Instructions:
The goal is a long hang at a reduced intensity, to promote tendon density and finger flexor muscle density. Your plan should specify grips and hang durations to aim for. You should find a load that you can sustain for these hang times; you may need to leave your feet on the ground to “assist” the hang. It’s also acceptable to do the hangs at bodyweight and just use an edge/hold such that you can hang for the right amount of time. You can use a pulley to take weight off, but it is 100% not necessary; the weight you take off will change session to session due to your recovery state, so it’s not reliable regardless.
It’s important to record your hang times and rest times for this exercise, so that progression can be specific. Filming yourself may make this easier.
At first, these hangs should be fairly easy. By the time you’re hanging for a long duration, it will be pretty pumpy – not painful, but probably uncomfortable.
Positioning:
This can be performed in a variety of grips, such as open hand on a rounded sloper, or in the half crimp position on an edge. Your plan may specify grips. If not specified, pick your strongest and most common grips. The elbow can be flexed or extended, based on your comfort level and history of elbow issues. Ask me if you’re not sure.
For half crimp and more aggressive grips, loss of grip is a failed rep. Either put more weight on your feet to maintain your grip before it breaks, or end the rep.
Rest:
Since this is an intense exercise and may take you to failure, the rest periods are long. Rest 3-5 minutes between efforts so that your hangs are high quality. You can do mobility work or chores during this time if you like.
Combination:
Ideally this will be done a few hours after a climbing session, after you’ve had time to rehydrate your tendons. However, that’s not always possible. If you can, try to do it at least 30 minutes after climbing. It’s also fine to do it on a separate day. Doing it before a session may impact your performance.