Climber Weight

the knee pain would be a big issue but if he's walking q2 miles behind a mower tree life would be easier on the knees. the worst thing for my acl tear was not climbing but getting in and out of the truck and feeding the chipper. and potholes in the lawn while dragging brush.
 
I definitely think you can do it, but it will take a year or two of very hard work to get in better shape. You’ll need to lose 100 lbs and rehab your knee, maybe get another surgery. In order to do this, you’ll probably have to completely change your lifestyle. Bear in mind that a production climber is a professional athlete. Most of us have to do some training and conditioning outside of work in order to be able to do this job day in and day out.
 
as an owner I think the ultimate goal should be to phase yourself out of the production part and try and grow business to support experienced climbers.

Basically...look at the long term plan, you will eventually need to limit wear and tear on your body. Tree work is hard on the body and despite those who deny they will never stop......it is an ultimate dead end unless you have an exit plan or strategy to maintain production without your direct participation.

probably gonna piss off a few folks here.......

if you are completely reliant on yourself doing the climbing/production......you are one injury away from shutting down
 
Your weight will not be a problem for the kind of climbing you described. I have known some huge men that were very capable at doing removals. Your bum knee is most likely going to be a problem though. The only way you will know for sure is to give it a try. Keep your gear purchases on the simple basic equipment side. Any harness that will fit you, a 16 strand rope, a stiff fat flip line, and spurs with a metal shin cup that will keep them from moving around on your leg.

You say that you have done some climbing in the past, was it on spurs?
 
When I was overweight (a mere 25lbs) it was a BITCH moving aroung in a tree. Oh sure, spur climbing a connifer was doable but getting out on a limb to tie a rope or hook a sling? PITA!!!

Are you a smoker, Treesplease?
 
I'm really surprised by a lot of the responses on this thread, would have expected a lot more support...

'Service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on earth' - Muhammad Ali

Support for what?
Grossly overweight guys deciding to enter jobs where you have to be in shape in order to achieve anything.

Sorry, Patrick, I'm not American.
That means two things:

To me being 5' 11" and weighing 280 pds is not normal. It is being obese. Obese people have no place in climbing IMO.

Second thing is I don't do the politically correct thing that you and Kevin apparently subscribe to. IMO people with no legs or a BMI over 25 have no place in climbing, neither do black people,Hard core muslims, Eskimos or those with red hair. Personally I absolutely refuse to hire the red haired.
 
My point, Butch, is that Americans are generally so fat today, that they look at fat people as being normal.

When we went to climb Sequopias in 2011, the boys really wanted to eat some MEAT afterwards.
When we came out to the coast, they found a place called; " Big Bubba's bad barbeque".
They served HUGE platters of grilled , dead animals, adorned with potatoes fried in oil and one ( 1) leaf of parsley.
Pretty much my idea of hell.

Anyway, as you can imagine, the clientel was a bunch of hugely fat people.
At one time 3 girls came in. 2 were hugely fat, and the third was sort of prancing around, doing an" Ain't I pretty" thing, because she was maybe 100 pds lighter than the other two.

Thing is, In Denmark the 3rd girl would have been considered very fat.

That was when I realized how much standards have slipped in the US.

My second point was that I get soooooooooooo tired of the: " Oh no, we shouldn't exclude anyone from doing anything ,political correctness, that Kevin immediately came up with and now Patrick, too.
 
Not just what in the States of course?

Slipping standards or PC.
 
The normalisation of obesity, I was back in the UK for Christmas, walking round the town looking at young women’s rear ends (my coping mechanism for having to go shopping) is now mostly a wasteland of giant arses covered in denim. Very dispiriting.
 
Ok, I have to respectfully disagree. When I graduated high school, I was 180 and 5 11. I was an athlete, swimming and baseball, and worked out like it was a job year round, and worked landscaping construction in my limited off time. I easily was averaging 4-5 hours a day working out, everyday. I could do over 50 dips with a 45 pound weight tied to me, 20 pull ups with a 35 tied on, and still have pool records that stand 17 years later in a population area of 300k (ok they were relays, it was my off sport :/: ) bmi was over 25 then, but I was a friggin' beast. Most sports here in the us are based on strength, and hardcore cycled weight training is almost mandatory to be competitive. We are a fat nation, but male bmi is higher due to this in most cases of blue collar workers here ime. I was even asked by a laborer this summer how I could still be working as hard as I was, 14 hours in wearing bibs and a welding jacket, heat index over 100, with 20 min of breaks all day. While weight climbing is a detriment, it's far from a deal breaker for someone who does it on an intermittent basis, for himself. While he (or I for that matter) will never get to the production level of smaller climbers, it can be done. Furthermore, climbing isn't needed in all areas. Most tree guys here (Illinois) haven't ever even put a harness on.
 
BMI is nonsense as a measurement. My BMI is terrible. My bodyfat is under 10%, easily. Possibly closer to half that.


You really must need to change your diet and get some professional assistance. People trying to lose major weight all on their own is like trying to do your own tree work. Sometimes it can be done. Most times, not. Wishing you the best of luck with it.

FWIW, my brother was able to lose 50 pounds with limited medical intervention, but you can probably guess, its a yo-yo on the scale of years. When I was recently visiting, he ate grits with tons of white sugar, fried hashbrowns, and a cheese omelet for more than one breakfast. He's floated in the 300-350# range for most of his adult life. A tough row to hoe, and I don't know how to help him, but I know that there are professionals that specialize in that stuff, like I do trees.

In my estimation, climbing at your weight is likely to lead to an injury that could put you out with a serious injury. There is no way I'd be climbing carrying an extra 100 pounds. I'd get hurt, no doubt. It would possibly put you out of the extensive walking you're working in now. That would exacerbate the situation in many ways.

People cross-train before skiing season for a reason. They don't want to get hurt.

Consider finding a subcontractor (s) for the moment to do the climbing. Learn from watching them. Work your way up to it.


That guy that Kevin posted about was a very experienced Parkour athlete, who went schizo, and needed meds and treatment. His meds contributed to a lot of fat-gain. He's training and working his way back.
 
Don't know, but chasing a mower that much at that weight (assuming he is using walk behinds) is a huge aerobic workout that lasts all day....
 
Sh-t. I've met many skinny people who can't climb. The size doesn't make the climber. You can either do it, or you can't.
 
And being 70 pds overweight doesn't matter a bit.

Sorry, I stand corrected.
 
Nor should you.
They suck!

Especially the red haired ones.
 
I actually did once, skinny as a rail and pasty white. couldn't make it past 1 ocklock before crashing.
 
I wouldn't be inclined to hire a vegetarian. WAY too few know how to be a vegetarian and an intense athlete.

I was pretty much literally never 'full' for three years, and that was while going to school, riding my bike for transport to/ from class, and rock climbing.

I don't get enough calories, now, at 44, even when I consciously order the more calorie-dense stuff on the menu.
 
Then why did you hire him?
I got tired of having fat, out of shape guys and gals show up for trials for apprenticeship with us.
Last time we had to go through 6 before we found one worth working with.
He graduated last week and is now hired by us.

That is why I started simply saying, BMI over 25, tobacco smoker or red hair.............don't waste your time applying.
 
BTW, I'm not a vegetarian.
I just don't eat meat.

Huge difference.
 
yeah that guy was in love with plants and trees so I thought he's make a good hire. but he had no clue how to eat right. diet is important. but again the o.p. is not asking any of us to hire him.
 
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