How to Choose the Best Rock Climbing Training Board for Your Goals

Written by: Elise Rehberg

From finger warm ups to building explosive power, to training climbing technique, training boards are tools to improve climbing ability. A wide variety in types of boards provides different experiences, and allows for specialized training. Figure out which board would best support your climbing goals here.

What Is a Training Board?

Rock climbing training boards have an array of grips universally set on a board. This standardized set means you can access the same board at any rock climbing gym equipped with it.

Boards range in size: 

• A hangboard is small, generally six inches by 24 inches. 
• Climbing boards can reach ten to twelve feet in height, and seven to sixteen feet in width. Climbing boards may have the option to adjust the wall angle.

Hangboards

Hangboards are small boards fixed to a wall with sets of varying edges. 

• Use progressively smaller edges to warm up your fingers. Make it more gentle by keeping your feet on the ground. 
• Build finger strength by following a regimented plan. After building up significant experience, consider adding weight to your hangs. 

Training blocks are portable and smaller with just a few edges. This allows climbers to pull weight up from the ground rather than hang on a fixed board, or warm up fingers when climbing outside.  

Campus Boards

Campus boards are rows of wooden rungs with jug, sloper, or crimp shapes. 

• Climbers campus (use only hands, no feet) to climb the rungs.
• This develops contact strength, explosive power, and coordination.  

Climbing Training Boards: Every Route At Your Fingertips

Climbing training boards are stand-alone climbing walls with hundreds of holds arranged in a grid pattern. Each board has an app you can wirelessly connect to. When you select a route in the app on your phone, the matching holds on the wall light up. Climb using only the lit up holds to complete a route. The different light colors indicate start and finish holds, feet only holds, or holds for hands and feet.   

• With tens of thousands of climbs, find exactly what you want. Filter by grade, or find routes by hold type or style of movement. 
• Train long-term projects that will always be available on the app. 
• Climbers can create and publish routes, leave reviews, suggest grades, save and organize climbs, and track climbing route sends and progress. 

Different Climbing Boards for Different Training Opportunities 

MoonBoard

• The MoonBoard is usually built at a fixed angle of 40 degrees or 25 degrees. 
• It is a challenging board – V4 is the minimum grade. New sets of holds were recently released, all consisting of small pockets, slopers, pinches, crimps and foot chips. 
• The MoonBoard is a great training board for finger strength and outdoor climbing. 

Tension Board

• The Tension Board uses wooden and dual-textured plastic holds. Wooden holds are less abrasive on skin, allowing for longer sessions. The holds are generally less finger-intense than the MoonBoard.
• A completely symmetrical hold set and an ability to flip any route allows climbers to train left and right sides equally. 
• This board angle is often adjustable, though the most popular angle is 40 degrees. The Tension Board builds a climber’s technique, strength, and power. 
• Several Bouldering Project gyms have the latest model – the Tension 2.0.

Kilter Board

• This board has the most accessible holds, featuring lots of jugs. 
• Larger, more comfortable holds influence more dynamic and springy climbing, as well as steep powerful climbing. An adjustable wall will get you the best use of this board. 
• The Kilter Board has a database of sport routes where the lights progress through a route at an adjustable pace. Train endurance and sport climbing on a board system. 

Add Boards to Your Climbing Routine:

Climbing boards are a training tool to level up your climbing. Plan how to use them to best help you.

Warm up before your session on a board:

• Start on a hangboard and gently ease your fingers into a climbing session. 
• Save climbs on a training board for a consistent, efficient, and thorough climbing warm up every session. 

Support outdoor climbing adventures:

• Bring a training block to warm up your fingers before climbing. 
• In the off-season, train on the MoonBoard to maintain and build finger strength. 

Improve your climbing skills, each climbing board offers unique training: 

• Use the Tension Board symmetry and hold variety to identify and train areas of improvement.
• Develop dynamic and steep climbing on the Kilter Board. 
• Build strong fingers on hangboards and MoonBoard climbing. 

Integrate training boards into your climbing sessions to warm up, build strength, develop technique, and track progress. Whether you’re new to climbing, or are a pro, training boards are tools for your climbing progression.