bouldering is hard on your shoulders and hands. It requires a lot more upper body strength than top roping does.
FWIW, I started out bouldering skinny but incredibly weak. Having a crappy strength-to-weight ratio to start with (for whatever reason) can be frustrating, but it also forces you to learn technique really early on, which can make you terrifyingly effective.
Unrelated to weight: mac, you mentioned chronic pain. I don't know if it's anything that affects your joints, but if it is, you may need to watch out for your knees and ankles; bouldering does put some impact on them when you fall or jump. If that's a problem, then top-roping is much lower-impact.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-07-22 02:59 pm (UTC)FWIW, I started out bouldering skinny but incredibly weak. Having a crappy strength-to-weight ratio to start with (for whatever reason) can be frustrating, but it also forces you to learn technique really early on, which can make you terrifyingly effective.
Unrelated to weight: