Max hangs or repeaters: which finger training to do first
Short answer
If you boulder, start with max hangs: 5 hangs of 10 seconds on a 20 mm edge with 3 minutes rest, with enough weight that 10 seconds is hard but controlled. That trains the near-max strength hard boulders need, in 13 minutes. Repeaters, 5 sets of six 7-second hangs with 3 seconds off and 3 minutes between sets, give your fingers more work at a lighter load, which suits a base block or pumpy climbing. Both work in studies. Run one at a time in blocks of about four weeks, then switch, and never do both on one day.
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Take the quiz"Which one should I start with?"
This comes up on climbing forums every year, and both work. Eva López's studies in experienced climbers found that max hangs and repeater-style hangs both raised finger strength, and her fingerboard training guides suggest alternating the two in blocks. The max hangs on this site follow her MaxHangs protocol. So pick the one that fits what you're training for right now.
What each one trains
| Compared | Max hangs | 7/3 repeaters |
|---|---|---|
| Load | Heavy: about what you could hold for 13 seconds | Lighter: the last hang of each set is hard |
| Time on the edge | 50 seconds a session | 3.5 minutes a session |
| Trains | Near-max finger strength | Strength, with a lot more work for your fingers |
| Fits | A strength or power block, or before a trip | A base block, or climbing that pumps you out |
The hardest move on a boulder is a few seconds of near-max effort, and max hangs train exactly that. With only 5 hangs, they also leave more in the tank for the climbing around them. That's why they make the better first block for a boulderer.
Repeaters keep your fingers on the edge about four times as long. That's useful in a base block, or if long gym boulders pump you out, and it's more tiring.
A simple way to alternate them
- About four weeks of max hangs, twice a week at most and 48 hours or more apart.
- One or two easier weeks.
- A block of repeaters, once or twice a week.
- Back to max hangs, changing one thing from last time: the load, the hang time or the edge.
If you're starting a base block, you can run it the other way round. Just don't do both hard on the same day. The second protocol is always done tired, and your fingers get far more load than they need. The free hangboard timer runs both.
Where the hangs go in a session
After a full warm-up and before anything tiring. Warm up with easy climbing, then a few lighter hangs that build toward your working load, like the finger recruitment warm-up. Do the hangs before your climbing, or straight after a short limit block. Never at the end of a long session, and never after pump work.
Both are high injury risk. Only do them warm, and stop at the first sharp pain in a finger or elbow. If a finger already hurts, see a physio before you hangboard.
Who shouldn't do either yet
Both are for climbers who've climbed regularly for at least a year or two, with no finger pain. If that's not you yet, start with moderate hangs on a 20 mm edge, well short of your max, like finger maintenance, or with feet-on hangs. Training your fingers before you can hang your bodyweight covers those. To work out a starting load for either protocol, the hangboard calculator does the sums.
The exercises
Finger recruitment warm-up
After a general warm-up, 4-6 hangs of 5-10 s building to about 80% effort, 2 min rest.
Max hangs (added weight)
5 hangs of 10 s on a 20 mm edge with added weight, 3 min rest. Add 2 kg after two clean sessions.
Half-crimp 7/3 repeaters
3 sets of 6 x (7 s hang, 3 s off), 3 min between sets. Add a set each session, up to 5.
Open-hand 7/3 repeaters
5 sets of 6 x (7 s open-hand hang, 3 s off), 3 min rest between sets.
Finger maintenance
After warming up, 5 hangs of 10 s on a 20 mm edge at moderate effort, 2 min rest.
Questions
Can I do max hangs and repeaters in the same week?
You can, on different days at least 48 hours apart. It's simpler to run one at a time in blocks of about four weeks, because then you know which one your test numbers came from.
Which one is safer?
Both carry a high injury risk. Max hangs are heavier but there are only 5 of them. Repeaters are lighter but there are 30, and in the later sets tired fingers start to change shape on the edge. Whichever you do, warm up fully and stop at sharp pain.
When do I add weight?
For max hangs, add 2 kg once all 5 hangs have felt controlled in two sessions in a row. For repeaters, add weight once all 5 sets feel controlled, with the last hang of each set still hard.
Where do easy daily hangs like Abrahangs fit?
Emil Abrahamsson's easy daily hangs are a third option. They're feet on and never hard, and they go on rest days next to either one. A 2024 study by Gilmore and colleagues of 526 climbers' training logs found they raised finger strength about as much as max hangs, and more when the two were combined. It wasn't a randomised trial, so take it as a promising sign.
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