Rock climbing as an extreme sport. Types and styles of rock climbing Plant climber crossword puzzle 5 letters

Rock climbing can hardly be called one of the most popular activities, however, even people inexperienced with mountain landscapes sometimes think about what it’s like to conquer the peaks. Fortunately, modern sport complexes allow you to test yourself in a new field with benefits for both mental and physical development.

Indoor climbing features

To gain experience in rock climbing, today you don’t need to go to a quarry or master low rocks - just sign up for the nearest climbing wall and be trained by an experienced instructor. A climbing wall is a special room equipped with exercise equipment that simulates a mountain surface: slopes, ledges and other obstacles. In addition to standard stone ledges, there are various inclined surfaces that allow you to fully feel free from gravity. Usually, standard height The ceilings in such centers vary from five to fifteen meters. The holds on which the climber climbs are made of artificial stone, which is attached to the main shields with large bolts. As in professional sports, the use of belays, climbing shoes, bindings and cables is provided here. Fortunately, you, as a visitor to the climbing wall, do not need to purchase all this, since the equipment is included in the price of the lesson.

Artificial rocks are often used by climbers in winter time so as not to lose your climbing skills. For an ordinary person, this may turn out to be an unusual and complete physical training, which improves coordination, attention, and increases physical strength arms and legs, normalizes the sense of balance and, of course, helps fight your fears.

A big advantage of urban climbing walls is the varying degrees of complexity of the constructed sections, that is, as you gain experience and develop new skills, you can increase the complexity of the route and achieve new goals each time!

Depending on the size and characteristics of the route, climbing walls are divided into several types.

1. Stationary. They are separately installed shields, ranging from six to twenty meters in height, which can be installed both indoors and outdoors. The width of such a simulator can be arbitrary.

2. Mobile. Designed for “nomadic” climbing walls, as they can be easily disassembled and assembled at the right place. The main condition is dry and stable soil where the simulator will be fixed.

3. Sports. They are distinguished by a complex, often two-stage, design with two-level insurance. Most often located in professional centers and sports palaces for holding championships, local competitions and professional training athletes.

4. Specific. Can be mobile or stationary. The average height is 4 meters, which allows the structure to be used in rooms with low ceilings. As a rule, it is used for bouldering (climbing short but very difficult distances).

The benefits and harms of rock climbing

As a sport, rock climbing can bring many benefits. First of all, it is general physical training for the whole body - almost all muscles work! Hand tenacity increases - fine and gross motor skills are developed, which allows you to relieve tension from the joints during long periods of writing, typing or the need to carry heavy bags. The constant task of moving in a plane up and down, left and right, ensures the development of joints, increasing the radius of their mobility, as well as good stretching tendons and muscle fibers, because at each section one way or another you have to reach for the next hold and look for convenient positions to continue climbing.

One of the main advantages of a climbing wall is that it can be used by completely unprepared people - high-quality insurance and instructor supervision do their job! At the first stage of your training, this is enough, especially since all weather factors are minimized.

Climbing exercises help to significantly improve spatial coordination and balance. After regular classes you will be able to note that you hold your back more confidently and don’t slouch; long walks are no longer a problem for you, because mountaineering is also a quality sport! In addition to all this, you can get rid of motion sickness in transport.

Rock climbing brings no less benefits from a psychological point of view. Fighting their fears is one of the main reasons why people enroll in such centers. While you are standing below, everything seems possible, and the instructor convinces you of the same with confident words, but when you find yourself at the top and realize that there are several meters of space below you, phobias begin to emerge. What is the benefit of fighting them in a climbing wall? There are several answers to this:

self-confidence and self-confidence increases;
many past problems now seem insignificant;
the level of your personal potential grows with each new lesson;
you feel the rise physical level, you no longer pay attention to the little things in life and rarely give in to panic;
you experience life’s stresses more easily;
you know that you really have something to be proud of, because you overcame your fears and now you can help others do the same.

TO possible harm This includes the possibility of injury, bruises and contusions during the climb, dizziness and nausea if you are not prepared for the climb. Of course, you should not climb if you have joint diseases or heart failure. Also, you should not sign up for classes if you are not one hundred percent sure that you are ready to deal with your fear of heights. Otherwise, you will harm your own psyche. If you decide, then do not rush to do everything at once. First, just visit the center where the climbing wall is located to learn more about the learning process, then master the most simple techniques ascent and descent, and only after that begin the main battle.

