• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Athleticsly

sports gear reviews and tips

  • Equipment
  • Training & Fitness
  • Sports
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bowling
    • Cycling
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Water Sports
  • Outdoor Fun
  • Health & Wellness
You are here: Home / Outdoor Fun / Mental and Physical Benefits of Rock Climbing
Mental and Physical Benefits of Rock Climbing

Mental and Physical Benefits of Rock Climbing

Last updated on March 31, 2018 By Adam Nolan

It’s no secret that rock climbing is good for the body, but it’s also great for the mind. Sure, it is easy to see how it is over flowing in physical benefits. Not only does it give your core a good workout, but it offers more of a whole body work out. As you climb, you’re stretching up to reach and giving your shoulders, upper back, neck, arms, legs, hands and fingers a workout. Its probably one of the best total body workouts that you can do and it is a great low impact activity for people of all ages and skill levels.

Rock Climbing And Your Body

Contrary to what you might expect, you do not have to start rock climbing with a strong core. Though it certainly doesn’t hurt to have good core muscles, this activity is more about balance and technique with a focus on leg strength. This is because you’re using your legs to launch yourself up as you climb.

When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more here.

Of course, the entire body works together to get you climbing, which is why this is such a great workout for the body. Unlike most other activities, you build lean, endurance muscles when you take up rock climbing. If that sounds vaguely familiar, it should, because those are the muscles that marathon runners get from their training.

A good side effect of rock climbing is that it ends up boosting your ability level in other sports and activities. For example, if you play tennis then you’ll notice that your stronger hands give you a better grip and a stronger swing. Or, if you do yoga, then you’ll notice that some poses are easier to hold thanks to your stronger core and better balance.

Rock Climbing And Your Mind

You might think that this activity is good for the brain because it gets you outside with nature. It’s true that nature has a positive effect on the mind, but rock climbing is something that be done indoors or outdoors. That makes the real benefit the activity itself. The Huffington Post website recently ran an article on this very subject.

Think about it like this – with rock climbing, you have to approach the activity unlike others as it is a bit of a challenge. You have to look at the area you want to climb and try to determine the best method of action before you make your attempt to scale it. The actual process of climbing is a bit like doing a puzzle as you have to search for places where your hands and feet will fit as you go up. It takes a lot of concentration and a lot of strategizing to get yourself up there.

The end result here is that over time, rock climbers develop superior goal setting, problem solving and planning abilities based on needing these exact skills for climbs.

And like most physical activity, rock climbing gives you some stress relief as you focus on making it to the top and stop worrying about the day’s problems.

top image via Flickr/Reno Tahoe

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Outdoor Fun

Recent Updates

  • 5 Important Things to Know Before Buying a SUP
  • Will CrossFit Help You Become A Better Swimmer?
  • Top 5 Winter Surfing Tips
  • Staying Hydrated While Cycling
  • Reviewed: Best Women’s Road Bikes Under $500 – $1000 (2017 – 2018)

Categories

  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Bowling
  • Cycling
  • Equipment
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Health & Wellness
  • Outdoor Fun
  • Training & Fitness
  • Water Sports
  • About This Site
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Terms
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2023 PMG Media · All Rights Reserved · Athleticsly - Sports Gear Reviews and Tips

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT