Weight loss climbing reddit It mostly impacts climbing and I think initial acceleration - weight does help with maintaining momentum quite a lot and descending. A significant factor why we tend to be heavier in modern society is our everyday lives and that we always have food available. As I got more into climbing I was able to maintain my weight and increase strength. I started with the original and loved the workout so much that I spent the money to get the good machine to replace the cheap entry level model within a week. Bouldering will build muscle in upper body and core. May 17, 2021 · Short, crisp, and effective—climbing stairs is a science-backed way to lose weight Ladies, if you think, I am giving too much credit to climbing stairs, you’ve got to know that several studies including one published in The Korean Journal of Sports Medicine, have gone at lengths about the weight loss benefits of stair climbing. First ever climb, we all start somewhere. Not a great lower body muscle builder. Losing weight will get you climbing harder grades faster but its a sacrifice to do so. Basically how much powers you can produce relative to your body weight. As someone who's got a small pot belly and on the higher end of fat% among climbers, I find it way better to train on low bouldering walls and high wall auto belay first for both technique and cardio. And I’m in the rather unique position of knowing that it was almost definitely the weight loss that made the difference, since quarantine gym closures prevented me from climbing during most of the time I was losing. If you just cut water weight or get there with a restrictive diet without training, than no. Jun 19, 2023 · Learn one way to increase this ratio via optimizing body composition. Additionally, it might help if your climbing gym has additional fitness equipment like treadmills and some weights. If you go cycling at 200W (moderate-ish intensity for a cyclist of your weight with some training) for an hour that burns maybe 850kcal. ) Oct 22, 2024 · Rock climbing is an excellent workout for weight loss, as it combines strength training, cardio, and flexibility exercises. He lost 60 pounds, pretty much quit drinking, changed his eating habits and now if I want to eat a cookie in the gym I have to sneak it as he’s the sugar police. If you want a leaner stomach area, then your best bet is to keep to a cardio and/or weight lifting regimen while starting a decent fat loss diet. If you burn 200kcal on a ride but do it every day for 4 weeks, you'll burn more overall than if you burn 1000kcal on a ride, but only once a week for 4 weeks. I think you need to focus on building healthy eating habits first, ones which will lend to a maintainable lifestyle once you've hit your ideal weight How many flights of stairs would I have to climb per day to make a significant contribution to a calorie deficit or improving my cardio vascular system? Weight loss I have always struggled with my weight. If you get stronger you will get better. Most climbers should consider other factors before looking to lose weight. May 30, 2025 · Most climbers think that the simple act of losing weight will help them climb better. Of course, experience and climbing several times a week has something to do with that but I think the weight loss has a considerable effect on it as well. If good abs are the goal, train your core with resistance training and aim for a low body fat%. I think climbing is for everyone, and no matter a person’s weight they’ll have fun climbing and can enjoy it. I've even had staff members at my gym comment on my weight loss and my rapid improvement in my climbing. That said, climbing is not a good weight-loss sport. The basic gist is that if you want to lose fat, high intervals are great - so do intervals of stairs for 10-15 min. My weight is probably the biggest issue, I am 210 lbs @ 5’9 but a lot of it is muscle (powerlifting background). There's some interesting info in the FAQ regarding high intensity vs cardio and their respective roles in fat loss and endurance training. Assuming you're relatively muscular, climbing trips (at least 7 days) are a good way to lose weight. Ya, lose a few lbs if you want you might notice something positive, but half the time you're going to send because you put in the time and effort. The short answer is yes, but only if you dont lose strength in pursuit of weightloss. Before I got into climbing I was into powerlifting and kettlebells and saw great changes in my body fat and weight. abs are built in the gym and revealed in the kitchen. Title. My personal recommendation would be intermittent fasting. Then I managed to break both ankles within 3 months of eachother. For weight loss, you want to be focusing on cardio, and climbing is not really cardio. Your weight loss is correlated, but not necessarily causal. I have taken a fresh look at this relationship. On the performance side climbing has a lot to do with watts per kilo (w/kg). Dec 9, 2023 · Research is ongoing on this topic with controversial results that males climbing at high levels tend to have less than 10 percent body fat. By March 2025, Magnus faced a crossroads: stop climbing and lose weight aggressively, or continue slowly over two years while risking constant injury. Head over to r/fitness and look at the wiki, there is a lot there that should help you with the push. The documentary Light is a great discussion on eating disorders and climbing. On the day of the summit climb they can burn up to 20,000 Best way to lose weight is through diet. My buddy just started and he did a v5 first day without even knowing what to do. Climbing is a strength-weight ratio dependent sport afterall so it makes sense to lose weight to perform better but I think you need to make sure you don’t get carried away with this logic. Lets face it running on a treadmill does far less than skipping one snack during the day. I'm finding hill walking and stair climbing are a super challenge to my cardio and strength. You also need to lose weight which will make biking easier. It's specifically not good for weight loss because you don't burn many calories, but you get plenty toned. Climbing is amazing for weight loss. One thing to note is that you probably won't lose a great deal of weight through just cycling - when you're bigger your muscles have to get stronger to get you up the hills, and muscle weighs more than fat. 800 calories! If you have a pause now and then, for example because you're belaying your partner, climbing's an interval training (most effective for weight loss). 