How to burn 900 calories by playing Spiderman for an hour.

January 30, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments

Like losing weight and weight lifting?

How about losing weight by lifting the weight of your own body?

All the way up a wall?

Okay, okay. It might seem slightly daunting. But, if you can overcome your vertigo induced terror, weight loss is exactly what indoor rock climbing can potentially promise someone looking to get lean – and leave earth for a bit to do it. According to those who’ve done this addictive sport, it can serve as the perfect non impact (not counting if you faceplant yourself into the wall) exercise for those still trying to shave the extra weight off before assaulting their joints anew with stuff like running. Or, for those who just loathe running to begin with (or the monotony of any other repetitive kinda exercise), it’s the optimal brain stimulator – commanding your awareness with every move – all while annihilating a copious amount’ve calories. In fact, per Livestrong:

“A 1997 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that the heart rate and energy expenditure levels of 14 experienced climbers while climbing on an indoor wall were similar to running at a moderate pace of between eight and 11 minutes per mile.”

Still, I admit I was a bit doubtful when I first read this. Weight loss by my limbs simply hoisting me over pegs?

However, sure enough, those calorie calculators confirm it:

You can bid adieu to anywhere from 500 to 900 calories when you climb for an hour.

And how about those muscles? What exactly are we working here? Well, pretty much everything. Because of the different directions in which you’ll hafta pull yourself, you’ve gotta maneuver muscle groups that may’ve lain dormant up until now. And that’s a great thing. Because, whereas some activities hone in on one lonely group of muscles for the duration, it’s a whole body process – lifting your carnal casing up further and further against gravity.

(Plus, I’m told it’s an excellent flexibility builder.)

As if all that’s not enough, the health benefits go beyond Spidermaning your way toward the ceiling or whittling away your winter insulation. According to many who’ve tried (and gotten hooked) on wall crawling, there’s the added benefit of brain health and stress reduction. When you’re vertically hurdling boulders with your whole body, you’re having to make moment-to-moment conclusions about the best logical way to proceed upward. These kinds of decision making activities – especially ones that involve your whole body – do an awesome job at making your brain move from lateral, chaotic thoughts to more synchronized thinking. And that can not only build confidence but reduce stress as well, which is equally crucial for fitness, seeing as the stress hormone cortisol’s a first class corpulence maker.

So, if your failed body goals post holiday season are driving you up the walls…

Maybe try climbing them instead!