Rock Climbing

fstrickl
fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I do not enjoy running, and so am always looking for new activities for exercise. Lately I’ve been thinking of trying rock climbing (indoors). I went rocking climbing once over half a life time ago (I was 12, now I’m 30!) so I have NO experience.

I think I would enjoy it not only for the physical challenge but for the mental challenge as well. I guess I’m looking for thoughts and opinions from people. Do you rock climb? Have you tried it? What’s good. What’s not. How many calories does it burn (apx) and how is it for weight loss?

I know it’s good for strength, of which I have little, so that’ll be a challenge but I’m definitely okay with that. Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hearing all your thoughts.

Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Sounds like fun! Do things you love :)
  • k8eekins
    k8eekins Posts: 2,264 Member
    edited June 2018
    Please DO again! You'll be pleasantly surprised how effectively supportive the community is. I felt the same way, for the free climber in the family was my late father. Not at that level - but tried it with my sister and it was well worth the re-immersion. If it still appeals to you - whyever not.
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
    I’ve been climbing on and off for about the past 13 years. It’s fun. Most climbing gyms offer a two week trial membership. Here are some pointers:
    - Really pay attention to the safety stuff. Become a great belayer.
    - Take an intro to climbing or a beginning technique class at your gym. It’s a great way to learn this sport and it’s a great way to meet people.
    - When you decide that this is something you want to keep doing, consider buying your own gear.
    - Try to get into the climbing gym 3 days a week. This will allow you to practice the techniques you will learn and build strength.
    - As someone mentioned earlier the community is pretty friendly:-)
    - What to bring when you go to the climbing gym the first time: more water than you think you will need, work out pants, and a small snack.

    The calorie burn for rock climbing in the MFP database is pretty inflated. I log my gym climbing as gymnastics which gives around 300 calories for an hour session. I know people who have used rock climbing as their primary source of exercise while losing weight and it was a very slow process for them. The good news is that those people have kept the weight off.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    I belong to a rock climbing gym. Actually, its Bouldering only. It's super fun and very social. It's great for a group of people or family to do together. With that being said, it doesn't burn many calories at all. I'll either substitute it for an upper body workout (and supplement with push-ups) or as an active rest day. And at the beginning your hands and forearms won't allow you to climb for more than an hour tops. Ehh. Maybe more with climbing. IMO, Bouldering is more taxing because you are almost always more than vertical.

    So yes, I highly recommend. Just don't expect it to burn a lot of calories. I don't think I would even count it.
  • fstrickl
    fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
    mom23mangos wrote: »
    So yes, I highly recommend. Just don't expect it to burn a lot of calories. I don't think I would even count it.

    Really? Not even count it. I would think it would be similar to stength training in some ways. My guess is MFP exaggerates the calorie burn but I feel like it still counts. Guess I better do some reading on that!
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
    fstrickl wrote: »
    mom23mangos wrote: »
    So yes, I highly recommend. Just don't expect it to burn a lot of calories. I don't think I would even count it.

    Really? Not even count it. I would think it would be similar to stength training in some ways. My guess is MFP exaggerates the calorie burn but I feel like it still counts. Guess I better do some reading on that!

    I would count a climbing gym session, but log them as gymnastics in the database. I’ve done that tedious thing where I tracked all the time I spent on the wall. The “gymnastics” setting gets me close without all the fuss.

    I think what happens with the MFP number is people will log their whole 1 hour or more session at the climbing gym when realistically they maybe spent at total of 20min on the wall.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    julie_broadhead wrote: »
    fstrickl wrote: »
    mom23mangos wrote: »
    So yes, I highly recommend. Just don't expect it to burn a lot of calories. I don't think I would even count it.

    Really? Not even count it. I would think it would be similar to stength training in some ways. My guess is MFP exaggerates the calorie burn but I feel like it still counts. Guess I better do some reading on that!

    I would count a climbing gym session, but log them as gymnastics in the database. I’ve done that tedious thing where I tracked all the time I spent on the wall. The “gymnastics” setting gets me close without all the fuss.

    I think what happens with the MFP number is people will log their whole 1 hour or more session at the climbing gym when realistically they maybe spent at total of 20min on the wall.

    Yeah, that's really what I meant. You may go for an hour, but realistically probably only spend 15-20 minutes actually climbing. So for someone my size, probably 50-100 calories max.
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 978 Member
    Climbing is great fun and I really regret not getting on the wall more often. I've found that when climbing generally people are very friendly.
    If you're on your own it's best to join a club to find yourself a partner to climb with, unless there's a lot of autobelays or you fancy doing bouldering only. (and it's much more fun to learn with others)
    Hire the shoes, it makes such a difference.
    If you start to go regularly I would recommend buying your own kit, you can get some half decent stuff for a very reasonable price (never buy 2nd hand though).
    Don't start too hard, ease yourself into it.
    In most places the routes change fairly regularly, so there's normally enough time for you to work and build up to a route, but it'll change soon enough if you get bored.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Get a copy of Freedom of the Hills, by Mountaineers Press. This is your new bible.
  • sokkache
    sokkache Posts: 220 Member
    Hi! I'm a beginning climber, have been climbing for a little over a year now and have very intensely dove into the climbing world, all the way to doing multipitch Alpine climbs. While it's a very good and fun exercise I would not consider it fitness or training. I climb at least 4 times a week and it's considered a fun activity for me. But I do also go to the gym and spend time training to climb so I can get better. So think of it as this way: it's a really amazing activity to maintain a decent level of fitness but if you want to get better or lose weight you need to train outside of it as well.

    I would highly recommend. Go to your local gym and you will most likely start off bouldering but I'd recommend getting on the ropes through a belay class asap. Pm me if you have any questions!

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