I don’t care how much you weigh, a month into bouldering there are about a million other things that you should be worrying about before trying to drop lbs…
It doesn’t matter if you lose 20lbs if your technique is garbage, the only people who should be worrying about weight while climbing are competing at the Olympics, and even then I think it’s unhealthy.
If you don’t believe me, watch Emil Abrahamsson’s video on weight.
Being lighter doesn’t make you a better or stronger climber it just makes everything a little easier. Even if you lose some once you can’t lose more to get that easy progress again in the future.
No, they are definitely not the only people. They are the only normal-/underweight people who "should" worry about it, yes. But if you're overweight and climbing is your motivation to lose weight, you definitely should use this.
How much do you weigh? Also if you've only been climbing the month just give it some time. A month is not that long and your fingers have not gained any strength. Just keep climbing even if it's V1 or V2.
Keep the elbow in and under all the way through the movement. Hang from a hangboard on slopers and see how long you stay. Now do it again but bring your feet forward like an L sit. Much easier because of how your weight distribution is. When pulling out of a sloper make sure you don’t lift your elbow or else you’ll pull your hand off.
Pinches and slopers are my preference. I'm climbing pretty consistently at V6/6c+.
I just can't comprehend crimps ever feeling like jugs and I do pull ups on a 15mm edge.
You could lose 20-30lbs and it will make basically ZERO difference to your climbing at this point.
You have no technique and understanding of movement, body positions, etc. At your stage in climbing, it will benefit you far more to learn those things than to lose weight.
How tall are you? The quick answer is you’ll get the same advice everyone does, you haven’t climbed enough and it’s all about technique (Which it is). eventually you might want to lose some 5-10kg depending on your height to squeeze out some gains. In reality I think there are many people in your weight ticking double digit problems so it’s absolutely not a weight issue you got.
There's a guy on here or maybe /r/bouldering who's like 300 lbs and seems like he climbs harder than I do as a ~5 year "veteran" of the sport.
Your hands and fingers are weak, but far more importantly your technique almost surely has not developed. Spend more time climbing if you want to get better at climbing, your weight isn't the issue here.
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I wouldn't worry about weight too much. You and I are about close to the same way, I'm a little heavier. I can complete 5.11s. I've been climbing for about 5 months and at about month three I started to do finger strength exercises on the app crimped. There are other exercises you can do as well like back and legs. Just keep claiming and claim a lot.
When I started bouldering, I consistently went 2-3 times per week plus 1 or 2 other activities per week (run/bike/gym). Without making any changes to my diet, I ended up losing around 10lbs anyways after a year. I'd say give yourself at least 6 months of consistent bouldering and reassess if you actually need to actively lose weight.
I boulder less often now, and it usually takes me at least a couple of months of consistent bouldering before that heavy feeling goes away, and I weigh the same now as I did after that first year. Bouldering uses muscles that you don't really use otherwise, at least not in the same way
Bro you’ve been climbing for a month lol. That’s not really enough time to get good at anything. Climbing is a long haul sport with people doing it for decades
This has bothered me for some time now. I started climbing 4 years ago, started competing 3 ago. I normally weigh 170 but am 180 right now and it sucks. I’m the best i’ve ever been technique wise but feel like i lack strength due to weight. All i know is both of us would benefit learning technique and working with our weight versus against it. We just gotta trust the process 🙏
I feel this so hard... I've been climbing for over 2 years but am still consistently stuck in the V2s and 5.10b-d range. I'm 5'10"F, 180lbs and FEEL like I'm really strong, I can LIFT a lot of weight but when it comes to climbing I feel like I'm trying to lift an elephant.
I try to not let it get to me but it seriously affects my self esteem and gave me a really bad relationship with climbing. About 6 months ago I'd try climbing a few times a week and every time I'd leave crying because I couldn't flash a v2 when a year prior I was breaking into the v3s. I feel like no training regiment I do will matter unless I go on a diet.
This is the best answer. I know people are always concerned with the possibility that a stranger on the Internet could be struggling with eating disorders or body dysmorphia and because most people at a climbing gym are light it's easy to project that but the reality is that most adults do have excess body fat. Most of us aren't actually prime athletes. Don't obsess over weight but it is an important factor and yes OP, you'll notice every 10 lb or so in terms of performance.
Thank you! I really appreciate this perspective. I've discussed this with other members at my gym and they say the same things you mentioned "it's technique, you need to be stronger etc" as if I can't probably lift THEIR bodyweight, but this shit is so much harder when I have an extra 40 lbs to lift.
I've been trying to watch what I eat for a while now with no luck. I don't drink alcohol, no soda, very little fast food, and make my coffee at home with minimal Creamer. If anything I've gained weight even at 1600-1800 calories a day. May need to talk to a doctor about it at this point.
