Growth and Development

As the body matures and you become an adult, you're still changing in many ways that you aren't even aware of. Rock climbing is one of the best exercises that allows for more growth after this period. Climbers around the age of sixteen and younger have the highest risk of serious, long-term damage because their skeletal structure is not yet fully developed. When a climber has been on the wall for a good hour or so, their heart rate will have increased significantly, resulting in lack of oxygen for breaking down pyruvic acid for energy; so the acid is converted to lactic acid.    Diet is another important factor in development and growth of the body. A climber's daily food intake should consist of foods with calcium, phosphate, and vitamin D because bone formations are dependent on these vitamins. Whole grain, fruits and vegetables should be a major part of diet and climbers should also make sure to eat healthy fats like avocados, salmon, vegetable oils and nuts.

Exercise and Flexibility

Being flexible is key in rock climbing. People discover their true abilities and go beyond limits they previously had little faith in. Believe it or not, the hip's flexibility controls how much stress is put on other areas of the body. Flexibility can be obtained with little strength at all. The range of motion is most significant here. Bones and muscle respond to exercise in many different ways. A key component in rock climbing is body weight. A climber's performance will decrease if they have to carry more weight than necessary. Some individuals may wonder how it's possible to keep off the weight while gaining strength at the same time; but training with lower volume will ensure more power, while still maintaining a low mass. It's always important to make a schedule of when certain exercises need to be done to ensure a fit body that will only keep you safer out in the real elements. Bones are extremely helpful in climbing becuase they allow for big stretches and positioning the body in multiple ways.

Neural Control of Movement

Do people really ever think about the work our body does for even the tiniest movements? When doing strenuous activities like climbing, a lot is happening inside the muscle. It happens all the way down into the muscle fiber. At the axon ending, neurons leave the vesicle and travel through the synapse, following the sarcolemma or muscle membrane, and goes down the T tubule, then finally, the calcium ions move into the SR and myosin binds to actin, causing a muscle contraction. This simple process allows for very small, to extreme movements of the human body. When a contraction occurs, thick and thin filaments move closer together, decreasing the length in one sacromere.

Muscle Mechanics

Although bones are essential to rock climbers, they can't get anywhere without muscle. Naming all the muscles used during this activity would take too long to list, but there are some major muscle groups to address. In the forearm, brachioradialis, pronator teres, flexor carpi radialis, palmaris longus and flexor carpi ulnaris are all major muscles used during rock climbing. Muscles used in the upper arms include, biceps, triceps, and deltoids. Some major quadricep muscles used are hamstrings, and biceps femoris. Lastly, calf muscles as well as the soleus muscles are very important because they support and help balance the body. The upper body muscles are for more of pulling up the rest of the body and the lower muscles like the gluteus and abdominal push off the rock below.

Joints

Rock climbing has a major effect on the climber's joints. According to MedicineNet.com:  "A joint is the area where two bones are attached for the purpose of motion of body parts. A joint is usually formed of fibrous connective tissue and cartilage."  The tendons and ligaments in the hands and wrist of a climber get the most stress especially from extensive climbing on natural formations as well as free solo climbing. There are good and bad ways to position the climber's body on the wall. Some ways that are more harmful to the tendons and ligaments in the forearm and hand include:

• Crimps are used by almost bending fingers in a backwards motion on the rock where it's too small to grab normally; then placing the thumb over fingertips providing the most strength. Pressure occurs mainly in the condyloid and saddle joints as the fingers bend. They are flexed nearly 90% and are extended to the maximum.
• Jibs can also be harmful to the joints in fingers because of the small size of the grip. Phalange, distal and proximal interphalangeal joints, and metacarpals are used in this tecnique.
• Crack climbing is when the climber forces the hand into small cracks, then closes the hand causing everything to expand so the body can more easily position other parts accordingly. This technique involves the joints and articular cartilage.

Some healthier ways to hold the body on the wall:

• Open-handed holds which don't put much force on tendons, but rather the muscle and skeletal system. Plane and ball-and-socket joints are used causing fewer injuries.
• Slopes are smoother and easier to use.
• Under cling is another hold that reduces stress on the joints because it requires biceps and an upward pull.The elbows are also used alot in this tecnique.

Pulling around 180 lbs. up a rock wall is no easy task, but the human body has many capabilities to do so. Ball-and-socket joints are by far one of the most important movements in rock climbing. Each time the climber reaches for a hold, their joints allow extensive rotations and require a great amounts of mobility. Pivot and hinge are two other significant motions so that the climber has the best chance of grabbing the hold they need.

Structure and Function of Muscles

Besides the mind, muscle is the main contributer that's getting you up the wall. The build of muscle is incredible and for those who climb on a regular basis makes it become very important for their lifestyle to exercise and strengthen those groups. Muscles have a big role in rock climbing which is to support every limb in the human body as they slowly make their way up the rock wall.

Structure and Function of Bones

What would we be without bones? The skeletal system is crucial to rock climbing and is what saves our muscles from getting excessive damage. Relying more on bones rather than muscle will also save climbers a lot of energy instead of just using arms all the way up the wall. There are four classes of bones, short, long, flat, and irregular which are all used during climbing. A climber's skeletal system helps support and makes up the framework of the body and is crucial in order to maintain form on the rock wall. The skeletal structure also protects vital organs and most importantly the spinal cord to reduce damage, even fatally, during a fall or any sort of accident. Bones have the unique ability to move in incredible ways; for example, a climber who encounters an area of rock where it is too difficult for good hand placements, can use their legs to push them up to a more accessible area and besides, climbers' legs are much stronger than their muscles.
Although hands are small, they have many bones which are entirely useful for climbing. Bones such as the hamate, pisiform, triquetral, lunate, capitate, scaphoid, trapezium, and trapezoid are all used during climbing.