Indoor rock climbing is something you may have seen advertised or in children’s theme indoor parks. You may not have thought about indoor rock climbing as something to add to your own fitness schedule or the many benefits it could have to your strength training.
Here are a few benefits about indoor rock climbing and why you should consider it as a fun way to stay fit year round.
Build Upper Body Strength
Building upper body strength is one of the most common reasons people add indoor rock climbing routines to their workouts. Keep in mind, not only are you climbing and using your legs, you are also pulling up to the next level of the climbing wall.
This requires the use of arms, shoulder, and back muscles that you may not normally be using in your daily life. If you find yourself in a position where you are no longer challenged in your upper body workout, consider using moving walls and adding weights before moving to the next wall.
Work on Cardio
While you are working on your upper body and moving up the climbing walls, you are also working your cardio. Though it isn’t as intense as a pure cardio workout, like running, it will still work your heart rate up to a good level and keep it up. This is especially true if you are using a moving wall or if you are doing a more intense level of wall climbing.
If you really want to build your cardio workout while working on body strength and muscle tone, consider combining weights and a moving wall. The combination of climbing, added weights, and a moving wall going at a steady pace will not only give you a challenge, it will also give you a full workout that you may not be expecting.
Build Leg Strength
Leg strength is something that you likely know you will be working on during rock climbing, but you may be more focused on upper body goals. The truth is, you can build your leg strength using indoor rock climbing with just a few easy adjustments. Use a climbing pattern that forces your legs to stretch and move further away. This will help you build the strength and stretch your muscles in your legs. Add weights to help increase the amount your leg muscles are having to work as well.
These are only three of the benefits to using indoor rock climbing in your workout routine to stay fit in the new year. In fact, with the right combination of these benefits and methods you can actually use rock climbing as a total body workout, decrease your time in the gym, and increase your path to your health goals.
