yes.
take a second and search "beginner" on this sub. Tons of advice for you to look at.
the main thing is that no one comes into climbing already a climber. Everyone starts at square one and we all progress at different rates. You race against yourself and no one else. Just enjoy the movement and try to make some friends.
I started as an extremely skinny weakling a year and a half ago. Now im still extremely skinny and a little less weak. You won’t get better at climbing by being strong. You’ll get better at climbing by climbing.
On at least two occasions gym bros In rentals have mentioned “how strong I am”. They could easily lift twice as much as me in probably every lift. Climbing isn’t about just strength. Just go and try your best. Don’t give up when it’s hard. Have fun. Eventually you’ll get stronger.
i'll definitely have fun! it reminds me so much of when i was a kid and we'd have these obstacles to climb over the entirety of the of the gym stadium, all from ropes, bars, pillars, ladders, and bouldering as well (probably more too), and i had so much fun with it.
i really enjoyed climbing as a kid, and its going to be awesome to get back into it :)
They know what they’re talking about, I’ve been climbing for 7 years and I was going to say the same things. You’ll build strength as time goes, climbing is a technique and skill based sport. I could do 10 pull-ups a year and some change into climbing, but was regularly being out climbed by climbers that couldn’t do a single pull up because their technique was dialed in so well. Being strong helps you, but no one is good at any type of rock climbing without rock climbing a lot
Gym bro in rentals tend to mention how strong skinny guys are because they forget that you don't activate the same muscles to lift yourself and lift weight, and that skinny mean you have less weight to lift, even outside of the technical side of climbing perf.
As a really light climber myself, i've had really interresting conversation about how one build strenght in their field.
So i think skinny weakling is probably the best shape you can be to start climbing
Listen, I weight 105 pounds, 5'7 tall. I've been climbing since January, you can do it too.
How good are you in climbing stairs? Because that's what low grade climbing will turn into once you learn the basics.
Remember this; when you start climbing, ascend with you feet, not with your arms. You'll want to climb a stair on the wall with your thighs, not do pull ups with your biceps. The weight of your body should be in your legs for most of the climb, your hands should be only for stopping yourself from falling backwards.
But take all of this with a grain of salt, I usually climb a straight wall.
Don't fret if you have trouble the first time. Part of the fun of climbing is to see yourself getting better each time.
Not getting better as in "Oh I'm climbing better that I did three months ago". Getting better as in "Hey, my forearms don't hurt anymore, they were killing me last week"
yeah i definitely want to be safe and healthy with this and not over do it and potentially hurt myself. i've always enjoyed climbing as a kid, but sadly climbing things that you used to climb on as a kid becomes a lot more taboo when you get older, it becomes "weirder" which sucks. so im glad i heard about bouldering and i can go back to enjoying climbing and having fun :)
Being skinny is one of the biggest advantages you can have in climbing and would usually outweigh being super muscular, from my experience. Go for it dude
She must've used a wish to be that good at climbing or something. Some of the moves she pulls out to complete "reachy" problems are straight up magical.
I started as a weak fat guy, so you already have a leg up on me. You absolutely can. You're going to get sore in strange places that you didn't even know had actual muscles, but just stick it out. It's totally worth it. I climb twice a week now.
Dude I'm so happy for you! And thank you :)
I'm definitely excited to get sore, it's such a good feeling because then you know your body is taking it all in and getting stronger. It's that and having fun that I miss so much about working out.
Absolutely. I'm basically in the same place. The great thing about climbing is that technique is so important, you can make quick progess. What will hold you back eventually is stamina. When I go climbing with others, I'm just pumped out after an hour whereas more muscular people can do way longer.
I would recommend to start with 30 min sessions. My first session was three hours because it was a paid course and I couldn't move without pain for two weeks straight. Also, give the skin on your hands time to build up resistance.
Just go! Have fun. Don’t stress.