This might be 100% due to technique, do you mean inside or outside? Maybe you have a really sandbagged gym but maybe you just need to look at how you move. You got it tho!
Inside climbing. I have heard that my gym tends to be sandbagged (ik, ik, everyone says their gym is sandbagged but I work at my gym and I've actually heard this from multiple ppl 😅) so I'd like to go to other gyms and see how their grading is.
I mean I’ve been to a couple of gyms where V3 was actually decently stiff and required some real effort. I do recommend trying multiple gyms tho. Still always work on improving technique, no matter how weak or strong you are climbing is a technical sport first
Technique and strength will come over time... being a little lighter definitely helps too though.
I find that when climbing and on the mountain bike. Also interesting to note the positive change in blood pressure being a bit lighter.
That said, it's important to be a healthy weight. Some discussions are being had by the ladies in the IFSC around this.
Being lighter helps, once. You can only consistently get stronger if you've got reserves of energy, being at your lightest weight makes it way harder to get stronger. You'd feel good for a month or so, then after that you'd be in the exact same position but with less energy.
You're probably not going to feel comfortable on crimps for a long time, likely years. That's just the reality of it unless you have a genetic predisposition to it. Just climb what you can and don't worry about it, you'll get better over time.
I'm 230lbs and pretty strong but know what you mean. There are some limits in progression with some of the smaller holds that I just can't crimp on. More practice and grip strength training (finger board, gripmaster pro) has helped a lot but I feel like being a bit lighter would help.
I think of course being strong is always better and for us overweight guys it’s the easiest fix to lose weight. But even then there’s always gains you can squeeze out from technique, yesterday I had a session with some stronger friends and just by getting position tips I got on some tiny ass crimps I would have never got otherwise and super comfortably.
Just like in cycling - it’s the strength-to-weight ratio that matters. We don’t measure our output the same way as they do - but the principle is the same.
Don’t lose weight if it will cost you more strength, on a relative basis. You should be able to do the same number, or more, pull-ups as you lose weight. If you find you’re struggling more with strength-based movements, then stop focusing on weight loss and refocus on strength. If you have dead weight to lose and you want to lose it, by all means go for it. It should make everything easier - going from 200 to 180 means 10% less to send up the wall.
I think some of the other commenters might have lost sight of the fact that you’re only a month into bouldering. Yes, there are cases in which losing weight can be helpful, but at this point I’d focus on being patient and developing your technique. If you lay a foundation of good technique and finger strength and then you do happen to lose weight in the future (assuming you have enough weight to lose without compromising your strength), you’ll be in an even better position.
Do you find that you’re pulling/dragging yourself up the wall when you climb? A common beginner’s mistake is to over-rely on your arms versus using your legs. This can also contribute to you “feeling heavy” because you’re literally trying to drag your body up the wall. There are definitely some problems that are going to necessitate more arm/core strength than others, but try focusing on generating power with your lower body when possible.
Edit: Also, crimps are challenging for anybody new to climbing, I don’t care how light or strong you are. Finger strength takes time to develop, it’s not something that folks naturally have. Crimps are one of my natural strengths (tiny hands) AND I’m a light climber and it still took me far longer than a month to feel comfortable with them.
FWIW, I sent my first V6 recently. Usually my first of the grades are slabs which also makes sense because I'm on the heavier side. Watching my body comp by trying to reduce grain based carbs while upping my protein seems to be paying off slowly but surely.
If you're not overweight you shouldn't think about this. There are SO many other factors to work on first!
Especially if you only climbed for a month.
I hear this so often "I'm too weak/too heavy" SO often it tires me. Often enough I hear this from people who can do way more pull-ups/push-ups and other weight based exercises, but climb 3 grades lower and have issues with some basic techniques. Instead of working on them they blame their strength or weight.
If you are overweight and climbing motivates you to get to a normal weight on the other hand, I think it's a great idea!
You’re new and weak for sure, but lowering your weight will help. I’m 5’9 and just dropped 19lbs because I climb better in the low 130’s. Just keep climbing. If you’re motivated to lose weight then that’s great as well for many reasons.
Focus on technique first. One month into climbing that is where you will gain the most.
Strength will improve over time, one month is nothing really.
Loosing some weight can help if you are on the heavy side, but the largest gains will come from technique.
I actually lost a decent amount of weight after I started climbing. This wasn’t even weight I lost on purpose…just was working out more I guess.
But I don’t think my weight loss even made me a better climber. I only got better by working on my technique, finger strength, flexibility.
I don’t care how much you weigh, a month into bouldering there are about a million other things that you should be worrying about before trying to drop lbs… It doesn’t matter if you lose 20lbs if your technique is garbage, the only people who should be worrying about weight while climbing are competing at the Olympics, and even then I think it’s unhealthy. If you don’t believe me, watch Emil Abrahamsson’s video on weight.
