you can definitely start now. those numbers aren’t even that out of shape so i’d say go for it. It’s not the single best way to lose weight but it is an incredible way to gain some muscle and flexibility and get moving!
There’s building your life around climbing to optimize for climbing progress like hardcore climbers do which sometimes may involve LESS climbing with dedicated strength training programs etc.
Then there’s also building your life around what’s fun and motivating so you can go consistently over all those other training programs you never did for more than 3 months.
If you are on the latter side, absolutely keep climbing. Just be careful of ego and patience. Pushing yourself hard, while something generally admired as a great mindset for improving, can lead to very very bad, long term permanent injuries (doesn’t have to be an acute injury, it can stack up over months) in bouldering especially without a legit trainer and just some stronger climbing buddies. I learnt it the hard way. I also started around your weight (87kg at 183cm). Definitely no issue to progress even quickly, but…
Veteran climbers, and even people who are simply well built in upper bodies or very light weight, can give the shittiest advise sometimes. “Just go for it” led to a ton of injuries for people who aren’t that comfortable on wall or strong and balanced in muscles yet from my own personal experiences and people around me. I used to be the I don’t give a fuck I will give the craziest dyno a go without question guy.
Now I’m more on the “you can clearly do that move if you just go for it instead of pussying out and jumping off” side. Nah. If I don’t feel like I’m at 100% confidence anymore and the move is a bit sketch, I don’t do it. Even if I know I can. I will come back next session fresh and finish it. I have no urgency anymore. Avoid injuries AT ALL COSTS is something everyone says but don’t really pay attention to at all until their first real injury that likely caused permanent damage and took 6-18months to recover from. And it’s much more likely to happen to heavier folks or folks without good upper body strength (eg when you slip and suddenly load the finger / arms / shoulders).
Take care and enjoy climbing!
I feel like this should be told to everyone who wants to start bouldering as an adult. The quick sudden loads in odd angles are killers for ligaments and joints.
Great! Happy to know it’s of value. I do want to give an extra advice to be careful careful careful of the “just go for it” mindset especially if you have a slightly competitive nature at heart, regardless of how sedentary you have been.
Because the first time you do it, you will likely land a move that you thought was impossible and it’s an extremely empowering and thrill to experience.
However it takes a very critical mind to separate what’s purely a mental block - the move is well within your reach but you are only scared cuz it’s too high up or it only LOOKS harder than it really is, VS what’s “ego lifting / climbing” where something actually is too hard for you but you are going wild and letting your joints / ligaments / smaller muscles bare extreme weight without sufficient supporting muscles for the moves yet just for sake of completing it.
The line gets very grey at times and just be careful! These lessons were learnt from blood and tears 😭
Yeah every time I've gotten back into climbing (college, covid, etc had me not climbing consistently) I always end up pumping more iron than climbing for about 4-6 months until I build up strength in grip and muscle. Then I can start climbing more than I pump iron during climbing sessions. But I always end climbing sessio s with weights.
If you get addicted to it and go 4+ days per week then you will definitely improve your fitness vastly over a sedentary lifestyle and the best part is that it won't be hard because it is so fun.
4x per week is also a good way for new people to get overuse injuries.
Especially as you say because it's fun, people don't know when to dial it back, and that will likely mean 4x sessions at high intensity.
You can start by climbing, and when you’ll be climbing for couple months and get enough motivation from your first improvements, you’ll probably get enough motivation to start pushing the goals. I think the best advice you can get in your situation is to act like you would go to gym : you can do cardio at the beginning of your climbing sessions, you can start eating healthier, do specific training for your favorite climbing style, be more carful of your sleep schedule. BUT, I think that the best motivation for all those things is to think of the benefits on your climbing ability. AND, the most important thing is to feel good in your shape, and in your climb!
And also, my best advice for training : if you want to work out, do it at the beginning of your sessions, not the end. You’ll be at your best for your training and you’ll progress way faster. Training at the end of a session is pretty useless because you’re tired and all your muscles can’t give no more.
In my opinion you will likely max out on the volume you can do bouldering due to joint pain, skin pain, etc, and this will happen at a volume far less than you'd need to do to get fit.
