What is rock climbing like as exercise?

Bayesian

Is it good cardio? Also, what is it like on your joints?

Donovan Puppyfucker

It's low impact. You'll develop callouses. Also, hit up a climbing gym for an hour and then ask me again if holding on to a wall 35 feet up with just your toes and fingertips gets the heart pumping...

Powerpuppies

I have some friends who do it. It seems to make them really fit without making them weightlifter strong or anything.

VeritasVR

It's not good cardio, but it is a great full-body strength workout. I do it as an alternative to weight lifting, because weight lifting is boring to me.

Dark_Side

It's almost entirely a core workout. If you do it wrong, it will work your arms and hands like a mother, if you do it right, you're legs will get most of it instead. It's not like the kind of cardio you would get from say, running. But yeah, you'll be damn tired and breathing heavy after you ascend a climbing wall.

Zombiemambo

Dark_Side wrote: »

It's almost entirely a core workout. If you do it wrong, it will work your arms and hands like a mother, if you do it right, you're legs will get most of it instead. It's not like the kind of cardio you would get from say, running. But yeah, you'll be damn tired and breathing heavy after you ascend a climbing wall.

This isn't always true. Depending on the type and style of climbing, you can work completely different muscles. Boulderers get huge forearms and backs, for example. It's primarily upper-body pulling muscles (biceps and lats) and your core. Nobody is doing it "wrong" by using their hands and arms. Sport climbing can work primarily your legs, but it doesn't have to. Again, the style of the setter/the rock will determine what you end up working the most.

Blake T

You will find out far more about rock climbing by doing it than you will by asking questions about it on the Internet.

Saying that I have taken all manner of people with varying levels of fitness up walls their first time, both indoors and outdoors and I have managed to talk them up something.

schuss

Fairly easy on your joints unless you do really dumb shit (which you probably won't be able to as a beginner). You build a lot of muscle/strength in your shoulders, legs and core. You will also develop a grip of death.
As an aside, it's way more fun than anything else in a gym, and the worse you are at it, the quicker you get in shape.

Kyougu

I tried climbing for the first time a year and a half ago. Got hooked, and now it's a regular thing I do. That combined with running is pretty much my main form of excercise.

Like it's been said, it's a core workout. Your arms and legs will definitely get stronger, though your career as a hand model will go out the window. It's also a great mental challenge, trying to plan out the moves in your head before hitting a wall. It's really tons of fun.

Just hit up a gym (better with a friend so they can belay) and try it out. Most gyms I climbed at are filled with some awesome friendly people.

The_Spaniard

I wish I was a member of a gym that had climbing walls, I just use my apartment gym which is free so no complaints. But when I go climbing I have to go to a facility that charges like 15 bucks if not more a head.

Kyougu

Yeah, my year membership is 400 bucks a year at my gym. Then add the fact that I also climb at other gyms every so often and it adds up.

Still, you can't beat the variety of walls.

schuss

Kyougu wrote: »

Yeah, my year membership is 400 bucks a year at my gym. Then add the fact that I also climb at other gyms every so often and it adds up.

Still, you can't beat the variety of walls.

Yeah, mine is damn expensive (albeit in SF, which is just expensive period), but my rock gym also has a full weight area/yoga studio as part of it. When I started climbing, I ditched the normal gym, as I just got way too bored there.

Bayesian

Does anyone have a particular gym they like in Toronto or are they all pretty similar?

mts

schuss if you're at the one gym i am assuming you are at, your membership also gives you access to all the other gyms by them. though roadtripping for a gym does not sound as cool

schuss

mts wrote: »

schuss if you're at the one gym i am assuming you are at, your membership also gives you access to all the other gyms by them. though roadtripping for a gym does not sound as cool

I'm at PG (both PG and Mission Cliffs have other gyms in the area). I don't really ever get bored there, as they switch out each wall every 6 weeks or so, and they have REALLY good line setters. Only annoying thing is that they don't limit parking behind it to PG only, so you get the Crissy field clusterfuck on any weekend day. Working my first 11's now though, lots of fun.

