Things You'll Need:
- Harness
- Climbing shoes
- Rope (if outside)
-
Step 1
You've made it to the rock climbing gym! The first and most important thing is to make sure your equipment fits you properly--your harness and shoes. The leg loops of your harness should be tight around your leg, so they can't move up or down--but you can still pull them off easily when removing the harness. As for shoes, pick a pair a half-size smaller than your normal shoe size, since you need to be able to feel the rock with your toe. If they aren't hurting just a little bit, they're probably too big!
-
Step 2
Your legs should do as much work as possible for you, since your arms will tire out very quickly. Try to use the outside of your feet when placing your feet on holds, and keep your weight centered over the feet as much as you can. Also, lean into the wall whenever possible, to save energy.
-
Step 3
One of the most common mistakes people make is using their arm muscles to hold their body in place. Unless you've been hitting the gym pretty hard, your arms are going to tire very quickly--and you'll end up falling off the wall. The trick is to use your skeleton to bear the weight of your body, since your bones don't expand any energy. Get used to hanging with your arms extended and your forearms/biceps relaxed, putting all the weight on your shoulder and wrist.
-
Step 4
Rest as much as you can! You'll get very tired the first few times you try, but after a few weeks you'll be able to go longer and longer. Just remember to keep pushing yourself and have a great time!
