Your first bouldering session: what actually happens.

Walking into a climbing gym for the first time can feel like turning up to a party where everyone already knows each other. Chalk everywhere, people staring at walls, words like "beta" and "send". Here's exactly what happens, so nothing surprises you.

Before you arrive

Sign the waiver online. It takes two minutes and means you can skip the queue at the desk. Wear something stretchy and bring a water bottle. That's it: shoes, chalk and everything else are waiting for you.

The induction

Inductions start every hour, on the hour. A coach walks a small group around the gym and covers three things.

• How to fall: land on your feet, bend your knees and roll back

• Where not to stand: never underneath someone who's climbing

• How to read the circuits: find the coloured tape at the start hold

You don't need to be strong to start. You need to climb down when you're tired, and come back next week.

Your first hour on the wall

Start on the Yellow circuit. Try each problem a few times, rest for a couple of minutes between attempts and watch how other people move. Your forearms will tire long before the rest of you. That's normal.

After your first session

Come back within a week while it's fresh. Most people move from Yellow to Green by their third visit, and the new problems every Monday and Thursday mean there's always something new to try.