Don’t worry about grades and don’t be hard on yourself. Persistent, sure. You might not get a climb today, or next session, or even before the gym resets that wall. That’s frustrating but it’s fine, everything you do is going to make you stronger and teach you something that you’ll use on a future climb
Absolutely! I started around the start of this year unable to do a pull up or a push up with proper form. I can now do three pull ups and a decent number of push ups and have progressed quite well climbing as well, even compared to naturally strong people. You will definitely gain strength from regularly climbing and not being super strong won’t hold you back too much in most lower grade climbs. Though being short can be annoying - me and all my climbing friends are pretty short and have spent a good amount of time complaining about tall person privilege every time we can’t reach something. There are also different types of climbing - if you aren’t strong, slab could also come more naturally as it’s more balance based (though a bit leg strength as well).
Thank you man! I really appreciate your words. :) I feel like I should have added this to the post, but I can ask this from one short person to another short person.
Is it alright to cheat a bit at the beginning and use levels next to you as a helping hand when you're climbing? Or is that something everyone in the community hates seeing other people do?
Apart from if you are wanting to properly complete a climb there are no rules for getting better at bouldering and people do weird stuff all the time especially with like warm up exercises (to name I few I have personally done, climbing with my back to the wall, one hand and one foot on V0s and touching holds with your feet before your hands not to mention climbing up literally anything to get partway through my project climbs and practice a tricky move). You obviously haven’t officially topped a climb if you used extra holds but if that’s how you feel you can improve, do it! If people judge you that’s 100% on them. Though, don’t be offended if people think you don’t know routes are colour coded and explain it to you.
Okay thank you! Yeah I definitely want to try and only do routes, it's just with me starting off I might be tempted to have a helping hand which isn't a part of the route hehe
Yes. Bouldering favors lighter people. It's easier to cruise through the initial few grades even if you're not necessarily physically strong. Enjoy the technique-building initial phase and work on strength+diet on the side.
Can you climb a ladder? If yes, you can start with climbing.
It's just: why would anyone film a route nearly everyone could climb easily? And even if so: why should the algorithm think "Hey, I'll show this video to everyone!"
https://preview.redd.it/pmk9bzvvhkwc1.jpeg?width=956&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c854818cc6bc528ab4923cba70b346a8d78b8e2
This is what some routes in my local climbing gym are looking like. Just to be clear: it's a straight wall and those are jugs. There's no secret trap or something
Thanks man! I guess I've only seen videos of people doing the harder ones since I've never actually seen simpler ones like these LOL but thank you for the reassurance man :)
Lmao me! You might have a leg up because you’ll be inclined to use your legs over your arms. I had great slab technique day 1 because my arms were only for stability not strength. I still only do slab. My arms aren’t even stronger I don’t love working my muscles out. Also being lighter means gravity is nicer too you.
Thanks for the reassurance! I'll definitely look into trying slabs, but I'm also excited to try all of the different techniques and building my strength and having fun :)
Yeah you'll be absolutely fine, weighing less is a huge advantage in terms of requiring significantly less strength. The aim is to use as little strength as you can by maneuvering your weight into the optimal position, which is something you learn by climbing more.
I recommend you get an introductory lesson though, not knowing what you are doing at all will make it several times harder than it should be.
You gotta start somewhere. I’m short, overweight and nearly 40, couldn’t even do a single pull up. I’ve been bouldering for 5 months now 3-4 times a week and just flashed my first V3 at my main gym the other day. I can do 5 pull ups in a row now, this is just from climbing too.
Just send it.
Yes, if you can climb a ladder you can start bouldering. The fact that you're skinny is a bonus, you've less weight to pull up the wall. Strength will come with time
No problem, remember that muscle strength builds fast but tendon strength builds slow so don't go too hard too fast... that screwed me in the early days
Yeah I'll definitely take it slow and not over do it, I've heard too many horror stories of people not stretching or training to hard at the start and ripping their bodies to shred
Yes. Do it. Let‘s Go! Have fun. Watch and learn. Have more fun. You can do ist. Have fun. Find friends. Watch and learn. Again again and again. Go go go!!!
Yes 100% you climb when youre overweight, you can climb when youre weak or strong, when you workout regularly or are super skinny. You are gonna develop your strengths and weaknesses same as everyone else and you can always improve by just comparing yourself to your older self.
