It’s not a blog without some form of discontent with a larger issue outside of my own abundance of punting. Allow me to introduce my first blog rant:

We all talk about it, joke about it, even obsess over it–that six letter word which gets the most quieted form of attention: WEIGHT. Over and over this week alone I have been involved in some conversation which gradually leads to some comment about the perfect body type/weight for climbing/food intake/nutrition, etc. In the climbing community, the general consensus seems to be 1.) a perfect body is that which has 90% of its’ mass above the waist; 2.) any muscle mass below the waist is detrimental and will most likely anchor you to the floor indefinitely; 3.) protein is the devil if it makes you bulk up in any way; …..in fact, I could probably go on and on with snarky, self-manipulated and exaggerated “rules” heard throughout my experiences in climbing, but the point from here should be clear. Many have an unrealistic idea about the way each and every climber’s body should look if they truly wanted to be the most fit or ‘strong.’ To me, this is no different than the average, non-climbing person looking to super models as the ideal for men and women regardless of genetics, lifestyle, and other variable factors which differ from individual to individual. By assuming that climbers in general should assume a certain body type is to ignore all of the complex biological factors which revolve around what we are physically capable of. This becomes a problem in many situations, especially when new generations of climbers come into the sport with the stress of not getting enough nutrients or trying to maintain a certain size by restricting food or even other activities (such as running, biking, or anything which may add the dreaded bulk.) Climbing is a sport and yes, can certainly be a lifestyle choice as many of us dedicate countless time to training, travel, and climbing to let it take us to new and beautiful places both in the world and with our own personal performance. I find it concerning that a lack of knowledge about the human body could be a means to impose such ridiculous ideas on a community of incredibly diverse people and bodies.

This article (<-click..) has a good, basic guideline of the common body types. Whether you are a lanky giant who can’t seem to gain weight regardless of how many m&ms you chug down, or a person who does little more than climb to see amazing definition and muscle mass accumulation…there is a reason why you are the way you are. Another article (<–) illustrates how combinations of these three types are also possible for athletes. I know, the mega jacked male and female distract from the content, but once laughter has subsided from their orange-glowing bodies and Zoolander expressions, you can get the idea.

I think the biggest issue here is health. For myself, I am a twenty-one year old who climbs on average one to two hours a day (usually 2-4 of those days being outside for 5+ hours) and runs anywhere from 6-9 miles every day. I also incorporate strength training about twice a week. My body type would definitely be mesomorphic, meaning that I can pack on muscle without even trying but have hard time both gaining and losing weight. Before I started strength training (or training at all for climbing) my bicep muscles rivaled those of my male friends, and I had been climbing less than two years. With the previous ten years of my life having been devoted to soccer, and my current running schedule, I obviously have some very strong, muscular legs. I can say that I have never felt healthier or stronger for my sport and lifestyle in general. After a finger injury a little while ago I did my first v8 and definitely know that is not the limit of what I am physically capable of.

I will bring this rant to an end by saying we should all know what is healthiest and suitable for our own bodies and pay attention to what fuels us best to be at a performance peak, not idealize a few who have similar body types and blindly accept that that is what we should force our bodies to imitate. I have friends of all shapes and sizes who crush, and weight should never be something to make someone feel at either end of the extreme: either inadequate or superior. Eat healthy, know your body, and just climb. When did climbing get so darn complicated?!

Also, looking through my nutrition book gives some insight as to some symptoms which can occur from not getting ENOUGH of each macronutrient:

Macronutrient                                              Warning Sign (that you aren’t getting enough)

Carbohydrate ————————  poor performance, slow recovery, fatigue, slow fitness gains, frequent, difficulty losing excess body fat, burnout

Fat   ———————————–  frequent injury, poor performance, persistent fatigue, slow recovery

Protein ——————————– loss of muscle mass despite training, increasing body-fat percentag w/out, weight gain, frequent injury, slow healing from injury, poor performance

Just food for thought,

Hope everyone stays healthy, climbs a ton and enjoys doing what they love doing always,

Mdawg