Rock climbing and weight loss

Indoor climbing can be a great solution for losing weight while working out your body. This is burning fat and strengthening muscles in one bundle! In addition, rock climbing requires a lot of calories - you can actually get rid of 1000 units in an hour, so you shouldn’t forbid yourself your favorite dessert on this day. Of course, a lot of patience will be required on your part, especially during initial stage. However, if you manage to overcome yourself and cope with your doubts, believe that this sport will become fast and very effective method getting rid of extra pounds!

Before you start climbing, you should not eat heavily, drink strong tea, coffee or alcoholic drinks. This will destabilize your blood pressure and in most cases cause dizziness, which is potentially dangerous given the altitudes you will be at. The best snack an hour before class would be a light vegetable salad and a glass of freshly squeezed juice, but half an hour after you can afford a full lunch or dinner.

Mountaineering helps in quite short time correct the shape of your arms, back, tighten your abs, buttocks and the shape of your legs. After just a month of regular climbing, you won’t recognize yourself in the mirror. It is worth noting that this pleasure is not the most budget-friendly, but it is worth it!

Zinaida Rublevskaya
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Classification and ethics in climbing are topics of religious wars. Not only do ethics and classification vary by country and by climber/climbing school (broadly speaking), but time moves on. The scope of views changes, styles and directions are mixed. I tried to systematize the types of rock climbing today. The classification of species in Soviet and Western schools differs significantly. To make it clear what we are talking about, the names are duplicated in Russian and English.

Synopsis

Free climbing.
1. Mountaineering or traditional climbing.
2. Sports climbing.
3. Bouldering.
Ice Climbing/Mixed/Drytool.

Fundamental differences exist between types of rock climbing. Styles are divisions within one type.

Types of climbing

Free climbing

The “cleanest”, most widespread, classic look climbing - climbing with the help of the strength of the arms and legs along the natural structure of the rock. Usually this means natural belay - there are no fixed belay points in the rock. The term “free climbing” does not carry information about the presence or absence of insurance, but only about the method of movement on the rock.

Subtypes of free climbing - “solo” - the climber climbs alone, but with belay using a special belay device, the most famous is Silent Partner. Or without insurance (free solo).

Further, depending on the type of equipment used, free climbing is divided into sports And mountaineering(V Soviet school) And sports And traditional(trad climbing) - in the western.

In our terminology this is mountaineering, in Western terminology it can be trad, trad-multipitch or alpine climbing

Aid climbing - climbing using artificial support points (AID climbing)

This is the opposite of free climbing - a man-made type of climbing that uses special devices to climb the rock. The leader in aid climbing stands on ladders made from slings or tied from a rope, connected by carabiners to points of support or belay (bookmarks, friends, various hooks, etc.). Aid is used where the climber cannot or does not want to free climb.

The trend in the development of extremely difficult technical mountaineering ascents in recent decades is the passage by free climbing of routes that were previously considered impassable or first climbed using aid technology. However, there are still quite a lot of lines that are unlikely to ever be free climbed (very narrow cracks, lack of terrain for climbing, etc.).

Aid (artificial support points) climbing: using ladders and various embedded elements and hooks as points of support and insurance. Photo - Chris McNamara, supertopo.com

Aid climbing guru Chris McNamara shows movement techniques in aid climbing

Ice climbing, combined climbing (mixed) and drytool

This is free climbing in crampons with two ice tools. Ice climbing - on ice, mixed - using a combination of snow-covered and icy rocks with areas of ice (often found in the mountains in winter), drytool - on dry rocks. Apart from ice climbing, these types of climbing are relatively young—several decades old. The first climber, thanks to whom people paid attention to the fact that dry difficult rocks can be drytooled, climbed with crampons and with ice hammers, was Jeff Lowe, the brother of the founder of the Lowe Alpine company.

Now all these types of climbing have become independent sports. In the West they are more common than in the Russian-speaking world. Drytooling is often with bolt belay, mixed - in different ways, ice climbing - with belay with ice screws. Perhaps the most famous place for mixed doubles and drytool in the world is. Its distinctive feature is that bolts and pitons cannot be used for belaying (for ethical reasons).