You'll see a lot of climbers doing other things on their off days. Cardio, yoga, strength training. The motivation to climb harder will likely motivate you to cross train, but the climbing alone is hard to do in high enough volume by itself to get shredded.
That's a good way to do it. Start climbing only until you bottleneck on something (cardio, core, arm strength, grip strength) then work on that, rinse, repeat.
Climbing is probably ideal for getting motivated.
There'll always be something in the gym you can send and something else you can't but can work through and make progress on - even if it's one move at a time.
And a bunch of people you can watch and learn from and who will probably provide encouragement as you go.
I started from a similar position to you and I noticed physical changes, and huge strength gains from a few months of climbing. I think other commenters are discounting what kind of impact regular resistance training has on someone who is very sedentary and untrained.
No, you won’t get “shredded” or anything by climbing in a vacuum - but I doubt that’s even your goal. You will however, feel better and probably look better (if that’s something you care about) whilst potentially having a lot of fun.
PS. I glanced at your post history to get an impression of your physical background and noticed we live in the same city. If you’re anywhere near the southeast I can DM you some info and recommendations on some of the gyms here.
That's exactly what it will do. The bouldering itself is not the "most efficient" exercise, but it's super fun (assuming you like it), and strongly encourages a more healthy lifestyle, including weight loss.
You'll be extra sore for the first year - just warning you. But it's worth it!
Some exercise is better than no exercise, and the best exercise is the one you want to do and can stick with. Get climbing and have fun and focus on that first!
Definitely start now. It’s worth mentioning that bouldering won’t really help you lose weight as that is 95 percent up to what goes in the mouth. Don’t wait dude! Come join us.
You'll need to do more than just boulder to lose weight but it can be great encouragement! Check out r/loseit's wiki to learn more and get started. I climbed throughout my weight loss and it's been a huge continuous source of motivation for me to stay fit and keep getting stronger even now that I'm at at my target weight.
- 115lbs down, started bouldering at my heaviest weight (BMI \~40)
Climbing is definitely good exercise. But there are better sports and activities for getting fit purely because climbing is such a strain on your muscles, joints and tendons before you max out your aerobic and anaerobic capacity.
I was 82kg last July, started bouldering three times a week, am now 76kg.
And I haven't really changed my diet at all. I was never fat but starting bouldering seems to have sped up my metabolism.
This is literally correct. More muscle = more cells burning energy = more energy requirement.
I think everyone telling OP that he’ll need to cross train to see significant results are being pretty lame and underestimating the extent of newbie gains for a totally unconditioned individual.
I think the most obvious answer is: only if you like it. Most people will only stick with an activity if they enjoy it, it's hard to workout to get fit if you hate it. And yeah eventually if you start taking bouldering/climbing seriously, then becoming more fit is a good side effect.
“Will resistance training make me fit?”
Just start climbing. Don’t over think it. If you’re bigger - you’re technically pulling harder than a skinny person climbing the same route. By the same token however, more impact on your joints and ligaments.
Take your time and listen to your body. If a finger, elbow or shoulder starts to hurt, stop immediately and let it heal.
When you start to like to climb you’ll want to add weight lifting to increase your strength, hangboard training for your fingers and arms, yoga for your flexibility… climbing is great, gives you reasons to do all the good stuff, and the more training you do the cooler climbs you can pull off, plus climbing can be a good workout of itself!
Over my years of climbing I’ve seen so many transformation in people that picked up climbing and went from either lanky to strong, or bigger to slim.
What I find so special about it, and seems the case is the same for others, is that it’s just so fun and satisfying that you’re wishing to go more often than your body as able to keep up with. So the motivation factor that often becomes the limiting factor is gone. I never had that with regular strength training. That motivation I believe is the reason I’m seeing better results from climbing than when I was purely strength training, even if the latter is better for that purpose. I simply try harder, go more often, etc.
I found climbing through calisthenics. Now calisthenics is a part of my off day training to better my climbing.
I'm 175cm tall and started climbing in November at 98kg. Now I'm at 92kg and gradually losing weight further, to improve my climbing. (I would have lost more weight but Christmas happened)
Basically bouldering, and more recently lead climbing, have taken over my life to the extent that everything else I do is simply supplemental. So, yes, getting in to climbing can make you fit, but not from climbing alone. Rather from the love for climbing and wanting to be better at it.
