Complete Fitness: Why Indoor Climbing Covers All Bases

Climbing's a full-on, total-body workout that throws a bunch of different training styles into one fun session. Unlike just doing isolated sets at the gym, climbing makes you use all your muscles in a practical way. You'll build strength and endurance, and it's way more engaging than your usual workout.

  • Strength Training: Bouldering builds upper body, lower body, and grip strength through dynamic, functional movements.
  • Cardiovascular Training: Sustained climbing improves heart health by mixing high-intensity bursts with endurance training in Zone 2, which is known to support lifelong heart health.
  • Fat Burning & Weight Management: Climbing is a high-energy activity that burns a significant number of calories per session, making it an effective way to manage weight.

At The Climbing Hangar, climbers of any experience level can work on technique and go for all-out strength and fitness gains. With a dedicated training space, you can complement your climbing with gym-based exercises to maximize your performance. Many climbers also use weight training, core workouts, and mobility drills to further enhance their climbing ability.

Climbing for Functional Strength & Mobility

Unlike traditional strength training, indoor rock climbing enhances functional strength. It challenges the body to move efficiently through difficult positions, strengthening muscles through their full range of motion.

  • Upper Body & Grip: Essential for pulling and hanging.
  • Lower Body: Engages legs for pushing and stabilizing.
  • Mobility & Flexibility: Requires deep stretching and full-body coordination. Yoga and martial arts are popular among climbers for this reason, helping with balance and body awareness.

The Climbing Hangar centres across the UK offer a wide range training facilities to supplement your workouts with fingerboards, campus boards, and resistance training. You’ll have everything under one roof to help you develop power, endurance, and injury resilience.

Indoor Climbing & Cardiovascular Health

Bouldering isn’t just about strength, it’s also great for your heart. Research shows that climbing can improve cardiovascular fitness by increasing endurance and oxygen efficiency. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [1] found that climbing boosts heart health, making it a great alternative to traditional cardio workouts. 

The quick, powerful movements in indoor bouldering get your heart pumping, helping to build stamina while strengthening muscles at the same time.

Climbing for Core Strength & Stability

Indoor climbing naturally builds a rock-solid core. The demands of putting your body into challenging positions will bullet-proof your core in a unique, diverse, and fun way. 

If you dread a whole session of crunches, twists and planks, then bouldering gets you better results in a much more enjoyable way.

Climbing for Weight Management

Climbing is a calorie-torching workout. Studies show that a single session can burn 500-900 calories [2], depending on intensity and body weight. This makes it a fantastic option for those looking to manage weight effectively while having fun.

Longevity, Mental Health & The Climbing Hangar Community

You may have heard of longevity medicine or functional health. It’s the growing science behind keeping yourself fit and healthy into older age as well as living longer.

And it starts when you’re young!

Longevity science has shown a strong link between grip strength and overall health [3], as well dedicated heart rate exercise spent in your Zone 2 heart rate. Climbing ticks off these boxes with ease, making it an ideal activity for long-term fitness and healthier, happy lives.

Climbing to Help Your Mental health

More than just physical fitness, climbing is incredible for mental health too. The mix of physical challenge, problem-solving, and community spirit grows confidence, reduces stress, and helps improve your focus. 

Concentrating on solving a tough problem can put you into a flow state, giving you the space for mindfulness and taking away the day’s worries.

The Climbing Hangar has created a space where you can leave your stress at the door.  Learn more about how climbing benefits both physical and mental health in this blog post.

Why Climbing Has the Edge

If you think keeping fit is all about bicep curls and deadlifts, then think again. Real fitness involves training all aspects of your body and mind. A full workout should cover strength training, flexibility, cardio, and core. And let’s not forget how important training is for good mental health too.  Indoor climbing gives you all this, and more.

Unlike traditional workouts that can become repetitive and boring, indoor climbing for fitness enthusiasts is dynamic, engaging, and rewarding. Here’s why it stands out:

  • More Variety & Problem-Solving: Every bloc presents a new challenge, keeping both your body and brain engaged.
  • Excitement & Adrenaline: Climbing offers a rush that you simply can’t find by lifting weights or running on a treadmill.
  • Progressive training: Bouldering gives you a straightforward path of progression so you can clearly see where you’ve come from and where you’re going with your training.
  • Sociable & Community-Driven: Climbing gyms foster camaraderie, making workouts more enjoyable and supportive. 

At The Climbing Hangar, you’ll find a welcoming community of climbers, from complete beginners to elite athletes, all supporting each other’s progress. Our climbing centres across the UK also have dedicated training areas for off-the-wall workouts.

The Gym & Climbing Can Go Hand in Chalky Hand

Even if you love the gym, you don’t have to choose between the gym and climbing. Combining the two can elevate your performance in both. Strength training and mobility work in the gym can enhance your climbing ability, while climbing itself develops functional strength, endurance, and coordination that benefit gym workouts.

The Climbing Hangar’s dedicated training spaces allow you to blend both seamlessly.

Conclusion

Indoor climbing really is the ultimate full-body workout. It builds strength, improves your cardio, aids in weight management, and can even enhance longevity. More than just exercise, it’s mentally stimulating, sociable and fun!

Especially if you’re the sort of person that gets bored with a repetitive gym routine. If you’re looking for an exciting way to stay fit, it’s time to be brave and try indoor bouldering.

Ready to take on a new challenge? Whether you’re a gym-goer looking for a fresh, functional workout or an adventurer seeking a new challenge in a welcoming community, The Climbing Hangar is the best place in the UK to experience indoor climbing.

With expert coaches, world-class facilities, and a warm welcome, there’s no better place to get started.

Book your session today and discover why climbing is the ultimate full-body workout!

 

References:

  1.     Callender, N. A., Hayes, T. N., & Tiller, N. B. (2021). Cardiorespiratory demands of competitive rock climbing. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 46(2), 161–168. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-0566
  2.     Harvard Health Publishing. (n.d.). Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights. Retrieved [Today's Date], from https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-for-people-of-three-different-weights
  3.     Chen L. K. (2024). The grip on healthspan: Handgrip strength as a vital sign of aging. Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 122, 105436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2024.105436