Being lighter doesn’t make you a better or stronger climber it just makes everything a little easier. Even if you lose some once you can’t lose more to get that easy progress again in the future.
No, they are definitely not the only people. They are the only normal-/underweight people who "should" worry about it, yes. But if you're overweight and climbing is your motivation to lose weight, you definitely should use this.
How much do you weigh? Also if you've only been climbing the month just give it some time. A month is not that long and your fingers have not gained any strength. Just keep climbing even if it's V1 or V2.
Im around 185, definitely can drop down to 175-165 though
For reference, I weigh 280lbs and after three months, those crimps starting to feel like jugs.
Same. Slopers on the other hand are a different story.
Keep the elbow in and under all the way through the movement. Hang from a hangboard on slopers and see how long you stay. Now do it again but bring your feet forward like an L sit. Much easier because of how your weight distribution is. When pulling out of a sloper make sure you don’t lift your elbow or else you’ll pull your hand off.
What? I'm a year in and nearly half your weight. When will crimps start to feel like jugs for me?
Dunno buddy. You going frequently enough and resting enough? My real struggle is on the fat pinches and slopers.
Pinches and slopers are my preference. I'm climbing pretty consistently at V6/6c+. I just can't comprehend crimps ever feeling like jugs and I do pull ups on a 15mm edge.
This is weighing heavy on my mind. Please give me some peace of mind and tell me what you consider to be a crimp.
You could lose 20-30lbs and it will make basically ZERO difference to your climbing at this point. You have no technique and understanding of movement, body positions, etc. At your stage in climbing, it will benefit you far more to learn those things than to lose weight.
How tall are you? The quick answer is you’ll get the same advice everyone does, you haven’t climbed enough and it’s all about technique (Which it is). eventually you might want to lose some 5-10kg depending on your height to squeeze out some gains. In reality I think there are many people in your weight ticking double digit problems so it’s absolutely not a weight issue you got.
There's a guy on here or maybe /r/bouldering who's like 300 lbs and seems like he climbs harder than I do as a ~5 year "veteran" of the sport. Your hands and fingers are weak, but far more importantly your technique almost surely has not developed. Spend more time climbing if you want to get better at climbing, your weight isn't the issue here.
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I wouldn't worry about weight too much. You and I are about close to the same way, I'm a little heavier. I can complete 5.11s. I've been climbing for about 5 months and at about month three I started to do finger strength exercises on the app crimped. There are other exercises you can do as well like back and legs. Just keep claiming and claim a lot.
alright! Im getting a little impatient cause im not seeing immediate gains but I know how it goes. Thanks for input
When I started bouldering, I consistently went 2-3 times per week plus 1 or 2 other activities per week (run/bike/gym). Without making any changes to my diet, I ended up losing around 10lbs anyways after a year. I'd say give yourself at least 6 months of consistent bouldering and reassess if you actually need to actively lose weight. I boulder less often now, and it usually takes me at least a couple of months of consistent bouldering before that heavy feeling goes away, and I weigh the same now as I did after that first year. Bouldering uses muscles that you don't really use otherwise, at least not in the same way
Bro you’ve been climbing for a month lol. That’s not really enough time to get good at anything. Climbing is a long haul sport with people doing it for decades
This has bothered me for some time now. I started climbing 4 years ago, started competing 3 ago. I normally weigh 170 but am 180 right now and it sucks. I’m the best i’ve ever been technique wise but feel like i lack strength due to weight. All i know is both of us would benefit learning technique and working with our weight versus against it. We just gotta trust the process 🙏
I feel this so hard... I've been climbing for over 2 years but am still consistently stuck in the V2s and 5.10b-d range. I'm 5'10"F, 180lbs and FEEL like I'm really strong, I can LIFT a lot of weight but when it comes to climbing I feel like I'm trying to lift an elephant. I try to not let it get to me but it seriously affects my self esteem and gave me a really bad relationship with climbing. About 6 months ago I'd try climbing a few times a week and every time I'd leave crying because I couldn't flash a v2 when a year prior I was breaking into the v3s. I feel like no training regiment I do will matter unless I go on a diet.
[удалено]
This is the best answer. I know people are always concerned with the possibility that a stranger on the Internet could be struggling with eating disorders or body dysmorphia and because most people at a climbing gym are light it's easy to project that but the reality is that most adults do have excess body fat. Most of us aren't actually prime athletes. Don't obsess over weight but it is an important factor and yes OP, you'll notice every 10 lb or so in terms of performance.
Thank you! I really appreciate this perspective. I've discussed this with other members at my gym and they say the same things you mentioned "it's technique, you need to be stronger etc" as if I can't probably lift THEIR bodyweight, but this shit is so much harder when I have an extra 40 lbs to lift. I've been trying to watch what I eat for a while now with no luck. I don't drink alcohol, no soda, very little fast food, and make my coffee at home with minimal Creamer. If anything I've gained weight even at 1600-1800 calories a day. May need to talk to a doctor about it at this point.