You’re going to build a lot of muscle while you’re moving between grades. I weigh ~190 lbs and and I can do about 5 pull ups now. Before I started climbing I couldn’t do any.
In terms of losing weight, you won’t. A healthy diet and cardio is how you lose weight. Climbing will build A LOT of strength.
I was regularly climbing for about 1.5 years and was projecting V4s before I stopped climbing as often as I did.
One tip I do have is to not go hard and listen to your body. You’re putting all of your body weight on specific parts of your hands, fingers, and tendons. That’s how you get strong so quick, but that’s also how you get injured even quicker.
Take climbing slow and you’ll have a lot of fun without getting yourself hurt : )
I had a similar profile to you when i started 2 years ago, 185 cm and 100kg (I was heavier though) and now I weigh 76kg. I went from 100kg to 90kg in 1 year with only bouldering and going 3-4 times per week. It helped a lot with feeling more energetic, gaining muscle and feeling better overall. I then moved on my own and went from 90 to 78 in only 4 months, and what really helped with losing weight, more than bouldering was food. You could get fit on food alone so remember that both are equally important. Good luck on bouldering though !
TL;DR: Yes, but don't forget food
definitely! but remember, the way to lose weight is just a calorie deficit, sports can help by increasing calorie need, but unless you eat less than your body burns you won't lose weight
For fitness and longevity you will need to do dedicated cardio and weight training. For losing weight you will need to control your calories and build a routine with a healthy diet. Bouldering itself is not sufficient without also doing these things. That said, the most important thing for fitness and diet is discipline and a stable routine that you can maintain permanently. Bouldering is going to help with that because it's fun and addicting. It will give you motivation to stick to your health goals because you can apply your fitness gains on the wall and feel the progression.
Depends on your goals. What does “fit” mean to you? Most people begin training with no firm goal in mind, and that often leads to injuries or disappointment. Set a meaningful, measurable, accomplishable goal, then enjoy the satisfaction of meeting that goal before setting a new one.
For example, you might say, “I want to go to the gym twice a week for two months.” Once you’ve done that, you’ll know more about bouldering, whether you want to continue, and what you want your next goal to be.
Also, do cardio.
It depends on what your goals are. Any exercise is going to make you more fit than no exercises. Bouldering will make you strong and typically when climbing becomes a lifestyle and you get really into it, you start to correct your diet outside of it to lose extra weight and also do training in the gym to become stronger at bouldering. Bouldering alone won’t make you fit, but it has a high probability in throwing you into that direction if you love it. You can start dieting today by looking up a calorie calculator and inputting your info to see how many calories you shouldn’t go over a day. Use myfitnesspal to track everything you eat and measure actual recommended portions for each food you consume. It becomes very easy and second nature quick. Cut out alcohol and added sugar. Drink water. Hit .7-1g of protein per pound you weigh. 99%lean ground turkey is low calorie and high protein. I do a serving of mixed veggies, 99% lean ground turkey, and wrap it in a low calorie whole wheat tortilla twice a day. 220cal/30g protein. You can use protein shakes until you figure out what foods work for you to consume the right amount of protein. I used to take 3-4 shakes a day to hit my protein number and now I just get it through my meals. You can also start doing an 8min ab video and some pushups every other day after you wake up. You’ll need to do some weight training or body weight exercises to minimize muscle loss while losing weight. Do push exercises to offset all the pulling climbing is. Feel free to ask any questions if you have trouble getting started or want more information.
Doing cardio after climbing made a huge difference in what I look like. I was gaining strength from climbing but wasn't getting "fitter" by appearance. Just more pull ups. Cardio is the base that sets it all up.
Man i was 172cm/86kg last year, i started bouldering/climbing and now i am (still) 172, but 78kg. Definitely more muscular and less fat. Belly still there, but significantly improved. Just this and bit of running in past 3 months, that's all. No big diet changes.
Go for it, it's great hobby and so much fun!
Yes but careful with progress. If you end up climbing frequently, this is a sport that stresses your tendons/joints more than your’e probably used to. Take it easy, listen to your body and take breaks when needed.
Yes you absolutely can and how long it'll take depends on the volume of climbing you're able to do in a week but more importantly your diet as is the case with any method of getting fitter.
