Spot Fitness: A Beginner’s Guide to Bouldering

(SPOT.ph) Not too long ago, bouldering felt like a niche hobby for people who were chasing an adrenaline rush. Now, it's much easier to try, with more indoor gyms opening around Metro Manila.

The appeal is easy to see. Bouldering gyms look almost like playgrounds, with colorful holds, padded floors, and short walls you can climb without ropes or harnesses—but anyone who has ever tried this sport knows it only looks easy from the ground.

If you've been thinking of giving bouldering a try, here’s everything you need to know before getting on the wall.

• What is bouldering?

• What do you need for bouldering?

• What to know about bouldering if you’re a beginner

• Bouldering gyms in Metro Manila

Bouldering started out as a way for climbers to train for bigger climbs on a mountain. In places like Fontainebleau, France in the late 1800s to early 1900s, climbers used short sandstone rocks to practice strength, balance, and technique before taking on bigger routes.

Eventually, those short climbs became the main event. Instead of just training, climbers started treating each route as a “problem” to solve. Today, bouldering is one of the most accessible forms of climbing, thanks to a growing number of indoor gyms and a welcoming community that helped it enter the mainstream.

The first thing you'll notice in bouldering is that the holds are not all the same. Some are easy to grab, like jugs, while others are trickier. Crimps are small edges for your fingertips, slopers are rounded holds you press into, and pinches need you to squeeze with your thumb and fingers. The shape of the hold changes how you climb, so even a short route can feel difficult.

Ultimately, the challenge is figuring out how each hold wants to be used.

To start a route, look for the marked starting holds. Most gyms will require both hands to begin on the start holds before you move, though some routes may also mark where your feet should go. From there, the goal is to climb using only the holds assigned to that route.

A completed climb is usually called a “send.” To send a problem, you need to reach the final hold with both hands before coming down. No, simply tapping the last hold while falling does not count. You have to show that you were stable enough to finish the route.

Gyms also use grades to show how hard a route is. Many local gyms, like The Bouldering Hive and Boulder World, mark routes by color, while others, like Good Climbs and Power Up, follow the more international, standardized V-scale, which gets harder as the number goes up (V1, V2, etc.)

The routes are changed every few weeks, so there’s always something new to try!

You don’t need a lot to start bouldering. Unlike other types of climbing, bouldering does not require ropes, harnesses, or belay devices. All you need are water, socks, and comfortable clothes you can move in (this can look like a sports bra with shorts for some, while baggy shirts and cargo pants for others). Whatever you decide to wear, it should be stretchy enough for long reaches and high steps.

Most gyms rent out climbing shoes, so you don’t need to buy your own pair right away.

Chalk is also available in most gyms, but it’s not required. It helps keep your hands dry for better grip, and if your hands are sensitive, it can give a layer of protection from the rough texture of the holds. Sometimes, it’s not your arms that give up first but your palms, so applying chalk can help make the session a little more comfortable.

Also read: Spot Fitness: Bouldering Essentials for Beginners

Bouldering looks simple enough from the outside. You just climb up, right?

Not quite. To understand what beginners should know before their first session, we spoke to Brie Boyer, coach and route setter at Good Climbs, and Cecille Lim, a casual bouldering hobbyist.

According to Boyer, the biggest misconception about bouldering is that you need strong arms to start. Upper body strength helps, but it is not the entry requirement people think it is.

A lot of bouldering is figuring out what the wall is asking from you. Some routes can easily be accomplished with strength, yes, but others are more about balance, footwork, flexibility, or figuring out the right order of moves. Not every climb is solved by pulling yourself up.

“Some require more upper body strength, some require more technique, some aren’t actually hard; it just has to be problem-solved. Regardless of what you have to offer, you will probably find something that is to your liking in the bouldering gym,” Boyer said. That's also why gyms create routes for different levels. A good bouldering gym should not only cater to advanced climbers but also have problems that first-timers can realistically finish.

If you want to get stronger, Boyer’s advice is simple: climb more.

