Rock climbing is an extremely intensive sporting activity and therefore, you can burn a serious amount of calories while doing it. The average rock climber burns around 110 calories for every 10 minutes they spend rock climbing. However, these numbers can vary depending on physical ability and general health.
Read this article to find out more about the incredible health benefits of rock climbing and if it could be a suitable sport for you and your family.
You will also learn about the overall benefits of participating in rock climbing, the average amount of calories you could burn and if this sport could help you burn more calories than going running.
Calories burned Rock Climbing Calculator
Is Rock Climbing Good Exercise?
Although rock climbing is a great workout for your body, it can lead to serious injuries if your physique isn’t quite up to it. You need to have the ability to thrust your body weight up a rock face, so it requires some extreme upper body strength to say the least and this in itself is a great muscle workout!
This sport is also a fantastic exercise for the cardiovascular system, which means that as well as burning excess fat from the outside of your body you will also burn fat that surrounds your internal organs.
These fats are the culprits of heart attacks and other organ failures so, the calories you can burn while rock climbing will definitely contribute to greater overall physical health.
What Are The Benefits Of Rock Climbing?
If you participate in rock climbing regularly then you will notice some beneficial changes to your body and overall health.
First of all, your muscular growth and retainment will increase; your shoulder and back muscles will become toned and strong and your leg muscles will certainly gain an athletic shape. Secondly, as gross as it sounds, rock climbing makes you sweat a lot!
Therefore you’re going to be burning off any excess fat from all over your body. Also, if you’re worried about belly fat in particular, fear no more, rock climbing is also a great ab workout! Finally, rock climbing improves your balance and coordination.
You have to climb vertically up a rock face, often not being able to see your limbs and staring straight into the rock, therefore overall body balance and coordination between your eyes, hands and feet are key.
Rock climbing is an exhilarating sport and participants often comment on their increase in mood after a session due to the endorphins flowing in their system.
How Many Calories Does Rock Climbing Burn Per Hour?
This varies from person to person depending on their physique and athletic abilities. However around 110 calories are burned for every 10 minutes of rock climbing, which totals a huge 660 calories per hour!
For a first-time rock climber, this number will be higher as your body isn’t used to the strenuous exercise, however, as you rock climb more this number will decrease as your body adapts to the workout.
Your body weight also affects how many calories you can burn during a rock climbing session, the heavier you weigh, the harder your muscles have to work to get you up the wall, equaling to more calories being burned.
Does Rock Climbing Burn More Calories Than Running?
Surprisingly, the average amount of calories burned while rock climbing and running are around the same. According to Healthline, the average 120-pound adult could burn 11.4 calories per minute of running therefore, 114 calories per 10 minutes; compared to 110 calories burned per 10 minutes of rock climbing.
Both are extremely high-intensity sports and you should consult a doctor before taking part in either. These sporting activities are very different and it depends on which part of your body you want to train as to which sport you should choose.
Can I Lose Weight By Rock Climbing Every Day?
If you decide that you want to take up rock climbing as a daily workout activity then be prepared for a few achy muscles for the first few weeks.
Rock climbing is a high-intensity workout and your body needs time to adjust. When you first begin rock climbing, your body will be in shock and it will burn a hell of a lot of calories for the first few weeks.
Once your muscles get stronger and adjust to the sport, as with all sports, your muscles have to work less and less and therefore you burn fewer calories. However, you can accommodate this by making the workout session longer, this means your body has to work for a longer period and this increases the number of calories you will burn.
Also, you could opt to find a more difficult rock climbing face to tackle and therefore, push your body to its ultimate limit.