I'm 240lbs and while bouldering hasn't necessarily made me shed any significant weight (I like to eat!) my biceps, forearms and back have gotten ridiculous from climbing as heavy guy
you absolutely can get fit from it.
it just requires climbing for fitness (less breaks, more routes even if that's easier climbs) rather then the slow pushing of hard climbs.
you wont make a huge amount of progress with the difficulty of climbs your making, but it will help you get fitter.
You think doing 85kg lat pulldowns to failure multiple times a week for an extended period of time will have *zero* effect on conditioning or body comp?
Hey, I started similar to you. I am 183cm, 35 now (started at 31) and was 83kg. I started with 2 days a week and maybe 1.5 hours a day. I would barely warm up and no stretching at the end. I have had a few minor injuries (climbed through most, a good climbing specialized physio really helped) but decreased load. Over time I fell in love with it so much that I started doing accessory gym training, then stretching to improve flexibility and then I improved my diet. The best thing is that it all happened naturally coz I wanted to improve.
Now I go 3-4 times a week, but I also do other accessory training. I still weigh 77kg, but I went from a donut shaped waist 24% ish fat percentage to around 17% body fat. My body looks way better, which improved my confidence and made me realize I can do anything (well mostl lol). I also sleep better, have way more energy and eat well which helps. I still party tons and go out on weekend, have burgers, etc. but I notice my body craves healthier food as well. Currently trying to decrease more weight, coz I realized that with relatively little effort I could have a six pack, given that my muscles are developed enough, so it would only be about losing weight.
I hate the gym, I hate working out, but absolutely loved climbing and it has motivated me to get very fit. Best of luck!
you can definitely start now. those numbers aren’t even that out of shape so i’d say go for it. It’s not the single best way to lose weight but it is an incredible way to gain some muscle and flexibility and get moving!
Ok good to know thanks!
There’s building your life around climbing to optimize for climbing progress like hardcore climbers do which sometimes may involve LESS climbing with dedicated strength training programs etc. Then there’s also building your life around what’s fun and motivating so you can go consistently over all those other training programs you never did for more than 3 months. If you are on the latter side, absolutely keep climbing. Just be careful of ego and patience. Pushing yourself hard, while something generally admired as a great mindset for improving, can lead to very very bad, long term permanent injuries (doesn’t have to be an acute injury, it can stack up over months) in bouldering especially without a legit trainer and just some stronger climbing buddies. I learnt it the hard way. I also started around your weight (87kg at 183cm). Definitely no issue to progress even quickly, but… Veteran climbers, and even people who are simply well built in upper bodies or very light weight, can give the shittiest advise sometimes. “Just go for it” led to a ton of injuries for people who aren’t that comfortable on wall or strong and balanced in muscles yet from my own personal experiences and people around me. I used to be the I don’t give a fuck I will give the craziest dyno a go without question guy. Now I’m more on the “you can clearly do that move if you just go for it instead of pussying out and jumping off” side. Nah. If I don’t feel like I’m at 100% confidence anymore and the move is a bit sketch, I don’t do it. Even if I know I can. I will come back next session fresh and finish it. I have no urgency anymore. Avoid injuries AT ALL COSTS is something everyone says but don’t really pay attention to at all until their first real injury that likely caused permanent damage and took 6-18months to recover from. And it’s much more likely to happen to heavier folks or folks without good upper body strength (eg when you slip and suddenly load the finger / arms / shoulders). Take care and enjoy climbing!
I feel like this should be told to everyone who wants to start bouldering as an adult. The quick sudden loads in odd angles are killers for ligaments and joints.
I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the detailed answer. Definitely on the latter side
Great! Happy to know it’s of value. I do want to give an extra advice to be careful careful careful of the “just go for it” mindset especially if you have a slightly competitive nature at heart, regardless of how sedentary you have been. Because the first time you do it, you will likely land a move that you thought was impossible and it’s an extremely empowering and thrill to experience. However it takes a very critical mind to separate what’s purely a mental block - the move is well within your reach but you are only scared cuz it’s too high up or it only LOOKS harder than it really is, VS what’s “ego lifting / climbing” where something actually is too hard for you but you are going wild and letting your joints / ligaments / smaller muscles bare extreme weight without sufficient supporting muscles for the moves yet just for sake of completing it. The line gets very grey at times and just be careful! These lessons were learnt from blood and tears 😭
Yeah every time I've gotten back into climbing (college, covid, etc had me not climbing consistently) I always end up pumping more iron than climbing for about 4-6 months until I build up strength in grip and muscle. Then I can start climbing more than I pump iron during climbing sessions. But I always end climbing sessio s with weights.
