First, the real key to making climbing shoes not hurt is to actually buy the correct size, and to not downsize to the point where you are in unbearable pain.
Sizing down is fine, as long as you know what you are doing and not sizing down too much, and that you actually understand the concept of sizing down and how shoes stretch.
The other crucial key, assuming you have bought the correct size, is to just wear them and climb in them. That really is the best way to stretch them.
There are many different methods of stretching them, such as just wearing them in the house, sleeping in them, showering in them, and many others.
A quick search can show you a lot of crazy methods, which some may work, but, even after doing those methods and having the shoe actually stretch, when you put it on and climb in it, it still won't be comfortable since it was not stretched in the same way that you would stretch it while climbing.
When you climb, your shoes bend and twist in all kinds of ways, ways which can't really be mimicked by just walking in them, sleeping in them, or putting them in the freezer, or by any of the other strange methods. Your feet need to be in them and need to be what stretches them.
Just climb in them, they will stretch and fit your feet much better, and they will be stretched in according to the way you actually use them on the wall.
But, it doesn't mean that you have to bleed all over the holds..
Wrap it up. Really, it will be better for you and for everyone else.
If you don't have a gym, there are still plenty of exercises that you can do that can make you a stronger climber.
Depending on where you live, your best bet may be to just find a playground, they usually have pull-up bars and other equipment that you can do some body-weight exercises.
You can do pull-ups and all of its many variations. Push-ups and all of its variations. Running, sprinting, or jogging for legs. You can also do squats and calf raises, which are great.
You can also either buy or make a hangboard and a pinch block. These are the two classic climbing exercise equipment. The pinch block would be the easier to make, or the cheaper to buy, it's really just a block of wood with a hole in the middle of it to attach a rope and weights to it. The only issue is that you need weights for this to be effective, or something heavy that you can attach to it, like a heavy rock.
Other than that, if you can get a hangboard, that will be your next best option. Hangboards are used for training your fingers by hanging from them from your fingertips. Be warned though that it is very easy to injure yourself on hangboards, and most suggest only doing it after 1 year of climbing.
I always go for body weight exercises. There are always exercises that you can do to challenge yourself and that you can find hard, like learning to do handstands and doing handstand push-ups.
The real question would be if planks are good for your core.
Your core is very important for climbing as it is used in almost any climbing move, and can really help make you a better climber. It helps stabilize you, it can help keep you closer to the wall, and it can help you move in ways that without core strength would be very, very difficult.
So, core strength is very important for climbing, now the question is if planks are a good core exercise, or if it has little effect on the core.
Based on what can be found online, many people suggest doing planks instead of other exercises such as crunches due to less strain on the spine.
Planks work your back, shoulders, abs, legs and arms, all at the same time, while putting less strain on your spine, which is why many people recommend it.
Whether there are other exercises that are better for core strength than planks is another question, but based on what experts say and on research that can be found online, doing planks is a great exercise for core strength, which should translate to being a great exercise for climbing since climbing requires a strong core.
Yes! Bouldering is one of those sports that you really don't need anyone with you to do it, you can sign up to a climbing gym and just start climbing.
It's a very friendly sport, most climbers are very helpful, open and willing to help others and climb with others, if of course that is what you want, if not then you can always just go and climb on your own.
It does help to climb with others, it helps when you have others to bounce ideas of off, or to learn from, but even if you want to go and climb alone as a hobby, a meditative practice, or what ever the reason, you can just go and do it.
If you are asking about outdoor bouldering, then the answer is no, you will need additional people with you to keep you safe and watch over you as you climb. Climbing gyms are different in this aspect as the routes are usually built much safer than the routes you may find outdoors, they are usually also shorter, so even if you fall, you don't fall from very height up. In gyms, you also fall on climbing mats, which are basically mattresses that soften your fall, whereas with outdoor bouldering you will need to bring enough crash pads to cover the area below you, which can add to the risk if not well-prepared.
Rock climbing can broaden your shoulders, but it depends on how your body reacts to training.
I am normally pretty skinny, with not too much muscle. But, when I climb, I gain quite a bit of muscle mass, which makes it seem as if I have been lifting weights for a while. I very often get asked how I work out and how much weight I lift, which I don't, I just climb and at the most do body weight training such as pull-ups.