Lim’s first few sessions were exactly that. She started out bouldering a little too weak, a little too scared, to the point where she didn’t think the sport was for her. When she came back, she surprised herself by finishing problems she had not been able to solve the first time.

“A lot of the climbs are actually more doable that what people think. First-timers are usually limited by fear, me included, but all of those are just mental blocks,” Lim said. “I know for a fact that bouldering has changed my mindset in every aspect for my life. I’m actually capable of so much more than I think. There’s so much more to do, there’s so much more to work on, but I know now it’s doable.”

Here’s the thing: falling is an inevitable part of bouldering, so the goal is not so much to avoid it completely but to know how to land safely when it happens. Learning how to fall is just as important as learning how to climb.

The good news is that gyms will always give first-timers a safety briefing before they start climbing.

The main thing to remember is not to fight the fall. It’s a natural instinct to catch ourselves with our hands, but that can hurt the wrists, elbows, or shoulders. Instead, climbers are usually taught to land with bent knees, keep the arms in, and roll back onto the padded mat. Those who have a fear of heights can also opt to climb down using easier holds.

While gyms will teach you the safety basics before you climb, warming up is something you have to take responsibility for yourself. It’s easy to skip because bouldering can look a lot like play, but you’ll realize very quickly that your body will feel strained without it. Going straight into a hard climb is one of the easiest ways to injure yourself.

According to Boyer, there’s no fixed time for warmup; just make sure to go through all the important motions before getting on the wall: “It really depends on your body, how fast you feel warm and comfortable.”

To get started, have your heart rate up first with a cardio of your choice—jog, do jumping jacks, or move around—for about 10 minutes. From there, Boyer suggests three main body parts to target: shoulders, forearms, and back.

For the shoulders, do shoulder rotations, arm swings, and alternating arm raises. For the forearms, extend your arms in front of you and move your fingers slowly and intentionally. Open the fingers, stretch them out, then close them again. Do this for a minute or two while also moving through the wrists. Think of it as waking up the exact muscles you will use once you start gripping holds.

For the back, go for gentle floor stretches like cat-cows and thread-the-needle. You can also do the world’s greatest stretch: step into a lunge, bring your elbow toward the floor, then rotate your upper body open. It helps loosen the back, hips, and shoulders, which you will need to twist, reach, and turn on the wall.

After all that, do a climbing warmup. Start with the easiest routes before moving on to harder, more challenging ones. Your fingers and feet will thank you.

Even with a proper warmup, though, expect some soreness after your first session.

“I was sore for like three days after my first bouldering experience,” Lim shared. “Especially with the hands, if you do a lot of routes as an excited beginner. It’s a new thing for your body so it’s a different kind of workout.”

One of the first things beginners tend to do on the wall is pull with their arms the entire time—what Lim calls “dinosaur arms.” It feels instinctive to do so, especially when you are trying not to fall, but it also tires you out fast.

Boyer said the best technique you can be mindful of early on is to keep your arms as straight as possible. It may feel like you are crouching under the holds, with your knees bent and your arms extended (see photo below), but that position lets your legs do more of the work.

“Instead of pulling yourself up with your arms, you’re using your legs and feet to stand up to get to the next hold. That eliminates the use of upper-body strength. A lot of V0s you don’t actually have to use any upper-body strength. You can do a lot with just using your feet,” Boyer said.

Think of it this way: your hands keep you on the wall, but your feet move you up. That is why footwork matters so much, especially if you aren't starting with a lot of upper body strength.

There's such thing as proper footwork, too. Beginners tend to step on footholds with the middle of the shoe because more contact feels safer, but Boyer said that can actually be “more dangerous than helpful” as it makes it harder to adjust your body once you are already on the wall. Instead, use the tip of your toe on the foothold, pointing towards the wall.

Her reminder is simple: “Trust your foot. You can get by with a lot of problems with just proper footwork techniques. The upper body strength comes along afterward.”

