In our relentless quest to excel in the climbing world both indoors and outdoors, we’ve discovered that complementing climbing gym sessions with home workouts is invaluable. While hangboards are a popular choice, we’ve delved deeper, exploring the advantages of more specific and technical training tools like rock rings. Our firsthand experience has shown us that integrating rock rings into our routine significantly enhances our finger and grip strength, precision, and overall climbing prowess. They provide a challenging yet rewarding twist to our training routine, ensuring that we’re not just stronger, but eager for our next crimpy technical route. For climbers looking to elevate their skills and strength, venturing into the world of rock rings for a workout is a smart and effective move, and extremely portable too. Join us as we delve into the best rock rings that promise to bring your climbing abilities to new, impressive heights.
What are the Best Rock Rings?
Below you’ll find the list of the top 6 Best Rock Rings. We compiled this list from rock rings we have used, asked others about, and researched further to give you the best possible roundup. With many years of experience with rock rings for climbing you can be assured that this article will give you what you’re looking for.
We also wrote a buying guide and answered some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) at the end of this article.
1. Get Out Mini Hangboard Rock Climbing Fingerboard with Rope
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| Price: 💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 4.81 pounds (2.18 kg) Material: Resin Portability: Yes Size: 14 x 8.75 x 4.5 inches |
The Get Out Mini Hangboard Rock Climbing Fingerboard with Rope is a portable hang board that can hang from pretty much everything. It is easy to set up and take down. When it hangs free it will be able to rotate, working those stabilizer muscles and relieving stress from joints and wrists.
Another option is to tie something to the ropes and walk around with them hanging on your fingers. The grips come with premade mounting holes so they can also be screwed into place if you so choose. The Mini Hangboard is available in black and blue swirls and is made of resin and comes at a very reasonable price.
Pros
- Value for money
- Ease of use
- Portability
- Strong build
- Versatile
Cons
- Limited choice of colors
- Might need sanding for better grip
2. UCraft Climbing Evo Rings 3D – Best Climbing Rings
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| Price: 💲💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.77 pounds (0.35 kg) Material: Wood Portability: Yes Size: 13.78 x 7.87 x 11.81 inches |
Perfect for beginners and experts alike, the UCraft Climbing Evo Rings 3D are a durable fingerboard option that you’ll be able to keep and enjoy for a long time. Evo Rings 3D can be used for a variety of exercises, including pull-ups, muscle-ups, dips, and push-ups. This versatility allows climbers to target different muscle groups and work on a variety of climbing-specific movements. The 3D design of the Evo Rings allows for more natural and comfortable grip positions. This design helps to reduce the strain on your wrists and forearms, allowing you to train for longer periods without experiencing discomfort or pain. These rings can be hung from a variety of positions, are lightweight and portable, and offer a variety of grip and training positions. They’re quite pricy, but you’ll be able to hold on to them for years.
Pros
- Offer various mounting options
- Provide a variety of training positions
- Lightweight for easy transport
- Comfortable wooden grips
Cons
- Expensive
- Can be confusing to mount
3. Ucraft Pocket-Sized Climbing Wooden Fingerboard
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| Price: 💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.26 pounds (0.12 kg) Material: Wood Portability: Yes Size: 4.29 x 2.83 x 2.64 inches |
The Ucraft Pocket-Sized Climbing Wooden Fingerboard is one of the smallest and lightest hand boards on the market. It features 3 different training modes; 31mm, 16mm, and a pinch exercise position. It can be used by hanging weights, or anything heavy, on the rope to lift it or carry it around. The tiny hangboard will fit in your pocket so you can bring it virtually anywhere and you can hang it on anything that supports your weight.
It is made of recyclable ashwood and comes with a 5mm parachute cord rope that will hold up to 300 kilos of weight. The small holds make these grips challenging for beginners.
Pros
- Easy to carry
- Economically priced
- Eco friendly
- Durable and holds up to 300 kgs
Cons
- Not suitable for beginners
- Few grip sizes
4. BG Climbing Double Sided Wood Rock Rings
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| Price: 💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Material: Recycled rubber wood Portability: Yes Size: 10.12 x 7.95 x 2.99 inches |
BG Climbing Wooden Rock Rings are made from 100% recycled rubber wood. The wooden design is functional and looks good almost everywhere you hang them. They feature double-sided grips with different depths that make them a good fit for almost everyone.
The ring’s light weight makes it easy to bring them wherever you go, and they are mounted and ready for use within minutes after you find a good spot. If you don’t find a good spot to hang them you can always tie them together, step on the string and pull them up for your exercises. Having the 360-degree rotation makes it easy to switch between the two sides for different grip depths. However, the shallow holds might make it difficult for beginners.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Eco friendly
- Versatile
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Comfortable holds
Cons
- Can be difficult for beginners
- Shallow holds
5. Metolius Wooden Rock Rings – Best Wooden Climbing Rings
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| Price: 💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.99 pounds (0.45 kg) Material: Wood Portability: Yes Size: 7 x 8 x 4 inches |
Very similar to their other model, Metolius also makes a set of wood rock rings. They offer a smoother surface than the resin of the original rock rings and are perhaps even better for those looking to train crimp strength.
