Heavyweight Climber

I’m new to climbing and due to location and resourcing I mainly boulder. Are there any other heavyweights in the climbing world. I can move my body fairly well I was a ballet dancer in high school and a wrestler up through college. Climbing for me is mostly for fun and the rush so I have no expectations of sending V8 anytime soon or 5.11 consistently if I acquire gear. 

I’m 6’ 1” 220 pounds and about 15% BMI. If there are any more experienced Clydesdales out there comment below please. 

Sincerely,

Big man in a little man sport

I'm actually not the best direct resource (5'5" and 125lb), but one of my good friends is about your size/type and demolishes indoors and outdoors while being relatively new himself. While it's important to note that bodyweight is a factor in climbing, it's equally important to realize that climbing is less about your body type and more about how you learn to perform movement on the rock that works best for you and the routes you encounter. It's all trial and error. Such as life.

Progressing as a climber is about tenacity, mileage, and technique more than anything else. Over time you'll develop the muscle memory, particular strengths, and skills needed to become better and more experienced. Your biggest help will be consistency and mileage for a while to come. 

My biggest fear when I started climbing was my lack of height and my perceived stubby T-Rex arms (-2.5 ape index), but I've overcome it in due time. You'll always adapt!

We are out here. I have been climbing for a little over 4 years.I started with bouldering but fell in love with rope climbing. I am 6'4 and my weight is anywhere from 200 - 215. I can climb 5.11 and am working on getting my first 5.12. I can boulder v6.

I eat healthy (not for climbing reasons but for life reasons) and honestly don't think it is possible for me to get under 200 pounds. I have tried and I felt sick and weak. 

I used to worry about weight but honestly like John Wood says you always adapt! That is what makes climbing so cool is it is about personal growth and gains.  

Look up John Dunne from England. He weighed over 200 pounds and still climbed 5.14

Oliver Newton wrote:

I’m 6’ 1” 220 pounds and about 15% BMI. If there are any more experienced Clydesdales out there comment below please. 

You are confusing/conflating BMI and % body fat. To have a BMI of 15, you'd have to weigh 114 lbs.

6' 8" 250 lbs here. As much as I complain about it, I love getting out.

Don't be discouraged. Some climbs will suit you well. There are so many styles and route choices. 

Advice? 1) Get flexible!! 2) Don't compensate with your strength all the time. Learn to use your feet. 3) Understand the huge forces your belayer will experience. Keep them safe and make sure they know what they are getting into when you fall. 4) Same goes for gear. 'Marginal placements' cover a much bigger range as a big man. That being said, I am not afraid to whip. The tools work when used appropriately

Same here,

6'8"   235-260 lbs. Depending if its light beer climbing season or dark beer skiing season. Just keep climbing don't get strong get flexible and skillful.  I normally have my smaller belayers wear a backpack full of our stuff to weigh them down.  

6'2, 210-215ish. Could be lighter, don't really care (I probably will in a few years).

I've learned that severe overhangs are just inherently harder for me, so I'll train on them sometimes but don't really focus my energy there. Other than that, body movement is everything, and finger (tendon) strength will catch up to your weight if you give them the time. It's probably easier to hurt yourself throwing around more weight than most others are, I've hurt both shoulders and spend a fair bit of time in physio as a result.

It will also become important to be aware of how your weight affects climbing systems - mostly this means no 140lb partners, certainly not without a ground anchor, but remember that the UIAA uses 80KG weights to represent human weights, we're over that. It doesn't mean gear's gonna explode, but it does mean you need to be more cautious with somewhat marginal situations.

you'll do fine...have fun!

I'm 6'4"/#230......trying to get back to 210

6'2" 220 lb here. 

I will add there are some complications to being bigger. Mainly, you fall harder. 

This can be an issue especially with roped climbing.  My main partner is 130 lb.s and can go for a serious ride in a lead fall. We have to be very careful when setting up belays and in choosing climbs to prevent climber/belayer and belayer/rock collisions. 

Ropes can also stretch more, in my experience, skinny ropes with high elongation lead to significant further falls compared to other climbers. Can be a real problem for ledge strikes and falls low on rocks. 

This might be the place to remind climbers who have way more muscle than their belayers that Edelrid Ohm is specifically designed to mitigate weight disparities
Local thread - MountainProject Edelrid Ohm

6'1" 205

I mainly like rope climbing. I'm currently working 12a/b and I feel one consequence of being bigger is just that when you go outside moving that mass results in faster fatigue. Or my form is just bad and needs improvement :). Lately I've taken to trying to practice as perfect of form and footwork as I can at all times. I can't say it's added a lot but I've noticed some gains. Eat food, not too much, mostly plants, enjoy beer, screw sugar and fat free anything. That's my dieting wisdom. 

One thing to add to fellow rope climbers is to get the Edelrid Ohm. My wife and I use it (she's 140) and it's easily turned 4 or 5 clips falls into 1 or 2 clip falls. Plus I feel better climbing harder because I know I'm not going to wrecking ball into her. 

climbing friend,

I am 6'4" and 180-185, with chiseled abs and stunning features. you all must go on diet, or perhaps become radical vegan activist if you wish to touch the climbing rocks with great skill. what is "normal" in your country is perhaps 30-40 lbs overweight yes?

5' 8". 215#.

Flexibility and footwork will help you go up in grade faster, especially with some of the weird movements in bouldering. Most importantly, try not to compare yourself to others around you. Everyone climbs differently and some styles suit me while some don't.

climbing friend,

if you are quite rotund, you must utilize the controlled but significant speed when thrusting up the climbing rocks, and also you are utilizing the momentum. your large body it cannot tolerate the slow terrified movement on small holds where you are "unfairly" penalized for your substantial girth

 6' 2" / 210-lbs and been climbing 19+ years.

At this size very few will be bigger than you but there is no major or really even minor concerns that would prevent you from having a fun and long climbing career.  When leading you do need to be more mindful of the weight difference between you and your partner.  This goes for them belaying you but also you belaying them.  When you get to the point of leading ask around again for tips on mitigating the difference but my weight has never been more than a minor nuisance for me trying a route.  My regular partners are 165-lbs to 185-lbs, but I have traded belays with someone as light as 125-lbs. 

Also, don't worry about gear strength ratings.  With the dynamic systems of a fall you will only generate a minimal amount more force than a "normal" climber.  Compared to the rated strength of the gear you'll still have more than plenty of safety margin.  I can't think of a single incident of reported gear failure where being a heavier climber was a contributing factor but maybe someone else has and can share.

Yeah don't worry about strength like squats, bench, pull-ups.  But definitely build strength in your forearms.  There is a lot to be concerned about with injury but its more because you are new and not really your weight.  Just climbing more will provide all the strength training for your forearms that you need for the next few months to years.  Also, as others have said improved technique will get you farther than strength when starting out.

Finally, don't think you can't climb hard because you are a bit heavier.  I have lead 5.10+ trad, 5.11c sport, and V5 outside and regularly send 5.11 in the gym and I'm not a training beast by any stretch of the imagination.  There are plenty of examples of heavier climbers sending much harder than me as well.  Its undeniable that you will eventually get to the point that to climb harder you just have to lose weight, and certainly to the point where you'll get way more training bang for your buck losing weight than trying to improve strength or technique.  But those points are far off in the future for you and will not prevent you from having a fun climbing career regardless.

Say there -- I'm 135-140 which is probably a Clydesdale for a female climber.  I currently climb with someone who has almost same dimensions as you.  He likes to pitch off the top of climbs in the gym.  He climbs quite well although often the biggest guy in the gym.   I wouldn't consider your size to be a limitation at all since you sound quite fit -- it's the always the mind, you know?  Because many climbers are closer to my size (and you want to have your pick of partners )  it's advisable that you develop a small bag of tricks to help when there is a big weight difference, and be prepared to set up and teach your belayer.  Bring extra cordage for a well-thought out bottom anchor (outdoors) and/or the pack/sandbag technique noted above.  Be considerate about yarding up rope when on lead -- your arms are probably way long and it can be hard for a mushroom to keep up until you catch the rhythm.  Your belayer will need to a) be diligent keeping about the right amount of slack in the system, b) wear shoes, and c) relax when you fall (otherwise s/he can take a beating). I prefer a gri-gri for this situation -- it saves my biceps for my own climbing.  

Oliver Newton wrote:

Sincerely,

Big man in a little man sport

 Haha.. 6’3” 275. I gained 15 pounds three months after I started back lifting weights in October. I stressed over the weight gain until someone reminded me that my cardio (they didn’t have to wait for me on the way in and out to the crag) is the best it’s ever been and I’ve bumped up my grades a couple numbers. As along as you’re having a good time it doesn’t matter what you weigh. When you start thinking about ticking off big objectives and chasing numbers... then you’ll get strict with your diet.

Weight does matter. Anybody that says differently is in fantasy land.  It can impact both how hard you climb and safety (rope stretch; belayer error). There are ways to mitigate the safety factor, such as using an assisted belay device and a less stretchy rope (which I do) and be cognizant of belayer position and groundfall potential before starting a climb (anchoring the belayer reduces fall distance but increases fall force--I have taken some hard falls with the belayer anchored). Using a weighted pack seems better than anchoring if possible.

That said, people are correct that there are other ways to improve your climbing: technique, just actually climbing (fitness), flexibility, mental game.  It is up to you to decide the optimization of fitness, technique, strength, flexibility and want-to that works best for you as an individual.   

QdeBees wrote:

I'm 135-140 which is probably a Clydesdale for a female climber.

Not sure about that! 

I'm 5'7", 140 lbs, and am quite lean and muscular. You don't mention your height, but based on weight alone, I would disagree.

Who cares, I am 6'1" and 220 and I love it. If you constantly are looking at other climbers and thinking that they are really good and you will never get there then you are forgetting why you want to do the sport to begin with. If you like climbing and have fun then what ever go do it. I will say that I am also losing weight, but after being used to climbing at 235 I have found that I've gone up in grade with dropping weight, but it was because I wanted to climb harder and specific problems, not because I saw others in the gym and got jealous. Develop your own climbing style that plays to your body type.

If you are concerned with lead climbing, especially outdoors, look into the Edelrid Ohm, it will resist your fall so your belay partner isn't eating the first bolt when you punt 12ft from your last bolt. 

Gunkiemike wrote:

You are confusing/conflating BMI and % body fat. To have a BMI of 15, you'd have to weigh 114 lbs.

Body fat percentage my apologies