Short on Time? How Even 1-2 Climbs a Week Can Still Improve Your Skills
Here’s a common scenario: you’ve tried climbing and you love it. The thrill, the mental and physical challenge, the peace you find on the wall– you’re hooked. However the reality is, your schedule is packed. Between obligations like work, school, family, etc., you’re not sure how much time you can realistically devote to your newfound hobby. Don’t be discouraged– the good news is that even a few sessions a month can lead to noticeable progress and lots of fun. Here’s how!
The Benefits of Climbing, Even Occasionally
Skill progression: Climbing once or twice a week will yield lots of growth. Plateaus may occur that need time to get through, but climbers coming this often should expect to see rapid gains in strength, technique, and mental improvements. Breaking into new grades can occur within a few weeks, but may take longer depending on the climber’s specific characteristics and drive. Some grades may be more elusive than others and a climber shouldn’t get demoralized when progression isn’t linear.
Mental and physical health: Climbing is a great stress reliever, improves problem-solving skills, and keeps you active even with a busy schedule.
Social connection: Being part of a climbing community can be motivating and rewarding, even if you’re not at the gym every day.
Why a Membership Can Still Be Worth It
Cost savings: While we offer a variety of pass and membership options, keep in mind that climbing 4x/month already makes membership the better deal. See this post for a breakdown of our pass and membership options to figure out which one makes the most sense for you!
Memberships include extra perks compared to passes, and allow you to climb when it fits your schedule without worrying about getting the most out of a single session.
How to Get the Most Value with Limited Time
Pick specific days and times that work for you and make climbing part of your routine. Even short climbing sessions can be effective—warming up well and setting intentional goals for each visit can maximize progress. Here’s what we recommend:
Do a good quick warmup with some cardio and lots of movement variety. Then, spend 20-30 minutes warming up on easier problems before moving on to your more challenging grades (more warmup time is better, if you have that luxury). Depending on your goals, you can then work on specific training goals or project routes/problems that you are excited to send.
Make sure you drink fluids and have some calories to keep your muscles from burning out quickly, and make sure you give yourself adequate rest between attempts.
Spend time watching others who are more advanced in their skills to learn new techniques and decipher new beta for your projects.
Rest when you feel strained, or feel an injury coming on.
Other Tips for Maximizing Your Gym Time
Take advantage of help: Take advantage of the classes we offer to get personalized instruction and boost your skills. If you’re really serious, sign up for private climbing instruction with one of our experienced coaches!
Batch your climbing session with a yoga class, and you’ll maximize your time by including recovery and strength building.
Stay connected: Occasional climbers can stay connected with the climbing community by setting up times to climb with friends. Climbing with partners enables you to support and motivate one another, helping you both improve and grow together. Or join an event like Ladies Night (if you’re a lady). Don’t skip gym events such as our recent Winter Party or our competitions – these are so much fun and great places to hang with other climbers and be a part of things. We post weekly route updates on Instagram, so you can see what’s new at the gym and plan a time to test it out. Creating a welcoming, close-knit community is our goal, and we work hard to help people feel connected.
We hope we’ve encouraged you that you can enjoy climbing and see real progress even with limited time. Be sure to check out our schedule to see upcoming events, and sign up for our email newsletter to stay current on gym news!
