Best of Fast Fitness: Skip the Crunches for Rock Climbing
Want to get back to a club to exercise, but not a traditional gym? Rock climbing gyms are a great alternative. Check out these tips from the archives.
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Whether you’re tuning up or setting out to get them for the first time (or get them back after a long sugar addiction), it might be a great time to supplement the gym with something fun. Rock climbing is one of those activities, and it doesn’t have to be as extreme as it sounds. In fact, there are indoor facilities in New Jersey that allow you to get all of the exercise benefits of rock climbing without the safety concerns that might exist doing it on your own outside.
If you’re thinking of rounding up your friends and giving it a try, here are a few tips, courtesy of Women’s Health:
- Use your legs. While it may seem natural to rely on your arms to pull you up to the next grip, using your larger leg muscles to push you up will help stave off fatigue
- Stay close to the wall. Keeping your center of gravity above your feet helps you push off your legs more efficiently
- Think outside of the box. Be strategic about which grips you choose. It may look like you’re playing a wall version of Twister, but the most efficient route doesn’t always look like the most graceful one!
Regardless of how well you do on your first outing, telling your friends you just came back from rock climbing sounds a lot more fun than saying you just came back from 100 crunches!
– Dan Mulcahey
