Table 3 Examples of forum comments for the theme "How and why is weight an issue?"

3a. A low weight is clearly beneficial

Light people climb better. I didn't come up with that, it's Sir Newton back in the day:-)

Body weight may not be the most critical issue, but it sure as hell helps and if you say it doesn’t you're a liar. You can pay more attention to your technique if you take off that 10 kg weight vest.

Legs are dead weight and so we don't train them. Leg muscles will not help you climb better, so training your legs and gaining muscle weight will only be a disadvantage.

3b. A low weight is not that important

Dropping weight isn't the one and only way of getting better at climbing. As a matter of fact, as long as you become a stronger climber, any additional weight is good. If you're already skinny, this holds true even more. Going thin as a skeleton won’t help you climb [extremely hard routes]. Having enough muscle and technique to master the necessary body positions will. As a 95 kg climber who’s [climbed advanced routes], there is absolutely no reason to say you can’t be heavier and still climb hard.

Fat people climb better than I do. Thin people climb better than I do. The reason? They are better climbers, period. It has nothing to do with their body weight. It would be much more useful for you to focus on improving your footwork, your flexibility, and doing some [finger training] instead of only obsessing about your weight.

Gained 5 lbs over Christmas from just eating whatever I wanted. Yesterday I had the best climbing session in a long while. You shouldn't get hung up on your weight. Where you're at mentally and physically is so much more relevant.

3c. Losing weight may have negative consequences

[Elite climber] talked about this. He previously cut weight before competitions but quit doing it. He said it made him weak, low on power and energy. He thinks he does much better in competitions when he makes sure to eat healthy and maintains a healthy weight.

I agree, why would you want to lose weight? Your energy levels will go down, you'll limit your strength/power, you'll damage your immune system—is it really worth it just to lose a little weight and feel marginally lighter when you climb? Not for me it isn't. I've been climbing hard for many years and every time I tried to cut weight for the sake of performance, all that happened is that I felt weaker.

My joints are much, much more prone to injuries when I drop to a low weight and body fat percentage.

3d. Balance between losing weight and losing muscle

Contrary to what some say, it is really difficult to lose weight by restricting your calorie intake and not also lose muscle while doing it. And then when you have lost muscle mass, it is going to be a LOT harder to gain it back than what it was to lose it. I am now 9 lbs lighter than I used to be a couple of years ago, when I was at my strongest and could manage one-arm pull-ups on both arms. Now I'm nowhere near being able to do that, and my strength-to-weight ratio is not as good either.

At this point, I could mostly lose weight in the form of muscle mass. It makes me wonder if it's reasonable to keep on losing weight (I might lose some weight but also lose strength because of muscle atrophy).

The thing is, a lot of climbers are already fairly skinny but still choose to maintain a deficit (or a sort of down-regulated mode) just because they're afraid to gain weight. And when you're in a deficit, you just don't gain much strength. Your strength can keep on improving year after year for decades, but with weight loss you hit a ceiling–you can only get lighter to a certain point and then there's not much more to gain.

3e. Climbing helps with body image

I've also noticed that when I climb or hike, I concentrate more on the way my body functions and not so much on how it "looks". As a matter of fact, I'm actively involved in introducing outdoor activities in the treatment program of a local eating disorder clinic just because I feel it's so helpful.

Whenever I see other women climbing, I'm so inspired and impressed by how POWERFUL and cool and awesome these girls are! Actually, I'm sure you look amazing. Might take some time to get used to it though. I just got rid of my favorite shirt because I simply cannot button it around my forearms any longer. Too bad! Still, it's an incredible feeling to be strong and able (who cares if my tiny clothes don't fit anymore) so just keep it up!

Anyone can become a good climber, no matter what body shape mother nature gave us. That's one of the beautiful things about climbing. You can focus on what works for you and build on that, which is precisely why climbing is so much more than just a sport.