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Are you too old to climb? Probably not! Climbing is a rather slow sport, which is about technique and strategy and not about pure muscle power or endurance.
As long as you are not over 70, climbing should be no problem, otherwise in good health. Interestingly, however, mostly 30-40 year-olds ask this question. The question probably stems from the fact that you usually only see young people climbing and at this age you notice more and more often that you do not recover so quickly from injuries or sore muscles. As long as you don’t want to do climbing as a high-performance sport and don’t take any unnecessary risks, it is absolutely fine to start climbing even over 30, 40 or 50!
In this article I will discuss how best to start climbing and how to survive it without injuries – even if you don’t have the elastic tendons of a teenager anymore.
Almost Everyone Can Climb!
The first mistake you can make when climbing is not to trust yourself. I have seen so many people who exclude a sport like climbing from the outset because they think they cannot do it. Even if you have a few extra pounds and haven’t done any sports for years, you can still easily start climbing!
All climbing routes are classified according to their difficulty. The simplest routes resemble a ladder – and everyone should be able to climb a ladder. Whether you want to climb out on the rocks or in a climbing gym, there is always the right difficulty for you.
If you want to know what different types of climbing there are, have a look at this article, in which all types are explained: 12 Types of Climbing
Start in a Climbing Gym
It’s not such a good idea to go right out to the mountain and start rock climbing in the great outdoors. Only in the safe environment of a climbing gym should you get used to the very unusual movements of your entire musculoskeletal system. Exceptions also confirm the rule here – if you can find an easy route outdoors and an experienced teacher, this is also possible.
It’s best to grab a good buddy or your partner and sign up for a basic climbing course. There you learn how to secure each other and other basic tips. And don’t worry – it’s really easy and you will learn the basics of belaying very fast. In many climbing gyms there are now also installations where the climbing rope is held by an automatic brake when you fall. Especially at the beginning this takes away the fear of falling.
In the climbing gym you can climb specific routes with a set difficulty. There you can learn the movements and the technique ideally, in order to apply them also outside after some time.
Technique over Strength
When climbing, it is important that you first learn the technique and then think about getting stronger. It’ll come on its own.
Even if you can do 100 pull-ups and pull out trees with your very arms, you are far from being a good climber. First the technique, then the strength. Train on easy routes and avoid your limit. The longer you climb, the more you train your stamina and technique. As time goes by, you will become more and more efficient and need less and less strength and time to climb a certain route.
Climbing Courses and Trainers
After you have made your first steps in the climbing gym and know the basic techniques and movements, you have to decide whether you are looking for a suitable trainer or climbing course for rock climbing.
Maybe you have a friend who can explain this to you – but don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Practice makes Perfect
The best way to train your climbing skills is simply to go climbing. Don’t try to test your limits at the beginning. Go ahead and familiarize yourself with the technique, the equipment and the general movements.
The more often you go climbing, the faster you get better, stronger and safer.
Don’t Hurt Yourself – Slow Down
Especially at the beginning you should take it slow when climbing. Young climbers have a few decisive physical advantages over older climbers. They injure themselves less frequently because they are more flexible and they recover much faster from injuries and sore muscles.
Stretching is usually a foreign word for young athletes – older athletes should stretch regularly and warm up before a workout or a climbing session. To warm up you can stretch your arms, legs and back and then climb some very easy routes. This prepares your body and prevents injuries.
Yet, the big advantage that older climbers have is that they have more patience and take fewer risks because they don’t have to prove anything to anyone but themselves. Patience is necessary, because it takes a long time before you become really good.
Young people usually dash off at full steam. Sure, you learn very fast this way, but it’s also the fastest way to get hurt. And you don’t want to hurt yourself.
If you have never been climbing before, be prepared that after your first time you will have considerable muscle soreness in muscles you didn’t know before. A complete feeling of exhaustion in the hands is also completely normal at the beginning. When climbing you use muscles that you don’t normally need, or not so much. With such extreme muscle ache you should give your muscles time to regenerate until they are fit again. Depending on your physical condition, this can take more than a week for some people!
Always make sure you don’t overexert your tendons and muscles. Overloading is a common cause of sports injuries. But just because you’re not 20 anymore doesn’t mean you can’t train hard! But you just have to regenerate accordingly hard afterwards… Where teenagers only need a few hours of sleep to be back to 100 percent, a 40 year old needs 2 days. But that’s not a bad thing and perfectly normal.
Losing Weight
Climbing is basically about fighting gravity. Our best weapons are technique, strength and weight. The lighter you are, the less weight you have to hold and pull.
If you’re normal weight, a few extra pounds won’t be a problem. After a while they disappear all by themselves and are partially replaced by muscles.
However, if you are overweight, the first step in general is to get fit and in shape.
The older we get, the more we are punished for bad eating habits. Teenagers can stuff everything inside themselves and are always full of energy and super fit. Older climbers should pay attention to their eating habits and avoid harmful foods such as junk food and sweets. When climbing you notice every kilo twice.
Tip: How many Calories does Rock Climbing Burn? Numbers & Tips
Mix It Up!
When climbing, certain muscles are used particularly hard. These include the back, forearms and biceps. However, other muscles such as the chest, triceps or shoulders are less needed. If only individual muscles are trained particularly strongly, this can lead to a bad posture or injuries.
In order to avoid an asymmetric growth of the muscles it makes sense to train the less used muscles through other sports or through targeted strength exercises. When climbing we use our “pull” muscles because we have to pull ourselves up all the time. So you should also train your “push” muscles elsewhere. Ideal for this are push-ups and targeted shoulder exercises.
To further reduce your risk of injury, you may also consider yoga. May sound funny, but yoga is really great for keeping your tendons and muscles flexible and in shape. Due to the gained flexibility, you will have fewer problems with abrupt movements and generally have a longer range.
Full article on training: Complete Guide: How to Train for Rock Climbing & Bouldering
Conclusion
You’re not too old! Go climb!
Even if you are over 30, 40, 50 or even 60 and you feel like climbing, go ahead and try it out! There are now climbing gyms like sand by the sea and you can take beginner courses everywhere to familiarize yourself with the basics.
Climbing is an awesome sport. Climbing is fun, keeps you fit, helps you lose weight and keeps you flexible. Besides, there is hardly a greater feeling of success than climbing a rock face!
At this point, you should be convinced that you are not too old for climbing. If so, you certainly have other questions that are on the tip of your tongue. Look into the categories to find the answer to them or use the search function.
Attention: You have to take care of your safety when climbing! The information on climbtheearth.com only helps you to learn. Before you climb, you should make sure that you have been properly instructed by an expert and that you follow all safety precautions.
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