How much weight to lose for climbing?

No one usually wants to hear this, but unless you're actually fat, then losing weight is the last thing to worry about.

For anyone thinking they need to lose weight and said amount of weight is ~10% or less of their current weight, then the things to worry about first should be (more or less in this order I suppose):

1) Your technique is *perfect*
2) Your mental/psychological conditioning is excellent
3) Your general physical conditioning is excellent
4) Your finger strength and endurance are as honed as possible
5) You are generally injury free

Then it is time to start worrying about putting yourself through the rigors of shedding that last bit of weight.

If you can lose weight without it being a major effort, such as simply by quitting drinking and improving your diet - where it will simply come off naturally, then by all means do that. If it's going to take a lot of suffering and starvation, then don't even bother unless 1 - 4 are G2G.

All IMO, having recently gone through all of this after re-starting climbing from a 10 year layoff, and being 20 pounds heavier than before. Said weight is now gone (and then some), but it didn't have the major effect on performance I thought it would, because 1-5 (especially #1 and #2) were in bad shape. This is how I know.

AST wrote:No one usually wants to hear this, but unless you're actually fat, then losing weight is the last thing to worry about.

This is exactly what I needed to hear, thank you. And...

1) Your technique is *perfect* No.
2) Your mental/psychological conditioning is excellent No.
3) Your general physical conditioning is excellent No.
4) Your finger strength and endurance are as honed as possible No.
5) You are generally injury free Yes!

So yeah. Weight=not what I should be focusing on.

Nancy, your post immediately above is spot on, IMO.
By way of comparison, I (male) weigh the same as you but at 5'5". My goal is to be at 120/121 April through Oct. I think 120 (BMI of 20) is right for me and consistent with my lifestyle and goals for this year. Endurance has always been my weak point and the occasional injury. I do not recall ever failing on a climb because of my weight.

Meh, dont focus so much on the numbers. Muscle weighs more than fat, and if you are really light for your height, you might not have much muscle mass either (which would be a bad thing as a climber).

NancyN wrote: This is exactly what I needed to hear, thank you. And... 1) Your technique is *perfect* No. 2) Your mental/psychological conditioning is excellent No. 3) Your general physical conditioning is excellent No. 4) Your finger strength and endurance are as honed as possible No. 5) You are generally injury free Yes! So yeah. Weight=not what I should be focusing on.

Nancy you sound perfect weight for age, etc. 5 lbs is something that will melt away with a bit of diet and climbing workout into the spring,,not a major factor for a weight changing life event. Just strengthen up the weaknesses you list, and maybe concentrate on technique more than brute strength muscle mass issues.

Depending what type of climbing you do. Mixed - lose 15 lbs, bouldering - lose 10 lbs, sport- lose 5 lbs, trad - stay the same, ice - gain 5 lbs, big wall - gain 10 lbs, alpine - gain 20 lbs. That's it in the nut shell.

Train core strength. Alot of climbers get really caught up with fingers strength and get injured trying to make there fingers stronger. You will be shocked what you can hold onto, when your sucked into the wall all the time.

Dieting, I have done a lot of different training styles. Dieting is probably my least favorite. My favorite way to diet is to get rid of all the junk, (I eat junk food daily right now).

Morning: Oatmeal w/raisins, nuts, and banana, coffee or eggs with vegetables, coffee

Lunch: Grilled chicken salad, lettus, tomatoes, bell pepper, broccoli, grilled chicken, carrots, and I still use creamy ceaser salad dressing. Add a fruit and nuts.

Dinner: tacos, use corn tortillas, vegetables, and some kind of meat.

Drop the excess food that is fun to eat. I can't really diet because I always end up eating to much from trying to diet. The first 3 letters of diet are die. Cut back on chips, beer, and drink tons of water. More water then ever.

Protein powder, has always been a good food supplement for me.

I never go by the numbers, use a mirror and how you feel. Just eat healthy, minimal processed food/junk carbs, stay active, climb hard, and the rest will come. The more you eat (good foods/fats) the more you burn! I know a kid that would be considered "fat" and he crushes overhanging 5.12+ routes....

Jeff Samuels wrote:Depending what type of climbing you do. Mixed - lose 15 lbs, bouldering - lose 10 lbs, sport- lose 5 lbs, trad - stay the same, ice - gain 5 lbs, big wall - gain 10 lbs, alpine - gain 20 lbs. That's it in the nut shell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtNHuqHWefU&feature=player_embedded

FrankPS wrote: youtube.com/watch?v=WtNHuqH…

This.

Jeff Samuels wrote:Depending what type of climbing you do. Mixed - lose 15 lbs, bouldering - lose 10 lbs, sport- lose 5 lbs, trad - stay the same, ice - gain 5 lbs, big wall - gain 10 lbs, alpine - gain 20 lbs. That's it in the nut shell.

This seems reasonable for me except I'm not sure how I will haul myself up peaks weighing 240lbs before gear.

Ben Griffin wrote:Protein powder, has always been a good food supplement for me.

this is good advice if the protein powder you are consuming is free of artificial flavoring sweeteners and other filler crap they put in them nowadays. find a really good company that is dedicated to giving bodybuilders Supplements and you all found a good protein powder probably. the Walmart crap does not compare at all to a pure supplement

MarktheCPA wrote: This seems reasonable for me except I'm not sure how I will haul myself up peaks weighing 240lbs before gear.

If you are a solid muscle bound 220 pownder now you should not have a problem at all.

5.samadhi wrote: this is good advice if the protein powder you are consuming is free of artificial flavoring sweeteners and other filler crap they put in them nowadays. find a really good company that is dedicated to giving bodybuilders Supplements and you all found a good protein powder probably. the Walmart crap does not compare at all to a pure supplement

First world problems!

Jeff Samuels wrote: First world problems!

I know I'm still kind of in awe always about how awesome my life is. definitely do not take that shit for granted.

5.samadhi wrote: this is good advice if the protein powder you are consuming is free of artificial flavoring sweeteners and other filler crap they put in them nowadays. find a really good company that is dedicated to giving bodybuilders Supplements and you all found a good protein powder probably. the Walmart crap does not compare at all to a pure supplement

+1!

This is the best protein powder I have found by far:

Raw Protein Powder

gardenoflife.com/Products-f…

Look for a vitamin shop that has the $3 or $5 coupons on the shelf. Vitamin Cottage told me that the coupon doesn't have to be for Raw Protein Powder as long as it is Garden of Life.

I think losing extra weight is almost always a good advice as you age since even a little of extra weight when you are 40+ is associated with more chronic inflammation and less motivation. Moderate dieting gives you extra energy and focus, better sleep and all that comes with it (including hormonal balance and less cravings). As for the way to lose weight - I would prefer adding more cardio and interval training rather than strict fasting. Both are effective, but cardio also normalized your appetite long term and seems to be less suffering than fasting and fighting those cravings. 

Jeff Samuels wrote: Depending what type of climbing you do. Mixed - lose 15 lbs, bouldering - lose 10 lbs, sport- lose 5 lbs, trad - stay the same, ice - gain 5 lbs, big wall - gain 10 lbs, alpine - gain 20 lbs. That's it in the nut shell.

I can’t imagine OP lose another 10-15 lbs at 5’8”. I’m 5’5 and same weight as OP and I would be a skeleton if I lose10-15 lbs. 

Purely based on my own observations of mere mortals like myself (folks who climb recreationally, have jobs, relationships, amygdalas, etc.):

The one factor that seems most determinant of outdoor climbing performance is time spent climbing outdoors. Training and dieting seem to be of secondary importance for all but one climber I know, and he's one of those strange creatures that find hangboarding fun.

At 5'8" and 165 lb with a naturally not-thin build, my climbing would probably benefit from me shedding some weight. But when I've actually tried to diet, my energy and motivation have tanked such that I didn't climb as much and saw no improvement in performance. Conversely, when I've focused on eating more lean meats and vegetables and getting outside more, I've found that I naturally lost 5 pounds, climbed harder and felt better.

For me, AST's input above is spot-on.