– The reason why I wanted to research this comes from my own experiences as a climber, says Martine Limstrand. Climbing is a rapidly growing sport in Norway. But sport also has some challenges. Martine Limstrand hopes to soon start a doctoral program in social sustainability in sport, and she recently submitted her master’s degree at Nord University. In the thesis, the former top climber has looked at how the body ideal in climbing affects the athletes’ ability to develop in a healthy and safe way. – There has always been a lot of talk about the body in climbing. People compare themselves to climbers they look up to or competitors. They can work hard to get a body that matches the ideal body, says Limstrand. And the body ideal in climbing can be difficult to achieve. – Climbing is all about challenging gravity. Therefore, you must be strong, but at the same time you must be light. It is a demanding balance, says Limstrand. And little is said about the body and food in climbing, she believes. – This means that athletes can try to find solutions to achieve what they think is the ideal body on their own, says Limstrand. – You risk losing weight or starting to eat differently without follow-up. Then you can end up in a bad spiral where you see that you lose weight and start to perform better. In the long term, it can develop into eating disorders or injuries. IN ITALY: Martine Limstrand lives in Henningsvær because of the immediate proximity to the mountain and the climbing opportunities. But she has also been to Sicily and climbed. Photo: @martinnelim / Instagram A well-known problem in climbing Magnus Midtbø is not only known from season 12 of “Master of Masters”. He stopped competitive climbing in 2017, but is still considered one of Norway’s best climbers. Midtbø has struggled with eating disorders. – I thought that the only way I could become as good as the others was to look more like them, by losing weight, he has told news previously. In one year he lost ten kilos. Watch Magnus Midtbø do pullups with one finger. The problem is also known to the climbing association. A few years ago, they introduced a requirement that all national team athletes must submit a health certificate showing that they meet specific weight requirements in order to be allowed to compete. But in her research, Martine Limstrand has seen that this is not just a challenge for professionals. Hobby climbers can also have an unfortunate relationship with their bodies, she says. But Limstrand has also found several possible moves that can take the focus away from the body in climbing. Bar ban In his research, Limstrand has spoken to both climbers and trainers to find out what they think will work to get a healthier attitude towards the body. In international climbing, there is now a BMI requirement to participate. But according to Limstrand, there are few consequences if you are below the limit. She has found that the climbing community believes there are other things that will work better. A simple measure is a “bar ban”. – It’s simply about keeping your shirt on, says the researcher. It is quite common to throw your shirt away when climbing. Many of those Limstrand has spoken to believe that such a ban will take the focus away from the body, and rather onto performance. In addition, Limstrand believes that a lot of responsibility lies with those who set the routes in the climbing wall. Should the climbing route be made with small grips that you can barely grasp? Lightweight people who can carry a lot of their own body weight? Or should there be large roofs with a long distance from each other? A route that is more suitable for people who are strong and explosive? – There are much more heavy and explosive moves. Therefore, we see that there are more athletes who have more muscles now than before. – What do you do to balance this when you make new routes? – Everyone should have some routes that suit them when they come to a climbing centre. We take care to make fun routes, which can be technically challenging without requiring you to be strong in terms of your own body weight to manage them. Martine Limstrand has also caught on to the changes Pettersen is talking about. And she sees that it has done something with the ideal body in climbing. – It’s not like the majority are razor thin with zero fat percentage. They have other things they are good at. Nowadays, it is more important to be versatile, but we still have a way to go, especially on the women’s side. – Because it’s not like you have to be razor thin to climb? The Norwegian Climbing Association points out that there is already a “bar ban” on competitions. – In all our competitions, you must compete in a T-shirt and singlet, says general secretary Johanna Solberg. Now they will discuss the findings in the master’s degree, and see if there is something they would recommend to the climbing centre. – We cannot introduce any bans for commercial centres, but we can make any recommendations.
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Martine Limstrand proposes bar ban in climbing – news Nordland
