Even for beginners, rock climbing offers similar cardio conditioning benefits as running, swimming and biking.
This is good news for current rock climbers. For those of us who belong to gyms with rock climbing walls, a growing trend, we have a new exercise to try.
For aerobic conditioning, climbing's most important aspect is the amount of time spent moving on the rock face.
If climbing is your only aerobic exercise, time should total about 150 minutes a week on routes with a vertical displacement equivalent to 500-750m to meet American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for cardiorespiratory fitness.
Otherwise, climbing time can be added to your other aerobic activities to reach the 150-minute goal.
The difficulty of the rock face is not a factor in all of this.
What's important:
- the grade of the wall is climbable at a comfortable speed for the climber
- rapid movements are avoided that may compromise safety
This means that climbers with little experience or skill can still maintain health and physical fitness.
Source: J Strength Cond Res 22(2): 359-364, 2008
Keep in Mind: Don't follow resistance training with a climb. Your muscles will be spent, and you won't get very far on the wall--I speak from personal experience!
Happy climbing! -- Jeanie
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