You’ve got this…

So you run. Every night after work.

Keeps you fit, helps clear the mind after a tough day in the office. And as a bonus, means you can run fast enough to make that train with a minute to spare.

But what about climbing? What transferable skills does messing around in a bouldering gym give you? Quite a few as it turns out…

To start with, what has improved? Strength for one, especially in the fingers. Balance, flexibility and co-ordination are a huge part of climbing and thus incredibly important. Route reading, mental agility, the ability to shrug off the pressure of the send. Oh, and without trying, you’ve picked up a whole new language…

Other than trying to open that stubborn glass jar of pickles, there are plenty of benefits climbing can bring to your day to day life. Posture for one. Yes, climbers are renowned for their slumped forward shoulders, but with a stronger core, you shouldn’t have any problems sitting up straight at work for hours on end.

Better footwork equals an ability to dart through the packed rush hour streets, tubes and trains. Not to mention the ability to deftly negotiate the Christmas shopping hoards.

A head for heights is useful for cleaning gutters, replacing a stray roof tile, not to mention sneakily clambering up supermarket shelves for that elusive last packet of biscuits nestled right at the back.

Keys fallen down the back of the radiator? Anyone else might throw their hands up in desperation - trust a climber to be able to wiggle their hand down instead and retrieve the keys using just one little finger.

That’s the thing about climbing, you might plateau on a particular grade or skill and get frustrated but you are already so much stronger than you believe. Mentally as much as physically.