On the other hand, I have friends who climb and train almost exactly like me, who eat better also, but don't gain weight or muscle mass like I do.
So it really depends on your body and how it reacts to training. Some grow faster than others, some get stronger than others.
Not really. Climbing is more of a pulling exercise for the upper body. This basically leaves your chest and triceps sort of neglected, which is why many climbers do antagonist training such as push-ups, dips, and bench presses.
There are some climbing moves such as mantles that use your triceps, and to some very slight extent, your chest. But for the most part, your chest is not used enough to build it a lot, at least not as much as your other muscles are used, such as your back. Which, again, will cause an imbalance in your muscles if you don't train your chest and triceps specifically. Your posture could be effected by this quite a lot.
You do need certain levels of upper and lower body strength, but, the amount of strength really depends on the grade you want to climb.
If you are a beginner, then you don't really need any extra strength to start climbing, as the beginner level routes are very easy. They are similar to climbing ladders, just with some curves.
If you want to climb harder grades, then yes you will need upper body strength, and lower body strength also. Though, by the time you get to these harder routes, you will probably build up that strength anyway through your climbing journey to those grades, and if not, you can include some additional training into your schedule.
Just to point this out though, I have quite a bit of upper body strength as I have been lifting weights for many years on and off, and I climb v7/v8 normally. I have a friend who is significant weaker than me, but, he climbs v8+ and is a much better climber than me. The point is that even if you do not have a lot of upper body strength, you can still be a great climber and climb hard routes. The upper body strength helps, but it's really a combination of strength and technique that will make the biggest difference.
Because it is both a physical challenge, and also a mental challenge. Yes, many sports include a mental challenge, but climbing specifically requires problem-solving skills.
The sport requires you to understand the routes, to understand your options and how to get to the top. A rock climbing route is essentially a puzzle that you need to solve. Solving it is both a mental and physical challenge. To solve it, you need to understand the route, how it's built and what it requires, and you need to understand what your capabilities and skills are. Then you need to use those understandings to find the best way to reach the top for you.
This is another great part of the sport - there is no one correct way to reach the top.
Every climber can have their own climbing style, some are more powerful, some are more technical, some combine the two. Some prefer crimpy holds, some prefer pinches. Some are flexible, some are not.
Every one of these elements, and more, contribute to the climbing style of the climber, which makes each climber quite unique in the way they climb, and in the way they solve the puzzles (climb the routes).
This means that you may see 10 people reaching the top of a route, and each of them may have done it in a slightly different way, and you yourself may also do it in a different way.
Climbing shoes are not meant to hurt, they are meant to be tight, which for some, do mean that they may hurt a little bit.
How tight they should be, though, depends on the climber.
Climbers need their climbing shoes to be tight so that they can stand on very tiny and delicate holds, and for their feet to no slip or move within the shoe, or at least to minimize that as much as possible.
This, though, is usually a requirement of high level climbers, those who have been climbing for years and can actually benefit from the added performance the shoes can give.
Beginner climbers on the other hand have no reason to wear shoes that are so tight, as the routes they will be climbing will not require such delicate and precise feet placements, and will not have such small holds.
As climbers progress up the grades and climb harder and harder routes, it does make sense to start getting tighter shoes, but only as required. There is no point in having super tight and expensive shoes if they don't actually bring you any value in comparison to beginner climbing shoes or to just looser climbing shoes, especially if the tighter shoes are just painful.
With all of that said, there is a slight level of pain that climbers may feel with climbing shoes, mainly with new shoes, but this has more to do with the fact that the shoes are just not comfortable, it shouldn't be actual pain.
Climbing shoes are not comfortable, and this discomfort may be the cause of some pain, but, this is temporary until your feet get used to climbing shoes.
Once you have been climbing for a while, you will actually start to feel quite comfortable in climbing shoes, and yes, you may even refer to them as "comfortable".
There is also a point to make about fitting the right shoe for the right foot.
Not all shoes fit everyone. So it is important to try on different pairs and to find the ones that actually fit your feet well. This is because climbing shoes are all made differently. They are made from different materials, and can have slightly different shapes and bends, especially in the toe area and the heel.
