Bouldering, a form of rock climbing performed on small rock formations and artificial walls without the use of ropes, requires an entire body workout. Climbers need power to maneuver and climb quickly, balance to move around a rock face, and endurance to sustain their energy levels during long climbs.
This exciting new sport also demands problem-solving skills and boosts mental health. Read on Alta Boulders for more information.
Bouldering is a type of rock climbing that involves ascending small rock formations or artificial walls without the use of safety ropes. It’s an effective cardiovascular workout that burns a good number of calories and can strengthen your core and other muscles as well, especially the legs, back, shoulders, arms, and feet. But what many people don’t know is that bouldering is one of the best strength-building exercises around. It’s a dynamic sport that works your entire body while challenging the brain and requiring quick movements that require agility.
A study published in the journal “Sports Medicine” found that high-intensity bouldering training can help increase a climber’s muscle mass. This is likely because bouldering requires a combination of power and endurance, as you move up the wall while also trying to hold onto your next grip and avoiding falling off. In addition to building muscle, this type of training can also improve balance and coordination.
Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle group to contract against resistance for a long period of time. Bouldering is a great way to build muscular endurance, but there are other ways to train it as well. For example, using a band to perform “cactus arm” training is a simple but effective strength exercise. To perform this exercise, grab the end of a band with your left hand at shoulder level and your elbow pointing out like half a football goal post. Then, move your arm up to a 90-degree angle and try to hold it for 30 seconds. Repeat this on both sides.
Another way to build muscular endurance is to climb longer routes, which will test your ability to maintain a constant effort. For this, you’ll want to find a route that is at least 12-14 moves long and practice it over and over again. Eventually, you’ll notice that the route begins to feel easy, since you’ve trained yourself to perform it while slightly fatigued.
Another great strength-building workout is to complete a set of four or more boulder problems that you can easily send at your gym. The problem sets should be at a grade that pushes you, but not so hard that you’re not able to complete the first few moves before getting too pumped.
Endurance
Bouldering builds endurance by helping you to stay on the wall for longer. This is essential for improving your ability to climb routes with multiple moves and to complete long boulder problems without getting pumped.
While some athletes focus exclusively on power training and others on endurance, bouldering is an excellent way to train both. Often, the difference between top-level climbing and casual climbing is the ability to remain at the peak of your performance for longer periods. Bouldering helps you to develop this endurance by keeping your heart rate low while putting high demands on your body.
For example, bouldering requires a high level of dynamic movement, such as jumping from one hold to the next and reaching for small edges or brittle cracks in the rock. In addition to building your physical strength, it also helps improve your balance and body tension through constant motion. Moreover, bouldering builds hand and finger strength by forcing you to use tiny holds that require precise movements.
The classic 4×4 bouldering protocol involves performing four sets of a boulder problem two to three grades below your maximum. The key to this training method is ensuring that each problem is difficult, but not overly challenging. This is the best way to increase your power endurance without pushing yourself too hard and risking injury.
In fact, some prominent coaches recommend resting as little as possible between each problem within a set, creating a 1:1 ratio of climbing to rest. However, this can cause your hands and fingers to become pumped, so be sure to take time out between each session.
Lastly, bouldering also helps you to figure out what is holding you back from your highest routes. Is it your endurance, power or technique? Once you identify the issue, it’s easy to address it with targeted training. For example, if you’re struggling with your endurance, find a route that is longer than you can normally flash and spend the whole session hanging off the wall, hovering a few inches over the next hold before sticking it.
Coordination
Bouldering is a low-impact form of rock climbing that allows climbers to focus on technique, allowing them to practice difficult moves that would be impossible to attempt without a rope. It requires a high level of body awareness and balance, as well as a precise use of handholds and foot placements. It also demands a strong, flexible back and shoulders, as well as a full range of motion in the arms and fingers.
Climbers often work on coordination boulders that are rated a few grades below their limit, which helps them develop a better understanding of how to break down and solve complicated movement sequences. These problems can help them become more confident and capable on higher grade routes.
The continuous movements and physical exertion of bouldering provide a fantastic cardiovascular workout, promoting heart health and improving stamina. It also burns a lot of calories, helping with weight management and improving overall body composition. Bouldering also increases balance and coordination, which is beneficial for other physical activities and everyday movements.
Whether it’s a series of tiny holds, brittle cracks or sloping crimps on natural rock, bouldering always involves dynamic movements that require a great deal of dexterity and control. To perform these movements successfully, climbers need a very strong grip. Fortunately, bouldering is one of the best exercises for developing a strong grip.
For maximum benefits, climbers should try to increase the frequency and intensity of their bouldering sessions. However, to avoid injury or overtraining, it’s important to have adequate rest between sessions. The recommended amount of rest is 48-72 hours. If climbers don’t have enough time between hard bouldering sessions, they won’t improve their peak performance.
If you’re unsure of how to structure your training, talk to an experienced coach. They will be able to design a program for you that focuses on your goals, strengths and weaknesses. They will advise you on the best warm-up, power sets and rest periods. They will also recommend some additional training outside of climbing to help with strength, endurance and agility. For example, a coach might suggest adding some running to your bouldering training to build up the same muscle groups in the legs, but with less impact on the joints.
Balance
Bouldering requires precise body positioning and the use of core muscles to stabilize and balance. It also demands that climbers distribute force across the entire surface of a problem, which may consist of crimps, slopers, jugs and holds of different shapes. Boulderers train to use slow-twitch muscles that provide the endurance needed for sustained efforts, as well as fast-twitch muscles that deliver explosive power for dynamic movement. This integrated strength approach sculpts a body that is a masterpiece of functional prowess.
The sculpted physique of a boulderer is testament to the fusion of dedication, technique and passion that fuels climbing’s transformational impact. As climbers push their limits, they uncover a latent strength within that enables them to scale heights that once seemed insurmountable.
While bouldering is not the best exercise to build a massive, bulky musculature, it does strengthen and tone muscles all over the body. This functional strength, combined with an ideal body weight-to-power ratio, translates into powerful, lean muscle gains that enable climbers to achieve the ultimate in vertical challenge.
For a new climber, it’s important to work up to the intensity level required for bouldering. Trying to go from zero to sending a route in one session will likely result in an injury or CNS fatigue (central nervous system fatigue). Climbers who are training to send a particular route should plan for a few high-intensity workouts and a few lower-intensity workouts to help prepare the body to handle the challenge.
In order to maximize the effects of bouldering, it’s recommended that new climbers incorporate bouldering into their regular training routine twice a week for 6-8 weeks leading up to the goal route. In addition to bouldering, climbers should include a variety of core and upper-body strength exercises such as dead hangs, pull-ups and dumbbell presses. Using rock-climbing-specific tools such as finger and grip-strengthening rubber bands can also be helpful.
Once a climber reaches an advanced level, they can transition to lead climbing, in which they ascend the wall with a rope attached to their harness. This more advanced skill set requires a higher level of coordination, endurance and balance than bouldering, and can be practiced by combining bouldering with a few lead workouts each week.