4 Body Parts That Gets The Stress Test During Wall Climbing

Have you’ve recently hit a workout plateau? Do you hit the gym regularly, but do you have a nagging feeling that you feel stagnant while doing your daily workout routine? If you’re feeling a bit restless these days, then shake things a little up by skipping your gym routine for something more adventurous.

Why not challenge your body, mind, and spirit all at once and go wall climbing? Wall climbing is a strenuous physical activity that can tone your muscles, for a better body and endurance.

Your Arms and Chest Gets Tested The Most

Each time you’re climbing a wall, (either indoor or outdoor,) the arms get a significant workout. Whenever you’re scaling a rock wall, you need strong forearms, as it would serve as drawing power from the muscles in your wrist and elbow.

But it’s not the forearm that’s doing all the work. The chest gets a good workout as well, as you press down the forearms, giving it more power. Whenever you look for a rock face or scale an artificial wall, the forearms, biceps, and triceps are all simultaneously getting a workout.

Back and Shoulders

A beginner would usually make a rookie mistake to think that during climbing, it’s all about the arms. But the muscles in that area are much smaller than the ones in the back and the shoulders.  That’s why it’s easier to climb whenever you engage your upper body so that you can move up in the wall, ledge or rock face. For instance, a skilled rock climber uses both his back and shoulder to hoist his body up. If the execution is good, the upper back and shoulders would be sore after the climb, only to serve as proof that those larger muscle groups are toned in the process.

Your Body Core Gets Tested

As professionals would say, when you have a weak core, chances are, your climb would be sloppy as well. Your core muscles are usually the ones that wrap the midsection and stabilize the entire body.

During the whole climb, the core muscles are actively engaged. Therefore, it tones the obliques, abs, and lower back. Usually, to draw more power when pulling up another hold or a ledge, these muscles need to be actively engaged.

Lower Body – Legs in Particular

When doing the sport, while the arms do the most work, the lower extremities, particularly the legs, aren’t entirely left out either. Rock climbing is an excellent way to tone your thighs and glutes since you have to stretch your lower body to find a more stable base. It can be a challenge as well, especially in tough climbs such as the Excalibur in Grand Canyon National Park.

Its Full Body Workout

Not most people know, but wall climbing is a full body workout that engages the major muscle groups in the body.  It’s an excellent alternative to going to the gym as it combines cardio and strength all in a single workout as it improves the heart rate and builds stamina.

Since climbing surfaces and routes regularly change each time you exercise, the amount of work these muscles groups give varies as well. It ensures that you’re training a large number of muscle groups.

Wall climbing composes a variable set of movements, engaging different muscle groups such as the obliques, traps, delts, glutes, biceps, lats, quads, and calves. As a result, it tones and strengthens them. Aside from that, it even works the forearm muscles, enhancing the climbing grip.

In Summary

Overall,  wall climbing challenges the body, mind, and spirit. It enhances a climber’s flexibility, and adaptability when they reach, and climb handholes and footholes at a comfortable distance.

Similarly, it improves your mental strength as it involves a lot of decision making and problem-solving skills along the way. It also produces high levels of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter in the body that serves as an aid to decrease stress. Being regularly exposed to outdoors lowers your stress levels as you become more exposed to the sun and on Vitamin D. It also prevents chronic diseases such as heart disease, high BP, cholesterol, and diabetes.