Mixed moderate difficulty with natural belay in the High Tatras, northern face of Svinica, route Right Doravsky

Free climbing styles

Sports climbing. This is a climb along a rock equipped with reliable belay points, usually bolt hooks. When lifting, the rope is snapped into pre-hung guy ropes. Target sport climbing— reach the top of the route without falling and resting at intermediate belay points. Being relatively safe, sport climbing allows you to improve your free climbing skills, like artistic gymnastics, where routine is practiced to perfection. Often, in sport climbing, one route is worked on until the climber can climb it perfectly from start to finish without falling.

Spakman under Creative Commons license

Mountaineering or traditional climbing. Unlike sport climbing, it does not rely on a series of pre-driven bolts. All the equipment necessary for belaying, usually belays and camalots, is carried by the first person in the bunch and placed in cracks in the rock. After completing the route, all safety equipment is removed. Traditional rock climbing can be dangerous when belay points are far apart or poorly placed. However, when climbing a long crack that allows you to belay, if desired, every half meter, it is as safe (or dangerous, depending on your point of view) as sport climbing. In the Soviet school, single-rope routes with natural belay are not distinguished separately, and all types of rock climbing with natural belay are called mountaineering.

Mountaineering or traditional rock climbing: there is nothing on the rock, the leader carries all the equipment (friends, bookmarks, hexes, etc., quickdraws) necessary for organizing belay and sets belay points as necessary. Michal na Tradowa VI, Sokoliki, Western Poland

Bouldering. This is climbing on boulders, which can be from one and a half to fifteen meters high. Typically, bouldering is practiced on blocks no more than five meters high, which is the psychological limit for most people who climb without a rope. Bouldering is the most challenging and gymnastic of rock climbing disciplines, and you can spend days (or years) just trying to understand and execute the moves on a 10-foot rock face. Boulders (bouldering routes) can be found almost everywhere, and to climb them you need a minimum of equipment - climbing shoes, a bag of chalk and a “crashpad” - a mat for falls. For these reasons, bouldering is very popular. It is also the most social type of climbing, as people usually climb not alone or in pairs, but in the company of friends. Bouldering helps you improve your free climbing level. Today bouldering is one of the most popular types rock climbing.

Bouldering: Climbing large rocks without a safety net (usually not needed). In the place of a possible fall, place a crash pad - a thick mat to soften the fall. Photo by Spakman under Creative Commons license

Derived types of climbing

Climbing on artificial terrain) - a type of sport climbing, climbing simulators are used instead of rocks. It allows you to climb all year round, in any weather and where there are no rocks. One of the most popular types of climbing today, along with bouldering, due to its relative safety and accessibility. Several years ago it was recognized Olympic form sports

Sports climbing on a climbing simulator

Derived climbing styles

Climbing with top rope (top-rope climbing, top roping)- a style of climbing in which a belay rope goes from the belayer at the bottom of the route to the climber through a carabiner (or several carabiners) attached to a station at the top of the route. Usually, they climb with a top rope where, for some reason, it is impossible to climb with a bottom rope, to learn rock climbing and to train on routes whose difficulty level significantly exceeds the climber’s capabilities. Due to its safety and simplicity, it is the most common climbing style along with bouldering.

Free solo climbing on routes overhanging water (deep-water soloing)— climbing rocks overhanging the water without a rope. Typically, the altitude of routes is limited by the ability to safely splash down. As a rule, a safe height is up to 12 meters. When a climber fails, he falls into the water. Some routes involve a jump into the water when reaching the end of the route.

Free solo climbing on routes overhanging the water

Headpointing) - a style of traditional rock climbing common in the UK (a play on the word redpoint). Leading on the route is achieved after multiple passes with the top rope. main feature— using an insufficient number of belay points to ensure safety (sometimes a single point in the middle of the route). In the event of a breakdown in a key part of the route, the leader can fly to the ground. Bouldering crashpads can be used for safety.

IN English language- this is multi-rope climbing, regardless of the type of insurance. Thus, it can mean both traditional climbing (trad climbing) and sports (on bolts) or mountaineering.

In Russian, multipitch is the name given to sports multi-pitch routes, where, as a rule, your own belay points are not needed. Multi-rope routes with their own belay points (in whole or in part) are called mountaineering.

