Hangboard calculator: added weight and assistance

Added weight and assistance are the same scale

On the hangboard only one number counts: the load hanging on your fingers. It starts at your bodyweight. Plates on the harness, a vest or a loaded backpack push it up; a counterweight on a pulley, a resistance band or a foot on the ground push it down.

That is why the calculator treats both as the same value with a different sign. This is more than bookkeeping: anyone training with assistance who eventually reaches zero can carry on recording their progress without any conversion as soon as the first kilogram is added. Between minus eight and plus eight kilograms lie sixteen kilograms — not two different worlds.

With assistance it is worth looking at the mechanics. A counterweight pulling vertically on your harness over a single pulley takes off exactly its own weight; friction in the pulley makes the actual assistance slightly smaller. If the rope runs at an angle or several pulleys are in the set-up, this simple calculation no longer holds. A resistance band pulls with a force that depends on how far it is stretched and therefore varies across the hang. In both cases the value only becomes reliable once you measure it with a spring scale.

What percentages actually refer to

Training plans often give intensities as percentages. What is meant is the total load, not the added weight. In the 2022 study by Devise and colleagues, three groups trained at 100, 80 and 60 per cent of their previously measured maximum finger strength; where the target intensity fell below bodyweight, the load was reduced with the feet on the ground, and above it increased with added weight.

The difference is large. Someone weighing 70 kilograms whose maximum hang carries 20 kilograms of added weight reaches a total load of 90 kilograms. 80 per cent of that is 72 kilograms — so two kilograms of added weight. Anyone applying 80 per cent to the added weight instead hangs with 86 kilograms and is therefore at 96 per cent of their maximum load. A submaximal set thus turns into almost a maximum attempt.

Getting the intensity right is worth it, because the effects diverge. In the same study the group at full intensity improved its maximum strength most clearly, around 14 per cent in eight weeks, but showed no measurable progress in fatigue resistance and endurance. Conversely, the groups at 80 and 60 per cent clearly gained in fatigue resistance and endurance. The control group changed appreciably in none of the measures.

What the percentage says about your grade

Load relative to bodyweight is the usual measure, because it stays comparable when your weight changes. Lattice Training measures it with two arms on an edge 20 millimetres deep, for seven seconds, in a half crimp — and reports the result as a share of bodyweight.

How far this value explains climbing grade is something Lattice analysed across 901 climbers. Across all ability levels, finger strength explains just under half the differences. Looked at within a single level, however, the share shrinks markedly: to around 17 per cent at V4 to V8, just under 10 per cent at V9 to V12 and a good 4 per cent from V13 upwards. The closer two climbers are in level, the less finger strength decides — and the more technique, tactics and everything else do.

That is why there is no table here deriving a grade from a percentage of bodyweight. Such tables circulate, but they are extrapolations from small, mostly all-male samples and at best reproduce an average. Take the percentage as a measure of your own trajectory. For that it works excellently — provided edge depth, grip type and hang duration stay the same between two measurements.

Frequently asked questions

How much added weight is right on the hangboard?

There is no universally valid figure in kilograms. The load follows from the task: for maximum strength training you choose it so that the planned hang duration is just barely achievable cleanly — in the protocols studied that is five to ten seconds on an edge 15 to 20 millimetres deep. Whether that needs added weight or assistance depends solely on where your maximum sits relative to your bodyweight. That is exactly what this calculator works out.

Does 80 per cent intensity mean 80 per cent of the added weight?

No. The percentage refers to the total load, that is bodyweight plus added weight. In the study by Devise and colleagues the intensity was defined exactly that way, and the load was reduced with the feet on the ground where necessary. An example: someone weighing 70 kilograms whose maximum hang carries 20 kilograms of added weight has a total load of 90 kilograms. 80 per cent of that is 72 kilograms — so only two kilograms of added weight, not 16.

How do I measure the assistance from a pulley or band?

A counterweight pulling vertically on your harness over a single pulley takes off exactly its own weight; friction in the pulley makes the actual assistance slightly smaller. As soon as the rope runs at an angle or several pulleys are involved, this simple calculation no longer holds. With a resistance band the force depends on how far it is stretched and is therefore not constant across the hang. Both only become reliable once you measure the pulling force with a spring scale.

What percentage of my bodyweight do I need for 7a?

This page deliberately gives no number for that. In Lattice Training’s large analysis of 901 climbers, finger strength does explain roughly half the differences in grade when all ability levels are considered together. Within a single level only 17 per cent of that remains among advanced climbers and 4 per cent among the strongest. For you personally the percentage is therefore a good measure of your own progress, but not a ticket to a grade.

When can I start hangboard training?

It is not suitable for beginners. Eva López requires at least two years of systematic climbing for her programme, a minimum age of 18 and previous experience of hanging on an edge; entry tests come on top of that. In his overview of the research, Eric Hörst likewise points out that these protocols are not suitable for beginners. The reason is the balance between load and adaptation: tendons and pulleys take considerably longer than muscle to get used to high loads.