Do You Get Abs From Bouldering (The Truth)
Simply put, yes. Beginners must boulder for a set period before the six-pack becomes visible, but with consistency, the demands of the sport create a solid core. Lots of climbers get a sick pack by combining isolated core exercises and bouldering, but it can be achieved through bouldering alone.
Climbers require a solid core to balance and stabilize their bodies when on the rocks rather than winning Olympic body-building competitions! Therefore bouldering focuses on strengthening and conditioning the abs instead then growing them.
Most climbers know they will eventually get a six-pack – so why are you reading this? Well, it’s not about if you will get abs, it’s when the abs start becoming noticeable. The answer depends on the climber. For example:
- How intense you train.
- The type of terrain you climb on.
- Your current fitness level,
In saying this, a beginner in average body shape will notice results after 3 to 4 weeks of consistent bouldering training.
How Long Does It Take To Get A Six Pack From Bouldering
As mentioned, a total beginner will notice results after 3 to 4 weeks of consistent training; this doesn’t mean they will get a six-pack in this time frame. Bouldering will offer the core strength to set the six-pack foundations, though you must burn body fat to see it.
Over this time, an average body type will see improvements in muscle tone within the abdominal area and possibly be able to point out the upper abs. This is still a considerable achievement and sets you up to build on established foundations, but not thought of as a six-pack.
To achieve a ripped six-pack with definition, there must be at least 3 months of consistent bouldering as well as applying healthy habits like a good diet, sufficient sleep, and enough rest. To add, incorporating core exercises such as sit-ups or planks into your workout is essential in getting a movie-like six-pack within this time frame.
Why It Takes So Long To Get A Six Pack From Bouldering
It’s essential to consider the climbing time. This is the proportion of time spent actually climbing rather than the time you assign toward the climbing day. As an example,
Say you set aside 6 hours; you may not necessarily be spending the whole 6 hours on the rocks. When analyzing it – you could have spent : That leaves a remainder of 2 hours left of climbing from a six-hour session.
- 30 minutes traveling there and back,
- 30 minutes warming up and cooling down,
- 1-hour eating lunch,
- 30 minutes walking between climbs,
- 30 minutes walking between climbs.
That leaves a remainder of 2 hours left of climbing from a six-hour session.
As you can see, it’s essential to allocate time effectively. For beginners, you want at least 60-90 minutes spent climbing per session. Consistently spending this time per session will keep you on track to getting that six-pack within a reasonable time frame!
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t actually focus on the time frame. As well as having the possibility to demotivate you, it can also be dangerous. This is because if you don’t see results during a fixed period, you can become tempted to over-climb by attending significantly more climbing sessions. At this point, there is a high chance of overexerting yourself, which puts you at risk of injury and can reverse affect your body’s physique.
Instead, lean to love climbing – focus on improving your climbing ability rather than the six-pack side of it, as eventually, it’ll come without you even noticing it.
Common Mistakes Beginners Make When Bouldering For A Six Pack
Some critical mistakes beginners make hinder the results that can be changed. It would be best if you avoided the following:
| Mistake Made When Getting Sixpack | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Not warming up thoroughly | Leading to a potential injury and prolonging the process of getting a six-pack. |
| Indulging in poor habits | Such as inadequate sleep, poor diet, or over-exhausting yourself. Poor habits will delay results. |
| Focusing too much on getting a six-pack | Instead of focusing on the climb this leads to an incorrect technique which causes the opposite result; your abs disengaging. |
| Giving up too early. | Makes it impossible to ever get a sixpack |
| Holding onto the rope too much | In the case of rock climbing, this can put tension on your arms rather than your core. |
| Not attempting climbs that challenge yourself | Your body doesn’t adapt and strengthen the abdominals. |
What Are The Best Core Exercises To Help Bouldering
Additional core exercises are an excellent way to improve bouldering ability as well as get your six-pack to be more visible. A strong core ensures you have the foundations to use new climbing techniques or attempt long, challenging climbs. Below are certain exercises that help the abdominals to pop as well as improve core strength to assist you in bouldering.
Side Plank Raises
Similar to a regular plank, a side one involves floor work to engage the core; this variation focuses on the obliques, more so the abdominals. Substantial balance is required for a side plank core, and falling over isn’t uncommon – so ensure you’re using a soft floor to perform.
- Lie on your side and align your body so that your elbow is directly beneath your shoulder, your forearm rests on the floor, and your legs are on top of each other.
- Lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from your head to your feet.
- Maintain this position for 2 seconds and return to the original position and repeat.
- After repeating this for one minute, swap the position of your body to work on the other side.
Dead Hanging
If you have access to a pull-up bar, a simple dead hang helps to build the muscle endurance needed for bouldering, as there are few times during a climb when at least one muscle isn’t under tension. As for it being an abdominal exercise, your core must stabilise the legs – making it a practical choice in a workout.
- Stand beneath the bar and reach up to grab it with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you). Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lift your feet off the ground and allow your body to hang freely. Your arms should be fully extended, and your body should be relaxed.
- Keep your shoulders down and avoid shrugging them up toward your ears. Focus on relaxing your upper body and tightening the core while maintaining a strong grip.
- Hold until failure.
Raised Leg Crunches
Crunches are used for various sports and activities; when it comes to bouldering, they support the flexion and extension movement in our lower body we perform during a climb. As well as targeting abdominal endurance, they improve your balance and agility by strengthening the surrounding core muscles. As a climber, this enables you to reach out to further rocks or attempt arduous climbs.
- Lie down on your back and bring your feet as close to you as you can by bending your knees. Proceed to raise your legs 90 degrees and place your hands behind your neck – this is the starting position.
- Move your chin to your knees by tightening the core.
- Hold for a second and return to the starting position.
- Repeat this 20 times for 3 sets.
Leg Windmills
For an alternate oblique exercise, try leg windmills – they ensure strength by forcing the core to support the legs’ weight against gravity. When it comes to bouldering, this ability is essential, especially when using climbing techniques such as heel or toe hooks.
- Lie down on your back on an exercise mat or a comfortable surface. Extend your arms out to the sides, forming a “T” shape.
- Keeping your legs together, slowly lower them to one side in a controlled manner, aiming to touch the ground with your feet.
- Pause briefly at the bottom position, feeling the stretch and contraction in your oblique muscles.
- Engage your core muscles and use your obliques to lift your legs back up to the starting position, returning to the center. This is a powerful move that is essential in bouldering.
- Repeat the movement, lowering your legs to the opposite side for 3 sets of 10 reps.
Why Bouldering Sessions Don’t Feel The Same As A Core Workout.
Unlike a core exercise, you get an adrenaline rush when bouldering. This masks any burning sensation felt within your body so, you can’t process any abdominal tension. Unexperienced climbers often mistake this feeling and assume their core isn’t engaged. Over time this lessens as your mind becomes conditioned to the emotions.
The reason for this is fight or flight sensations kick in. Obviously, there is no danger, but the nervousness, the height, or the uncertainty can all result in a rush of adrenaline, mixed with anxiety, being pumped around your body.
Another point is bouldering targets nearly all the major muscle groups, whereas a core workout exclusively does abdominals. So, if you are doing a core workout, the only place you feel a burning sensation is the abdominals, making it seem more intense than it actually is.
When it comes to bouldering, burning sensations will be felt on your core, upper body, and lower body, taking your attention away from the core and toward whole-body fatigue. This can give the illusion that your abdominals haven’t been exercised thoroughly.
When Will Your Abdominals Ache During A Bouldering Session
The abdominal ache is experienced hours after a long bouldering session or the next day after a shorter session. For beginners, a climb should last between 60-90 minutes, and sticking to this usually results in a next-day ache. If you were to go substantially longer, the pain would occur much earlier as your body reaches its limits.
Unlike most workouts, muscle ache rarely occurs instantly. Acknowledging this is important because it prevents you from over-exhausting yourself. This is especially dangerous with bouldering as it is a compound muscle group activity.
If you’re solely focused on the abdominals, you run the chance of injuring all other muscle groups involved with lower muscle endurance. This is because they overwork to compensate the climber’s desire to keep climbing. This endangers you and other climbers because an overworked muscle won’t be able to synchronize well with the rest of the body. Hence, any slips or falls become challenging to counteract.
You Shouldn’t Have To Try And Engage Your Core During A Workout
As a final tip, remember – not to go out of your way to tense your core any more than what comes naturally. While this may be tempting to speed the process, in the long run, it may negatively affect you in other ways, for example:
- Create poor posture.
- Developing a body shape that is out of proportion.
- Pick up energy waisting climbing habits.
Your body will utilise the core when it needs to – sometimes, you won’t feel it, and other times you will. Have trust in the journey and watch the results come…
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