beastly 5a, beastly 6a etc.) have nothing to do with actual grades, they are simply the names we gave to the workouts while making the app, and we liked them, so they stuck!". On the other hand training would not be training if it was too easy.
Beastmaker 2000: for real connoisseurs
3- Grippy
This app has been designed to specifically train with the Beastmaker too and it was born from the collaboration between Griptonite and the manufacturers of the Beastmaker. Grippy matches your Beastmaker similarly to a Zlagboard thanks to the Motherboard 1000 and Motherboard 2000 support panels. These "smart" panels are equipped with numerous sensors that will cross the data collected during your workouts to allow you to correct errors, identify weaknesses, implement specific workouts and much more. These constant feedback allow you to be much more effective during training through simple and clear graphical interfaces.
The app is now getting a good success and great feedback from users, firstly because it is free and secondly because it relies on a unique network of climbing instructors: some programs are available for free on the app, but you can get in touch with them through the app to ask for a personalized (paid) planning. Some functions, such as the Freehang section, are only available in combination with a Motherboard or at a Griptonite affiliated gym (and therefore equipped with smart panels).
- How does Grippy work?
During the account registration, you will be asked for personal data such as the hardest boulder grade you have climbed in the last three months, what you are likely to do on sight, your strongest hand, what kind of Beastmaker you have and in which gym do you usually train. At this point you will be able to choose the workouts according to the Coach who made them, the ones recommended for you, the most recent ones or depending on the strength training you intend to do (explosive or endurance).
On the Navigate page you will find a series of programs in which the aspect you want to train (strength, endurance) is immediately highlighted, together with the duration of the training session and the type of holds on which the training is set. Here again by accessing the Filters page in the upper right you can go to refine the search by setting the maximum duration of the training and the level that fits better to you (beginner, intermediate, expert).
- The Beastmark ranking
In addition to the main training section, there also is the Beastmark ranking including all the users. This section allows you, beyond the ranking itself, to perform deadhangs tests to better frame your level and the programs that best suit you. Start from the first test (always set to the type of Beastmaker you have) using the holds that are indicated by the app, record your maximum deadhang time and proceed in this way (even on different days). Make sure you are warm before you aim for the gold medal of the highest level: you will not be able to unlock higher levels without having previously recorded your results in ascending order (you cannot skip levels).
The app has plenty of other features like the Timer where you can set your sleep time, rest time and number of repetitions, a very accurate profile and the Freehang section, which you can only use in gyms affiliated with the Griptonite app. It is a complete and free app that gives you the ability to improve the accuracy of workouts, asking for the support of a coach.
Lo Zlagboard, il trave più usato per le sfide di sospensioni!
4- Zlagboard
In the imagination of many climbers the Zlagboard remains perhaps a great tool to have fun, challenge friends to the ultimate deadhangs and to animate many bouldering contests, but to tell the truth it is born - like all the hangboards - as a tool to specifically train the fingers. Of course, what has been said so far is true: its "nature" is undoubtedly much more oriented towards the "community" of climbers who interact with each other, train together - albeit in different hemispheres - and organize real Zlagboard Contest.
Its peculiarity is to be connected with the mobile phone, which automatically records the times and holds on which you made the deadhangs without the ability to change the results. Therefore, if you can enter unrealistic deadhangs records on Beastmark (while still lying on the sofa), you can’t do the same with the Zlagboard (provided it makes sense to record fake results).
- And so, how does it work?
Once you have set the hangboard (Evo or Pro), you can take a test on your starting level and, after completing these steps, you can create an account by accessing the training programs (you can also go to the Training page of the menu below). You can choose between single workouts and longer plannings, even up to twelve weeks, for a fee (there is a small Free section you can take a look at).
The goals of multi-week planning can be extremely different from each other, and exceedingly specific: preparing for a climbing trip to the Frankenjura, Fontainebleau or Ceuse, a period of twelve weeks of conditioning or specific workouts for the high level. The cost of programming, which varies depending on which you choose, is also justified by the caliber of the coaches who made them. Just to name a few: Patxi Usobiaga, Dicki and Patrick of Gimmekraft and Ingo Filzwieser, the coach of the Austrian national team.
- Zlagboard Contest
At any time you can join the Zlagboard Contest to test yourself both on the resistance on crimps and on pull-ups. Challenge a friend, summon all the members of your gym for a small contest or participate in the global ranking: with the Zlagboard training will be always more fun!
Mono deadhangs always require high experience in training
5- Metolius Hangboard Training
Here is the last app that we have selected from those made to be combined with a specific type of hangboards. This is the app created by Metolius to train on Simulator 3D. Its symbolic cost of 1.39 euros is definitely worth the expense if you have this kind of hangboard, or if you have one in your gym.
The app has the dual function of timer and workout plans, which can be suitable for a beginner, intermediate and advanced level. The exercises are those typical of the hangboard, that is deadhangs, pull-ups and lock-offs, and it offers you the advantage of customize the program of your training thanks to a fluorescent Edit button.
Both the hangboard and the app are suitable for climbers of all levels, but they certainly offer an extra gear to Pro climbers who want to modify their training making it even more similar to their needs. We chose the app dedicated to the 3D Simulator, but you will find - of course at the same price - one for each Metolius hangboard (Project Board, Contact and Foundry).
Lattice Training Micro Crimps: get the best from your full cirmp grip!
And now have fun: discover all the available hangboards on Oliunìd!