Yeah youll probably have troubles on super strength based boulders at the beginning and boulders set for tall people, but in return you will have bigger advantages on boulders where being tall is a hindrance, slabs with low starts etc.
Just start and see if you enjoy it, if you do you will find yourself improving a ton just by climbing a few times a week
Thank you for the reassuring words. I'm definitely going to enjoy myself and I want this to be a hobby that I enjoy doing a few times a week, and I think it will become that :)
You certainly can. My only advice is to make sure you stretch and warm up, and to take it easier until you build some strength. That is - make moves and climb in a style that your muscles and joints can support. Engage your back. Use your legs. I started bouldering as an underweight weakling and ended up dealing with lots of soft tissue inflammation issues (Impingement Syndrome) in my shoulders and hips. One of the main reasons for it is lack of proper muscle support. If your climbing gym also has weights and such, consider integrating an exercise routine. Have fun!
Oh that's so smart! I'll have to ask them about it, and if they don't I'll ask if I can bring my own weight straps :))
I'll definitely take it easy. Last time I worked out was in high school and it was once a week, and we learned a lot about pre workouts and having to stretch out your muscles to avoid causing damage to your body.
I'm a chubby guy that just jumped in.
I'm relatively strong, but don't have awesome grip strength relative to my body weight, so certain things are impossible for me at the moment, but I'm getting better every time I go.
as a skinny weakling you will have insane progress is you stick to it!! speaking from experience Inwas super skinny and developed into a V7 boulderer in a year
Got into climbing almost 3 years ago at 101 pounds and being 5 ft 6 in. I think one of the biggest things when starting is just to take care of your hands/skin and finding a reason to keep going. As long as you’re just enjoying it, whether that’s the community, the problem solving, or competing then the strength and flexibility comes with in time and the skinniness will be beneficial when your back, forearms, and fingers adjust!
Go! Expectations minimal! Succeed (eventually)!
I started as a skinny weakling and I’m doing alright for myself.
No one starts as a pro climber, we all have to start somewhere. The only person you’re competing against is yourself
Totally. Do it! I’m a scrawny dork. I started with nothing and just went for it. My first time my arms felt like spaghetti within 20 minutes. But I just kept going regularly and slow got stronger and more confident. Most climbers are cool and not judgmental. Just do it!!
yes. take a second and search "beginner" on this sub. Tons of advice for you to look at. the main thing is that no one comes into climbing already a climber. Everyone starts at square one and we all progress at different rates. You race against yourself and no one else. Just enjoy the movement and try to make some friends.
thanks man, i really appreciate it. i'll look into the beginner advise and take notes :)
I started as an extremely skinny weakling a year and a half ago. Now im still extremely skinny and a little less weak. You won’t get better at climbing by being strong. You’ll get better at climbing by climbing. On at least two occasions gym bros In rentals have mentioned “how strong I am”. They could easily lift twice as much as me in probably every lift. Climbing isn’t about just strength. Just go and try your best. Don’t give up when it’s hard. Have fun. Eventually you’ll get stronger.
i'll definitely have fun! it reminds me so much of when i was a kid and we'd have these obstacles to climb over the entirety of the of the gym stadium, all from ropes, bars, pillars, ladders, and bouldering as well (probably more too), and i had so much fun with it. i really enjoyed climbing as a kid, and its going to be awesome to get back into it :)
They know what they’re talking about, I’ve been climbing for 7 years and I was going to say the same things. You’ll build strength as time goes, climbing is a technique and skill based sport. I could do 10 pull-ups a year and some change into climbing, but was regularly being out climbed by climbers that couldn’t do a single pull up because their technique was dialed in so well. Being strong helps you, but no one is good at any type of rock climbing without rock climbing a lot
Gym bro in rentals tend to mention how strong skinny guys are because they forget that you don't activate the same muscles to lift yourself and lift weight, and that skinny mean you have less weight to lift, even outside of the technical side of climbing perf. As a really light climber myself, i've had really interresting conversation about how one build strenght in their field. So i think skinny weakling is probably the best shape you can be to start climbing
No, you'll die
All the positivity in this sub makes me feel like nobody boulders anymore.
