jv91
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by jv91 on Sept 18, 2019 2:25:07 GMT -7
Hello everyone, I already completed 7 hangboard workouts of my intermediate routine (7s on / 3s off). I use full crimp (FC) as my third grip hanging from a 10mm (slightly slopy) edge on the Tension Grindstone pro board. I noticed a problem after 4-5 workouts when resistance strarted to get serious - extensive sweating during last reps and minor tears of skin on fingertips (mostly on index fingers). I noticed white spots (even with bruises sometimes) while maintaining my skin the day after 4th workout and extensive sweating of fingertips. I plateau on this grip for 3 consencutive workouts not because lack of strength but because I slide off the hold after 4-5 repetitions. Chalking between reps is not possible because of short 3s rests. Strange thing is that I havent noticed this problem last season and the resistance was up to +4kg (+9 lbs) higher. Im considering how to proceed now. 1, Up-size the hold and start using 15mm edge for FC. That should resolve the friction problem with sliding off the hold during last reps. 2, Keep using 10mm hold and add in an extra rest day/other precautions for my skin to heal better before next workout. 3, Increase rest periods to 5s so I can chalk up between reps. 4, ?? The main reason why I dont want to use 15mm edge is because my goal routes/boulders often include super small slopy crimps much like the 10mm edge on my hangboard. Thats way it was logical to start training on this hold and also make my fingertips ready for the loads while performing later in season. Now I am having second thoughts because my skin does not manage to heal from workout to workout and abilitity to complete sets lays mostly on friction and not purely on strenght. I'd love some thoughts/recomendations. If something doesnt make sense, I will explain further. Thank you in advance, Jan  Skin on my fingertips the day after the 7th HB workout. ![]()  ![]() |
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Post by cozisco on Sept 18, 2019 9:40:56 GMT -7
1) There are a few things you can do to limit sweating while hangboarding. One would be to use a fan angled at the hangboard, another would be to use liquid chalk at the beginning of every set and a third would be to put your hangboard in the freezer overnight before a session (or leave it outside, depending on temps). The third one may sound crazy but it works.
2) It's not too common to get bad abrasion from a wood board, but if you're worried about it, why not just tape the first pad? It will make things harder, but if you're consistent then that should not matter.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Sept 18, 2019 13:48:19 GMT -7
1) There are a few things you can do to limit sweating while hangboarding. One would be to use a fan angled at the hangboard, another would be to use liquid chalk at the beginning of every set and a third would be to put your hangboard in the freezer overnight before a session (or leave it outside, depending on temps). The third one may sound crazy but it works. 2) It's not too common to get bad abrasion from a wood board, but if you're worried about it, why not just tape the first pad? It will make things harder, but if you're consistent then that should not matter. Have you ever done #3? I haven't because I don't think it will work, but I'd love to hear from someone whose done it. I figure there is too little thermal mass, and it will heat up to room temperature pretty quickly. If I'm wrong about that and it stays cold, then I figure moisture will condense on the board.
Anyway, Jan, this is not a new problem by any means. Many of us go to extreme lengths--like waking up at 0-Dark-Thrity, buying dedicated A/C units, and building "Kill Rooms"--to hangboard in cold/dry conditions to protect our skin. What was the climate during your previous hangboard season, and what is the climate now? If it was colder/dryer for your last season, you might want to try any or all of those options.
Easier things to try: -taking really good care of your skin, sanding on rest days, etc -Installing a fan as Cozisco suggests, -being very careful not to thrash around on your crimp edge.
I'm not familiar with that hangboard, but I use a wooden edge of similar depth and I don't have too much trouble with it (although I use all the above tricks to ensure I'm (almost) never hangboarding in temps above 54F or ~50% humidity). How sharp is the lip of that edge? If its relatively sharp, no amount of climate control or skin care is going to save your skin. For comparison, the radius of the lip of my edge is half its depth. In other words, my edge is about 10mm deep. The back 5mm of that is flat, the front 5mm is the radius or roundover/curvature of the lip of the edge. That makes it relatively not sharp.