Finally, your body should follow the orientation of the hold. That means if the hold is turned to the side, your direction should turn that way too, so you can pull or push yourself in the proper direction. Sometimes, a hold seems particularly challenging not because you’re too weak, but because your body is in the wrong position.

“All of these things are the basic fundamentals because when you’re going into the harder stuff, this is what you’re going to have to learn anyway,” Boyer said.

In bouldering, trying again and again will only get you so far. Sometimes what you really need is another person to tell you that you're doing something wrong. That is why Boyer suggests climbing with others, especially those who are a little more experienced than you. They may notice things you do not, like bent arms, poor foot placement, or a body position that is making the move harder than it needs to be.

Asking does not have to feel awkward. If someone is working on the same route, it's very normal to ask how they did a move. Climbers call this “beta,” which means advice on how to complete a route. Even if you're not the most social person, bouldering gives you a natural conversation starter because you are all looking at the same wall, trying to make sense of the same colorful rocks. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to speak in English to converse with people here, either. Just a simple "Paano mo ginawa 'yun?" can do wonders for your climbing.

“Sometimes, you just need one tiny adjustment of your body to suddenly feel like it’s possible,” Boyer said.

For Lim, those small corrections from strangers have helped her make immense progress.

“One of the things I need is micro-beta, which is a very small adjustment to what you’re already doing. If I just climb by myself, I don’t notice my climbing habits. Why am I failing at the same spot every time? So it helps to climb with someone else who has a better understanding of movement,” Lim said.

If you're shy, Boyer said you can also ask the gym staff, who are more than willing to help you solve the problem.

We’ve already established that bouldering is a highly social activity, but keep in mind that it’s still a shared space. There are unspoken rules that govern the bouldering gym, the most important of which is to take turns. If other people are waiting for the same route, let them try while you rest between attempts.

Before you start climbing, check the wall around you, too. Routes can overlap, so two climbers can end up in the same space even if they started on different holds. A good rule of thumb is to keep at least one meter away from the nearest climber.

If someone’s route is near yours, wait until they finish. You do not want to be under someone if they fall.

Branches: Circuit Makati in Makati City and Greenhills Mall in San Juan City

Operating hours: Circuit Makati is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays; Greenhills Mall is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. Both branches are open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends

Rates: Starts at P700 for an Adult Day Pass, with rental shoes at P100

What makes The Bouldering Hive stand out is its strong community. Its two branches feel like regular climber hangouts, where people come back often, work on the same problems, and gradually recognize each other between attempts. That can make the sport feel a bit less intimidating, since asking for tips or chatting with others tends to feel more natural.

The Makati branch also has extra training features such as a spray wall and Grasshopper Board, which makes it useful for climbers who want to work on strength, technique, and repeatable problems beyond regular gym sets.

Branches: Centris Station Mall in Quezon City, with an upcoming branch in Bonifacio Global City

Operating hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Rates: Starts at P680 for a day pass, with rental shoes at P100

Good Climbs is a good option for beginners who want to start somewhere new without feeling like everyone else is already miles ahead. Since the gym itself is relatively new, the crowd also tends to have more first-timers, which can make it easier to find people who are learning at the same pace.

Its Centris Station Mall branch is also one of the more convenient bouldering gyms to reach by MRT-3, bus, or car.

Branches: 14 Economia Road near Eastwood in Quezon City

Operating hours: Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Rates: Starts at P700 for an Adult Day Pass, with rental shoes at P100

Boulder Space is the best fit if you want room to explore. At 1,335 square meters, it is the largest of the three, which helps if you're a beginner who doesn't want to feel like everyone is watching while you figure things out.

It also offers the most complete setup for people who want to boulder more than casually. The Kilter Board and MoonBoard are useful for climbers who want standardized problems they can repeat and track over time, while the rings, treadmills, kettlebell and HYROX training area give you space to build strength outside the wall.

Also read: Spot Fitness: Climbing Gyms to Get You Started on Your Bouldering Journey