Free solo climbingwithout rope (free solo climbing)- free climbing without rope or belay. Falling usually means death. It differs from high boulders in that it involves climbing one or more pitches (equivalent to the length of a rope).

Free solo climbing with belaying (roped free solo climbing). The rope is firmly fixed to a reliable point (station) below. The climber climbs up with the rope, giving it to himself through an automatic blocking device (previously they used two grasping nodes) and snaps the rope into the belay points with quickdraws as needed. To block the rope, two Prusik knots, half stirrups, self-blocking devices modified at home, or Silent Partner were used. However, do not think that the presence of a rope automatically means the climber will survive in the event of a fall.

All photos are taken from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.

Rock climbing is one of the extreme sports active rest and sports that involve climbing on natural or artificially created terrain. At the same time, the athlete has the opportunity to use the natural features of rock formations, the tenacity of his fingers, the strength of his arms, legs and entire torso.

History of rock climbing

The history of rock climbing as a sport goes back to the 19th century. In those distant times, extreme sports enthusiasts chose three mountainous regions of Europe for unusual leisure time and self-affirmation: the Dolomites in Italy, the Lake District in England and the Elbe sandstone mountains in Germany.

In 1887, rock climbing was officially recognized as a sport in Italy as a result of solo climbing. mountain route Die Vajolettürme. Munich schoolboy Georg Winkler, having independently completed the route, gave impetus to the development of a new sports discipline in Italy.

At the end of the 19th century, rock climbing was also officially recognized as a sport in England. And at the beginning of the 20th century in Germany, about 500 athletes already climbed the Sandstone Mountains. By the 30s of the last century, about 200 companies were already successfully operating in this region of Europe. sports clubs teaching rock climbing.

In world history official competitions rock climbing were held in the Western Caucasus region, on the Dombay rocks, in the Alpine camp “Molniya” (1947). For the first time, the regulations on the competition, the program, the rules of the competition and the awarding of the winners were spelled out.

At the end of the last century (1987), the Rock Climbing Commission of the UIAA was created and two types were approved competitive disciplines: difficulty climbing and speed climbing.

In 1988, the first world climbing cup was already held.

The 1990 World Cup became an annual event and included competitions in 4-6 stages.

In 1991, Germany hosted the first World Cup, and since then it has been held every odd-numbered year.

In 1992, the first youth world championship was organized, held in Switzerland. From now on youth championship rock climbers come here every year. In the same year, the first European Championship was held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Now competitions are organized every other year.

International Olympic Committee in 1995 officially recognized by the UIAA. The extreme discipline developed rapidly and entered the third millennium as a competitive sport.

In 2007, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) was created, and 68 countries immediately joined it.

Types and development of rock climbing

Today, rock climbing is becoming increasingly popular, new types of rock climbing are emerging, and in some countries of the world it is included in school programs, special projects are also being developed for people with disabilities.

Majority sports competitions rock climbing today takes place on climbing walls (artificial structures invented by François Savini). And natural rock trails are used more for training purposes. It is believed that on an artificial track, participants are in ideally identical conditions, and the influence of weather is minimized.

Today, there are a number of International Rules according to which sport climbing competitions are organized in the following disciplines:

Difficulty climbing. The main criteria here are height and difficulty of climbing. The height is considered to be reached if the climber has reached the end point of the route. There is a special term to define overcoming heights - top. This discipline involves climbing a route with a bottom rope.

Speed climbing. This is a very spectacular and exciting form of overcoming obstacles, since the main factor here is the speed of overcoming heights. In this type of climbing, a top rope is used. One end of the rope is attached to the extreme athlete, and the other to the belayer. Start and countdown begins at the signal. The winner is the one who did not break down, showed best time and was the first to touch the finish button located at the end of the route.

Bouldering. A type of competition held on low cliffs (5-6 m) with gymnastic belaying or using crash pads (special safety mats), which are placed at the site of the approximate fall of the extreme sportsman. To pass mountain route strength, well-developed coordination, precision and accuracy in movements are required. According to the rules of bouldering, the start and finish require two to three seconds of fixation, and the number of attempts made by the climber is also taken into account.

IN last years rock climbing has become widespread in sports world, extreme sports lovers began to hold all kinds of rock festivals - one-day, multi-day, in several rounds, on natural terrain, using various styles and types of rock climbing.