They come with labeled 38, 20, and 15mm ledges. However, as with the original rock rings, their lack of stability might pose difficulties for beginner climbers.
If you are looking for something sleek looking in your house and still a very reputable brand, then this light brown and creme color pair here is your best bet for a portable wooden hangboard.
Pros
- Great option for when you have limited space
- Labeled edges for finger training
- Easy to hang and mount
- Lightweight for portability
Cons
- Can’t train slopers or finger pockets
- Can present the risk of injury for beginner climbers
6. Two Stones Portable Fingerboard
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| Price: 💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Material: Wood Portability: Yes Size: 9.84 x 9.84 x 1.38 inches |
Two Stones Portable Fingerboard can be seamlessly turned to give you two different grip depths, a single finger option or rounded grip, just as regular rings. The rings are CNC-milled from a single block of wood, so there will be no splicing or splinters to worry about. Being lightweight at just 1.6 pounds also makes it easy to transport.
The versatile design that transforms it from a finger grip to a ring makes it a choice for both beginner and experienced climbers, or any other sports enthusiast that wants to strengthen their fingers and/or arms. Even kids can have a go at swinging under a tree branch when they are in a ring configuration. However, these grips are static and will neglect working stabilizer muscles.
Pros
- CNC milled from a single piece of wood
- Versatile
- Newbie friendly
- Unique shape and overall design
Cons
- Price can be confusing when ordering
- Static and will not swivel, neglecting stabilizer muscles
Verdict
Based on all of our experience with rock rings for climbing, we found that Get Out Mini Hangboard Rock Climbing Fingerboard with Rope is the best rock ring available today.
Our Premium Option is UCraft Climbing Evo Rings 3D – Best Climbing Rings with all the best features and high-quality materials, but that’s only if you have more money to spend.
However, if you are on a slightly tighter budget, you can also consider the Ucraft Pocket-Sized Climbing Wooden Fingerboard as an affordable alternative.
Our other reviews you may find useful in your research:
What You Should Know Before Buying rock rings
Precautions to take note of
As with all exercises, we advise that you warm up and stretch before performing exercises with your pull up balls to avoid injury. Keep in mind that due to their size and higher engagement of hand muscles, some climbers may find it easier to slip when using them compared to traditional pull up bars. For this reason, we advise beginners to use chalk to assist with gripping the pull up balls, or ensure that they purchase balls with textured grips. Having a spotter can also reduce the chances of falling, and a spotter can help support your body weight while you get used to using the pull up balls. Finally, a good crash pad should be placed under your workout area to prevent injury should you slip and fall.
Pull workouts for climbers
If you cannot yet do a full pull-up, it is perfectly okay and normal to work up to it. You can try lifting less than your own body weight and building up from there. You could start off by doing an inverted row as this will help you build up key muscles whilst still holding good form. Start off with lying down straight on the floor and reaching above you for your pull-up climbing grip, or just a bar if you need the extra stability. Pull up, keeping the body as straight as you can, and then slowly go back down. When you pull up your body should look like a slope, to increase the difficulty increase steepness of this slope. Increasing the time in which you execute each pull-up will also increase the difficulty. Another way of building up your strength to do a pull-up is to use a resistance band. A resistance band helps take some of your body weight until you can do a pull-up. The thicker the resistance band the more resistance it will give and therefore the weight it can carry. You can start with a thick resistance band and then when you can do at least ten reps, and when you can better control the pulling up and lowering down, you can move onto a thinner resistance band. Pull-up climbing grips exist to train your grip strength. If you are struggling with keeping a good grip, especially if you are outdoors, then it might be worth taking along some chalk to use in your workout. If you are not a beginner and you want to make your pull workouts harder, consider spacing apart your pull-up climbing grips. This will be especially helpful for training to be able to do moves that require a lot of stretching and reaching. If you are truly elite – try doing a pull-up, with a pull-up climbing grip, one-handed. You could even try adding extra weight to your pull-up.
Questions and Answers About rock rings
What muscles do rock climbing workouts on pull-up bars build?
Rock climbing workouts on pull-up bars target a variety of muscle groups that are useful for climbing. If you are strictly doing pull-ups, you will be strengthening your lats, biceps, traps, delts, pecs, and shoulder muscles. However, if you decide to work on crimps, pockets, or pinches on your rock climbing pull-up bar, you will be targeting finger and forearm strength.
What is the best pull up form?
Pull-ups are difficult exercises and doing them incorrectly can cause serious injury. Always follow the guidance of experts to ensure that you are doing them correctly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIvJTfGxdFo
Ensure your arms are shoulder width apart and your palms are facing away from you. Roll your shoulders back and engage your core muscles. You can always use assistance and train the muscles away from the pull-up bar if completing your first pull-up is still too difficult.
Is pull up grips better than hangboards?
Whether pull up grips or hangboards are better is really up to you. Cannonball grips and hangboards are excellent additions to a home gym. While hangboards are primarily tailored for climbers to enhance finger strength, pull up grips offer a more challenging variation to the conventional pull up. This not only strengthens the back, biceps, forearms, and core but also activates the wrists and finger tendons, bolstering grip strength. For climbers aiming to boost overall upper-body power rather than just grip prowess, pull up grips are the ideal choice.
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