How to Mount a Hangboard Without Drilling

For rock climbers, it is impossible to learn new techniques without proper training. Even though gaining experience without tackling challenging routes is not possible, hitting the gym or climbing the rocks is not feasible every day.

So, how do we put in proper practice?

If you don’t have enough time to hit the gym regularly, you should consider buying a hangboard. Yes! Hangboards, or climbing fingerboards, are old school tools used to strengthen your forearms and fingers to tackle any handholds.

It is a super-effective training kit for climbers who are looking to hone their grip strength but cannot afford to hit the gym every day.

Since hangboards have to be mounted on walls, they strike up quite an issue. Technically, this means you’ll have to drill a hole on your wall to install it. Drilling may not entirely be reasonable for those who’ve rented an apartment or dorm.

But don’t worry!

In this article, we’ll explore the way to mount a hangboard without drilling the walls. Here, we’ll talk about a cheap and straightforward way to build a DIY portable hangboard setup.

Let’s dig into it!

What is Hangboard?

Before we jump into the topic, let us understand what a hangboard is.

Hangboards are old school climbing tools designed to strengthen your fingers and forearms to tackle the holds and edges. It is ideal for those avid climbers, who want to train regularly, but are not able to do so.

Hangboarding is an effective climbing training for those willing to improve their gripping technique at home, instead of hitting the gym regularly. Usually, the hangboards are made up of wood or synthetic material.

However, if you’re planning to train on a hangboard, it is essential to understand the risk of injuries associated with it. While this training equipment is designed to strengthen your fingers, forearms, and shoulders, you should never over-train on it. If you overuse this equipment, it might injure your fingers, forearms, or joints in the long-run.

Why Use a Hangboard for Training?

While most climbers argue that you should always train on the walls or the rocks to improve your skills, it certainly is not the case.

If you can make it to the climbing gym or the rock regularly, you may not require any hangboard training. However, if you’re a climbing enthusiast with limited time to hit the gym, this equipment is a must-have.

Besides, there are also many other advantages of training in a hangboard. If you want to train specifically to strengthen your fingers, there is no better way to do it. Moreover, practicing on a hangboard also helps you improve your grip technique and multiple grip variation

Everyone needs to train earnestly to become a good climber. Not everyone has a body tailored to fit climbing. Therefore, hangboard training is essential to strengthen the upper body and improve grip.

Can We Mount Any Hangboard Without Drilling?

If you’ve strolled around the market, you probably already know that there are tons of different brands manufacturing different types of hangboards. With so many different brands and models of hangboards available in the market, you might be wondering if you can mount all of them without drilling.

Yes, it is actually possible to mount any hangboard without drilling the walls of your house. However, the amount of work and the design may differ from one model to another. For a few models, you might seriously need to get creative to fix them without drilling.

This means if you already own a hangboard, you no longer have to worry about buying a new one simply to mount it without drilling. However, depending on the fingerboard you own, you might have to calculate the amount of space and resources required to make it happen.

How to Mount a Hangboard Without Drilling?

Since we know that installing hangboards without drilling is possible, you don’t have to worry about finding a specific brand or type. But how exactly do we do that?

Mounting a hangboard without drilling requires a lot of creativity and a little bit of determination. It is one way to train different techniques and build strength at home without the hassle of damaging the walls of your house.

Generally, mounting will require you to drill a few holes on the wall to screw the hangboard. To be honest, this method secures the hangboard firmly on the wall and is a lot safer. However, it damages the walls of your house.

To do it with minimal damage, you need to find a way to mount it without drilling. Here is the list of equipment that you’ll need to nail this process:

• Pull-up Bar
• Hangboard
• Piece of Wood
• Bike Hooks
• Screws
• Screwdriver

You may wonder why you need screws or screwdrivers to install it when you’re not going to drill. Instead, we’re going to use the equipment to mount a hangboard in the wood and assemble it to the pull-up bars.

Here is the step-by-step guide on how to mount a hangboard without drilling:

Step 1: Install the pull-up bar on your door

Before you start the project and start screwing this with that, you need to buy a pull-up bar. You don’t need to find a specific pull-up bar. A regular pull-up bar will suffice.

Once you buy a pull-up bar, install it on your doorway. You should use the door that you do not use regularly. Maybe the door of a guest room or a garage will do the job. While installing the pull-up bar on the door, make sure the grip is firm, reliable, and secured.

Step 2: Screw the hangboard on the wood

You can screw the hangboard on the wood once you’ve installed the pull-up bar on the doorway. Before you mount the hangboard, make sure that the block of the wood is slightly wider than your door. If necessary, sand the corners and edges of the wood.

Now, carefully mount the hangboard at the center of the block of wood. While installing, keep the board parallel to both the top and the bottom of the wood. Make sure that the wood and the hangboard is mounted solidly and securely. You do not want any gaps between them while you’re hanging over them.

Step 3: Screw bike hook on the wood

Once you’ve mounted the hangboard on the wood, you need to screw the bike hook to make sure that it sits evenly on either side of the pull-up bar. It is ideal to mark four spots to drill the bike hook.

Now, install the bike hook on the wood and check whether the position of the hangboard is correct. If the position does not feel right, you can slightly adjust it by bending the hooks.

Step 4: Hang the entire system over the pull-up bar

Finally, when you’re done mounting the bike hook on the wood, you can bring the whole system and assemble it over the pull-up bar. Make sure that you’ve hung the board over the pull-up bar evenly.

Once you do this, you’ll have a functional hangboard mounted on the door. However, it might not be hanging at the right height. To adjust this system to the desired height, you may need to add a couple of horizontal supports. This way, you’ll be able to hang from the board on the upper bar of the pull-up.