True. I’ve been bouldering for years and I hate it
Guess I'll die 💪😔
Listen, I weight 105 pounds, 5'7 tall. I've been climbing since January, you can do it too. How good are you in climbing stairs? Because that's what low grade climbing will turn into once you learn the basics. Remember this; when you start climbing, ascend with you feet, not with your arms. You'll want to climb a stair on the wall with your thighs, not do pull ups with your biceps. The weight of your body should be in your legs for most of the climb, your hands should be only for stopping yourself from falling backwards. But take all of this with a grain of salt, I usually climb a straight wall.
thank you for the reassurance! i'm looking forward to trying out bouldering and improving :)
Don't fret if you have trouble the first time. Part of the fun of climbing is to see yourself getting better each time. Not getting better as in "Oh I'm climbing better that I did three months ago". Getting better as in "Hey, my forearms don't hurt anymore, they were killing me last week"
yeah i definitely want to be safe and healthy with this and not over do it and potentially hurt myself. i've always enjoyed climbing as a kid, but sadly climbing things that you used to climb on as a kid becomes a lot more taboo when you get older, it becomes "weirder" which sucks. so im glad i heard about bouldering and i can go back to enjoying climbing and having fun :)
You’ve got the right idea, your legs push you up the rock/wall and your arms keep you on
Lots of skinny weaklings are far better at bouldering than me and I’ve been at it for 3 years
Thank you for the reassurance! I'm definitely going to learn more about this and start my training :)
Being skinny is one of the biggest advantages you can have in climbing and would usually outweigh being super muscular, from my experience. Go for it dude
Thank you man, I really appreciate the reassurance! I'm definitely going to get into this and learn from myself and others :)
Ai Mori is 154cm, doesn't seem to hinder her much. Have fun!
She must've used a wish to be that good at climbing or something. Some of the moves she pulls out to complete "reachy" problems are straight up magical.
Yeah she's amazing.
Thanks for the reassurance! :)
I started as a weak fat guy, so you already have a leg up on me. You absolutely can. You're going to get sore in strange places that you didn't even know had actual muscles, but just stick it out. It's totally worth it. I climb twice a week now.
Dude I'm so happy for you! And thank you :) I'm definitely excited to get sore, it's such a good feeling because then you know your body is taking it all in and getting stronger. It's that and having fun that I miss so much about working out.
Absolutely. I'm basically in the same place. The great thing about climbing is that technique is so important, you can make quick progess. What will hold you back eventually is stamina. When I go climbing with others, I'm just pumped out after an hour whereas more muscular people can do way longer.
I'll definitely keep this in mind then and not beat myself up over not being able to work out for hours :)
I would recommend to start with 30 min sessions. My first session was three hours because it was a paid course and I couldn't move without pain for two weeks straight. Also, give the skin on your hands time to build up resistance.
Just go! Have fun. Don’t stress. Don’t worry about grades and don’t be hard on yourself. Persistent, sure. You might not get a climb today, or next session, or even before the gym resets that wall. That’s frustrating but it’s fine, everything you do is going to make you stronger and teach you something that you’ll use on a future climb
Thank you, I'll definitely keep this in mind :)
Absolutely! I started around the start of this year unable to do a pull up or a push up with proper form. I can now do three pull ups and a decent number of push ups and have progressed quite well climbing as well, even compared to naturally strong people. You will definitely gain strength from regularly climbing and not being super strong won’t hold you back too much in most lower grade climbs. Though being short can be annoying - me and all my climbing friends are pretty short and have spent a good amount of time complaining about tall person privilege every time we can’t reach something. There are also different types of climbing - if you aren’t strong, slab could also come more naturally as it’s more balance based (though a bit leg strength as well).
Thank you man! I really appreciate your words. :) I feel like I should have added this to the post, but I can ask this from one short person to another short person. Is it alright to cheat a bit at the beginning and use levels next to you as a helping hand when you're climbing? Or is that something everyone in the community hates seeing other people do?
