Bouldering/Indoor Rock Climbing

BigT555

Recently I've looked into indoor rock climbing (specifically bouldering) as I've learned there is a club decently close to where I am moving to in September.

Does anyone have any thoughts/experiences on this, or tips for a beginner? I have pretty good upper body strength and have done some indoor walls before without much trouble, but they were straight walls and it was before i started getting in shape.

Would this be an activity that would interfere with a weight routine? Its a very physically demanding sport so I can see it leaving me sore and unable to do a full workout with high intensity

And lastly, is there any special equipment required? Bouldering does not require a harness but what about footwear and whatnot?

W31RD0

I've done a bunch of indoor rock climbing in highschool, also a bit of actual rock.

Would this be an activity that would interfere with a weight routine? Its a very physically demanding sport so I can see it leaving me sore and unable to do a full workout with high intensity

How long are you resting after climbing before doing weight training? This is a new activity, a very dynamic one. Your body will experience DOMS because you are using it in a new way. Keep it up and it will pass. Give yourself a day or two to recover if you feel very sore. Remember not to take too long off unless you are injured. Warming up and performing weight training at somewhat lower weights will actually help ease the pain.

I have pretty good upper body strength

You should not be relying on the upper body as much as your legs when climbing. Mostly your arms are there to get a grip (train the forearms) while getting a good footing. Sometimes your bicep will be used to pull you up when you can't get a leg hold, but even with a strong bicep, this isn't the most effective way to climb; use those legs. Your abs and back also get used especially when you start doing walls that curve. You have to keep your body really close in to avoid fatiguing the arms.

Here is an acticle that goes into the specific muscle goups. You might want to consider paying extra attention to training and stretching those muscles to help you progress to harder climbs.

http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/muscles-worked-during-rock-climbing-3416.html

And lastly, is there any special equipment required? Bouldering does not require a harness but what about footwear and whatnot?

Beyond the belay equipment? I have seen people with helmets and chalk bags. I think I always used my sneaks at the indoor rock climbing. I see the more serious climbers with those rubber toe shoes. I would look around at what the more experienced people are wearing.

BigT555

I'm not sure on timing yet, i havent started and it will depend alot on my class schedule which i have yet to receive, it'll probably be 4 or 5 hours between the two if its the same day. i may just do 3 days/week at the gym and then climb on rest days

checked out the article and i already train the muscles listed pretty predominantly. I'm planning on switching from strength training to endurance come september so that may help out with doms and whatnot

i suppose its one of those things thats just best for me to show up and figure it out myself for the most part. thanks for the tips

W31RD0

I'm not sure on timing yet, i havent started and it will depend alot on my class schedule which i have yet to receive, it'll probably be 4 or 5 hours between the two if its the same day. i may just do 3 days/week at the gym and then climb on rest days

I would keep the climb days and the weight days separate. Otherwise you may get frustrated when you stall on one easily. Climbing on the rest days seems like a good plan. Warm up just as you would lifting weights, and stretch afterward.

checked out the article and i already train the muscles listed pretty predominantly. I'm planning on switching from strength training to endurance come september so that may help out with doms and whatnot

The climbing itself is pretty endurance oriented. I'm not sure of your goals but if you are going for all around fitness I would keep doing what you are doing in the weights to increase max strength and use the climbing for the endurance training. If you ever plan to go climbing on actual rock, you might have equipment you are also carrying. For this reason training both endurance and max strength is to benefit. You could also get a weight vest for the climbs to up the difficulty.

pietomb00

I took up climbing about a year ago now.

As W31RD0 said, when you're doing it concentrate on placing your feet and then generally push up with them whenever you can, saves your arms, but your arms will get very tired very quickly to start with, it's all sorts of different muscles to other activities.

Take rests between climbs just like you would between sets in the gym.

Try to warm up on easier problems to start with, and then challenge yourself.

Shoes and chalk are the only two specific things for bouldering really, but you can do it in trainers and without chalk. The climbing shoes rubber tends to grip well and helps get your foot in a better (if uncomfortable) shape for climbing. See what others are wearing when you're there.

Last thing, always try to climb down rather than just dropping off the top (unless you fall ofc)

Enjoy!

BigT555

alright, ill stick with my current strength routine and work in the climbing, see where it gets me after a couple months. all around fitness is definitely the end game here but im looking more into this so i can have a physical activity that i enjoy (not that i dont enjoy weights, its just a little mundane to say one of my main hobbies is lifting). the weight vest is a good idea, i already have a couple 5 lbs ankle weights i could work with also

ill definitely ease into it, i remember my forearms being totally whipped after a couple climbs when i was a little younger

might have to look into getting some chalk, the shoes ill wait on. i think they have shoe rentals available at the place im looking into but i dont know how keen i am on regularly renting shoes