In addition to sport climbing, free climbing also involves other types of routes: mountaineering or traditional climbing, bouldering up to 15 m high, derivative types. Among the derivative styles that are popular today:

aid— climbing using artificial support points. Extreme climbers challenge those routes and routes that are considered impassable in free climbing.

Ice climbing, mixed (combined climbing) and drytool- the youngest sports. Today they have gained popularity throughout the Western world. Extreme sports enthusiasts from the CIS countries are just beginning to master these new types of rock climbing as an extreme recreation.

Deep Water Solo (Climbing over water). An appropriate rock with a negative slope (usually up to 12m high) is selected so that, in the event of a fall, the participant will fall into the water. Climbing takes place without additional insurance. It is worth taking into account the depth of the reservoir and the surface of the water bottom, and controlling your posture when immersed in water (the “soldier” pose is ideal).

Free Solo– the most risky and dangerous known type of rock climbing on a natural rock surface without additional insurance. Extreme enthusiasts say that for this type of climbing you need to have iron fingers and iron nerves. But this does not protect against a sad end.

Headpointing- Widely distributed in the UK. This is traditional rock climbing, and the leader on the route is determined by repeatedly passing obstacles with a top rope. The difference between headpointing is that this style uses a small number of safety points and crash pads.

Highball– this is high bouldering, the peculiarity of which is climbing rocks higher than 5 m or more. In highball, falls from the top of boulders are common, causing serious injury.

Multi Pitch Climb– multi-rope climbing only with your own safety points or, as in sport climbing, pre-prepared safety places.

Whatever the useful rest, first of all it should be pleasant and inspiring. And what could be more pleasant for a modern person than to take a break from the everyday hustle and bustle and give a good workout to the muscles that have become stiff from office vigil?! It’s great if all these actions take place in a fun way, fresh air and in the company of cheerful friends. Well, what could be better than mountains and the excitement of conquering their peaks? Only the benefits you get from climbing. This will be discussed in this article on our women’s website about fitness and weight loss.

The benefits of rock climbing

“Accuracy is the courtesy of kings,” says popular wisdom. Climbers know firsthand how important this quality is. There is no room for error here; every movement must be verified as much as possible in advance.

The benefit of rock climbing is the development of mental reactions, in particular the ability to calculate your actions in advance. At the same time, coordination of movements and attentiveness quickly improves. It is impossible to withdraw into yourself or immerse yourself in meditation here. It requires activation of reserves and clearly teaches one to be in a state of “here and now” all the time.

Girls will be interested to know about the benefits of rock climbing for one of the most problem areas– the inner thigh, as well as the buttocks, abdominal and back muscles. The spine will receive excellent strengthening exercises, which it so lacks in everyday life. The muscles are strengthened and tightened quickly, and most importantly - somehow imperceptibly, in a tense but exciting manner. Fingers become especially strong, and ankle joints- as strong as ropes. Flexibility develops - for this you do not need to freeze in asanas, because when climbing you will have to look for better body positions. Not only your arms, but also your legs will have to be thrown where they can be placed, and not where it is more convenient.

Psychologists say that in climbing a rock there is something deeply familiar and understandable to every person. This feeling begins from the baby’s first crawls, from his attempts to conquer different surfaces. This joy of achievement in adulthood is renewed on a new level when you storm a vertical surface where danger may await you.

Special character and taste of risk

As strange as it may sound, the great benefit of rock climbing is the significant change in character. Judge for yourself: firstly, a person is forced to plan his actions, because he will have to answer for their consequences immediately - a sense of responsibility quickly develops; secondly, it is dangerous to be nervous at altitude, you need to conquer the mountain with a cool mind, which means your character becomes calmer, and your nerves acquire iron strength; thirdly, since you don’t want to go back, that is, down, your determination increases and your willpower strengthens.

It’s a pity that vacations to go to the mountains come only once a year, but you can try your hand on weekends. Fortunately, we have enough climbing schools with ready-made terrain. By the way, such reliefs are on sale, they can be installed in a private home, however, this will require very high ceilings. In any case, the children will be delighted!

Those who like to tickle their nerves will also experience delight, because you can climb the mountain in various kinds of competitions with each other - for example, for championship in passing the route. For those who drink champagne solely because of their risky nature, rock climbing will provide the opportunity for acute dangerous moments - for example, a route without insurance or speed on a difficult route.

