Health

5 Benefits of Rock Climbing

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Losing weight and keeping fit is not an easy task, which is why it is important to try new ways to keep fit. Outdoor activities are a great way to change things up, and one popular activity is rock climbing.

See Also: 4 Types of Rock Climbing You Should Know

Rock climbing physically challenges the body and simultaneously engages the mind, providing people of all ages and strength levels with a total body workout.

Look at these benefits:

1. Improving Cardiovascular Health

Rock climbing increases your heart and respiratory rates, making it a good choice for a cardio workout. A study found that climbers experienced heart rate and energy expenditure levels similar to those attainted by running at a moderate pace of 8 to 11 minutes per 1.5km.

2. Building your Strength

Rock climbing uses all the body’s major muscle groups. Regularly using climbing as a strength-training workout improves upper-body strength, and also promotes strength in core muscles and legs, which play key roles in successfully completing climbing movements.

3. Increasing Flexibility

Promoted

Rock climbing encourages participants to increase their range of motion. Standard rock climbing movements such as long reaches, high steps and stemming require flexibility for successful execution. Adults should include flexibility exercises in their workout routines at least twice weekly.

4. Burning Calories

Rock climbing provides one of the most effective calorie-burning workouts available. According to a study, it is possible for a 68kg person to use 250 calories in 20 minutes of rock climbing – nearly triple what the same person would burn by walking briskly for the same amount of time.

5. Improving Coordination

Rock climbing requires you to coordinate your mind with your muscles. Every rock-climbing move offers a problem-solving challenge, presenting the climber with a different set of potential handholds and footholds to use.

Source: The Expat Magazine May 2014

Homepage Highlight Photo credit: darkday. / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

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