Is Climbing and Bouldering Good For Cardio?

As an avid climber, I’ve noticed a lot of benefits that climbing brings to me, including physical, mental and emotional ones. One that gets argued about a lot, though, is cardio. So I decided to dig into it and figure out whether climbing and bouldering actually count as good cardio.

Is climbing cardio? Yes. Climbing raises your heart rate and your respiratory rate, which makes it good for cardio. That said, climbing builds your cardio fitness differently than most cardio activities, so it’s tough to compare head to head.

Climbing is one of the most well-rounded sports you can do for your physical, mental and emotional health. But the way you climb changes how much cardio you actually get out of a session.

Is Climbing Cardio? The Honest Answer

If you’re asking “is climbing cardio,” the simple answer is yes. Any time your heart rate climbs and your breathing picks up, you’re doing cardio, and climbing does both. The catch is that a lazy session on easy routes with long rests won’t do much for you, while a focused session that keeps you moving will. So climbing can be great cardio, but only if you climb in a way that keeps your heart and lungs working. The rest of this guide walks you through how to make that happen.

How To Make Climbing and Bouldering A Great Cardio Workout

Climbing asks for both dynamic and static movement, and all of it needs full-body control. That control means a lot of muscle activation, and that muscle activation drives up your heart rate and your breathing while you climb. If you’re curious how that stacks up against the weight room, we cover it in can climbing build muscle and replace weight training.

Depending on how hard you push a session, you might get an amazing cardio workout or a pretty weak one.

To make climbing and bouldering a great cardio workout, you’ve got to keep your heart rate and breathing elevated. If you want to be sure you’re getting a real cardio benefit from your session, try these steps.

1. It’s easiest if you have a way to check your heart rate, like a heart rate monitor or a smartwatch. The Apple Watch, for example, is a great way to track your heart rate while you climb, especially if you’re using a climbing app.
2. Throughout your session, take a second here and there to notice how heavy or fast you’re breathing.
3. If your heart rate is below your target and your breathing isn’t elevated, bump up the intensity of your climbing. You can do that by:
   1. Climbing a longer distance
   2. Climbing faster
   3. Climbing harder routes
   4. Doing more climbs without resting
   5. Cutting down your rest and recovery time between climbs
4. Hold that intensity for the time you’re after. Most cardio workouts should be at least 30 minutes in your target heart and breathing range.

What Is Cardio and Why Is It Important?

Cardio is any activity that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe hard.

Most people think of running, biking, hiking, soccer and basketball as cardio workouts, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that things like weight lifting or dancing count as cardio too.

Cardio matters because it improves your lung and heart health, burns calories and bumps up your metabolic rate.

To get the benefits that come from cardio, you should spend about 30 minutes in your ideal heart and breathing range at least 3 days a week.

What Is Your Ideal Heart Rate For Cardio

Everyone’s body needs a different heart rate for the best cardio result. That rate depends on your max heart rate, which is usually estimated from your age.

Once you have that number, you can figure out which zone you need to be in for the best cardio workout.

Using the steps below, you can work out where your heart rate should be and use that to build a climbing or bouldering session that meets your cardio needs.

1. Subtract your age from 220. For example, if you’re 25 years old, 220 minus 25 = 195 (that’s your estimated max heart rate)
2. Figure out which “zone” you want to be in for each phase of your workout
   1. 50 to 70% Zone: This zone is best for recovery or building endurance. It’s also known as the fat-burning zone, though you’ll still burn fat in higher zones.
   2. 70 to 85% Zone: This zone is for improving performance and building heart and muscle efficiency (the ultimate cardio zone)
   3. 85 to 100% Zone: This is where you move from aerobic to anaerobic. It’s most often used to build speed and intensity, and it should be done in short bursts.
3. Work out your heart rate for each zone by multiplying the number from step 1 by the percent you’re after. For example, 75% of 195 is 195 times 0.75. If you’re 25 years old, 195 is your 100%.
   1. 50 to 70% would be 97.5 to 136.5
   2. 70 to 85% would be 136.5 to 165.75
   3. 85 to 100% would be 165.75 to 195

What Is Your Ideal Respiratory Rate

There’s no set breathing rate or “zone” for a good cardio workout. The goal is to raise your breathing to match the type of workout you’re doing.

Some activities like running or cross country skiing need more oxygen for energy and for clearing out waste like carbon dioxide and lactate than something like weight lifting or a short high-intensity effort.

Generally, you can use the “sing and talk” test to check whether your breathing is where it needs to be for a good cardio workout. All you do is see if you can talk and sing.

