Current Events > I just spent 6 hours at a climbing gym. AMA

(+) Yeah! (+)

i don't even think that's the longest i've spent
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only climb in a gym?
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thats something i wanna get into when I move to denver

whats a good beginner thing to do? literally just go to a gym, rent equipment, and climb?
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BuckVanHammer posted...

only climb in a gym?

I go outdoors maybe once a month

metralo posted...

thats something i wanna get into when I move to denver

whats a good beginner thing to do? literally just go to a gym, rent equipment, and climb?

hell yeah dude. that's like the mecca (well, technically Boulder is, but Denver is close enough)

if you're going roped climbing, then you need to rent shoes and a harness. if you're only bouldering, then you only need to rent shoes.

also take a intro class. usually gyms offer a free intro class for first timers.
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metralo posted...

thats something i wanna get into when I move to denver

whats a good beginner thing to do? literally just go to a gym, rent equipment, and climb?

You can rent at first if you aren't certain you'll like it, but it'll get expensive to do so regularly. You can get climbing shoes for like $60-100 at REI and a harness for $40-60. It'll improve your climbing quite a bit too compared to the weathered rental gear, most likely.

Best thing for a beginner is to work on technique. Everyone has a tendency to rely on their upper arm strength too much, but a lot of climbing is proper foot placement and using your legs. When you're hanging on the wall and not moving, keep your arms straight. If you keep them bent you'll wear out faster. And experiment with body positioning on the wall. A lot of times hugging one hip against the wall is a better way to position yourself if you can't make the next move.

All this will be foreign to you when you first start and one day it'll click. It's basically training your proprioception.
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Isn't this amazing to burn fat?
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