Rock Climbing, specifically Bouldering, makes a great hobby for a computer programmer:
1. It works the right muscles to fight all the terrible things that programming does to your body. Slouching fixed, wrist issues fixed, obesity fixed.
2. It's crazy fun and addictive. You will make time to go climbing. There is no concept of "I should probably go climbing but..." like there is with the gym, running, etc. If it's physically possible to go climbing now without definitely getting fired, you're going.
3. It's measurable, so it presses the "leveling up" buttons that seem to be hard-wired into dev types. You'll spend years stuck at V6, grinding 4 nights a week in the gym, loving every minute of it in the hope of one day advancing to V7.
4. It gets you traveling. Sure, there's enough rock around town to keep you going on the weekends, and there's some good areas that you can hit for a weekend roadtrip (which by the way will be where you spend every single weekend from here on out). But all the best rock is halfway around the world. You'll save up to spend a winter on the beach in Thailand, summer roadtripping across Europe, and if you ever end up in Paris on business you'll look me up in Fontainebleau and I'll take you out for the single best day of bouldering in your life here in the forest.
Head down to the climbing gym tonight. It'll ruin your life. In a good way.
> If it's physically possible to go climbing now without definitely getting fired, you're going.
Hahaha, it's like this with every outdoor sport I can think of: Climbing, surfing, hang-gliding, mountain biking. When something is crazy fun to do and gives you that adrenaline boost/endorphin rush/seratonin spike, work can wait... as long as you're not getting fired, life is good :P
I'm fat (170 cm 102 kg). I go bouldering about 3 times a week.
It's a lot harder when overweight. I haven't progressed as fast as everyone around me, and it is frustrating watching people who aren't overweight climb for the first time because they typically can do things I can't. It's also extremely fun and addicting, and everyone that climbs at my gym tends to be supportive and not at all judgemental.
Hang in there, and consider trying crack or face climbing. One of the best wall climbers I ever had the privilege of following around was overweight (despite playing soccer and running and everything else). He couldn't boulder for crap but he had great balance and body english.
Obesity and climbing are a tough combination. I would recommend trying indoor climbing at first and working on routes that don't overhang (wall is <= 90 deg from the angle of the floor). If you work this in with a routine like cycling/runnning/swimming and a proper diet (start eating less carbs unless you plan on working out within the next couple of hours), you can develop a body built for climbing while picking up proper technique at the early stages.
Fully agree with all that you are saying. Especially the " If it's physically possible to go climbing now without definitely getting fired, you're going." part. I went yesterday evening, my skin is still sore, but if I could leave work right now to go climbing, I'd be gone in an instant. I'll be close to Font in June, so looking forward to visiting already, palms sweaty just thinking about it.
Like many devs, my jobs and most of my hobbies tend to be very cerebral, and I spend almost all of my time deep inside my own head. I think living this way contributes to feeling disconnected from the world and ultimately anxiety.
Rock climbing is extremely grounding, even compared to other sports. You have to use all of your muscles, and pay careful attention to what your hands are doing. You feel the weight of gravity and the stress of being in a high place, and then this wonderful feeling of accomplishment when you reach the top.
Nothing puts you in the 'now' like climbing. It's like the perfect therapy for spacey people.
Hello fellow boulderer! I have seen (anecdotally) that climbing has adverse effects on slouching. Your back muscles grow disproportionately to your chest muscles producing rounded, hunched shoulders.
The muscle growth you describe would have the opposite effect. Back muscles help pull the arms and back to the back.
That's just a general rule though. If you hang from your shoulders but let your shoulders go, instead of pulling them back (which builds back muscles), I can imagine a slouched look developing. But if you pull back your shoulders it'll have the opposite effect, building muscle that improves your form.
I guess at the end of the day you have to focus on the sport you love, and do correcting exercises to keep your body in balance on the side. Most sports have lots of repetition on key moves and they lead to all kinds of issues, so I'd argue this is true for any sport.
Having large strong back muscles pulls your shoulders back and keeps you from slouching. The opposite happens if your chest grows disproportionately larger than your back (whether the weight up front is due to muscle or fat).
Also, the core strength developed when climbing supports good posture by makes it much easier to sit or stand up straight for long periods. Not sure
Counter that by also taking up Surfing. One good month-long surfing trip per year will bend you back to where you need to be.
I used to be decidedly concave when I was only climbing. Now I'm roughly planar, varying slightly over the year depending on the current proportions of climbing to surfing.
Some boulderers do develop that physique, but they're typically climbing at much higher levels (V5 and up, Bishop V5 not your local gym V5) and tend to be less well built otherwise.
It's not a problem for most people. Most people get a lot of benefit for their posture from climbing.
Climbing gyms? They're plentiful these days, so chances are there's at least one in your town (or seven if you're in a major city). $15 will get you a daypass to try it out, and it's comparable to any other gym membership in cost long term.
As to climbing outside, rock shoes cost $150 and the internet will tell you everything you need about where to go and how to do it.
1. It works the right muscles to fight all the terrible things that programming does to your body. Slouching fixed, wrist issues fixed, obesity fixed.
2. It's crazy fun and addictive. You will make time to go climbing. There is no concept of "I should probably go climbing but..." like there is with the gym, running, etc. If it's physically possible to go climbing now without definitely getting fired, you're going.
3. It's measurable, so it presses the "leveling up" buttons that seem to be hard-wired into dev types. You'll spend years stuck at V6, grinding 4 nights a week in the gym, loving every minute of it in the hope of one day advancing to V7.
4. It gets you traveling. Sure, there's enough rock around town to keep you going on the weekends, and there's some good areas that you can hit for a weekend roadtrip (which by the way will be where you spend every single weekend from here on out). But all the best rock is halfway around the world. You'll save up to spend a winter on the beach in Thailand, summer roadtripping across Europe, and if you ever end up in Paris on business you'll look me up in Fontainebleau and I'll take you out for the single best day of bouldering in your life here in the forest.
Head down to the climbing gym tonight. It'll ruin your life. In a good way.