Rock-climbing raises your heart rate and works every muscle group, making it a combination cardiovascular and strengthening workout. You burn fat quickly during rock-climbing. Depending upon the intensity and style of rock-climbing you do, you burn as many calories per hour as you would running or cycling vigorously. Contract your core muscles during climbing to improve your coordination, build more strength and reduce your chance of injury.
Mountain Climbing
Climbing over rocks as part of a hike up a mountain burns between 470 and 745 calories per hour. The amount of calories you burn vary according to your cardiovascular fitness and weight. If you do this type of workout for 1 hour daily, you burn between 1 and 1.5 lbs. per week. Burn more calories and add an upper body strengthening component by wearing a weighted backpack while climbing.
Rappelling
Rappelling, either on a rock-climbing wall in a gym or outdoors, burns the same amount of calories as mountain-climbing. However, rappelling works different muscle groups. During rappelling, you descend a rocky surface, using your arms to direct you and your legs and feet to lightly bounce against the vertical face. This activity puts more demands on your upper body than hiking or less intense mountain-climbing. You build shoulder, chest, arm and core muscle. The more muscle tissue you add, the higher you raise your resting metabolism so you burn more fat around the clock.
Ascending Rock
You burn the most fat while ascending rock, either on a gym wall or outdoors. In 1 hour, you burn between 650 and 1,020 calories. Ascension demands engagement from your upper, lower and core muscle groups, making it a strengthening activity as well. However, sustaining pure ascension for 1 hour requires endurance and advanced upper body strength. Doing calisthenics such as chinups, triceps dips, pectoral presses and biceps curls adds muscle mass and extends the amount of time you can sustain the rock-climbing workout.
Interval Training
A standard rock-climbing workout follows a pattern of speed and strength intervals, followed by rest and recovery. This varied exercise pace burns fat more effectively than working out at a consistent pace. Incorporate bursts of activity and intensity into your rock-climbing every 5 minutes. Sustain the interval for up to 30 seconds for beginners and 1 or 2 minutes for more advanced climbers. Slow down, but do not stop, to recover.
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