Who Should Use a Climbing Training Wall?

Training walls used to feel like tools reserved for elite climbers. Today, they are a standard feature in many gyms, and for good reason. They can help climbers build strength, improve movement, and add more structure to their training.

Still, it’s normal to feel unsure about them at first. If you’ve seen experienced climbers working on a Kilter Board or projecting on a spray wall, you might wonder whether training walls are safe or useful for your current level. In most cases, the answer is yes. If you use them thoughtfully and respect your limits, training walls can be a valuable part of your climbing.

Here’s what training walls are, the main types you’ll see in gyms, and which climbers tend to benefit most from each one.

Types of Training Walls

There are two main categories of climbing training walls: LED training walls and spray walls.

LED Training Walls

Popular LED wall systems include:

• Kilter Board

• MoonBoard

• Tension Board

• Grasshopper Board

• Decoy Board

• So Ill Connect Board

LED walls use lights to show which holds are part of a climb. Because the problems are standardized, climbers can repeat the same boulders across different gyms and track their progress over time. The companion apps also make it easy to log climbs and, in some cases, watch beta videos from other climbers.

One of the biggest advantages of LED walls is consistency. Instead of adapting to a brand-new set every session, you can focus on strength, power, body tension, and measurable progress.

Spray Walls

Spray walls are overhung walls covered in a dense, seemingly random mix of holds. Unlike LED walls, they do not light up a specific sequence for you. That means climbers have to choose holds, create problems, and work out the movement themselves.

This makes spray walls especially useful for building strength while also sharpening the mental side of climbing. They reward route-reading, creativity, memory, and problem-solving in a way that feels closer to figuring things out on your own.

Who Should Use an LED Climbing Training Wall?

The short answer: almost anyone can use an LED training wall.

As with anything in climbing, the key is to be smart about your current ability and recovery. Progress tends to come faster when you increase the challenge gradually instead of trying to force it. Some LED systems are also more approachable than others. In general, many climbers find the Kilter Board more beginner-friendly, while the MoonBoard is often considered more demanding.

That said, LED walls are especially helpful for a few types of climbers.

Climbers Who Benefit Most from LED Boards

Busy climbers who travel often

LED boards offer consistency from gym to gym. If you travel frequently, you can return to the same benchmark climbs and projects instead of starting from scratch every time. That consistency can make training feel more productive.

Intermediate climbers who want to improve body tension

Most LED walls are fixed at a steep angle or can be adjusted to become more overhung. As the wall gets steeper, maintaining tension through your core and lower body becomes more important. That makes board climbing a strong tool for building full-body control.

Climbers who want to track progress in a reliable way

Board climbing makes progress easier to measure. You can return to the same benchmark problems, log attempts, and see how your strength and movement improve over time.

Climbers who want a fresh challenge

Training can start to feel repetitive, especially if your gym’s regular sets have felt stale lately. A training wall can bring a different kind of focus to your sessions and make climbing feel exciting again.

Who Should Use a Spray Wall?

Spray walls are also accessible to a wide range of climbers. The learning curve may feel steeper for beginners, depending on the wall angle and hold selection, but they can still be a productive training tool.

If your gym has both an LED wall and a spray wall, the spray wall may be especially useful if your goals go beyond pure strength and power.

Climbers Who Benefit Most from Spray Walls

Climbers who want to improve route-reading skills

There are no lit-up holds and no color-coded path to follow. You have to choose the sequence, remember the moves, and adjust when the first idea doesn’t work. That process builds better route-reading and problem-solving skills.

Climbers who want to build power endurance

Because spray walls have a high density of holds, they work well for circuits and longer sequences of moderate-to-hard movement. That makes them a strong option for climbers trying to improve power endurance.

Intermediate climbers who want to target specific weaknesses

A spray wall gives you the freedom to create climbs that emphasize the skills you need most. If you want more practice with heel hooks, toe hooks, crimps, slopers, or pinches, you can build problems around those movement patterns.

Don’t Be Intimidated by Training Walls

Training walls can look intimidating, but they are not just for advanced climbers. Used well, they are some of the most effective tools in the gym for building strength, improving movement, and bringing more intention to your sessions.

LED walls are great for consistency, progression, and measurable benchmarks. Spray walls add creativity, route-reading, and movement problem-solving. Both can help you become a stronger, more well-rounded climber.

If you’ve been curious about training walls, the best next step is simple: try one.

Looking to climb on a training wall for yourself? Come check out the spray wall and Kilter Board at Agility Boulders. You can also visit @agilitysends on Instagram for a preview of the walls.