Here goes: Climbing FONSFAQ

[rydra_wong]

Frequently (Or Not So Frequently) Asked Questions About Climbing

How it works (wording stolen from crossedwires):

-- ask questions/leave prompts about anything climbing-related in the comments; please put 'prompt: [your prompt]' in the subject line

-- claim prompts or make up your own climbing topics you would like to write about for 'Three weeks for Dreamwidth'; please put 'claimed: [your claim]' in the subject line

-answer in the comments or provide a link to your post

-- fonsfaq is a comm created for fonsfaq answers if you'd rather not answer in your own journal

ETA: I don't see any reason why multiple people can't "claim" a prompt and answer, especially as different people will have different advice and perspectives. So don't be afraid to jump in.

Topics so far:

Where to begin
Strengthening muscles

Comments

Prompt: where to begin.

[lilmoka]

I've been curious about climbing for a while now, but I have no clue where to begin. Can anyone give me pointers?

Claimed: where to begin.

[rydra_wong]

Generally, the easiest way to start is by finding a local indoor climbing wall and giving them a phone call.

Almost all indoor walls will have an induction course or beginner's class which will teach you some of the basics and give you a taster so you can see if you'll enjoy it.

They'll typically provide the equipment (harnesses, shoes, etc.) so you don't need to buy anything.

There are a couple of posts in the comm where people describe their experiences on introductory courses:

http://disobey-gravity.dreamwidth.org/12947.html
http://disobey-gravity.dreamwidth.org/21768.html

Once you get started, you'll find out more about what kinds of climbing you're interested in (bouldering or roped climbing? do you want to climb outside?) but indoor walls are a great way to get going.

Re: Claimed: where to begin.

[lilmoka]

Oh, thank you! <3

P.S.

[rydra_wong]

Your profile says you're in Turin -- I couldn't resist a quick Google, and it looks like you may be in a rather wonderful area to begin climbing, with a choice of indoor walls and then great options for outdoor climbing too:

http://www.turismotorino.org/interna.aspx?idE=517

Re: P.S.

[lilmoka]

Did someone recently tell you how awesome you are? Because you really are :*

[foxfirefey]

Okay, so, going to a climbing gym isn't the cheapest activity in the world (although certainly not out of reach for me) and I feel like I don't have enough strength to really make good use out of my visits. For instance, I have weak quads, etc.

Are there exercises that can help strengthen muscles used in climbing if you can't go very frequently? I do some yoga, but I'm wondering if there's other things to add to my regimen.

[georgmi]

(I didn't mark this "claimed" because my answer is pretty limited.)

Climbing ladders uses a lot of the same muscles as climbing walls.

On a personal note, I don't do any additional exercises, but found that the climbing muscles developed very quickly just from getting out there and climbing. My best workouts (and quickest development) have been when I'm attempting routes that are just past my abilities, because I end up on the wall for longer as I'm trying to figure things out, and because falling off frequently means that I'm climbing more, and the additional climbing is on the more difficult parts of the pitch--on a particularly annoying route, I might personally climb 70-80 feet to get to the top of a 40-foot wall. (Long sleeves and long pants are recommended if you approach things this way--those walls are scrapey. ;) )

Claimed (but other people, please feel free to answer as well!)

[rydra_wong]

All entirely IMHO:

There are two traditional answers to this sort of question, which people will tell you on bulletin boards: "The best training for climbing is climbing" and "Unless you've been climbing for at least several years, the limiting factor is probably technique rather than strength."

Both of these are sort-of-true, which is unhelpful.

Climbing really is the best way to strengthen the muscles you need for it, in ways which are quite tricky to replicate.