EDIT: Gyms - you generally find 2 major types of climbing gym, core and frou frou.
Core - Dirty, smelly, lots of pros/wannabe pros, attitude. Great feedback and resources if you make use of it, but usually more waiting for good lines and more inconsistency. Significant climbing bro-factor.
Frou Frou - Super corporate, amenities, geared towards families and professionals. Tends to be cleaner, but boulder lines tend to not be as good and every weekend there will be screaming children.

This is anecdotal, but I saw the same sort of thing in 2 metros (SF and north of Boston). You're going to like one or the other.

mts

schuss wrote: »

mts wrote: »

schuss if you're at the one gym i am assuming you are at, your membership also gives you access to all the other gyms by them. though roadtripping for a gym does not sound as cool

I'm at PG (both PG and Mission Cliffs have other gyms in the area). I don't really ever get bored there, as they switch out each wall every 6 weeks or so, and they have REALLY good line setters. Only annoying thing is that they don't limit parking behind it to PG only, so you get the Crissy field clusterfuck on any weekend day. Working my first 11's now though, lots of fun.

EDIT: Gyms - you generally find 2 major types of climbing gym, core and frou frou.
Core - Dirty, smelly, lots of pros/wannabe pros, attitude. Great feedback and resources if you make use of it, but usually more waiting for good lines and more inconsistency. Significant climbing bro-factor.
Frou Frou - Super corporate, amenities, geared towards families and professionals. Tends to be cleaner, but boulder lines tend to not be as good and every weekend there will be screaming children.

This is anecdotal, but I saw the same sort of thing in 2 metros (SF and north of Boston). You're going to like one or the other.

pretty sure, there is one in berkeley, san jose, and sac too. nice gyms though. i used to climb at the sac one which is awesome, huge arch routes. weekends are full of screaming kids at pretty much any gym. that is the bread and butter/income for gyms. it sucks but that is the way it is.

Kyougu

Yep, pretty sure gyms make most of their income through non reguilar climbers.

I realized I was getting into climbing seriously when I started getting annoyed at people taking up walls and not following any routes (we call it skittling cause they use any color).

Hotandnerdy

Really good for your core plus it is a fun challenging excercise. I used to do it a lot when it was popular a few years ago.

badger2d

schuss wrote: »

You will also develop a grip of death.

So true.

A quirky side benefit I got from climbing regularly for a year is that my hand/wrist/forearm collection of muscles has so significantly improved in strength and endurance I'm much better at giving massages to my lady now. She always used to want me to do it harder and longer than I was capable of (har dee har har).

Overall, if you look at it as a goal-oriented workout, toning muscles all over your body seems to be the main benefit. The experienced climbers all look very strong in a lean, natural kind of way, not at all like the balloon muscles you see on hardcore weightlifters.

schuss

Yes, you build pure strength, but not bulk. Only thing to watch for is to make sure you do pushups after every session to avoid becoming a hunchback, as your shoulder muscles compress your chest.

The grip thing is especially fun when non-climbers try to do the "crush of death" handshake. Oh, you think you have a strong grip? Welcome to paintown.

Donovan Puppyfucker

schuss wrote: »

Yes, you build pure strength, but not bulk. Only thing to watch for is to make sure you do pushups after every session to avoid becoming a hunchback, as your shoulder muscles compress your chest.

The grip thing is especially fun when non-climbers try to do the "crush of death" handshake. Oh, you think you have a strong grip? Welcome to paintown.

Try that with a diesel mechanic. I double dare you.

schuss

chrishallett83 wrote: »

schuss wrote: »

Yes, you build pure strength, but not bulk. Only thing to watch for is to make sure you do pushups after every session to avoid becoming a hunchback, as your shoulder muscles compress your chest.

The grip thing is especially fun when non-climbers try to do the "crush of death" handshake. Oh, you think you have a strong grip? Welcome to paintown.

Try that with a diesel mechanic. I double dare you.

Heh, any time. Used to work with a lot of mechanics. You get good forearm strength and grip, but honestly nothing compares to the fine finger strength that climbing develops when you start climbing 10+. My buddy who used to climb 12's/13's was just silly in terms of grip strength, and one of the pros that climbed in our gym I watched campus the entire bouldering room ceiling in a weight vest as a warm up.

