Bouldering lets your fitness level skyrocket. You become more muscular, more agile, more athletic. The only thing that goes down in the trend of sport is your stress level.
Everyone is talking about bouldering, but what exactly is it? In short: bouldering is nothing more than climbing at jump height, with a soft mat as security. “Sport climbing with rope is about endurance; bouldering, on the other hand, is pure maximum strength,” says professional climber Daniel Jung.
Colorful handles that indicate the routes are mounted on the walls, up to 4.5 meters high. These routes are also called bouldering. The degree of difficulty is marked either by the color of the handles and steps or by signs. The aim is to achieve the last grip of a boulder, for which there is often not just one solution but various options. Only one thing is vital on the way to the top – the proper technique: “Especially with beginners who have a well-trained body, the strength often fizzles out due to the wrong technique.”
So it is better not to hang on your bent arm or pull yourself to the next grip as with pull-ups, but rather keep your arm stretched and push yourself out of your legs to the next grip. This also has another advantage: if you use your entire body and not just your arms, you save strength and climb longer. And if we still haven’t awakened the passion for bouldering in you, the following eight reasons are guaranteed to convince you:
Anyone Can Learn Bouldering
You don’t have to be an incredibly fit boulder, and you don’t necessarily have to have a lot of previous climbing experience. Regardless of age, weight, or size, anyone can learn bouldering. So if your friends ask you soon whether you can come to the bouldering hall, you should not hesitate but agree immediately. Let the staff of the climbing hall instruct you and start climbing. There are suitable routes for every level, and don’t worry: you can hardly go wrong with it.
It Would Help If You Hardly Had Any Equipment
For your first time in the bouldering hall, all you need is comfortable sportswear. Here you can wear what you want. The main thing is that you feel comfortable in it. Without a rope, without safety: bouldering is puristic. But it doesn’t work entirely without equipment. Climbing shoes are a must. You can borrow them the first time for a few euros in the hall. But if the bouldering fever has grabbed you afterward, you should invest in your pair of shoes (from 80 euros). A chalk bag with magnesia is not a must for beginners but indispensable for hobby boulderers. The magnesium carbonate keeps hands dry by absorbing moisture. So you have a secure grip at all times. Tip: Despite the hip belt, it is better to leave the chalk bag on the mat at the beginning so that there is no cloud of dust when you fall.
You Don’t Need A Partner For Bouldering
Would you like to go climbing, but none of your friends have time? It doesn’t matter because, unlike climbing, you don’t need a partner when bouldering. After all, nobody has to secure you. Sounds dangerous? Not so wild because bouldering is nothing more than climbing at jump height. In other words: The walls that you climb are only 2 to 4 meters high. The soft mat floor is used exclusively as a backup. And you can fall on it by yourself.
You Get To Know New People Quickly
Bouldering is becoming more and more popular, and the halls are getting full. So you inevitably meet other people and quickly get into conversation while bouldering. Because bouldering is a very communicative sport, you will learn tricks from others and get tips on best solving your bouldering problem. Sounds intrusive? But on the contrary! The atmosphere in the bouldering hall is relaxed and friendly. Although everyone climbs on their own, team spirit is a central issue. “When bouldering, you are never alone; everyone helps everyone,” emphasizes climbing professional Jung.
It’s The Perfect Whole Body Workout
Bouldering strengthens arms, shoulders, back, torso, stomach, and legs, improves coordination, mobility and trains the sense of balance. All of this makes bouldering a top full-body workout. Unlike sport climbing with rope, where endurance is more critical, bouldering requires pure muscle strength. Nevertheless, even experienced boulderers are usually not bulky muscles. With bouldering, you train almost all muscle groups and are in top shape. By the way: In bouldering, grip strength and shoulder and arm muscles are optimally trained, but most movements do not come from the arms – but the whole body, which brings us back to the perfect total body workout.
You Can Boulder Anytime, Anywhere
Regardless of the weather, you can boulder in the hall all year round. But bouldering has its origins outside, directly on the rock. Hence the name, because the English word “boulder” means “boulder.” Instead of colorful handles, you try to hold onto ledges and crevices. Since there are, of course, no soft mats on the ground to cushion your fall, it is worth purchasing a so-called crash pad. Sounds annoying at first, but the foldable crash pads are now easy to transport and offer the best possible protection for outdoor bouldering. In almost every big city, you can find bouldering halls by now, and there are more and more. If you currently prefer to avoid indoor sports and sports in groups, then ask in the outdoor shop, where there are suitable rock walls in the area. But don’t forget the crash pad.
You Will See Success Very Quickly
Some sports are just frustrating at first. It would help if you had a lot of practice and stamina to get a little bit better at some point. Think about surfing: It looks so easy with the professionals, but when you stand on the board yourself, initially nothing works, except constantly falling into the water. Sure, bouldering also takes practice and stamina so that you can perform well on the wall. But unlike surfing, for example, no annoying dry exercises or theory lessons are necessary. Of course, you don’t start with the tricky professional routes but with the easy beginner bouldering. And with every route you take, motivation and ambition increase. If you stick with it and go bouldering regularly,
Bouldering Reduces The Stress Level
Sure, any sport can do it, but hardly any is as effective at it. In contrast to jogging, for example, bouldering automatically forces you to let go of all disturbing thoughts and concentrate fully on the sport. If you don’t take every step very consciously, you will fall. There’s no room for long to-do lists in your head. And that ensures an extraordinary mental relaxation, which helps to leave all worries of everyday life behind you in the truest sense of the word. The positive effects on mental health (and the alleviation of depression) that the combination of physical and mental training brings with it is also confirmed by a study by the University of Erlangen:
Bouldering Can Reduce Depression From Moderate Symptoms To Mild Ones
In addition, the scientists proved that the patients who boulder regularly remain mentally stable over a more extended period. Under the motto “Find a hold – on the wall and in life,” bouldering is now used as a proven concept in the therapy of depression. But you also benefit without depression: Because bouldering gives you numerous experiences of happiness and success. Experiencing intense emotions such as joy, fear or pride can help you out of some emotional lows.
You see: There are many good reasons why you should go to the nearest bouldering hall this evening. But one point is ultimately most important: bouldering is a lot of fun from the very first moment! Even if the sore muscles will be enormous after the first session, it is worth it. Try it! It could become your new favorite fitness program.
ALSO READ: STRESS MAKES YOU SICK: 9 DANGEROUS EFFECTS OF STRESS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
