Indoor Rock Climbing!

purple4sure05
purple4sure05 Posts: 287 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys! I'm looking for a way to stay in shape now that I've reached my goal weight, and I'm considering indoor rock climbing. I build muscle very easily, and I don't want to bulk up too much. I just want to burn some calories and tone up. Do you think this is a good activity to do so? Or do you have other suggestions? If so, I'd love to hear them! I'm off college for the summer so I have plenty of time for activities.

Replies

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Indoor climbing is a TON of fun. If you are afraid of building muscle, just eat less. Its not the exercise, its attachments the calorie surplus
  • sioark55
    sioark55 Posts: 52 Member
    I know a lot of climbers and they really vary in size and shape.... I think it not only depends on the ease with which you build muscle, but also the types of climbs you do. The more technical climbs can involve more core/balance/finger strength, where as more easier ones can encourage you to use your arms, so it can end up feeling like a succession of pull ups. I would suggest you go to the wall you are thinking of climbing at and ask to have a 1:1 session to discuss what you want to get from climbing :-)
  • Katrina_vw91
    Katrina_vw91 Posts: 232 Member
    I would love to try OUTDOOR rock climbing one day, but indoor is just as fun! If you can find a decent place to do it, it gives you an awesome way to burn calories!
  • Aparz1
    Aparz1 Posts: 949
    Love rock climbing, such a great full body workout... Climbers are not bulky more of a lean shredded look
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    I do like rock climbing, but I'm not entirely convinced of it's long term use for burning calories.
    Certainly worth giving a go - you might find you like it enough to want to do it regardless of exercise (kinda the story of how I started :) ).

    Definitely focusing on 'good technique' can mean you need and use less strength to get up the wall.

    I'd consider just going for the classic heavy weight lifting for a bit - then stop when you don't want to get any more 'muscly' - remembering of course that building a little muscle under fat will make it look bigger, but as you lose the fat will get that 'toned' look people like.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Don't let fear of bulking up affect your choice of exercise.

    I have been lifting really heavy weights, eating at a surplus (i.e. more than I burn off to gain strength/lean mass), and I'm large framed and naturally muscular, and it's not easy for me to gain muscle. It isn't something that just happens without you trying to make it happen AND eating more than you burn off.

    A lot of women think that they are gaining muscle easily because after exercise their muscles get "pumped" - this is from increased blood flow to the muscles, plus water retention (which is part of the repair and rebuild process that muscles undergo after exercise) and makes the muscle get bigger.... but it is temporary, and is not growth of the actual muscle fibres. The amount of muscle tissue stays the same, it just has more blood and water in it. But it happens to many women after starting a new exercise routine, and their muscles get a little bigger quite quickly, because they're "pumped"... but they think they'll get that much bigger again every time they do the same amount of exercise.... it *really* doesn't work like that. They're not going to get bigger than their "pumped" size without an extreme amount of effort combined with eating quite a bit more than you burn off, because to get bigger after that means you have to grow actual new muscle fibres, which takes a calorie surplus and for women doesn't happen easily at all because we don't have much testosterone. Even for men, actual muscle growth (as in growing new muscle tissue) takes a lot of effort and won't happen by accident.

    So really, just do what exercise you want to do and seriously don't worry about bulking up.... unless you want to gain muscle, then know that it's possible, but really difficult.

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