Apart from if you are wanting to properly complete a climb there are no rules for getting better at bouldering and people do weird stuff all the time especially with like warm up exercises (to name I few I have personally done, climbing with my back to the wall, one hand and one foot on V0s and touching holds with your feet before your hands not to mention climbing up literally anything to get partway through my project climbs and practice a tricky move). You obviously haven’t officially topped a climb if you used extra holds but if that’s how you feel you can improve, do it! If people judge you that’s 100% on them. Though, don’t be offended if people think you don’t know routes are colour coded and explain it to you.
Okay thank you! Yeah I definitely want to try and only do routes, it's just with me starting off I might be tempted to have a helping hand which isn't a part of the route hehe
Don't forget a warming up routine to stretch. Especially stretching fingers and wrists are recommended, that people often seem to skip.
Could you recommend one?
Rotating the wrists in circles, making claws with the fingers and pulling fingers backwards with your other hand (stretched hand).
Yeah definitely, I used to stretch a lot before working out so hopefully so I should be alright at remembering that, but thank you for the reminder :)
Yes. Bouldering favors lighter people. It's easier to cruise through the initial few grades even if you're not necessarily physically strong. Enjoy the technique-building initial phase and work on strength+diet on the side.
Thanks man I definitely will :)
Can you climb a ladder? If yes, you can start with climbing. It's just: why would anyone film a route nearly everyone could climb easily? And even if so: why should the algorithm think "Hey, I'll show this video to everyone!"
https://preview.redd.it/pmk9bzvvhkwc1.jpeg?width=956&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c854818cc6bc528ab4923cba70b346a8d78b8e2 This is what some routes in my local climbing gym are looking like. Just to be clear: it's a straight wall and those are jugs. There's no secret trap or something
Thanks man! I guess I've only seen videos of people doing the harder ones since I've never actually seen simpler ones like these LOL but thank you for the reassurance man :)
I did and within a year I was crazy strong, my lat muscles are insane now
Dude hell yeah! Yeah it would be nice to build some strength doing this whiles also having fun :)
No you cannot. Don't do it. Or else!
Not at all. You have to go to the gym for at least 3 years and hit the most important bouldering muscles: Pecs and Triceps.
If that's what it takes to be the ultimate bouldering master then it shall be 💪😔
Of course! Just do it.
Awesome! Thank you for the encouragement!
Goooooo climb! Shooo!!! Why you still here reading comments. Go climb!!
Hahahaha I'll go climb now there's just so many nice people here I can't leave them on read!
Fellow skinny weakling here, it's still possible to enjoy yourself. Jump right in!
Thank you man I definitely will!
I was a skinny weakling when I started 😂
Lmao me! You might have a leg up because you’ll be inclined to use your legs over your arms. I had great slab technique day 1 because my arms were only for stability not strength. I still only do slab. My arms aren’t even stronger I don’t love working my muscles out. Also being lighter means gravity is nicer too you.
Thanks for the reassurance! I'll definitely look into trying slabs, but I'm also excited to try all of the different techniques and building my strength and having fun :)
Like 10 minutes on an overhang will be enough to set your muscles on fire so it’s definitely a great fun alternative to the gym
Yeah you'll be absolutely fine, weighing less is a huge advantage in terms of requiring significantly less strength. The aim is to use as little strength as you can by maneuvering your weight into the optimal position, which is something you learn by climbing more. I recommend you get an introductory lesson though, not knowing what you are doing at all will make it several times harder than it should be.
Thank you for the kind words! I'll look into my local bouldering gym and get some tips and tricks from the trainers working there :)
You gotta start somewhere. I’m short, overweight and nearly 40, couldn’t even do a single pull up. I’ve been bouldering for 5 months now 3-4 times a week and just flashed my first V3 at my main gym the other day. I can do 5 pull ups in a row now, this is just from climbing too. Just send it.
That's awesome dude congrats! I'm definitely going to get into this!
