The case for climbing
When I am 50 feet in the air with only a single knot to keep me from plummeting to an untimely death, I’m never thinking about an essay I need to write or a math assignment. The only thing on my mind is ensuring that my next reach won’t be my last.
Despite how it might look, climbing can be incredibly meditative. It manages to engage all the muscles in the body while providing an escape from the anxieties of everyday life. That is why I believe every college student should try rock climbing.
Climbing has many mental benefits and requires intense focus and problem solving abilities. When a route is completed, I feel an incredible sense of accomplishment which reinforces positive neural reward pathways in the brain. This mental control can help with anxiety in a school setting, such as during a test.
Rock climbing also increases mindfulness—which means intentionally directing your attention to the present moment. When climbing, a person must be in the present moment if they want to finish the climb without falling, or to get past the crux — the hardest move or most difficult sequence of moves on a route — that they have likely been working on for many sessions.
Practicing mindfulness in the gym can help with managing emotions. Even though it requires being extremely high up, and often being caught in weird positions, climbing requires my full focus and blocks out everything else running through my brain.
Climbing is physically demanding, so when it comes to one’s physical health, there are many benefits. When I first started climbing, I couldn’t do a pull-up because I lacked a considerable amount of upper body strength. Now I can do an unassisted pull-up, which is an incredible feat for someone who has been climbing for less than a year.
Not only does climbing improve muscle strength for both the upper and lower limbs, but it also improves endurance. Once a route on the bouldering wall is finished, just imagine how much easier it will feel to climb into those dorm beds! Rock climbing is an intense cardio and muscle building exercise, but to me it’s so exciting and enjoyable that I don’t even feel like I’m working out.
The environment in a climbing gym is incredibly supportive and inclusive. Whenever I go to the gym, there is someone offering help or cheering me on while I am doing a difficult route. Climbers want everyone to participate, so whether you are a seasoned pro or it is your first time on the wall, they are welcoming.
The gym is an incredible place to meet new people, but it’s a great place to bring your friends, too. Even if no one in your group knows how to rock climb, the community is so warm and welcoming that I promise you will have fun.
If you’re looking for a low-stakes gym to try out rock climbing for yourself, I recommend Frontier Climbing and Fitness. I especially like going there because college students can climb for free on the second Thursday of every month with their student IDs— the only cost is the five dollar gear rental fee. So give climbing a try! I know from personal experience that it will greatly improve your life.