But there are things you can do to get more mileage out of your sessions. If you're not bouldering as well as doing roped climbing, start! Bouldering is a great way to build power. And if you're not going to the climbing wall that often, you can afford to completely trash yourself. Spend the end of each session doing some training work -- something like laps on lots of relatively easy problems, with minimal breaks, until you are lying on the mats dead. Then you can spend the next few weeks recovering. *g*

Stuff you can do outside the climbing wall that won't substitute for climbing, but will help: pull-ups (or assisted pull-ups, if you're not there yet) -- and make sure it's pull-ups (with your palms facing away from you) not chin-ups (with your palms facing towards you). Pull-ups are harder, but much closer to the movement in climbing.

If you can get hold of a kettlebell, they're awesome for improving grip strength, and let you do a lot of good shoulder mobility/stability exercises.

Yoga is wonderful for climbing, and flexibility (especially hip flexibility) and balance can be huge assets, so definitely keep working that.

Re: technique, and really, this is the important bit of this comment -- if you haven't got them already, grab a copy of the book The Self-Coached Climber and the DVD Neil Gresham Masterclass, and study. They are both fantastic guides to the different movement techniques in climbing, how to work out what you need when, and how to use them to minimize your need for strength, which is what technique is all about. I learned the majority of what I know about movement technique from those two.

There is actually a huge, HUGE advantage to being really weak when you start as a climber, and I can say this because I was incredibly weak (by standards of ordinary human strength) when I started, and am still relatively weak compared to most other people climbing at the same level as me.

The advantage is that you have to learn technique in order to get anywhere. And then you get very efficient and inventive and creative in how you move, and you discover that you can sometimes out-climb people who are stronger than you and then you have to remember not to crush their egos too mercilessly.

I also rec watching climbing films as a too -- DVDs and downloads, but also clips on YouTube and so forth. Watching really good climbers is a way to saturate your brain in examples of really good movement technique.

Re: Claimed (but other people, please feel free to answer as well!)

[georgmi]

And that's why I didn't claim it--I know jack-all about anything except the limited stuff I've done myself. :)

I agree with what you say about the tradeoff between strength and technique--my usual belay partner doesn't have a lot of arm strength, so he relies more on technique, while I have an above-average power-to-mass ratio. There are pitches that I storm up that he can't do, about equally distributed with pitches that he has no trouble with that have me falling off the wall all over the place. I have added The Self-Coached Climber to my Amazon wish list; thanks much for the rec.

Re: Claimed (but other people, please feel free to answer as well!)

[rydra_wong]

I have added The Self-Coached Climber to my Amazon wish list

Oh, you're going to have so much fun. *rubs hands gleefully* If you've already got power and then you add technique on top of that, you'll be amazed at what you can do.

[originalkitsune]

I don't know what your upper body strength is like, but I've found those metolius rock rings to be really useful. They can be put up even if you live in an apt. and can't drill things into the wall. I put them up temporarily off a metal stair case and took them down when i was done. If you live in a house you can drill one of those large training boards. anyways, i found pull-ups not that useful after you are able to do about 10 of them. Lock-offs are more useful and push-ups are very useful.

[rydra_wong]

Belated thought: if weak quads are a specific problem, your best option is probably to work on squats of some kind -- any kind that appeals to you, depending on what equipment you've got available and how you like to train.

You can get a lot done with bodyweight alone, and working towards a pistol (one-legged squat) will give you more than enough quad strength for anything you're likely to do in climbing.

[emperor]

I wonder if a set of "What's so good about ...?" articles for, e.g. trad, sport, bouldering, indoor climbing would be a good plan?

[rydra_wong]

Definitely, if people feel like writing them! You don't have to wait for a prompt, so if there's one of those topics that appeals to you, just claim it.

[emperor]

Is correct form to post answers to the community, or to post to my own journal and link to that?

[rydra_wong]

Either is fine, but IMHO it'd be really nice to have them in the comm, to encourage more posting and commenting here.

Prompts (and 1 claim)

[emperor]

Cool, I shall suggest the following prompts:

"What's so good about bouldering?"
"What's so good about sport climbing?"
"What's so good about indoor climbing?"
"What's so good about trad climbing?"
"What's so good about ice climbing?"

And claim "What's so good about trad climbing?", in the next few days...