Do I Have to Be Strong to Go Rock Climbing?

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Updated March 17, 2017

“I’m not strong enough to go rock climbing” is one of the biggest myths about climbing. The truth is that you don’t have to be super strong, work out lifting weights at the gym every day, have bulging biceps and fingers of steel or have buckets of courage to be a good rock climber and to have fun.

Technique is Important, Not Strength

Rock climbing is all about using good movement techniques like footwork and body position rather than muscling up a cliff using brute arm strength. Successful climbers use their legs, which are far stronger than their arms, to push their bodies up the rock. They find ways to take their body’s weight off their arms by keeping their weight centered over their feet and by using an economy of movement.

Don't Worry About Strength

Don’t let your perceived lack of strength keep you from trying to rock climb either outside or in an indoor climbing gym. As a professional climbing guide with Front Range Climbing Company in Colorado, I have taken a lot of beginners climbing over the past few decades and I have discovered that a lot of folks who thought they could never climb because they were too weak or overweight, end up being the star of the day. Time and time again I find that women, who often come from an athletic background in dance, ballet, or gymnastics where body position and body awareness is paramount, end up climbing better from the start then men, who usually have participated in sports like football where strength is more important than balance.