Be careful while you make this adjustment. Before you start climbing the fingerboard, make sure that the entire thing is stable and secured. If there is anything that is not secured or swinging, you need to make sure they are sorted out before you start your regular hangboard sessions.

Disadvantages of Using Mounting a Hangboard Without Drilling

To be fairly honest, mounting the hangboard without drilling the walls is an innovative invention, and it works reasonably well. However, if it is possible to drill it over the doorway, we recommend you do so. Even though you’ll have to drill the wall, which might leave some holes, it ensures a solid grip as well as safety. In addition to that, it is much more comfortable and spacious.

The only way you can mount a hangboard without drilling is by hanging it on the doorway. However, the hangboard hangs quite low. While it hangs down from the bike hooks on the pull-up bar, the space between the hangboard and your floor is considerably less.

While this may not sound like a problem to climbers of regular heights, it can be quite uncomfortable for tall climbers. It surely will not be a good climbing session to hang on a board that has reduced space, where your feet keep hitting the ground. Although the height can be adjusted slightly, it does not make a huge difference.

Therefore, if you’re a tall person, this method might not be a good one for you. It is always better to drill over the doorway and mount the hangboard more securely.

Do Some Hangboards Work Better Than Others While Mounting It Without Drilling?

As we talked earlier, there are plethoras of choices when it comes to hangboards. They come in different shapes, styles, designs, and purposes.

So, with so many variations, are there any specific hangboards that work better to mount without drilling? Or do all the hangboards work decent for this purpose?

To be honest, there are a few hangboards that work better while mounting them without drilling. However, this does not mean others aren’t good enough. Note that although not as effective, almost all the hangboards will work reasonably well.

So, which hangboards are suitable to mount without drilling?

Usually, it is better to use a small, lightweight, and compact hangboard. If you use a bulky or heavy hangboard, your door might have to bear the excessive weight. Moreover, bulky hangboards take too much space compared to compact models. Since this mounting method causes the board to dangle down already, you can not afford to lose extra space by using a bulkier board.

Therefore, if possible, it is always recommended that you use a lightweight and compact hangboard. However, if you already have a slightly bulkier and heavier board, worry not! It can do a fairly decent job and can be an equally useful tool for your climbing training.

Should Beginners Use Hangboard?

Hangboards are undoubtedly one of the most time-effective climbing tools. They are used to improve your grip techniques and strengthen your upper body. However, this climbing tool is not recommended for beginners. For those who are not familiar with advanced grip techniques, hangboards can potentially injure your fingers and hands.

In general, hangboards will strain several portions of your upper body, including fingers, forearms, and shoulders. So, before you start training on a hangboard, you must develop the strength in these portions.

Even for some professional climbers who have ample upper body strength, hangboard training can strain their muscles. Therefore, for a beginner with little experience in this sport, it is advisable to focus on gym and rock training.

However, if you cannot manage the extra hours to hit the gym regularly, you can also find beginners’ hangboards on the market. While it is a decent place to train for grip strength, we recommend you to not overdo or over-train on the hangboards.

Tips to Prevent Hangboard Injuries

While hangboarding might look intimidating to most climbers, it is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. Seriously, this climbing tool has high injury potential. If you’re to make one wrong move while training on a hangboard, you’re likely to suffer a severe injury. The damage may be so severe that it might end your climbing career.

To prevent yourself from such unfortunate circumstances, here are a few essential tips:

Do Not Use Full Crimp Grip

If you’re training on a hangboard, you must never use a full crimp grip. You can either use an open hand or a half crimp technique. However, if you’re not much experienced, we recommend you always use a half crimp grip.

A full crimp is such a delicate and challenging grip technique to nail. If you fail to perform it properly, you might have to bear a long-term injury. Instead, try using a half crimp or an open hand technique alternately on training sessions. Or you can refer to these crimp grips climbing techniques on when and how to use for a clear picture.

Warm-Up Sessions

Before you throw your fingers into those edges and pockets, make sure you’ve had good warm-up sessions. If not, you might merely be risking your fingers for injuries. So, remember to have at least 15 minutes of warm-up session before you start.

Not only that, but we also recommend you to start with easy to medium climbs, even if you are an experienced climber. Stick to the more comfortable holds and pockets for about half an hour, then increase the difficulty progressively.

Retract Your Shoulders

While you’re hanging by the boards, it is vital to lock down your shoulders, and not sag them up. If you’re not confident of keeping your shoulders locked down, we recommend you to put extra time for shoulder training before you start hangboarding.

You should always retract your shoulders while performing hanging exercises. However, this does not mean you retract your shoulder too far. Make sure your elbows are slightly bent while hanging on the board.

Do Not Rush

While progress sounds intimidating and is significant in climbing, do not rush for it. There is no point in trying to advance way earlier than it should. Generally, it takes about a minimum of two months to see decent progress in your climbing skills. So, stop overdoing the training.

Take your time and train well. Your goal as a climber should always be progressive. If your purpose for hangboarding is to climb on the smallest edges only, you might need to stop.

Conclusion

That sums up our guide on hangboards and how to mount them without drilling the walls of your house. If you’re an avid climber looking to improve your grip technique and finger strength, a hangboard is an excellent climbing tool for training from home.

While it is always better to train at the gym or on the rocks, it may not be feasible every single day. Hangboards are ideal for those who are passionate about climbing but have limited time to hit the gym. In the end, we would want to recommend everyone to be cautious while training from a hangboard. If not done correctly, you might end up injuring your finger severely.

Happy Climbing!