For every climber there are two essential things to note the strength to weight ratio and the power to weight ratio as much as you need to improve your technical skills you also need to undergo physical training if you will ever be able to become a successful rock climber. Alex honnold he is 511 and about 160 pounds 73 kg which is a bmi of 22. A basic lifting program can counter these imbalances by targeting muscles that are not generally activated in climbing. Of course a high strength to weight ratio is important for all climbers but its a far more critical metric for elite climbers if youre not sure how you measure up consider having your body fat tested. This can be difficult depending on your strength to weight ratio. Over 4000 climbers sport climbers and boulderers included their height in their profiles i used us.
The average height of an american man is about the same. The long and short of it is ba dum tss that height just doesnt have anything like as much of an impact on climbing ability as weight and technique do. As a result some avid rock climbers develop muscular imbalances that round their shoulders and eventually leads to chronic back or shoulder pain. They work very hard and proud on the. Controlling body weight is critical to maximizing climbing performance. Its power to weight ratio and technique that really makes the difference.
This article is written with the context of an elite level climber not a recreational climber. Whatever is making up a climbers body composition it had better be useful. When we look at the data its actually the case that the majority of the top climbers are little below average height. The more pounds that you pack on your frame the more weight you have to hoist up so you will reach real limits in what you will be able to climb. How does the strength to weight ratio relate to rock climbing. This video delves into an interesting analysis of whether there exists an ideal weight for high performance rock climbing.
Based on bmi research of the top men and womens world cup finishers for lead and bouldering in 2015 derek of the youtube channel bouldering vlog found some surprising results. After his free solo climb of el capitan he is certainly one of the most famous rock climbers in the world. Strength and power are important. Looking at elite gymnasts fighters runners and rock climbers there are not many that are storing excess amounts of useless tissue. You will be able to keep your. Hes definitely a little bit twiggy and thin which likely helps him on long climbs but he also works extremely hard by training.
Climbers go to great lengths to develop finger and upper body strength with the aim of improving their strength to weight ratio in order to resist the pull of gravity. The rock climbers training manual is now available order yours here. Understanding the ratio will help you enjoy climbing. Its best to stick with climbing cliffs that are slabs or rock faces that are less than vertical. The average height in the data was a little under 5 feet 10 inches. Sensibly the following can be derived.
Climbing is a pulling movement with very little pressing motion involved.
Gallery of Rock Climber Weight Height
