Four free tools for climbers: grades, load, hangboard and progression

We built Train Climb for coaches and climbers who want to know whether their training is working. Not everyone needs an account for that. Some questions can be answered in a minute, on a phone, with no sign-up. That is what the free tools are for.

There are four of them. Two are new this month: the hangboard calculator and the grade progression analyzer.

Climbing grade converter

The grade converter lines up French, Font and V grades with the IRCRA scale, a numeric scale researchers use to compare climbers across grading systems (Draper and colleagues, 2015). Type a grade and see its neighbours. It is the scale the rest of Train Climb uses under the hood, so a 7A boulder and a 7b+ route can sit on the same chart.

ACWR calculator

The ACWR calculator compares this week's training load with the average of the last four weeks. A sudden jump is worth noticing. The ratio has real limits, and we explain them in ACWR explained and the limits of ACWR. Treat it as a prompt for a conversation, not a verdict.

Hangboard calculator (new)

The hangboard calculator starts from one test: your heaviest 10-second hang (or 7 seconds) on a 20 mm edge. From that it works out:

• the load of every hang, as body weight plus or minus added weight;
• a 4 to 8 week strength plan that starts at 80% and builds by about 5% a week, with a back-off week and a retest;
• loads for repeaters and long holds, and estimates for other grips;
• an optional plan to move onto a smaller edge.

If you are under 16 or have climbed for less than 2 years, it only offers long holds at body weight, with advice on why. We explain the reasons in hangboarding before 16 or in your first 2 years, and the calculator's rules in how the hangboard calculator works.

Grade progression analyzer (new)

The grade progression analyzer reads your logbook export from 8a.nu or 27 Crags, or climbs you type in. It shows how your level moved by quarter, whether you have plateaued, the shape of your grade pyramid, how your onsight compares with your redpoint, and what to climb next. The file is read once to build the page and is not saved. More in is your climbing really improving?.

What the tools do not do

They do not know you. They do not see your injury history, your sleep, or the route you fell off on Saturday. Every number on these pages comes from simple rules, and every page says what those rules are. If something hurts, see a doctor or physiotherapist who knows climbing.

When you want more

Inside Train Climb the same calculations follow you over time. The hangboard plan goes on your calendar and adjusts after each session, and the grade analysis updates with every climb in your journal. Your coach sees both. See hangboard plans in Train Climb and the journal's Analysis tab.

References

• Draper N, Giles D, Schöffl V, et al. Comparative grading scales, statistical analyses, climber descriptors and ability grouping: International Rock Climbing Research Association position statement. Sports Technology. 2015;8(3–4):88–94.
• Gabbett TJ. The training–injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016;50(5):273–280.
• Impellizzeri FM, Tenan MS, Kempton T, Novak A, Coutts AJ. Acute:chronic workload ratio: conceptual issues and fundamental pitfalls. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 2020;15(6):907–913.