Best Peg Boards

Campus board climbing trains upper body and core muscle groups for strength and endurance, both of which are vital for rock climbing. Campus board workouts primarily target the latissimus dorsi, biceps, and triceps. Secondary muscle groups that are activated by campus board workouts include the abdominals, abdominal obliques, and forearms.
By keeping up these reactive and quasi-plyometric exercises on campus boards, in the long run it helps your train recruitment and RFD rate-of-force development in your arm flexors and finger tips.

Campus boards, invented in 1988 by German rock climber Wolfgang Güllich, are training devices that can be used to train upper body and core muscle strength and endurance. The first campus board was mounted at a university gym in Nurnberg, Germany, called “The Campus Centre”, giving the device its name. Despite the first campus board being placed in a university gym, they can be excellent additions to home climbing gyms.

Deciding on an angle at which a campus board should be mounted depends mainly on how strenuous you would like your workout and the height of your ceiling. A more shallow angle will provide more of a challenge when climbing the campus board, while an increased angle will allow for more leg room between the climber and the floor. Generally, we advise mounting campus boards at an angle between 16 and 20 degrees.

While both campus boards and hangboards serve as excellent strength training tools for climbers, their uses and impact differ. Campus boards excel in developing explosive upper body strength and quick grip retention under tension. Conversely, hangboards or fingerboards primarily enhance finger and forearm grip strength, serving as efficient finger strengtheners. Hence, it’s not a question of being better, rather about serving different purposes. Nonetheless, beginners might find hangboards more approachable, as campus board training might pose injury risks if not performed correctly.

Campus boards can come in a variety of sizes and can be placed at different angles. Most campus boards suitable for home gyms are between 48 and 55 inches tall and are at least 24 inches in width. The campus bars are generally 4.75 to 6 inches apart and are between 1 inch and 2.25 inches in thickness. When mounting campus boards, the mounting angle depends on the available overhead ceiling space, and the desired challenge of the campus board workout. Angles closer to vertical provide a more strenuous workout, while a higher angle will give more room between the first rungs on the board and the floor. The standard mounting angle is between 15 and 20 degrees.

Campus boarding outdoors can be a great training experience for climbers that want to simulate outdoor rock climbing. Firstly, suitable hardware for exterior use must be employed to prevent oxidation and damage to the campus board. Secondly, we recommend using UV-treated wood so that the board is not damaged by the elements. Finally, when exercising outdoors, proper safety precautions become even more important; we advise using a climbing mat during your outdoor campus board workouts.

Building a campus board is relatively easy for those that have experience with woodworking, and can be an affordable addition to a home climbing gym. Before building the board, make sure that there is enough space for the board to be mounted in your desired location. We advise building your campus board using plywood at least 2 feet in width, two inches in thickness, and long enough to be mounted to the ceiling with enough space for your legs to be clear of the ground when climbing.
For the sake of safety, it is advised to check the screws, bolts, and other hardware used before each workout on your homemade campus board. We also recommend placing a good crash pad below your climbing board to safely break any falls and prevent injury.

Performing pull-ups can indeed support your climbing activities! Not only do these exercises build endurance, but they enhance strength in your arms, shoulders, and back. Pull-ups also aid in refining lock-off strength, facilitating better control while climbing. However, remember that mastering climbing involves a diverse array of training, including honing your leg and footwork techniques. Looking to acquire a pull-up bar? Check out my review of the top 10 rock climbing pull-up bars here.

Cross Fit peg boards are rather similar to a climbing peg board, and can be used to train muscle groups for climbing. Building general upper body and core strength are key to climbing, whether you are climbing indoors or outdoors. A Cross Fit peg board can help to develop this strength, as well as the muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness needed to improve your climbing. A peg board is a great addition to a climbing fitness gym and can supplement a home training workout plan.

Aside from the peg boards and climbing pegs themselves, there is no additional gear that is necessary to begin peg board climbing. Safety should always be kept in mind, however, and if you will be climbing a peg board that will put you ten feet or more above the ground. We also advise some form of cushioning under the peg board, such as a soft mat, which can be used to soften a fall.

Peg boards are great tools for helping to build muscle. Compared to more common exercises such as wide-grip pullups or dumbbell rows, pegboards can help to stimulate growth in smaller muscle groups that are often neglected. Peg boards are great additions to a home gym to increase upper-body strength, endurance, and stability. We recommend trying a peg board if you want to increase your upper-body strength from the comfort of your own home.

A peg board should be thick enough to securely insert pegs when climbing or performing exercises on the board. Most peg boards are at least 1 inch in thickness, with some being three inches thick or more. We advise a thickness of at least one and a quarter inches; this will allow the pegs to be securely inserted into the peg holes without taking up too much space in your home gym.

Peg boards are generally inexpensive, and can even be made at home for under $50. Purchasing a peg board can cost anywhere between $30 and $500 depending on the size and model. The average cost of climbing peg boards on the market is in the range of $120 to $150. Should a contractor need to be hired to hang the peg board, the cost of their service will also need to be factored in.

No extensive training is necessary before using a peg board, but some form of physical conditioning may be needed before performing certain exercises. A general home training exercise regimen including body weight exercises and exercises targeting the latissimus dorsi (such as pull ups) will be helpful for preparing to use the peg board. Many of these exercises can be performed on the peg board itself, so no additional equipment would be needed.