Bouldering is one of many types of climbing, it can be done in a climbing hall, outdoors, in the field, on rocks, or in the mountains. It is a sport for anyone who wants to be fit and healthy, but does age or bodyweight matter? Can an obese person do bouldering? What are the contraindications to practicing this sport? In this article, we will take a look at this sport from a slightly different angle, and will dispel your doubts.
So, can an obese person do bouldering, and can it be dangerous? The weight itself is not a contraindication to bouldering; in fact, this sport can help us lose extra kilograms and improve our bodies. Obese people will simply find it a bit more difficult at the beginning, but later it will be much easier. Any new sport can be dangerous because our bodies have to get used to it.
Is our body weight important in bouldering?
We have stressed more than once that bouldering is a sport for everyone who wants to be healthy and fit, regardless of age or gender. But in turn, can an obese person do bouldering? There are no clear contraindications as to the weight of a person who is a beginner in climbing; the sport is there to improve your fitness or even to lose a few kilos.
Obese people may also practice bouldering, of course, the beginning will not be easy, but the sport is to be, above all, a motivation to take care of your health, fitness, and proper weight.
Apart from bouldering, it is good to practice other fitness sports, such as running or swimming, and strength sports, weightlifting, or training with one’s weight. As we lose weight, our skills will improve, and we will climb more and more difficult routes. In addition, bouldering has a beneficial effect on:
- Motor coordination
- Grip strength and confidence
- Loss of unnecessary weight
- Improving body balance
- General strengthening of the whole body
- Building muscle mass
The problem of obesity and modern times
Obesity is indeed a growing problem among young people, but also children, and the current lifestyle increases this problem even more. A sedentary lifestyle, both at work and school, or even the time of year, all have an impact on our desire to move, and therefore on body weight.
In recent years, bouldering and other forms of climbing are becoming more and more popular, it is a convenient form of climbing in special halls, so there is no need to take special equipment or go somewhere far away in the field.
Bouldering is also called urban climbing, in larger cities, we even have several walls to choose from, and we can rotate our training, looking for new routes to climb all the time.
Can an obese person do bouldering, or can be dangerous?
Bouldering, as well as other types of climbing, is an extreme sport, you need to remember that you are climbing on a wall several meters high, and you need to get used to it. Unfortunately, the fear of heights is quite common, but through bouldering, you can try to fight it. It happens, of course not with every person, that while climbing we can experience pain and problems with joints. With every sport it is important to keep moderation and balance, then we can minimize the negative effects.
Joint pain, especially in the hands, is an ailment that many climbers can complain about. Excessive application of force to climbing movements, climbing sessions that are too long, lack of proper preparation, ignoring joint pain, and improper distribution of body weight with excessive load on one part are just some sins of climbing fans. These mistakes can, in many cases, lead to serious health consequences and may prevent you from continuing to climb.
What to avoid on a climbing wall?
When you start climbing, it’s worth remembering to prepare your body properly with a warm-up and to finish the effort with light stretching. The body as a climber’s work tool must always be in good condition – exercises during illness, general weakness, or pain in joints are not recommended.
In the case of climbing, joint pain is one of those symptoms which should give you cause for concern. Always remember to take sufficiently long recovery breaks.
Even if you have never experienced pain in your joints or other parts of your body, it is important to take appropriate breaks between training sessions so as not to overload yourself.
It is a good idea to enlist the help of a professional who will not only show you the basics of safe training but will also tell you in detail how to prepare for climbing in general and what to pay particular attention to. These few things must be observed to practice bouldering without side effects:
- Warm-up, remember it at the beginning of every climb.
- Stretching is important in turn after each climbing session.
- Don’t train too often, remember to take days of relaxation so your body can recover.
- Don’t ignore pain or other worrying symptoms.
- Do not train or climb when you are ill or overtired, such training can only have a negative effect.
These are situations to be aware of, with quite demanding sports you can overtrain very quickly, which can also result in injuries later on. We already know whether can an obese person do bouldering and that there are no major contraindications to it.
In Summary – Can An Obese Person Do Bouldering? – (Can It Be Dangerous?)
Bouldering or climbing, like any extreme sport, can sometimes be dangerous, but this is mainly due to not following the safety rules. You can read about the more important ones, or even about the unwritten ones which apply to climbing walls in this post.
When it comes to whether can an obese person do bouldering, the weight itself does not exclude a given person from the possibility of practicing this sport.
Of course, every beginner starts from the level where he or she has to learn basic techniques or appropriate body strengthening to be able to climb more difficult levels. Bouldering can also be dangerous if we train too often and do not pay attention to our body’s signals, be it joint or muscle pain, or any kind of injury. In every sport it is important to have moderation, in addition to regular training, we must also keep an eye on rest and recovery.
