{"id":293299,"date":"2020-09-30T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T05:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/formnutrition.com\/us\/?p=293299"},"modified":"2020-09-29T08:57:29","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T12:57:29","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-before-you-start-climbing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/formnutrition.com\/us\/inform\/everything-you-need-to-know-before-you-start-climbing\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need To Know Before You Start Climbing"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you want to be a climber. Maybe you’ve perfected the pull-up and you’re looking to put those upper body<\/a> muscles to good use. Perhaps you’ve just watched Free Solo<\/a>, and Alex Honnold’s incredible, daredevil 3000 feet climb up the sheer rock face of El Capitan in California sans rope or anything to make the exercise remotely safe. That would inspire anyone. But it might also terrify some people to the point of putting you off.<\/span><\/p>\n

“For a lot of folks, this may have been their first introduction to the climbing world and they think that encompasses the sport,” says Tiffany Soi<\/a>, a wellbeing expert, climber, and the founder of\u00a0<\/span>Climbflow<\/span><\/a>, a unique yoga class designed for climbers. “So, it\u2019s good to point out that soloing is an extremely niche avenue of the sport as a whole, and most certainly not the only way to enjoy climbing, nor is it an end goal for the vast majority of climbers.”<\/span><\/p>\n

There’s a whole range of different climbing disciplines (more on that later) out there, so you’re bound to find one that suits you. To help introduce you to the sport properly, Soi has kindly put together this beginner’s guide including the myriad of benefits the sport can offer you, what equipment you’ll need, the importance of knot-tying and how to push yourself to new heights, figuratively and literally.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Mental and Physical Benefits Of Climbing<\/h2>\n

The Physical<\/h3>\n

When people try climbing for the first time they often mistakenly think climbing is all about the arms, but the legs<\/a> and core<\/a> are equally important. In my years of climbing, it\u2019s those who don\u2019t necessarily come into the sport with enormous upper body strength that experience greater progression because they don\u2019t overcompensate with their upper body. They start learning to use their legs and body in much more creative ways to enable them to manoeuvre up the wall.<\/p>\n

Climbing develops your proprioception alongside your spatial awareness, coordination, and balance, and of course, overall strength; all useful qualities that translate into a variety of other physical pursuits. Moreover, you will develop a vastly improved grip strength.<\/p>\n

Along with being able to haul your supermarket shopping with greater ease, this can be useful for certain martial arts sports where grip strength plays a big part.<\/p>\n

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Photo CRedit: Thom Arnold<\/p><\/div>\n

The Mental<\/h3>\n

The mental aspect is a large part of climbing. Blocs or routes are like mental-physical puzzles where you unlock a sequence of movement: figure out your hand and foot sequence, how to position your body, when to move slowly and delicately, and when to be dynamic. It heightens your sense of self-awareness beyond just the physical plane.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Its engrossing nature has proven very therapeutic for many people and has played a massive part in supporting my mental health over the years. A 2020 study published in the journal\u00a0<\/span>BMC Psychiatry<\/span><\/a>, found that psychotherapeutic bouldering was “not only effective in alleviating depressive symptoms but even goes beyond the effect of mere physical exercise.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, climbing gyms, and bouldering walls, in particular, can be very social, which is one of the big draws, despite people often starting out in the sport alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Main Types Of Climbing<\/span><\/h2>\n

Bouldering <\/span><\/h3>\n

This has probably become the most popular type of climbing in the last decade as the sport has become increasingly mainstream. You can go solo but equally the social nature \u2018on the mat\u2019 has been boosted its popularity.<\/p>\n

Bouldering involves walls up to around four metres high with large crash pads (think the one you see gymnasts use) beneath the walls to protect you if you fall off. This discipline has a greater focus on power and strength with problems often only around six moves long.<\/p>\n

Indoors the crash pads are in place all around the gym. Outside you carry your mat on your back to a suitable boulder to climb (usually in a lovely spot of nature), so they are smaller than the ones you find inside. Ideally, you would have a few mats between you and friends for safety, and also so you can spot each other should you fall.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Alex Goh<\/p><\/div>\n

Roped Climbing<\/h3>\n

This involves climbing in a pair and using a rope to keep you safe. One person will climb, while the other will ‘belay’ the rope through a safety device to control the rope and protect the climber if they fall off the wall. Indoors, a climb (known as a pitch) is typically 10-20m long. Outside these can be up to 40m long, and you can get routes with multiple pitches. Within roped climbing there are three main types:<\/p>\n