Lanae Joubert, an associate professor in NMU's School of Health and Human Performance, contributed her personal and professional expertise in rock climbing to a recent feaure story in The New York Times titled "A Beginner's Guide to Bouldering." She discussed how climbing activates large and small muscles, including a few that are rarely used. It is both anaerobic and aerobic and works the upper body, lower body and core.
“It is a full-body commitment to understanding your relationship between your whole body and the surface that you're trying to climb,” said Joubert, who has studied rock climbing for decades. “Every muscle, I think, except your tongue maybe. Unless you do climb with your tongue out.”
A veteran climber herself, Joubert said there's no body size or type that predicts a good climber. Men have no advantage over women, she said, and what really matters is how much time people dedicate to practice.
Joubert teaches nutrition at Northern. She co-authored a 2019 Cogent Medicine publication titled "Physiological demands and nutritional considerations for Olympic-style competitive rock climbing."
The New York Times story addressed the resurgent popularity of indoor rock climbing gyms for the intense workouts and social scene. Read the article here.