Indoor Rock Climbing

An important part of your health journey is movement, and the way you travel along your path to wellness is as individual as you are. There are many ways to get and stay active. Try some new fitness options until you find one or more that you enjoy.

One way to get exercise is through rock climbing. You don’t need to scale a treacherous peak, as several indoor rock-climbing gyms can be found in the metro Atlanta area.

The gyms have guides on staff to help climbers get tethered correctly. They also teach and share advice on how to get up and down the rock wall. 

David Toone has enjoyed indoor rock climbing since 2020 when his son Ethan got him into it. “It was something we could do together,” David said. Now, his daughter Elise joins him at the rock wall.

He explained that rock climbing is a micro-burst of activity, an intense workout for a short period of time. “I can swing by after work and do it for 15 minutes to half an hour. It’s quick and efficient.”

Indoor rock climbing increases balance and heart health, and it strengthens and rehabilitates muscles. David noted that the exercise involves a lot of stretching.

“Muscles and tendons get stretched and that can allow tendons and joints to reset,” he said. “It improves hand strength, too.”

Indoor rock climbing can also help with overcoming a fear of heights, David noted. “And it’s good for body awareness. You get good at it by being technical, not from strength. You build your strength.”

The rock wall is also a good activity for kids. According to David, rock climbing helps children build stronger muscle and tendon groups that will stay strong throughout their lives. 

He suggests that anyone willing should give indoor rock climbing a try. “It’s not just for smaller, more muscular people. It’s a power to weight ratio activity,” he said.

But he stressed that it’s also a slow start activity.

“If you’re willing to keep coming back, you’ll eventually go higher and higher. I recommend this for anyone who is too stubborn to give up,” David said.

He added that he likes the fact that he’s doing and enjoying something that he’ll never be good at.

“It’s good for my humility,” David stated. “Another thing I like is that climbers don’t seem at all ‘judge-y’ and are very supportive of all levels and abilities. I’m proof of that!”

Area Rock Climbing Gyms

Escalade Rock Climbing — Peachtree City

The Overlook — Atlanta West End 

Stone Summit — Doraville

Posted in Lifestyle, Movement