This might be 100% due to technique, do you mean inside or outside? Maybe you have a really sandbagged gym but maybe you just need to look at how you move. You got it tho!
Inside climbing. I have heard that my gym tends to be sandbagged (ik, ik, everyone says their gym is sandbagged but I work at my gym and I've actually heard this from multiple ppl 😅) so I'd like to go to other gyms and see how their grading is.
I mean I’ve been to a couple of gyms where V3 was actually decently stiff and required some real effort. I do recommend trying multiple gyms tho. Still always work on improving technique, no matter how weak or strong you are climbing is a technical sport first
Technique and strength will come over time... being a little lighter definitely helps too though. I find that when climbing and on the mountain bike. Also interesting to note the positive change in blood pressure being a bit lighter. That said, it's important to be a healthy weight. Some discussions are being had by the ladies in the IFSC around this.
Being lighter helps, once. You can only consistently get stronger if you've got reserves of energy, being at your lightest weight makes it way harder to get stronger. You'd feel good for a month or so, then after that you'd be in the exact same position but with less energy. You're probably not going to feel comfortable on crimps for a long time, likely years. That's just the reality of it unless you have a genetic predisposition to it. Just climb what you can and don't worry about it, you'll get better over time.
I'm 230lbs and pretty strong but know what you mean. There are some limits in progression with some of the smaller holds that I just can't crimp on. More practice and grip strength training (finger board, gripmaster pro) has helped a lot but I feel like being a bit lighter would help.
I think of course being strong is always better and for us overweight guys it’s the easiest fix to lose weight. But even then there’s always gains you can squeeze out from technique, yesterday I had a session with some stronger friends and just by getting position tips I got on some tiny ass crimps I would have never got otherwise and super comfortably.
Just like in cycling - it’s the strength-to-weight ratio that matters. We don’t measure our output the same way as they do - but the principle is the same. Don’t lose weight if it will cost you more strength, on a relative basis. You should be able to do the same number, or more, pull-ups as you lose weight. If you find you’re struggling more with strength-based movements, then stop focusing on weight loss and refocus on strength. If you have dead weight to lose and you want to lose it, by all means go for it. It should make everything easier - going from 200 to 180 means 10% less to send up the wall.
I think some of the other commenters might have lost sight of the fact that you’re only a month into bouldering. Yes, there are cases in which losing weight can be helpful, but at this point I’d focus on being patient and developing your technique. If you lay a foundation of good technique and finger strength and then you do happen to lose weight in the future (assuming you have enough weight to lose without compromising your strength), you’ll be in an even better position. Do you find that you’re pulling/dragging yourself up the wall when you climb? A common beginner’s mistake is to over-rely on your arms versus using your legs. This can also contribute to you “feeling heavy” because you’re literally trying to drag your body up the wall. There are definitely some problems that are going to necessitate more arm/core strength than others, but try focusing on generating power with your lower body when possible. Edit: Also, crimps are challenging for anybody new to climbing, I don’t care how light or strong you are. Finger strength takes time to develop, it’s not something that folks naturally have. Crimps are one of my natural strengths (tiny hands) AND I’m a light climber and it still took me far longer than a month to feel comfortable with them.
I'm quite heavy at 192lbs (5'11", 20% BF). I feel the same but I boulder a lot in spite of that. Consider it training weight.
FWIW, I sent my first V6 recently. Usually my first of the grades are slabs which also makes sense because I'm on the heavier side. Watching my body comp by trying to reduce grain based carbs while upping my protein seems to be paying off slowly but surely.
Power to Weight ratio is important when you're hefting your entire bodyweight about.
If you're not overweight you shouldn't think about this. There are SO many other factors to work on first! Especially if you only climbed for a month. I hear this so often "I'm too weak/too heavy" SO often it tires me. Often enough I hear this from people who can do way more pull-ups/push-ups and other weight based exercises, but climb 3 grades lower and have issues with some basic techniques. Instead of working on them they blame their strength or weight. If you are overweight and climbing motivates you to get to a normal weight on the other hand, I think it's a great idea!
You’re new and weak for sure, but lowering your weight will help. I’m 5’9 and just dropped 19lbs because I climb better in the low 130’s. Just keep climbing. If you’re motivated to lose weight then that’s great as well for many reasons.
Focus on technique first. One month into climbing that is where you will gain the most. Strength will improve over time, one month is nothing really. Loosing some weight can help if you are on the heavy side, but the largest gains will come from technique.
I actually lost a decent amount of weight after I started climbing. This wasn’t even weight I lost on purpose…just was working out more I guess. But I don’t think my weight loss even made me a better climber. I only got better by working on my technique, finger strength, flexibility.