5 benefits of climbing and how to improve at home
Although SnowDome Climb is temporarily closed, we want to help all the budding climbers out there reach exciting new heights!
Climbing is a fun and rewarding activity for all ages. At SnowDome Climb, guests aged 4 years and over can take on our 15 different climbing walls.
Climbing is a great sport and fun activity for children and adults. There are tons of benefits that we’ll look at in this article. What’s more, we’ll also give some helpful tips to help you reach peak climbing form from home.
- Strength
Specifically body weight strength. Whatever your age and ability, climbing is an all over body weight workout. Without even realising it, you’ll be pushing yourself to work muscles you’d forgotten you had. The arms, back, legs and core all get a fantastic workout every time you take on the climbing walls.
Top tip
To keep your body weight strength up at home, complete a circuit of compound exercises 2 – 3 times a week. Here’s an example workout…
- 20 press ups
- 10 burpees
- 30 lunges (15 each leg)
- 20 squats
Complete 3 – 4 rounds and you’ll be ready to fly up the walls as soon as our doors reopen!
- Flexibility
Climbing is the perfect antidote to the hours we spend sitting down, hunched over. When enjoying a SnowDome Climb session, you won’t even notice the intense stretching you’ll be doing. Children also reap the benefits of increased flexibility. Kids (and a lot of adults) love playing video games, so climbing once a week will help reverse some of the negative effects of being hunched over.
Top tip
YouTube is an amazing resource for short or long yoga sessions. You can find free yoga workouts to complete so you’re ready to reach for those far away holds on the climbing wall!
- Cardio and endurance
When climbing, your heartrate will sit in the steady-state cardio zone. In this zone, your body will get better at oxidizing (burning) fat. Also, your muscular fitness will increase along with your capillary density.
Top tip
Get outdoors! Whether it's running, cycling or any other endurance activity! Similar steady-state exercises will help you last longer on the wall.
- Calorie burning
A typical 40 minute climbing session burns approximately 400 calories! Whilst taking on our 15 fun climbing walls, your heart will be working hard to pump blood around the body. Not only is SnowDome Climb fantastic fun, but it’s also an amazing cardiovascular workout!
Top tip
To burn as many calories as possible during a climbing session, you need to be able to hold on! Grip strength is what lets most of us down. Fortunately, it’s easy to improve your grip strength from home. All you need is a big book, it should be bigger than the palm of your hand. Grip the book tightly and let it hang for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Core workout
If you and your family are climbers, there’s no need for hundreds of crunches. Climbing is a nonstop core workout! When climbing you’ll need to keep your muscles tensed to stop you swinging out of control. You’ll certainly feel the burn when you are reaching for the jungle vines!
Top tip
Get the whole family involved in a plank competition! The plank is one of the best core exercises and it’s easy for everyone to get involved. Set the timer, get into position, last family member standing wins!
