In American popular culture, the word “rock” conjures up a slew of images, most of them of people: Eddie Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Dwayne Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Marion Barry (think about it) and a few others immediately come to mind. Some may even think first of the word’s cold, hard and inanimate connotation, but even those few folks probably don’t see said inanimate object as a fun way to diversify their fitness regimen – not immediately, at least.
And now that we’ve mentioned it, they’re all probably curious; but their imaginings of dangling perilously from some mountainside like Wile E. Coyote makes them unable to seriously picture themselves ever even attempting any rock climbing. Fortunately for them, rock climbing is not nearly as dangerous as it may sound; and with its surge in popularity over the last several years, man-made “rock” walls have been popping up in gyms across the country, altogether eliminating the mountain, any actual rocks, the elements and the Wile E. premonition from the equation. What’s even better is that Atlanta has at least five indoor climbing walls inside the Perimeter, moving the sport from an Outdoorsmen-only activity to one that everyone from on-the-go businesspeople to teenagers and stay-at-home Moms can enjoy and benefit from.
“I love rock climbing! It’s a lot of fun and a great way to exercise,” says schoolteacher Sha Fanion, who has been climbing outdoors at Stone Mountain for a few years and sometimes visits the indoor wall at Georgia Tech with friends. “It’s one of those activities that engages the total body. More specifically, it helps tone your core and leg muscles.”
Fanion, an exquisitely-built admitted fitness freak and “gym rat,” knows a thing or two about exercise, and her observations are right on point. Aside from the easily noticeable leg and core toning and enhancement of overall body composition, rock climbing also improves back, arm and finger strength – Mrs. Fanion’s firm handshake affirms the latter claim – and provides more covert benefits like flexibility and endurance increases as well as respiratory and circulatory workouts. Some even argue that rock climbing has physiological effects, claiming that tackling the sometimes daunting wall or rock increases one’s self-esteem and level of responsibility.
Obviously, the benefits of climbing are plentiful – and we didn’t even mention the balance, agility and strength-to-weight ratio aspects – but perhaps the best thing about the sport is the unique socializing opportunity it provides when done with friends and loved ones. “I love physical challenges so I was never intimidated by any wall or rock, but seeing a couple of my friends kinda freak out the first time they looked up at the wall was pretty funny,” Fanion laughs. “To me, climbing is much more fun than most of the typical social activities – you know, the movies, parties and whatever – and you kinda feel closer to your friends after you help each other up the wall. It’s pretty much a bonding experience.”
A fun, healthy, bonding experience? You can’t beat it. There’s nothing wrong with breaking out of the ordinary and employing new means of getting that metaphorical fitness “wall” to crack. Simply put, if you want to really tone up and work literally every muscle in your body all at once, you should really try climbing. It’s like magic, and it’s mainstream now.
Pop culture has officially been rock’d.
