Do you want to get in shape fast, but life and the weather are not cooperating? With crazy work and family schedules, there never seems to be enough time in the day to get in the workout that we want. For those who enjoy exercising outdoors, weather conditions can also put a damper on our exercise goals. This especially applies to those people that love rock climbing. To rock climb or go bouldering outdoors, you need to not only live near somewhere with cliff faces so you can do it consistently, but you also need the weather to cooperate with your climbing plans. For those of us that aren’t lucky enough to live in an eternally sunshine state, we need to explore other options to satisfy our climbing urges.
What Is A Climbing Wall Treadmill?
Enter the climbing wall treadmill. What is a climbing wall treadmill, you ask? A climbing wall treadmill is an indoor rock climbing wall. But it gets even better. With the rock climbing treadmill, you don’t need a 40’ ceiling to achieve your climbing goals. This endless climbing wall only takes up as much space as a treadmill and is only about 10-12 feet tall, depending on the brand. It consists of foot and handholds on its panels and continually revolves, just like a vertical treadmill would. It allows you to scale anything from the height of Pikes Peak, to Mt. Everest, all from the comfort of your home or local gym. You don’t have to worry about running out of climbing wall since your “wall” is continually rotating and moving.
The rock climbing treadmill is motorless and is powered solely by a climber’s weight. The equipment uses your body weight as an energy source to move the rotating surface and allows for automatic adjustment to the speed, based on your weight and climbing speed. This gives you the freedom of climbing without being hindered by ropes and harnesses since you are never more than a few feet off of the ground, and there is no danger of falling. Since the climber entirely controls the machine’s motion, this allows climbers of varying skill levels to all comfortably and safely use the treadmill rock wall at their preferred pace. They don’t have to worry about plugging the treadmill rock wall in, pressing any speed buttons, or requiring a rope or harness. The faster you climb, the faster the wall will move. The treadmill wall angle can also be adjusted from -20 degrees to +5 degrees from its vertical position, to simulate ledge overhangs or slab climbing on a cliff face. Some will even adjust from -45 degrees to +15 degrees from its upright position.
A fantastic feature of the rotating climbing wall is that it has an LED display on the side of the frame, showing how much time has elapsed, how much distance you’ve climbed, as well as how many calories you’ve burned. With a regular, climbing wall, you are limited to having to go to a climbing gym and using whatever wall they have available. That means you can get bored fairly quickly, having to climb up and down the same space over and over again and use the same holds every time. With a climbing wall treadmill, no two climbs need ever to be the same. With a treadmill rock wall, the climbing holds can also be repositioned to different locations on each panel to accommodate varying levels of difficulty, as well as to exercise different muscle groups. This allows for a more customizable workout for your entire body, and an infinite variety of challenging climbs. This will enable you to experience whole-body high-intensity interval training that strengthens your muscles and develops your endurance. This can be an awesome workout that you will never get tired of, regardless of if you are building muscle, trying to burn fat, increase your endurance, or work on cardio.
Is A Climbing Wall Treadmill Good For All Levels Of Climbers?
More and more people are becoming interested in climbing and bouldering every day. These climbers are testing their limits and continually seeing how far they can go. With so many people not living near gorgeous mountains and cliffs to test their strength and endurance on, they are looking elsewhere for a climbing outlet. Many gyms and fitness centers are beginning to install indoor climbing walls to satisfy their customers. Some gyms, however, don’t have the space required for 40’ or more high ceilings to accommodate a typical climbing wall. Climbing wall treadmills are ideal since they don’t take up that much space, as well as the gym doesn’t need to pay someone to supervise and make sure everyone is wearing a harness correctly and help them with the ropes. With the rock climbing treadmill, the climber is never more than a few feet off of the ground, so they don’t need to be supervised. Just like with a regular climbing wall, there is typically a mat on the floor, so if you were to lose your grip and fall a few feet, you would have a mat to cushion your fall.
The ClimbStation treadmill wall has ten pre-set difficulty levels, from easy beginner, to pro-athlete and superhuman. You can easily adjust the climbing wall to whatever your comfort level is and start climbing. A climbing wall treadmill is an essential piece of equipment to add to any gym, fitness center, or home. Anyone, from a small child, to a professional climber, will benefit from this fun and challenging workout and won’t be able to get enough of it.
Reasons To Get A Climbing Wall Treadmill
There are multiple reasons why you can benefit from a climbing wall treadmill.
- Climbing is a strenuous yet fun activity that challenges your body and your mind.
- It provides an intense cardio workout and increases coordination and balance.
- It is ideal for strength, endurance training, and core exercises since it uses muscles in both the upper and lower body.
- Athletes can gain a competitive edge since the climbing wall is so versatile, with different angles and customizable holds.
- You can save money from the electric bill from using a treadmill, or from having to construct a 40’ climbing wall.
- Using a climbing wall keeps you and your family healthy, with a full-body workout that can never get boring.
- It provides endless hours of adrenaline-filled fun and challenging workouts.
- A climbing wall treadmill can be used by a wide range of age or skill levels, so you only have to worry about one piece of equipment, instead of having to cater to all different abilities.
- It is safe, reliable, and easy to use.
- The climbing wall’s level of difficulty can be increased as your strength increases. It is controlled entirely by your body weight and speed, so the faster you go, the quicker the wall rotates, and the more challenging the workout is. You are truly able to set your own pace with a treadmill rock wall.
How Much Does A Climbing Wall Treadmill Cost?
A climbing wall treadmill is not cheap. They are typically over $9,000. However, they are well worth the cost. If you are an avid climber, or even a beginner and want to enjoy the benefits of climbing, but don’t have a giant wall in your house, a climbing wall treadmill is perfect. If it is not quite in the budget yet to purchase a treadmill rock wall for yourself, seek out a gym or fitness center in your area that has them. The monthly membership fee is well worth the benefits you will experience by using the climbing wall and other available equipment.
And, if there isn’t a gym or fitness center in your area that has a climbing wall treadmill yet, don’t fret. You can take it upon yourself to talk to the manager and suggest that they buy a climbing wall treadmill since it would increase their business by drawing in more customers. With a climbing wall treadmill, all they have to do is purchase it, set it up, and then they’re done. With a traditional climbing wall, once the wall is constructed, the work is far from done. The gym needs to make sure the holds are varied enough to provide continuous enjoyment as well as secure harnesses and ropes for safety. The gym will also need to hire a staff member that is trained and can handle the wall. There is also a higher liability risk from injury and falls with a standard climbing wall versus a climbing wall treadmill. With a climbing wall treadmill, you don’t need to worry about supervision or your climbers getting injured, since the climber is never more than a few feet off of the ground. As more and more people become avid climbing enthusiasts, you can rest assured that more gyms will start to have climbing wall treadmills, since they are cheaper and easier to install than a 40’ plus tall climbing wall.
Check out your local gym or fitness center, or start saving now for a climbing wall treadmill. It will be well worth the investment and provide you and your family with endless hours of enjoyment and exercise.