Channel Your Inner ?Rock Jock? | Lifecrowd

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If TV commercials are a true sign of the times, at least half of you go rock climbing on weekends. Whatever the media?s pitching ? whether it?s soft drinks, deodorant, or SUVs ? ad pitchmen seem to see this extreme sport as the perfect way to connect their products with hip free spirits. Movies have also glamourized rock climbing, with more and more characters seen scaling indoor rock walls or big rocks out in nature; and everywhere we look, there?s a new indoor rock climbing gym opening. (What?s next? A message showing a politician as a rock-climbing adventurer? Now that I?ve said that, we?ll undoubtedly see one.)

For you curiosity seekers who have yet to delve into this popular sport, there?s quite a bit of variety to it.

1. In traditional climbing, climbers wear harnesses and are connected by a rope. As they scale a rock face, they place wedges and nuts into cracks in the rock so if they fall, the rope catches them. (Ropes are good; escaping death is?priceless.)

2. Sport climbing involves high intensity climbing using fixed anchors on relatively short routes.

3. Much like sport climbing, indoor climbing involves using handholds and footholds to scale a plywood or concrete wall.

4. Free climbing uses no ropes or harnesses. Talk about extreme!

5. Instead of climbing up a relatively flat rock face, bouldering involves climbing up (you guessed it) large, natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms, and typically doesn?t use ropes. Bouldering can also be practiced on buildings (aka ?buildering?).

6. Ice climbing is similar to traditional climbing except that you?re scaling an ice formation instead of a rock. It also uses specialized equipment that can screw into the ice instead of the traditional wedges and nuts.

There?s a bit more to rock climbing than strapping on a pair of tennis shoes, grabbing some rope from your garage, and just going for it. There?s special gear that includes climbing shoes, a belay device (for limiting the distance of a possible fall), a climbing harness, gloves or hand chalk (for hand-drying while you?re climbing), a chalk bag, a crash pad (for bouldering), quickdraws (to reduce rope drag), and a helmet (unless you?re the more adventurous type).

In addition to being great for selling stuff on commercials and making actors look cool, rock climbing has lots of benefits, like improved muscle strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and focus. Even with the risk, it looks like fun and definitely appeals to the competitor in most of us. To learn more, book a rock climbing session, where you?ll learn safety precautions as well as helpful hand and foot techniques.

This goes to show that keeping your feet on the ground is highly overrated.

Grace K. ? Climber

Get a Grip and Climb On!

Source: http://blog.lifecrowd.com/fitness-wellness/channel-your-inner-rock-jock

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