l am interested in joining the rock climbing team at my school this winter. Normally, l am a basketball player, but my size has always impeded my performance. As a result, I am rather new to rock climbing and would like to learn more before l commit. Thanks.

You need to work on ur cardio before hand so that u can breath easier while you're climbing. That is my experience. Running, hiking, hill climbing, stairs r great for training too. If u do not have want a gym I'd get a chin up bar for ur house like l did (from Walmart).

Try some aerobic too or something similar. It helps with flexibility & movement.

You will have to find some balance exercises too (very important).

Climbing helps with resistance, muscle building, endurance, etc.

It is not a really good aerobic activity by itself, but many rock climbers including myself also hike to get to outdoor climbing areas which can be very good exercise when carrying a lot of weight & hiking up steep trails.

You can also do things in the gym - like doing laps on an easy route (maybe climb it 3 times in a row) or climb up & then down climb. Since climbing is more of a strength activity, maybe climb & do the stepper in the gym for both kinds of activity.

Good Luck