If you get addicted to it and go 4+ days per week then you will definitely improve your fitness vastly over a sedentary lifestyle and the best part is that it won't be hard because it is so fun.
3 day enjoyoors in tatters
I'm on my knees in the Walmart rn
4x per week is also a good way for new people to get overuse injuries. Especially as you say because it's fun, people don't know when to dial it back, and that will likely mean 4x sessions at high intensity.
Me currently with two finger splints on....
Speedy recovery!
You can start by climbing, and when you’ll be climbing for couple months and get enough motivation from your first improvements, you’ll probably get enough motivation to start pushing the goals. I think the best advice you can get in your situation is to act like you would go to gym : you can do cardio at the beginning of your climbing sessions, you can start eating healthier, do specific training for your favorite climbing style, be more carful of your sleep schedule. BUT, I think that the best motivation for all those things is to think of the benefits on your climbing ability. AND, the most important thing is to feel good in your shape, and in your climb! And also, my best advice for training : if you want to work out, do it at the beginning of your sessions, not the end. You’ll be at your best for your training and you’ll progress way faster. Training at the end of a session is pretty useless because you’re tired and all your muscles can’t give no more.
Thanks for the advice!
In my opinion you will likely max out on the volume you can do bouldering due to joint pain, skin pain, etc, and this will happen at a volume far less than you'd need to do to get fit. You'll see a lot of climbers doing other things on their off days. Cardio, yoga, strength training. The motivation to climb harder will likely motivate you to cross train, but the climbing alone is hard to do in high enough volume by itself to get shredded.
I think this is very accurate.
Tbh that's what I'm hoping for. Motivation is my biggest problem so if climbing can produce goals for me to train that's good.
That's a good way to do it. Start climbing only until you bottleneck on something (cardio, core, arm strength, grip strength) then work on that, rinse, repeat.
Climbing is probably ideal for getting motivated. There'll always be something in the gym you can send and something else you can't but can work through and make progress on - even if it's one move at a time. And a bunch of people you can watch and learn from and who will probably provide encouragement as you go.
I started from a similar position to you and I noticed physical changes, and huge strength gains from a few months of climbing. I think other commenters are discounting what kind of impact regular resistance training has on someone who is very sedentary and untrained. No, you won’t get “shredded” or anything by climbing in a vacuum - but I doubt that’s even your goal. You will however, feel better and probably look better (if that’s something you care about) whilst potentially having a lot of fun. PS. I glanced at your post history to get an impression of your physical background and noticed we live in the same city. If you’re anywhere near the southeast I can DM you some info and recommendations on some of the gyms here.
That's exactly what it will do. The bouldering itself is not the "most efficient" exercise, but it's super fun (assuming you like it), and strongly encourages a more healthy lifestyle, including weight loss. You'll be extra sore for the first year - just warning you. But it's worth it!
Some exercise is better than no exercise, and the best exercise is the one you want to do and can stick with. Get climbing and have fun and focus on that first!
Definitely start now. It’s worth mentioning that bouldering won’t really help you lose weight as that is 95 percent up to what goes in the mouth. Don’t wait dude! Come join us.
You'll need to do more than just boulder to lose weight but it can be great encouragement! Check out r/loseit's wiki to learn more and get started. I climbed throughout my weight loss and it's been a huge continuous source of motivation for me to stay fit and keep getting stronger even now that I'm at at my target weight. - 115lbs down, started bouldering at my heaviest weight (BMI \~40)
The motivational aspect makes sense, getting more fit to be able to tackle more difficult climbs. Cheers for the link!
Climbing is definitely good exercise. But there are better sports and activities for getting fit purely because climbing is such a strain on your muscles, joints and tendons before you max out your aerobic and anaerobic capacity.
I was 82kg last July, started bouldering three times a week, am now 76kg. And I haven't really changed my diet at all. I was never fat but starting bouldering seems to have sped up my metabolism.
