At some point in your 30s, you’ve probably noticed people around you picking up new fitness routines – whether it’s hitting the gym, Pilates, or some other trendy workout. Maybe it’s a bid to stay in shape, maybe it’s about chasing a new challenge, or maybe it’s just a way to prove that age is just a number. Whatever the reason, there’s one activity that has been drawing in adventurers and fitness enthusiasts alike…rock climbing.
There’s no workout quite like rock climbing. The adrenaline rush as you push past your limits, the calculated moves to find the perfect foothold, the sheer determination to keep going, and finally, the sweet victory of reaching the top. Even within the confines of an indoor climbing gym, it has the power to bring out the adventurer in you.
If you’ve been toying with the idea of trying it out, here are a few reasons why rock climbing could be especially rewarding for you.
A Test of Physical and Mental Fortitude
Every form of exercise offers general health benefits, such as boosting cardiovascular health, decreasing risk of developing health conditions, and enhancing concentration. However, there’s something just a little extra about rock climbing that you can’t quite achieve by running on a treadmill, or lifting weights.
How It Develops Physical Strength
Rock climbing is a full-body workout. It engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, from your back and biceps, all the way down to your glutes and calves. It’s a one-stop-shop for building strength, endurance, and balance.
In addition, the reliance needed on your hands to propel you further up means you’ll be benefiting from a significantly enhanced grip strength too.
Moreover, it helps to improve balance, coordination and flexibility, as you need to do a lot of reaching to progress. And with how intense this sport is, you’ll be burning a ton of calories along the way.
How it Stimulates the Mind
There’s a strategic aspect to this activity that explains why rock climbers are a pretty coordinated bunch. Tackling a climb involves a fair bit of planning and decision-making, which can help promote cognitive functioning. Research has already highlighted how this translates into better movement memory and spatial perception for climbers.
In particular, bouldering – a form of low-level rock climbing that incorporates complex routes to give your brain more of a challenge – has shown great potential in relieving depression. Part of the reason lies in how this activity requires a high level of attention and focus. This leaves individuals who display symptoms of depression to ruminate less over the negative thoughts that may often run through their minds.
As you can see, rock climbing can be a fantastic workout for both the body and mind.
And the best part – it’s fun! It’s the type of activity that gets you so involved in the motions and the way you feel, that you don’t even register the aches until after your climbing session is done.
But here’s where you have to give a little more care to your body.
The Risks of Rock Climbing
With every great physical feat comes a chance of danger, and this is especially true for rock climbing. It gives you a complete fitness regime that targets muscles that you didn’t even know you had – which means that this fun sport can be a real strain on the body.
For one, rock climbing is an activity that involves a lot of repetitive movements, and this tends to result in a higher risk of overuse injuries. This includes greater pain and inflammation in your elbow and shoulder. It can even result in finger pulley injuries, where tendons in the fingers are overstretched. It can also lead to knee pain or ankle fractures if you happen to land awkwardly.
Speaking of landings, you also put yourself at risk of acute traumatic injuries if you fall from a tall height. This is especially true if you take on bouldering, as you won’t have a rope to catch you if you slip.
Given the risks, should you still try climbing? Absolutely. But preparation is key.
Making Sure You’re Strong Enough for a Climb
One thing you may have realised at this point: rock climbing isn’t for beginners. It requires a level of strength and endurance to get started.
It doesn’t mean you can’t try, but you do have to make sure you’re at least fit enough to manage this activity while minimising your suffering afterwards.
So, here’s what you can do to prep yourself for a climb.
Condition Your Body
Rock climbing requires a lot of upper body strength and coordination, so your training can incorporate more muscle-strengthening workouts. This includes doing push-ups and planks in the period leading up to your climb. You can also perform pull-ups, as they have the added advantage of building up your grip strength too.
For those of you who don’t quite have the muscle mass for all that, you can employ resistance bands. Even the act of stretching them can get your muscles activated.
Get a Warm Up In
According to said Dr Han Fucai, an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Singapore: “There needs to be a proper warm up and cooling down, and sufficient rest as well as an adequate recovery period before each activity.”
This is crucial to reducing your risk of injury. As it is, rock climbing induces numerous aches in the body. So make sure you do plenty of stretches before and after a climb. And once you’re done with a session, don’t immediately attempt a climb the next day, or your body may rebel.
Start Slow
Avoid overexerting yourself. Rest when you need to, even if it means stopping mid-climb. Getting better at an activity comes with experience. You’ll get to the top eventually.
If you’ve been searching for a sport that brings adventure into your fitness journey, this might just be the one for you. Train smart, climb safe, and get ready to reap the rock-solid rewards this daring sport has to offer!