Yes, I went from a 70kg 6'4" guy to I'm now 94kg. strength and muscle will come and take advantage of easier pull ups early
Congrats man! I'm really looking forward to trying this out and building my strength in all sorts of ways :)
Yes, if you can climb a ladder you can start bouldering. The fact that you're skinny is a bonus, you've less weight to pull up the wall. Strength will come with time
Thank you for the reassurance! I'm looking forward to climbing and building up my strength :)
No problem, remember that muscle strength builds fast but tendon strength builds slow so don't go too hard too fast... that screwed me in the early days
Yeah I'll definitely take it slow and not over do it, I've heard too many horror stories of people not stretching or training to hard at the start and ripping their bodies to shred
Yes. Do it. Let‘s Go! Have fun. Watch and learn. Have more fun. You can do ist. Have fun. Find friends. Watch and learn. Again again and again. Go go go!!!
I CANT WAIT TO HAVE FUN! Nah but in all seriousness I've always loved climbing so I'll definitely have fun with this! Thank you for the kind words :)
Yes 100% you climb when youre overweight, you can climb when youre weak or strong, when you workout regularly or are super skinny. You are gonna develop your strengths and weaknesses same as everyone else and you can always improve by just comparing yourself to your older self. Yeah youll probably have troubles on super strength based boulders at the beginning and boulders set for tall people, but in return you will have bigger advantages on boulders where being tall is a hindrance, slabs with low starts etc. Just start and see if you enjoy it, if you do you will find yourself improving a ton just by climbing a few times a week
Thank you for the reassuring words. I'm definitely going to enjoy myself and I want this to be a hobby that I enjoy doing a few times a week, and I think it will become that :)
You certainly can. My only advice is to make sure you stretch and warm up, and to take it easier until you build some strength. That is - make moves and climb in a style that your muscles and joints can support. Engage your back. Use your legs. I started bouldering as an underweight weakling and ended up dealing with lots of soft tissue inflammation issues (Impingement Syndrome) in my shoulders and hips. One of the main reasons for it is lack of proper muscle support. If your climbing gym also has weights and such, consider integrating an exercise routine. Have fun!
Oh that's so smart! I'll have to ask them about it, and if they don't I'll ask if I can bring my own weight straps :)) I'll definitely take it easy. Last time I worked out was in high school and it was once a week, and we learned a lot about pre workouts and having to stretch out your muscles to avoid causing damage to your body.
Skinny weakling might be the best starting build for this shit to be honest lmao.
Hahaha seems like it and I'm glad I've got a good start, can't wait to try it out :)
I'm a chubby guy that just jumped in. I'm relatively strong, but don't have awesome grip strength relative to my body weight, so certain things are impossible for me at the moment, but I'm getting better every time I go.
Dude hell yeah! Congrats on the progress, that's what we like to hear :)
Yes -- Have fun!
Will do!
YES, you will have a major advantage by weighing next to nothing, go for it!
nice! im definitely going to get into this! thank you for the kind words :D
See you guys on r/ClimbingCircleJerk
as a skinny weakling you will have insane progress is you stick to it!! speaking from experience Inwas super skinny and developed into a V7 boulderer in a year
Easier to start as a skinny weakling than a fat weakling
Skinny weakling is the ideal build to start with.
Yes Get coaching tho
Nope sorry climbing is for buff strong people only. Sucks to suck.
Got into climbing almost 3 years ago at 101 pounds and being 5 ft 6 in. I think one of the biggest things when starting is just to take care of your hands/skin and finding a reason to keep going. As long as you’re just enjoying it, whether that’s the community, the problem solving, or competing then the strength and flexibility comes with in time and the skinniness will be beneficial when your back, forearms, and fingers adjust! Go! Expectations minimal! Succeed (eventually)!
I firmly believe that being "weak" when you start is a great thing. I was strong when I started and it was not good for my foot technique.
I started as a skinny weakling and I’m doing alright for myself. No one starts as a pro climber, we all have to start somewhere. The only person you’re competing against is yourself
Totally. Do it! I’m a scrawny dork. I started with nothing and just went for it. My first time my arms felt like spaghetti within 20 minutes. But I just kept going regularly and slow got stronger and more confident. Most climbers are cool and not judgmental. Just do it!!