11, your technique was by far the limiting factor, with finger strength as a probable second place. The truth is that you probably aren't climbing anywhere near hard enough that your strength is a seriously limiting factor. The simple answer is the one that gives you the bigger calorie deficit over a long period of time is best for weight loss. With the right amount of cardio worked in to lose weight, falling from height would become way Fat loss is almost entirely about what you put in your mouth. I've read around enough to understand that rowing machines are very popular around here, but much less is discussed on climbing machines, which independent product reviews suggest that they're very effective workouts as well (and reddit-searches for "climbing" overwhelmingly yields people discussing the real thing). At first glance, it seems that being taller is a handicap in rock climbing see here for a reddit discussion or my own analysis here. Notice, I did not say weight loss diet, which you may not even need. Climbing requires engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously, which helps to build overall muscle mass. My motivation had fell off exponentially as of recently and this has really inspired me to get back out there and stay at it. If you want to increase your endurance, cardio is best - so run for an hour. If you've gone from marathon running to climbing then a good amount of that weight difference is probably muscle, and you should not expect to lose the full 40lb. Best bet is to perhaps lose it at a very very slow rate and just focus on getting strong/better. I Just let them know you want to lose weight and improve overall fitness. A place for people of all sizes to discuss healthy and sustainable methods of weight loss. The fact that taller people also weight more (in absolute terms) seems to cause this negative correlation between height and weight. Being taller is likely neither an advantage nor a disadvantage when it comes to If weight loss is the primary goal, then cardio may be the best option over climbing which is both strength and cardio. 158 votes, 128 comments. Weight loss is going to be tied much more to diet rather than the exercise you do. Be sure to remain skeptical of all advice here including my own comment of course. People here will be cautious with giving you advice on losing weight to get better. He’s about 148 lbs. I also sweat through my shirt and wheeze and puff and groan through the entire process. You ever figure out a climb and it ends up being easier than you thought? And you can repeat it sorta easily? If I started climbing 10-20 flights of stairs per day, would it help my overall health even though it wouldn’t burn that many additional calories? I feel like taking the stairs has a good rep for fitness, but what does it do other than burning calories? Archived post. I am in my second week of climbing stairs in my building (8 floors up and down), and I've lost a handful of pounds. The other thing is that whatever weight you start with won’t be the weight you finish. However, it will absolutely help increase your calorie deficit should you elect to diet. My local gym just got this and I tried it out today, it was intense and it felt good but how effective is this for burning calories compared to say running/walking on the treadmill. Told myself I would start climbing once I lost weight. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I definitely agree with u/icantsurf about finding something you can enjoy regularly. We discuss everything from the philosophy to the science of training. As hot of a topic as weight loss in climbing is, you can’t deny that being at a lighter weight while still being healthy makes climbing easier. It’s a slippery slope, but at 6’0 I can really feel the difference between 160 and 170. . I also do bodyweight exercises and lift weights. It does give you a full body workout, but the entry level one is loud and doesn't feel like it's working smoothly. I'm overweight and trying to not just lose it but to build strength at the same time. The weight made a difference, but if you were doing OAP's and climbing 5. When they can control themselves and actually listen to this advice, they lose weight almost every time. If you're going to climb, climb because you like doing it. Here is a chart of the most popular professional climbers, their height and weight. Climbing is a ridiculous sport in general. He chose aggression. There's lots of ways to become a better climber or have more fun as a climber that don't require losing weight. My climbing partner came in to our gym a few years back kind of a mess. trueI have the Maxi Climber and love it, but I highly recommend spending the money on the XL. 166K subscribers in the climbharder community. Just make sure you're getting enough protein while cutting weight, otherwise fatigue can really kick in and the injury risk goes up. Realized that was stupid and decided to make climbing part of my weight loss / fitness journey. The actual data of competitive climbers: Aug 11, 2021 · Is rock climbing a good way to lose weight? And how does it compare to other exercises? A look at all things weight loss