Donovan Puppyfucker

You should come to AusPAX next year - we can get drunk and crush things in our hands.

Dropping Loads

I agree with all the positives listed here for rock climbing and I enjoy it a bunch, but to be fair there is one downside: you are active less than half the time you are in the gym. If you're with a partner, you take turns belaying and so you're on the ground half the time, plus choosing routes and roping in. If you're bouldering, you'll spend a fair amount of time waiting for other climbers and then waiting for your hands to uncramp.

It's not always a bad thing though. It gives you time to enjoy the community, rest between "sets", and plan out a good route for your next attempt. But it will take you longer to get a good workout than something like circuit training.

schuss

Dropping Loads wrote: »

I agree with all the positives listed here for rock climbing and I enjoy it a bunch, but to be fair there is one downside: you are active less than half the time you are in the gym. If you're with a partner, you take turns belaying and so you're on the ground half the time, plus choosing routes and roping in. If you're bouldering, you'll spend a fair amount of time waiting for other climbers and then waiting for your hands to uncramp.

It's not always a bad thing though. It gives you time to enjoy the community, rest between "sets", and plan out a good route for your next attempt. But it will take you longer to get a good workout than something like circuit training.

Circuit training is boring as crap, whereas climbing is mentally interesting, so from my viewpoint at least, circuit training takes more out of your life.

mts

if you're climbing hard enough, the down time is welcome.

VeritasVR

Blake T would make the worst suicide negotiator. "Get up there! Climb higher you pansy!"

mts wrote: »

if you're climbing hard enough, the down time is fucking required, I don't care who you are, you're going to be tired and sore as hell if you're climbing the right routes.

FTFY (for the fucking yes)

So, funny story. We took a guy climbing; this guy was a three-time Div 1 NCAA individual champion in his sport, spent two years in the Israeli infantry, and was built like a mf'ing tank. He made it halfway up the easiest wall before his legs seized up. He came down and didn't go back up.

schuss

Greatest Moments in beginning climbing:

1. When you cannot grasp things tightly after a long night climbing and don't feel comfortable holding glasses
2. When your fingers are shredded (before you callous up) and you put your hands around a cold pint of beer/try to eat hot wings (ok, that 2nd one you only do once ever)
3. When a pint sized woman or child absolutely crushes something you didn't think was possible right in front of you and some jacked dudes who just fell off of the problem.

If you're a guy, also note that climbing gyms are chock full of hot women.
PS - buy a climb-on bar if you start doing it seriously. That shit is like magic in keeping your hands healthy and free of absurd callouses.

mts

i also love when you see people walking around like a praying mantis since they can't extend their fingers

MickeyD

I've always heard it's great for functional fitness and grip strength.
I train in brazillian Jiu-Jitsu and more than half of the people I train with are regular climbers.
It's something I could see myself doing, wouldn't have a clue where to start though.

Dropping Loads

schuss wrote: »

Circuit training is boring as crap, whereas climbing is mentally interesting, so from my viewpoint at least, circuit training takes more out of your life.

VeritasVR wrote: »

mts wrote: »

if you're climbing hard enough, the down time is fucking required, I don't care who you are, you're going to be tired and sore as hell if you're climbing the right routes.

FTFY (for the fucking yes)

Totally agree. Just don't think you'll be in and out in 20 minutes It's much more like playing sports than a trip to the gym.

Heisenberg

I used to do it. It's fun but not by any means a better source of exercise than the gym. You get way more out of one intense hour at the gym rather than one intense hour rock climbing. You can do whatever you want at the gym and sculpt your body how you like. Also, I pay $30 a month for a gym membership and the last rock climbing gym I went to charged $45 a month. Some people do it for years and never find it repetitious, while I did after a few months and only kept going because my friends at the time did.

edit: One thing though, as schuss said, is that the women who go to climbing gyms are almost all hot. Not too approachable though, just like women at a gym, and they usually climb with their boyfriends. Still, good eye candy.

schuss

Heisenberg wrote: »

I used to do it. It's fun but not by any means a better source of exercise than the gym. You get way more out of one intense hour at the gym rather than one intense hour rock climbing. You can do whatever you want at the gym and sculpt your body how you like. Also, I pay $30 a month for a gym membership and the last rock climbing gym I went to charged $45 a month. Some people do it for years and never find it repetitious, while I did after a few months and only kept going because my friends at the time did.

edit: One thing though, as schuss said, is that the women who go to climbing gyms are almost all hot. Not too approachable though, just like women at a gym, and they usually climb with their boyfriends. Still, good eye candy.