From Dave MacLeod

Part 1: Stay on course!

Learn from the best.
Which of the best animals can we compare to ourselves at climbing? - monkey! Watch some clips on YouTube of how they climb. How can you describe their climbing style in one word? That's right, they rock. Rocking, in parlance, is using a push to accelerate the body or part of it in the direction you want to move.

Static movement is terribly ineffective among the huge number of movement types. Which direction is the next hold? What part of your body needs to push yourself towards it (before you swing back) and gain the advantage of momentum that will carry you to the next hold without using force? This use of inertia in practice is easy to use when you are climbing overhangs and when there are good holds that can be loaded in any direction (like huge handles on artificial walls). But when they get bad, you can give yourself less leeway before the holds you have to hold on to become very small. But try not to be static. Just use momentum more cleverly.

Rock your torso, hips, shoulders, legs or arms to assist and initiate movement between holds, reducing the need to apply large amounts of force to the body's critical centers of movement (a particularly big benefit for climbers). Also, movements on holds, when you catch the inertia as it declines, make it possible for you to hold on to smaller holds.

If you feel physically stronger than other climbers who climb higher grades than you, or you have had one or more injuries due to joint overuse, you may not be using enough momentum to move.

More rocking. Fewer blocks.

Strength training is a double-edged sword in climbing. Let me explain the most important reason Why:

The old saying goes: a man with a hammer sees nails everywhere. This is a warning for those people who focus on only one thing, often believing that this thing will solve any problem. This is a very good warning.
Basic strength training, particularly for the fingers, is a gateway to the world of higher categories, but only when it is in addition to real climbing. Where climbers go wrong is when they practice campus or fingerboarding instead of rock climbing. So they get stronger, but they forget how to climb. Look at the section ‘ Best Advice’ (translation: at the end of the article) to learn more about this.

"Big Three".
The Big Three are the three main trainable/controllable factors for assessing climbing skill: technique, finger strength, and body weight. The most important of the remaining ones are psychological factors (with a million subsections): discipline, nutrition, equipment, style and living conditions.

Rule number one when planning your training process, position these “big three” before everything else, then try to add as many other important aspects as you can to it. The goal is to simultaneously develop the factors that work for you to a certain level. After all, it may turn out that you will be strong in one thing, and weak in everything else. So when making any planning decisions or training, just think about whether you are doing enough to cover the Big Three, or if there are other things that should be included.

If you try some practical training program examples, you will very easily notice how easy it is to move away from the “big three” in your all-encompassing training schedule. Here's an example: Most likely, doing just trad climbing for an entire summer will be very good for your technique, will strengthen you mentally and will probably reduce your body weight if you spend a lot of time in the mountains, but it will probably set you back in strength fingers and stamina. One factor from the Big Three is missing! A little sport climbing from time to time, indoors or on the rocks, will help you maintain finger strength while you progress in other areas.

“Big Three” Number 1. Movement technique

The most basic rules to ensure that your technique is constantly improving:

Climb a lot and varied
Change climbing places, disciplines, angles, types of rocks, hold manufacturers, climbing partners - change everything, constantly!
Read the rock; to think about possible options passing on the ground. Make it a habit.
Talk to good climbers more, or at least watch them, as often as possible. Subconsciously you will adopt their techniques.

The Big Three Number 2: Finger Strength.

It develops very slowly. Anatomically, we are not designed to have strong fingers, so attempts to speed up this process by more intense training over a couple of months only lead to injuries. Distribute the workload throughout the year. Train your fingers on small holds as much as you can, every week, for a whole year.
Strengthen each grip type. Most climbers only work on closed grip strength and neglect open grip strength. All this sooner or later leads to injury. Don't make this mistake. The goal is to be equally strong on open-grip passives, four-finger holds, and closed-grip holds. Compare your grip strength by counting the number of pull-ups you can do using different grips. If one of them is weaker, then focus on it and don't stop until you match them. This will make you stronger and keep you from getting injured. For most climbers, this process will take a couple of years. Are you patient enough?

"Big Three" Number 3. Body weight.