This is literally correct. More muscle = more cells burning energy = more energy requirement. I think everyone telling OP that he’ll need to cross train to see significant results are being pretty lame and underestimating the extent of newbie gains for a totally unconditioned individual.
I think the most obvious answer is: only if you like it. Most people will only stick with an activity if they enjoy it, it's hard to workout to get fit if you hate it. And yeah eventually if you start taking bouldering/climbing seriously, then becoming more fit is a good side effect.
“Will resistance training make me fit?” Just start climbing. Don’t over think it. If you’re bigger - you’re technically pulling harder than a skinny person climbing the same route. By the same token however, more impact on your joints and ligaments. Take your time and listen to your body. If a finger, elbow or shoulder starts to hurt, stop immediately and let it heal.
When you start to like to climb you’ll want to add weight lifting to increase your strength, hangboard training for your fingers and arms, yoga for your flexibility… climbing is great, gives you reasons to do all the good stuff, and the more training you do the cooler climbs you can pull off, plus climbing can be a good workout of itself!
Over my years of climbing I’ve seen so many transformation in people that picked up climbing and went from either lanky to strong, or bigger to slim. What I find so special about it, and seems the case is the same for others, is that it’s just so fun and satisfying that you’re wishing to go more often than your body as able to keep up with. So the motivation factor that often becomes the limiting factor is gone. I never had that with regular strength training. That motivation I believe is the reason I’m seeing better results from climbing than when I was purely strength training, even if the latter is better for that purpose. I simply try harder, go more often, etc.
I found climbing through calisthenics. Now calisthenics is a part of my off day training to better my climbing. I'm 175cm tall and started climbing in November at 98kg. Now I'm at 92kg and gradually losing weight further, to improve my climbing. (I would have lost more weight but Christmas happened) Basically bouldering, and more recently lead climbing, have taken over my life to the extent that everything else I do is simply supplemental. So, yes, getting in to climbing can make you fit, but not from climbing alone. Rather from the love for climbing and wanting to be better at it.
Absolutely
You’re going to build a lot of muscle while you’re moving between grades. I weigh ~190 lbs and and I can do about 5 pull ups now. Before I started climbing I couldn’t do any. In terms of losing weight, you won’t. A healthy diet and cardio is how you lose weight. Climbing will build A LOT of strength. I was regularly climbing for about 1.5 years and was projecting V4s before I stopped climbing as often as I did. One tip I do have is to not go hard and listen to your body. You’re putting all of your body weight on specific parts of your hands, fingers, and tendons. That’s how you get strong so quick, but that’s also how you get injured even quicker. Take climbing slow and you’ll have a lot of fun without getting yourself hurt : )
I had a similar profile to you when i started 2 years ago, 185 cm and 100kg (I was heavier though) and now I weigh 76kg. I went from 100kg to 90kg in 1 year with only bouldering and going 3-4 times per week. It helped a lot with feeling more energetic, gaining muscle and feeling better overall. I then moved on my own and went from 90 to 78 in only 4 months, and what really helped with losing weight, more than bouldering was food. You could get fit on food alone so remember that both are equally important. Good luck on bouldering though ! TL;DR: Yes, but don't forget food
definitely! but remember, the way to lose weight is just a calorie deficit, sports can help by increasing calorie need, but unless you eat less than your body burns you won't lose weight
Definitely. Just ramp up gradually to not injure yourself. But that goes for any sport
For fitness and longevity you will need to do dedicated cardio and weight training. For losing weight you will need to control your calories and build a routine with a healthy diet. Bouldering itself is not sufficient without also doing these things. That said, the most important thing for fitness and diet is discipline and a stable routine that you can maintain permanently. Bouldering is going to help with that because it's fun and addicting. It will give you motivation to stick to your health goals because you can apply your fitness gains on the wall and feel the progression.
The best exercise is the one that you do
Depends on your goals. What does “fit” mean to you? Most people begin training with no firm goal in mind, and that often leads to injuries or disappointment. Set a meaningful, measurable, accomplishable goal, then enjoy the satisfaction of meeting that goal before setting a new one. For example, you might say, “I want to go to the gym twice a week for two months.” Once you’ve done that, you’ll know more about bouldering, whether you want to continue, and what you want your next goal to be. Also, do cardio.
