Rock climbing fitness is a challenging sport that tests your physical and mental stamina. Interestingly, Rock climbing is known to reduce stress.
Climbing tests your body and mind's endurance, agility, strength and balance. Want a physically engaging, full-body workout that gets you in top shape and prime fitness condition? Then, rock climbing could be the sport for you.
If you’re looking for a reason to get back into climbing, or if you fancy trying a new hobby, then these benefits alone might just be enough to give you the push you need.
Meditative effects
Climbers become so focussed on their connection with the wall and their own self-awareness this often puts climbers and athletes into a flow state. Meditation in its traditional form can be very difficult to master, many people who struggle with it have found excellent results from the doing side of meditation, such as climbing.
Stress relief
With all the mental focus that you just can’t help but love, it really is no secret that climbing can also be an excellent stress reliever. But it’s not just the meditative effects that help to combat the cortisol. The physical exertion also does wonders at getting the endorphins going, making us feel better, and thus reducing our stress levels.
Improved flexibility
If you’re not flexible when you start out climbing, then you soon will be after a few months of stretching for seemingly distant holds. And if that doesn’t do it, then you’ll find yourself working on your flexibility outside of your climbing hours.
It burns calories
Burning calories can be super fun after all! Of course, it depends on your weight, age, gender and height but on average a man can burn up to 899Kcal per hour of average intensity rock climbing, and an average woman up to 774kcal per hour.
It has low impact on your body
Of course, just like an sport climbers can get injured at any time. But what’s unique about rock climbing is the lack of heavy pounding your body goes through. There’s very little repetition in the body’s movements like in running or weightlifting, and all the movements that do happen are relatively low impact.