Relative strength for climbers

Why bodyweight changes the picture

As a body gets bigger, muscle strength grows roughly with the cross-sectional area of the muscle, while mass grows with volume. Mass grows faster. That's why a heavier climber can lift more in the gym and still find the same crimp harder to hold.

Take two climbers who both hang a 20 mm edge with 20 kg added. Climber A weighs 60 kg, so they hold 80 kg in total. Climber B weighs 80 kg and holds 100 kg. The added weight is the same, but relative to their bodies, A is stronger.

How to calculate it

Relative strength = (bodyweight + added weight) ÷ bodyweight.

Climber A: (60 + 20) ÷ 60 = 1.33. Climber B: (80 + 20) ÷ 80 = 1.25. If you hang with assistance, such as a pulley and counterweight, subtract the assistance instead of adding weight.

A simple max hang test

1. Weigh yourself, ideally at the same time of day each time you test.
2. Warm up for 15 to 20 minutes with easy climbing, then progressively harder hangs.
3. Use a 20 mm edge and the same grip every time, for example half crimp.
4. Choose a fixed hang time, such as 10 seconds, and keep it the same for every test.
5. Add weight in small steps, resting 3 minutes between attempts, until you can't hold the full time.
6. Take the heaviest successful hang and calculate your ratio.

Max hangs put a high load through your finger pulleys. If you're new to climbing or coming back from a finger injury, build up with easier hangboard work first, or skip the test.

Compare yourself with yourself

Published benchmarks vary with edge size, grip, hang time and how the test is run, so another climber's number is only a rough guide. The comparison that matters is your own ratio from one test to the next.

The ratio moves in two ways. You can get stronger, or your bodyweight can change. If your bodyweight drops from 70 kg to 68 kg and your total load stays at 90 kg, your ratio goes from 1.29 to 1.32, about 3% higher. Getting stronger is the sustainable route, so don't chase the number by under-eating.

Test on a schedule

Test every 6 to 8 weeks, at the start of a fresh training week rather than when you're tired. Keep the edge, grip, hang time and warm-up identical, and write down anything that changed, such as a new hangboard or a different time of day.