Every single one I've met has been super-nice. You also have an instant in if you're climbing the same boulder line or something - "How did you make this move?"

Then you can make jokes about pounding the crux and how much you love jugs. Slot-jamming is also big with climbers, be it narrow handjams or big ol' fist jams.

Anarchy Rules!

I'd like to thank this thread for getting me back climbing - hadn't been for ages!

Gafoto

The variety of climbing you do really affects your workout, as others have said. I dabble a bit in everything (including ice climbing) which I think is the way to go. Bouldering is very difficult and has a tough physical as well as learning curve to get started. Sport and trad climbing will work your long term endurance. Ice climbing will challenge you physically but more so mentally.

The angle of the wall makes the biggest difference though. Some slab climbs are essentially all footwork with careful hand placements. Overhanging boulder problems can tilt the scale almost completely towards upper body strength. Everything becomes easier with good technique. I'd start with a class at a gym and then start hitting the bouldering problems. People are usually friendly about offering useful advice.

Mad Jazz

I started climbing regularly about 5 months ago as cross training for ultimate, and I've had some pretty great results. My back, arms, shoulders, and core have all gotten significantly stronger (plus I have definition in my biceps and triceps for the first time in my life). Also, what everyone else has said about hotties in the gym and being more fun than weight lifting is totally true.

If you want to start climbing more than every once in a while, you'll probably want to invest in shoes and a harness. For a harness, REI sells a Black Diamond starter kit that includes harness, locking carabiner, belay device, chalk bag, and chalk, all for about $100 (which is a pretty solid deal). Shoes are much more of a personal thing, but I wouldn't go for something super aggressive if you're just starting. Definitely go to a store and try some stuff on, see what's comfortable for your foot. I used 5.10 coyotes as my first shoe, and aside from a freak issue with wearing through the soles in just a few months, I loved them. I could wear them for hours, and they're a pretty good overall shoe, not to mention they won't break the bank.

schuss

Shoes are a very personal thing, as everyone has different foot types.
A few notes on shoes:
1. Don't wear socks.
2. They should be basically plastered to your foot. They shouldn't hurt, but they shouldn't be "comfortable" before breaking in either. The tighter the shoe, the better the control. Make sure the tightness is even all-over though. The Evolv defy is another great starter shoe.
3. Pay attention to material - all synthetic means basically no stretch, whereas leather can stretch up to a half size.
4. La Sportiva's are awesome but spendy.
5. The shoes you buy when you start will be vastly different from the shoes you buy 6 months-1 year down the road, as you will be more attuned to what you want in a shoe and how tight you can handle.

Kyougu

Eh, if he's just trying out rock climbing for the first time he'll be fine using the gym provided shoes and harness for his first trips out.

If you do find yourself do it often, definitely go with shoes. REI is a great spot to go, specially since I think most have a rock climbing wall on weekends that you can test out the shoes on.

schuss

Kyougu wrote: »

Eh, if he's just trying out rock climbing for the first time he'll be fine using the gym provided shoes and harness for his first trips out.

If you do find yourself do it often, definitely go with shoes. REI is a great spot to go, specially since I think most have a rock climbing wall on weekends that you can test out the shoes on.

Agreed.

Not all REI's have walls, but basically any shop that sells rock shoes should have some holds to stand on.

Mad Jazz

Added bonus about REI: best return policy of anywhere ever. If you're unsatisfied for any reason at any time, bring it back for a full refund. I brought my coyotes back after about 3 months (the aforementioned freak sole wear issue) and the dude who had sold them to me originally actually told me that I should trade them in for something new.