Scratch’s Guide to Rock Climbing

As a caveman, you can be sure that sometimes, I’ve gotta get back to my roots. Since huntin’ ain’t exactly legal round most parts anymore and I don’t much care for gatherin’ up anything that gets left behind on the streets these days, I’ve gotta get my caveman kicks in other ways. So what’s a he-man like me to do in the big and fancy city? Two words – [wait for drumroll] Rock Climbing.

That’s right, Scratch here went out last weekend to do some good old-fashioned climbin’ and get back in touch with my rocky history (I didn’t name it the “Rock of Ages” for nuthin’). But let’s say ya don’t exactly live near any conveniently placed climbable boulders. Scratch here’s gotcha covered. These days, you can go to a Rock Climbing gym! It’ll have all ya need from helmets to harnesses and even shoe rental. My personal favorite Rock Climbing gym is the good ol’ Virginia Beach Rock Gym – take a gander at the pictures in the article to see a few walls from the place – but you can bet there’s a great place ’round your neck of the woods too.

So what exactly are the benefits of Rock Climbing? Unlike a lot of exercises, Rock Climbin’ gives ya a full-body workout. Just think about it – when you climb, you’re using your entire body from your arms to your legs. You’re even engaging your core! Just think about it – climbing involves dragging your entire weight up the side of a rock wall. It’s like a combination of pull-ups, chin ups, leg presses, and more all wrapped up in one activity!

Rock climbing also increases your flexibility. Climbing forces you to stretch your limbs to the absolute limits in order to reach that next hand or foothold. The more you rock climb, the more you build up your flexibility. This becomes increasingly important as we get older. The more flexible you are, the more likely you are to maintain good motion in your joints. Believe me, this here caveman didn’t get to be as old as I am by sittin’ around! Gotta keep these limbs well-oiled and limber with my weekly Rock Climbing fix.

Since Rock Climbing is an aerobic activity, it gets your heart pumping quickly. This means you’re gettin’ a great cardiovascular workout while ya climb. Exercising your heart and your entire body helps to improve your cardiovascular system, meanin’ your heart and lungs are getting stronger. With a good cardiovascular system, you’re at a much lower risk for a bunch of diseases and health problems (like heart attack for instance).

With bikini season comin’ up, this caveman is more than a little anxious about squeezin’ into my summer loincloth. Fortunately, rock climbin’ is absolutely fantastic for burning calories and toning your body. As the good folks at Virginia Beach Rock Gym told me, the average person can burn around 700 calories per hour by rock climbing. Turns out, they actually underestimated the calorie burnin’ benefits of Rock Climbing. The average man can burn as many as a whopping 900 calories per hour on a rock wall! That’s burning off more than two double cheeseburgers from McDonalds!

With benefits like this, it’s no wonder why Rock Climbing is quickly becoming a very popular activity for fitness fiends. Heck, I hit the climbin’ gym last week and my forearms are still a bit sore! If you’re ever burnt out on the treadmill and lookin’ for a new way to feel the fitness burn, head on over to your local Rock Climbing gym – your arms’ll never feel the same again.