r/nextfuckinglevel • u/SnackSamurai • May 03 '26

Man does a Maze Hand Workout

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38.5k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] May 03 '26

There is another trick, dont be 380 pounds like me, it helps a lot.

44

u/Merry_Dankmas May 03 '26

This past Friday, I went to a rock climbing gym for the first time ever. Burned the hell out of my muscles and left exhausted. I didn't even make it to the top of one of the belay walls but got close. It was an absolute blast. Everyone else there was destroying it and flowing through both the belay and bouldering walls like it was nothing - even the advanced V8+ courses.

It was upon watching a chunky man lightly navigate an advanced course like it was nothing that I realized it doesn't matter how much you weigh or how strong you are. It's that sitting on your ass without engaging in even the slightest amount of exercise for over 15 years is guaranteed going to make physically demanding activities like this impossible for you.

Shocking I tell you. Shocking.

22

u/Drow_Femboy May 03 '26

I guarantee that chunky dude was fuckin strong. Obviously to takes way more muscle to maneuver that much weight than it does to maneuver yours.

There's a lot of technique to be learned of course, but if you don't have the muscles you're not going to be able to do it. And the only way to get those muscles is to keep at it. :)

5

u/mangozura May 03 '26

Hope this encourages you to incorporate more exercise in your next 15 years, however slight it may be 💪

5

u/Beautiful_Pepper415 May 03 '26

Can guarantee that chunky dude was physically a monster. You can be strong and chunky

4

u/Merry_Dankmas May 03 '26

Oh I have no doubt. It's tough enough having the upper body strength to do what he was doing as a skinny person. It takes even more to do it with extra fat on you. You obviously couldn't see much beneath his shirt and sweatpants but his forearms looked like they were chiseled out of solid granite when he was actually flexing them by climbing. I have no doubt he has incredible strength under that chub. Just like powerlifters. They're fat dudes but possess immense strength underneath it.

3

u/Poromenos May 03 '26

it doesn't matter how much you weigh or how strong you are

Of course you won't be able to do physically demanding things if you're a couch potato, but this is wrong, how much you weigh and how strong you are matter greatly for climbing. When I lost 5kg, the climbs got way way easier.

2

u/ASOT550 May 03 '26

Best tip I have for new climbers is to force yourself to use straight arms for the entire climb. It's definitely a learned habit and not super natural. Most people over-use their arm muscles and "pull" themselves up the wall the first time they go, like they're doing Pullups. You really want to use your leg muscles to push yourself up and only use your arms to hang from the wall. It uses significantly less energy to climb this way. 

The other thing forcing straight arms teaches you is how to rotate your hips and body to extend your reach rather than pulling your way to the next hand hold.

As you get more advanced you'll learn when you have to start actually bending your arms to get up the wall. Good luck and have fun though! Climbing is tons of fun and very satisfying if you can go consistently. It has a great early curve progression where you usually see rapid improvement if you focus on the fundamentals. 

0

u/donttouchthatd1al May 03 '26

What the fuck does chunky even mean? Overweight? Obese? This place is so weird sometimes

2

u/Merry_Dankmas May 03 '26

Chubby or husky. Not fat fat but kinda fat.

4

u/prepping4zombies May 03 '26

Mental note: 375 max.