for rock climbing and bouldering. It's not as efficient as a lifting program, sure, but anyone who boulders 3-4 times a week for a few years is going to have plenty of strength in muscles that are used in climbing. But is that bad beta? A high strength-to-weight ratio is needed in climbing. Active stair climbers are more fit and have a higher aerobic capacity Even two flights of stairs climbed per day can lead to 6 lbs of weight loss over one year There is a strong association between stair climbing and bone density in post-menopausal women Climbing stairs can improve the amount of "good cholesterol" in the blood The “problem” with cardio for weight loss is that you have to do it for hours to burn large amounts of calories. Whether you need to lose 2 lbs or 400 lbs, you are welcome here! At your weight, biking will not be comfortable at the start so you need to ease into it and avoid any injuries. (This article was originally published in September of 2019, and has been updated to offer relevant and realistic recommendations for healthy approaches to body composition changes. Weight loss is 99% diet. This isn't about bike type A vs type B being universally better, it's about what you personally do with them, so Welcome to Reddit's HIIT community! We are dedicated to health and wellness using the most efficient and effective methods backed by science. The We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. The hills near me in a high-end neighborhood aren't a constant grade, but instead are very steep for a hundred yards or two and then you turn around and go back down. Is bouldering mainly about weight? Weight loss success stories? I'm curious if people have seen big improvements in their climbing from losing weight. Alternative exercises aren't going to help you lose weight, changing your diet will. It sounds like you're on the right track but still need to work on it. The altitude, walk in ,different foods, some gastro, massive exertion etc means you lose soy much weight. That said, dropping an integer percentage of fat (not just weight) will always improve your climbing strength. As you drop weight, biking will become much much easier but in the mean time, walking should be your primary exercise and healthy eating the primary way to lose weight. Climbing is an ideal sport for weight loss: if done for an hour straight (which would be up and down without pause, fairly impossible) you burn approx. I'm 265 lbs right now and got into mountain biking recently to lose weight. Now my technique is vastly improved but I’m still climbing v3s and can barley do some v4s. A lot of people are wondering what weight would be best for climbing or if they need to adjust their calories, so here it is. Once you’ve started doing that, and have a goal, then modify you’re routine to better focus on areas that will help meet your goal. Aug 17, 2024 · Yes, rock climbing is a great workout for weight loss. This is a strength-to-weight ratio sport so “trading” that same amount of fat for muscle (keeping weight the same) will also improve your climbing strength potential. trueI'm surprised by the lack of people suggesting rope climbing first. 17 votes, 15 comments. When I have weight loss clients who work out all the time and rarely give themselves rest days, I tell them to stop exercising so much. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to… Cutting down exceeds calories/sugar (weekday beers, snacks, dessert) is a good place to start. I deliberately try to gain weight in the winter and during base training, then lose it during the intense, 12 week training phase leading up to my races/challenges (which are frequently similar in distance and altitude gain, but lower in absolute altitude). How much weight did you lose and how did your climbing change? We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Running or rowing will be similar. Not because the act of climbing really helps you lose weight but because it provides the motivation needed to to stick to a diet. Personally, I love how climbing, unlike many other sports, really rewards weight loss (within healthy limits/reason). TIL Climbers burn an average of 10,000 calories per day when ascending Mount Everest. Hmmm questions about losing weight are a bit sensitive on here. Reddit's rock climbing training community. Eh, idk about that. Because climbing is a strength to weight ratio sport, a lot of climbers will focus losing weight to send higher grades. If you want to lose weight you diet and you'll want to diet because dropping a few extra lbs makes you crush so much harder. Try not to lose more than 2 lbs a week. To answer your question, plenty of people have lost weight while climbing. The difference between a treadmill on top incline and a stairmaster is an irrelevant nuance; just do whichever you like better. How much is very relative but you want to look at watts per kilo to get an idea. I think in this sub we should be careful not to equate weight loss with better climbing, because that can be dangerous. It’s a challenging and fun activity that can help you burn calories, build muscle, and improve your overall fitness. The important thing to remember is that this is not your average climber. This subreddit is pretty against any discussions around weight loss for the purpose of improving climbing, sometimes rightfully and other times wrongfully imo. If you want to lose weight, look into exercises that are good for burning calories. The weight loss made the finger strength differential come in a little more even. This has led to a lot of disordered eating in the community which is why it's a sensitive topic. Stair master is a pretty good calorie burner, and weight loss does just come down to calories in vs out. Many climbers—particularly competitive climbers—try to optimize that by losing weight. If you're serious about weight loss, look into it.