Why everyone should take up rock climbing

You get to see some insane views, while you’re getting a workout

“Oh you go rock climbing all the time, you must love it.”

Well of course I love it, what’s not to love than more muscular forearms than all your dude friends and some kick ass calluses on every part of your hands.

It’s not that bad, I swear. A lot of people actually dig it.

Every climb is a new problem to solve

Not only do you forget about that exam tomorrow, the dog getting into your chocolate chip cookies at home, and working a double on Saturday, but you have your mind on one thing and that is completing that problem. Now, for all you new climbers out there, you may ask, what is a problem?

Well, first you need to know about technical aspects of climbing: every climb is graded, ranging from a V0-V13 in bouldering or 5.5-5.14 in sport climbing. The lower the grade, the easier the climb. The higher the grade, the harder the climb. So the “problem” you are solving is getting up the climb without falling off. We call the harder climbs (that we know will take a couple to couple hundred times to solve) “projects.” No one climb is exactly the same.

It’s your own personal stress reliever

It’s like one on one therapy time with you and the rock wall. You exert more energy than you would think. That being said, your body is being stretched out in different ways, and it holds similar attributes to that of a yoga class. Climbing can actually be relaxing.

Don’t get me wrong, it is indefinitely a workout. My favorite one, actually.

The climbing community is awesome

Unlike every other sport known to man, rock climbing has some pretty down to earth individuals. Not only do we want to see you get better, but we want to help you solve a hard climb and see YOU do it. We know a beginner when we see one, yes, like every hobby or sport. But we don’t say things like, “Wow, he/she is bad,”or “That person has no idea what they’re doing.”

Instead, we insist on helping, whether it’s telling you that you have another foothold, or climbing up and showing you how to do it and what you need to work on.

We get to climb mountains and see insane views

You get to enjoy scenery. You should see it from our heights. Not only after you mastered finishing a climb, but also during, you can turn around and see all the mountain tops, trees, and plants from above. It’s breathtaking, and a it’s a must-experience. It’s also a good workout, so you’re killing two birds with one stone!

You can wear whatever you want

We don’t judge one bit. Whether you’re wearing jeans, yoga pants, sweatpants, or shorts, it’s socially acceptable to look like a hot mess at the rock gym or outside. No matter what you wear, your feet will still be stinky. Everyone’s feet get stinky climbing, and there’s no way you will walk out of the gym without chalk on you. But the thing is: no one cares.

It works on ALL your muscle groups

Whether you’re outside hiking up to a climb or just stopping in the rock gym for some climbing, you’re getting a workout, and it’s never tedious. You are using your core, arms, and legs when you climb. Many of us do some type of cross-training as well to keep all of our muscles in tip top shape, and by cross-training I mean we do some ab workouts, pushups, and hang board workouts.

What’s a hang board workout you may ask? It’s when you do pull ups or just hang from a board mounted on the wall, and it simulates holding onto a rock wall, so it strengthens the arm muscles you use for climbing.

So not only are you just going through the motions by climbing, and not only are you having FUN, but you’re also gaining muscle and staying fit!

And that is why I love rock climbing , and why you should too.

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