r/bouldering

This is not really a rant, just thought maybe this could help anyone else who's hitting a wall in bouldering.

I'm quite short (5"feet or 152cm) and have been bouldering for close to a year. I was really enjoying myself the first 9 or so months. I made steady progress and got to around 6A or 6B (I'm not sure what this is on the american V scale).

However, two things started happening at that point. One was the gym I went to decided to change the route setting and went for a lot more dynamic routes and more big reaches. The other- which I honestly think was far more impactful on my climbing- was that I was experiencing burnout and stress in my personal life. I was struggling on climbs a full 2 grades below what I was doing prior to the route change and I was far more easily scared by attempting big reaches or any dynamic moves at all. Bouldering used to be my fun diversion from stress and then suddenly became something I was dreading. I was also getting injured a lot more frequently, small muscle pulls, soreness lasting longer, and more muscle cramps than before.

I was not having fun and considering quitting.

This went on for a few months. At that pont, a friend recommended I try taking a break. I was resistant at first because it felt like "losing" but I realised they were right. I stopped for two weeks.

It took a few days for the soreness to completely go away and after a week my body felt a lot better. During the second week I was starting to want to go climbing again, just randomly when I was alone and not talking about bouldering with anyone. I started watching bouldering reels and climbing videos and actively considering how I'd try to solve the route and stuff like that.

I've been a few times since my break ended and it's already been a lot better and easier than before. I decided to focus less on completing routes and more on practicing stuff I was bad at before (dynos, big reaches, small dynamic moves). And I've already made progress on boulders that I barely managed to start a few weeks ago. The other thing I changed was instead of going every other day I now go twice a week.

So if you're hitting a wall or getting frustrated from a long plateau, a substantial break can help.

I was climbing at the bouldering gym and a parent was backseat climbing his middle school aged (guessing) kid. using a an upset tone of voice and saying things like “why did you not just go for the last move” or criticizing their choice of moves. The whole time using this tone of voice that really bothered me for some reason, and made it hard for me to focus and enjoy climbing.

As I was about to leave, I walked by him in another area and he was doing the same thing and saying something “was complete stupidity” like a climbing move they did wrong like not using a heel hook or something. and so I turned to him and said “it’s embarrassing the way you’re talking to him” and then he said “leave me alone” and gave me this very creepy smile while he said it (but maybe he was just surprised I don’t know).

ended up telling the front desk what happened and just going home because it spoiled it for me.

Anyways, I’m still shaken up about it, but it just really bothered me over hearing that while I was trying to enjoy some bouldering which is usually just a safe place for me to exercise without overhearing stuff like that - at the gym everyone’s usually having a good time.

I was wondering if I’m in the wrong. would you speak up if you saw that?