We have had an increasing number of threads on our Facebook community group about body image in climbing recently… The response has been overwhelming!!! With so many great ideas and lots of brilliant discussion around body image positivity, we thought we would share some of them for this weeks Female Climber Series.

~ Claire Leonie

1- “Be aware of the impact that following different people on social media may have. There are lots of climbers out there, and it may be a positive change to follow climbers with a broader range of shapes and sizes, or who actively post about body image.”

2- “Think about what clothing you feel comfortable wearing. There are now lots of brands making climbing-specific clothing. There may be a lot of leggings on Instagram, but there are also plenty of stretchy, more loosely fitting trousers if that is what feels best.”

3- “Losing weight isn’t the only way to manipulate the strength:power ratio and for most climbers the majority of the gains when it comes to this lie in the “strength” element. Focusing on the function of your body and what it can achieve can be a good way to shift focus away from simply what our bodies look like. Chronically restricting calories can have a hugely detrimental impact on our wellbeing, mindset, and physical performance.”

4- “Having children may change a climber’s body. This is like a lasting memory of something our bodies have achieved. When we are postpartum (or at any stage in our lives!) don’t be tempted to suck in the tummy as this increases intra-abdominal pressure, which can be detrimental to the pelvic floor.”

5- “It may be that introducing forms of training that don’t have a bodyweight element could improve body image positivity and help with the shift to focusing on function. They are also so good for developing strength for climbing!”

These are just a few of the things that climbers in our community page found useful! If you have anything that you feel has had a positive impact for you please come and join in the discussion over on our Women’s Training Facebook group – link below.

~ Lattice Women’s Training | Private Facebook Group