Most climbers are doing this sport not to get the perfect body shape but simply cause it’s fun for them, and the body aspects are in the second place. It’s always better to start something as a hobby, that way you won’t need to force yourself a few times per week, to go to the climbing gym, also the time passes way faster when you like what you are doing. Maybe that is the perfect formula to get into shape, but maybe that is a myth and climbing won’t give you the muscles you want. If you ask yourself “Do climbers have nice bodies” then we will answer all of your questions, with some tips to improve your progress.
As a short answer we will have to say that climbing will make your body more muscular, slim, and toned, but some part of your body won’t gain much from climbing, also you will lose a lot of bodyweight, and if you want to know why is that then stay with us because we are going to explain it!
How long does it take to see results from climbing?
If you see a climber it doesn’t necessarily mean that he is muscular, because that takes some time and effort. A beginner climber will quickly get to the 5.10b, but at this point he’s body won’t change much. He will reach that level mostly as his technique will improve, and not the overall look of his body.
When a climber reaches a certain limit of his possibilities which is called a plateau, then he starts to think about improving his physique like body weight or muscle strength. Climbing is a sport where you train with the mass of your own body, so we can say that it is similar to calisthenics.
That limit will eventually happen in a few months period, and after that time you will notice some changes in your body, due to the fact that you are focusing more on strength training, rather than having simple fun.
To build a fit body you need to sacrifice some of your fun time to get better and break out of your current limits. You should see some visible muscles after 4 months of climbing at least 2 times per week.
If you want to see the results faster then you need to work harder and more often. Remember that doing it too often is going to decrease your muscle mass, because muscles are growing only after training while resting, and if you don’t give them enough time to rest then you will drastically slow your gains. If you want to know more about “How Long Should A Climbing Session Last?” to get the most out of your climbing sessions then check out this article!
Do climbers have strong legs?
Legs are the least trained body part of every climber. Climbers most often use their arms to pull up or move on the wall, and the legs are mainly used to support the body mass and relieve the climber’s arms. Every human has about 4 times more strength in their legs than they have in their arms, and that’s a medical fact. The legs have an even better advantage when it comes to endurance, but climbing requires using arms to make a progress on the wall and climb further.
As your climbing skills will improve you will start to use your legs to do more advanced stuff but it won’t be enough to force you to train hard your legs. Climbers need to train their forearms, arms, shoulders, and back rather than thinking about leg training. If you are asking yourself “Do climbers have nice bodies?” then that is not exactly true, because the upper part of the body is well trained, with visible muscles but the lower part of the body tends to be just slim.
Why climbers are so slim?
Bodyweight in climbing is the most important thing because the whole sport is about using your muscle to reach the top with your whole body. So if your body mass is lower the easier it is to reach that top. If we compare a person who is slim to a person that goes to a normal gym, then that slim person should be better due to lower body mass, but that’s just an example and everyone is different.
If you want to progress faster and improve a lot, then rather than lifting weight you should try to lose some additional body fat. That’s why many women beginners are better at climbing than men beginners. Many climbers do care about their diet and are willing to put a lot of money into special types of diets.
In conclusion – Do climbers have nice bodies?
Climbers do have nice bodies, but almost all sports can make your body look good, but there is something that makes climbing special. When you talk about running, the best what you can get is a great view from your running path, but climbing is very addictive because you can find a lot of different problems, and solve them with special techniques. There are also a lot of different types of climbing, and to see more check out our new article “How To Prepare For A First Bouldering Session? – (Beginners)“.