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jv91
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by jv91 on Sept 20, 2019 6:38:29 GMT -7
1) There are a few things you can do to limit sweating while hangboarding. One would be to use a fan angled at the hangboard, another would be to use liquid chalk at the beginning of every set and a third would be to put your hangboard in the freezer overnight before a session (or leave it outside, depending on temps). The third one may sound crazy but it works. 2) It's not too common to get bad abrasion from a wood board, but if you're worried about it, why not just tape the first pad? It will make things harder, but if you're consistent then that should not matter. Have you ever done #3? I haven't because I don't think it will work, but I'd love to hear from someone whose done it. I figure there is too little thermal mass, and it will heat up to room temperature pretty quickly. If I'm wrong about that and it stays cold, then I figure moisture will condense on the board.
Anyway, Jan, this is not a new problem by any means. Many of us go to extreme lengths--like waking up at 0-Dark-Thrity, buying dedicated A/C units, and building "Kill Rooms"--to hangboard in cold/dry conditions to protect our skin. What was the climate during your previous hangboard season, and what is the climate now? If it was colder/dryer for your last season, you might want to try any or all of those options.
Easier things to try: -taking really good care of your skin, sanding on rest days, etc -Installing a fan as Cozisco suggests, -being very careful not to thrash around on your crimp edge.
I'm not familiar with that hangboard, but I use a wooden edge of similar depth and I don't have too much trouble with it (although I use all the above tricks to ensure I'm (almost) never hangboarding in temps above 54F or ~50% humidity). How sharp is the lip of that edge? If its relatively sharp, no amount of climate control or skin care is going to save your skin. For comparison, the radius of the lip of my edge is half its depth. In other words, my edge is about 10mm deep. The back 5mm of that is flat, the front 5mm is the radius or roundover/curvature of the lip of the edge. That makes it relatively not sharp.
Thank you for valuable tips. I consider them all (more or less) and I decided to install the fan for the next HB season and really take care of my skin. For now I decided to go for 5s on/5s off FC repeaters so I can chalk up once or twice during the set. I tried that yesterday while my #8 HB workout and it seems to work well for me. I will know the effects better after more workouts (seasons possibly). I don't deal with the weather so much.. I just aim for 20°C and bellow while I am hangboarding. It seems that temperature wasn't an issue for quite some time but I definitely notice that I perform better and have more confidence about completing the sets when it's colder. Much like with actual climbing  Mark, the measures of your edge are almost identical to mine imo. It's very rounded and smooth and it almost feels like hanging from a sloper. The rounded lip tears my skin when it gets sweaty anyways. That usually happens after 4-5th rep. This also happened when it was relatively cold (around 10°C). |
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Post by cozisco on Sept 29, 2019 11:23:52 GMT -7
Have you ever done #3? I haven't because I don't think it will work, but I'd love to hear from someone whose done it. I figure there is too little thermal mass, and it will heat up to room temperature pretty quickly. If I'm wrong about that and it stays cold, then I figure moisture will condense on the board.
I have. It works well in certain situations, specifically when the temps are 90+ and low humidity (<25%). I use the original RPTC and if I put it in the freezer overnight, it stays very cold for ~40 min then just "cool" for an additional 15-30 min. With a fan over the board and low humidity, condensation is minimal and for me it's certainly better than the sweat my fingers would otherwise generate. To your point, though, I didn't think about the fact that the OP is using a wood board; the plywood backer on my board heats up really quickly, so I doubt it would work in this case. |
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Post by cozisco on Sept 29, 2019 11:27:40 GMT -7
Also, I assume a kill room would be better than any of those options, but I just haven't been able to talk my roommates into letting me build one.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Sept 29, 2019 18:08:02 GMT -7
Have you ever done #3? I haven't because I don't think it will work, but I'd love to hear from someone whose done it. I figure there is too little thermal mass, and it will heat up to room temperature pretty quickly. If I'm wrong about that and it stays cold, then I figure moisture will condense on the board.
I have. It works well in certain situations, specifically when the temps are 90+ and low humidity (<25%). I use the original RPTC and if I put it in the freezer overnight, it stays very cold for ~40 min then just "cool" for an additional 15-30 min. With a fan over the board and low humidity, condensation is minimal and for me it's certainly better than the sweat my fingers would otherwise generate. To your point, though, I didn't think about the fact that the OP is using a wood board; the plywood backer on my board heats up really quickly, so I doubt it would work in this case. Awesome, thanks for sharing. I'll have to try it some time. |
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