Over the weekend, I finally was able to go rock climbing with a friend. It had been on our to-do list for a while, and the weather was just cold, wet, and rainy enough that it was perfect for some indoor rock climbing at the Metro in Everett, MA.

Rock climbing is a great full-body workout, especially for anyone wanting one that doesn’t really feel like a workout while you’re doing it. While you need a really hard grip to grab the handles on the boulder walls, it’s easily acquired if you practice enough. I have the weakest grip of anyone I know, and so more of my time was spent getting past a set of boulder grips. That was just on the Level Zeros, which are really not that easy, though they’re supposedly for beginners.

According to an article on WebMD titled “Rock Climbing” by Gina Shaw, you’ll get just a little bit stronger every time you go rock climbing, indoors or out:

Core: Gives you the balance and strength necessary to hold your body close to the wall.

Arms: Your upper arms and shoulders pull you up when your legs can’t provide enough pushing force.

Legs: Proper climbing technique relies mostly on the legs for power.

Gluteus: Being a full-body workout, you’ll need the power of your gluteus, along with your leg muscles, to propel yourself upward.

Back: Muscles like your rhomboids, trapezius, and last work with your core to keep you stable on the well.

All that being said, I kept having to make it look as if I meant to make myself fall every time I couldn’t get past a grip or two and kept slipping up. But that’s probably my fault for replacing my gym routine with the desk bike for the past few weeks.

Nonetheless, if you like an easy adventure, definitely add this to your list and just keep going as you continuously level up. Fortunately enough, we went on a day when many of the people scattered about the gym were new to rock climbing, so pretty much everybody was making a fool of themselves. Though it helped that my friend was just as bad as I was, despite having gone there before. So, height definitely does not help, apparently, considering he’s so tall he makes my height of five-foot-two feel even shorter than it is.  

Like anything else, rock climbing takes a lot of practice and discipline before you get any good at it. It’s not something just one 30-minute session can do other than a good time at best. But, if you’re willing to shell out 46 dollars for a simple bouldering visit, while it adds up, it’s worth it! Especially when considering the adrenaline and body benefits it comes with. Pro tip, though: if you plan on going back again and again, get your own rock-climbing shoes. The ones I fit in were relatively clean in themselves and fit well enough for the size I needed, but the thought of wearing sweaty, grimy gear anybody else may have touched is still nevertheless gross. And bring your own water bottle. They loan out a few but I wouldn’t trust those.