healthy promotion
Rock on
This climbing craze offers more than just fitness. Here’s how to get in on the action
Photograph iStock by Getty Images
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you’ll have noticed the meteoric rise of climbing. Previously a niche sport, it’s moved firmly into the mainstream, with users of indoor climbing centres growing by 20 per cent each year. Bouldering has even been included in the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics - this simpler, safer form of rock climbing involves tackling walls of no more than five metres high, studded with plastic holds. With a crash mat below, there’s no need for ropes or harnesses, and different ‘problems’ (a route or sequence of moves) challenge balance, technique and your brain, and give your shoulders, back, arms and core an intense workout.