The best fitness program is the one you will stick to. Whether thats doing exercises in a gym, playing a sport, hiking through nature, or something else is up to you.

As a personal trainer I am always pondering the question “how can I get more people excited about fitness?”. I have friends and relatives that neglect their health and I would like to figure out ways to encourage not only them but all people to start taking their health seriously.

As someone who has recently gotten very into rock climbing, I have recognized it to be a great potential catalyst to get someone interested in fitness.

  1. It is extremely fun. This can be used to get them in the door.
  2. The better your strength to bodyweight ratio, the more successful you’ll be. If people want to get better at this new activity they will have to start training and eating better.
  3. It provides a mental and physical workout. Every climb can double as a puzzle. You have to figure out the best route to get to the top and then exert yourself to get there.
  4. Climbing can challenge your joints in more evolutionarily appropriate ways. It forces you to move them in ways that you don’t normally do in post-hunter-gatherer life. This is very good for the longevity of your body. It also challenges your strength, mobility and endurance.
  5. Although it’s an individual sport, there is an obvious community aspect to climbing gyms. In my experience, having someone else to workout with drastically helps as you can support each other and go through the struggles together. If you make new friends while climbing, you’re more likely to return again.

Rock climbing is one of many activities you can do to have fun while improving your health and fitness. As a biased personal trainer I assure you the gym can also be fun, but that usually takes some time before it stops being something you dread and starts being something you look forward to.

If you are someone interested in personal training or rock climbing (I get to bring a guest once a month for free at my climbing gym), reach out to me here to get started -> Tommy Kudoba Fitness