• If you can talk and sing, you probably need to push the intensity of your session up
• If you can talk but you can’t sing, you’re likely working out at a moderate pace and getting a good cardio workout
• If you’re gasping for air or can’t get full sentences out, you’re likely working out hard

With all that said, your main target should be your heart rate, with your breathing rate as a secondary check.

Even though it’s clear you raise your breathing rate while you climb, this is still one of the most argued points among climbers when they say climbing isn’t good cardio. The usual argument compares how you breathe after running a mile versus after a climbing session. That comes from a misconception that you have to breathe really hard to get a good cardio workout. In reality, you only need to raise your breathing and heart rate to a certain level to make it count.

How is Cardio Different In Climbing Than Bouldering

The biggest difference between climbing and bouldering is the distance you climb. Funny enough, that actually changes the type of cardio you get too.

Some climbers say that even with a higher heart rate, it’s harder to get your breathing up while bouldering because the routes are so short.

Roped climbing, on the other hand, keeps pushing your breathing up because of the endurance it takes to reach the top of a long route. Your heart rate, though, may sit lower.

These differences don’t mean one is better than the other for cardio. They just mean that if you want a really solid cardio workout inside your climbing session, you may need to set aside 30 minutes to work on whatever is keeping that session from having a good cardio side to it.

How To Increase Heart Rate While Climbing

Like I mentioned in the heart rate zone section, those zones are for different types of training.

The 50 to 70% zone is for endurance, which is why you probably notice your heart rate is lower on long routes. It takes endurance to get to the top.

That doesn’t mean you’re getting a bad cardio workout if you stay in the 50 to 70% zone, but if you want to push into the 70 to 85% range, set aside 30 minutes in your session to bump your heart rate up.

Here are a few things you can do while climbing to raise your heart rate for 30 minutes:

• Climb more dynamically or pick more dynamic routes (try skipping holds if you can’t think of another way to move dynamically)
• Climb faster so your whole focus is getting to the top as quickly as possible (this works best for top-rope climbing)

How To Increase Respiratory Rate While Bouldering

With bouldering, it’s usually easier to get your heart rate up because you’re doing short bursts of powerful moves. Getting your breathing up, though, is the part climbers say is tricky. If that’s you, it may be worth setting aside at least 30 minutes in your routine to focus on raising your breathing rate.

If you’re not sure how to get your breathing elevated, try this drill and use it as a jumping-off point for other bouldering activities that can spike your breathing. For more ideas like this, our bouldering drills 101 guide is a good place to start.

1. Pick 4 climbs that are 2 to 3 grades below your current level.
2. Send each one as fast as you can without resting between routes
3. Once you finish all 4, take a 1-minute break, then repeat 3 to 4 times.

By the time you’re done with this drill, you’ll probably find yourself breathing hard with your heart rate in or above your target zone.

This drill should also show you what’s possible when it comes to getting your breathing up while bouldering.

If you want steady, structured drills like this built into your week instead of piecing them together yourself, that’s exactly what the Grip & Grind app is built for. And if you’d rather just get one short climbing drill in your inbox to try each week, you can join our free newsletter and level up your climbing with about 15 minutes of training at a time.

Frequently asked questions

Is climbing cardio or strength training?

It’s both. Climbing needs a lot of muscle activation, so it builds strength, and that same effort raises your heart rate and breathing, which makes it cardio. How much of each you get depends on how you climb. Long, continuous routes lean more cardio, while short, powerful boulder problems lean more strength.

Is bouldering good for cardio?

Bouldering can be good cardio, but it takes a little effort to get there. Because boulder problems are short, it’s easy to get your heart rate up but harder to keep your breathing elevated. Climbing several problems back to back with little rest is the best way to turn a bouldering session into a real cardio workout.

How long do I need to climb to get a cardio benefit?

Aim for about 30 minutes in your target heart and breathing range, at least 3 days a week. You don’t have to climb non-stop for 30 minutes, but you do want to keep your heart rate and breathing up during that window instead of resting most of the time.

Can climbing replace running for cardio?

It can, as long as you climb in a way that keeps your heart rate and breathing elevated. Climbing builds cardio differently than running, so the feel is different, but the heart and lung benefits are real when you keep the intensity up and cut down your rest.

Related Questions:

Can Climbing Build Muscle and Replace Weight Training?

Climbing, like a lot of body-weight exercise, is a great way to build muscle all over your body. That said, weight training is usually used to supplement a climber’s strength building, not replace it.

Can Climbing Build Abs

Climbing is a core-intense workout and a great way to build your ab muscles. That said, unless you’re eating right, you may not see the six-pack you’re hoping for.

Sara Climbing Coach, Climbing Trainer, Writer

Sara is the founder of Send Edition, author of '77 Drills to Help You Climb Better,' the creator of 'Elevate Your Climbing: Training Planner and Tracker,' and climbing coach.

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