Being light is important for climbing. There is no way to escape this. There are a few notable exceptions where the genetic type allowed people to be heavy because the upper body muscles demanded it. But most of us are built differently.
If you have excess fat, get rid of it! Don't have illusions - they pull you down.
Keep your weight at an optimal level with a standard healthy diet and generally limiting unhealthy foods. Fad diets and severe calorie restriction are almost guaranteed to set you back on your long journey.
Many can achieve this simply by managing their alcohol intake and not having to worry about diet. But it’s especially good when your friends adhere to the same thing and are at the same time with you, then you won’t be broken!

In future articles, I will talk more about secondary factors affecting climbing ability. But I wanted to start with what is most important first. So, if the weeks go by and you haven't mastered any technical reception, can't remember when you last time If you are doing a pull-up or are reading this while holding a beer and chips, then you yourself know what you should change first.

"Best advice":
Be careful not to be too strong.

Strength training is a double-edged sword in climbing. Let me explain the most important reason why:

Learning technique is achieved simply and reinforced by habits. They can be good or bad. The problem is that rock climbing is not a simple activity. In two- or three-move bouldering problems, you need to push yourself as hard as possible. Without hesitation, just snatch from everyone muscle fiber your maximum. But any movements on a long multi-pitch may have completely different requirements - conservation of strength and energy. Spend them as little as possible. On mid-length routes, it's even trickier - you have to switch between efficiently storing energy in relaxation mode, releasing it in bouldering mode at the crux, and then instantly switching back. Of course, this is what makes climbing fun, and more interesting than simpler activities such as lifting weights.

But this also poses problems for learning. There's a lot to watch when we're climbing, foot placement, reading the rock, safety, pacing, dealing with fear and executing interceptions. We make hundreds of decisions that are expressed simply in one movement. Therefore, most of this work must be done subconsciously, otherwise we will become too overwhelmed. At one point in time, we can only focus on one or two important things. The path to your natural climbing is shaped by what you do day after day. Let's look at this from a practical point of view.

You want to be better at climbing overhanging sport routes (eg 7a). You don't feel strong enough, so you start bouldering and fingerboarding several times a week throughout the winter season. Made! You have become stronger and this is what you need. But also, you have created potential problems. Each of these workouts reinforced in your brain (on a subconscious level) that climbing is like constantly doing hard pull-ups.

So, you go to 7a and you can do all the moves perfectly, but you are breathing heavily and struggling, but you still can’t climb it. In fact, you're probably not much closer than when you started? What happened? This happens to many climbers who start training a little more seriously and try to get stronger. This is mainly due to the fact that the body becomes addicted to the habit of pulling itself up as much as possible, and the habit of maintaining strength disappears. Of course you can apply this to any other aspect of climbing or fitness.

Focusing too much on oneself weak side, we are losing other important skills. Because they are used on a subconscious level in climbing, we can't just call them up whenever we want. We must do them consistently throughout the year so we can avoid losing them. The reason for this situation, which happens so often to many climbers, is that they tend to focus on one thing (such as indoor bouldering, or trad) for several months to the exclusion of everything else.

You will constantly be sliding back to the top of the ladder on one of the variables, while desperately trying to climb up the other. The answer is to maintain your strength while you work on a weakness or a higher priority aspect of climbing.
In my opinion, maintenance is one of the most underrated aspects of growth in sports and forgotten in many articles and books on training. Just think of your climbing ability as a spinning record. Having worked a little to get the record spinning, there is time to make progress in some other area. But concentrating on one thing and ignoring everything else will very soon end in distortion and falling to one side.

What is the most common mistake among climbers? This is constant climbing in the gym throughout the winter and doing fitness in the spring, then climbing trad (physically not very difficult) during the summer. As a result, you will start over again next October. Do this for twenty years and you will still be climbing the same categories (as are most climbers).

Solution: Maintain your winter gains every evening (or twice a day if possible) at the gym throughout the year. This way you can move up next fall and move up the categories year after year. I know of at least two Scottish climbers who achieved their best grades (7c+ and 8a) in their 60s.

The best option is to start climbing as a complete wimp and learn to really climb hard (ie struggle), gradually getting stronger. Those who start climbing trying to become too strong will never know what it means to truly struggle and will never learn good technique. If you're strong, you might want to spend more time finding super-technical climbs on a lot of rocks and climbing with weaklings who know better than you how to be more efficient.

Don't create bias from just one type of climbing. Supporting one, build another, piece by piece.

Continuation.“wise. Part 2"