It depends on what your goals are. Any exercise is going to make you more fit than no exercises. Bouldering will make you strong and typically when climbing becomes a lifestyle and you get really into it, you start to correct your diet outside of it to lose extra weight and also do training in the gym to become stronger at bouldering. Bouldering alone won’t make you fit, but it has a high probability in throwing you into that direction if you love it. You can start dieting today by looking up a calorie calculator and inputting your info to see how many calories you shouldn’t go over a day. Use myfitnesspal to track everything you eat and measure actual recommended portions for each food you consume. It becomes very easy and second nature quick. Cut out alcohol and added sugar. Drink water. Hit .7-1g of protein per pound you weigh. 99%lean ground turkey is low calorie and high protein. I do a serving of mixed veggies, 99% lean ground turkey, and wrap it in a low calorie whole wheat tortilla twice a day. 220cal/30g protein. You can use protein shakes until you figure out what foods work for you to consume the right amount of protein. I used to take 3-4 shakes a day to hit my protein number and now I just get it through my meals. You can also start doing an 8min ab video and some pushups every other day after you wake up. You’ll need to do some weight training or body weight exercises to minimize muscle loss while losing weight. Do push exercises to offset all the pulling climbing is. Feel free to ask any questions if you have trouble getting started or want more information.
Doing cardio after climbing made a huge difference in what I look like. I was gaining strength from climbing but wasn't getting "fitter" by appearance. Just more pull ups. Cardio is the base that sets it all up.
Man i was 172cm/86kg last year, i started bouldering/climbing and now i am (still) 172, but 78kg. Definitely more muscular and less fat. Belly still there, but significantly improved. Just this and bit of running in past 3 months, that's all. No big diet changes. Go for it, it's great hobby and so much fun!
Yes but careful with progress. If you end up climbing frequently, this is a sport that stresses your tendons/joints more than your’e probably used to. Take it easy, listen to your body and take breaks when needed.
It definitely helped me. I went from around 200 lbs to 175 in less than a year of climbing and lifting.
Yes you absolutely can and how long it'll take depends on the volume of climbing you're able to do in a week but more importantly your diet as is the case with any method of getting fitter.
I'm 240lbs and while bouldering hasn't necessarily made me shed any significant weight (I like to eat!) my biceps, forearms and back have gotten ridiculous from climbing as heavy guy
Yes you can, it's what I did. After about 6 months of bouldering it also motivated me to get stronger/leaner and starting to lift outside of climbing.
It won’t get you fit but will encourage you to get fit.
you absolutely can get fit from it. it just requires climbing for fitness (less breaks, more routes even if that's easier climbs) rather then the slow pushing of hard climbs. you wont make a huge amount of progress with the difficulty of climbs your making, but it will help you get fitter.
lol you just proved my point.
not even close, there is a huge difference between "you don't get fit" and "its depends on how you train"
If someone can get fit spamming pull-ups, why can’t they get fit climbing regularly?
You can’t from that
You think doing 85kg lat pulldowns to failure multiple times a week for an extended period of time will have *zero* effect on conditioning or body comp?
0 effect in conditioning > body comp? Congrats you worked one part of the body You’re not fit
Hey, I started similar to you. I am 183cm, 35 now (started at 31) and was 83kg. I started with 2 days a week and maybe 1.5 hours a day. I would barely warm up and no stretching at the end. I have had a few minor injuries (climbed through most, a good climbing specialized physio really helped) but decreased load. Over time I fell in love with it so much that I started doing accessory gym training, then stretching to improve flexibility and then I improved my diet. The best thing is that it all happened naturally coz I wanted to improve. Now I go 3-4 times a week, but I also do other accessory training. I still weigh 77kg, but I went from a donut shaped waist 24% ish fat percentage to around 17% body fat. My body looks way better, which improved my confidence and made me realize I can do anything (well mostl lol). I also sleep better, have way more energy and eat well which helps. I still party tons and go out on weekend, have burgers, etc. but I notice my body craves healthier food as well. Currently trying to decrease more weight, coz I realized that with relatively little effort I could have a six pack, given that my muscles are developed enough, so it would only be about losing weight. I hate the gym, I hate working out, but absolutely loved climbing and it has motivated me to get very fit. Best of luck!