Sep 24, 2011

Which Way Do You Hang?


Hangobarding, when done properly, will make you stronger. That macro-question has an unequivocal answer. That leaves many micro-questions remaining. Which board? What is the proper work to rest ratios? What is the best length for a training cycle? This article tackles one of those micro-questions. Should you hangboard with 1 or 2 arms?

The jury is out. Peter Beal advocates a mix. On the other hand, Mike Anderson suggests two armed. He points out the difference between the two methods in transferability. Hangboarding is specific physical preparedness (SPP), the specific physical skills needed to advance in a sport. Hangboarding is the best method to create strong fingers with minimal risk. Once you have the strong fingers you have to do something with them. Therefore I'm not looking for direct transferability. I'm training to get a bigger engine that I will tune later. Additionally, I prefer empirical results over theoretical musing, praxis over theoria.

Your body doesn't "know" where you are hanging on 1 or 2 arm. Your body only "knows" there is a stress. If the stress is the appropriate intensity and duration, your body will adapt. Therefore it shouldn't matter which why you hang. The secret sauce is systematic, progressive overload.