Recovery in Climbing: Part II

This post is a follow-up from Part I of the series, “Recovery in Climbing”

How can I improve short term recovery?

Your ability to recover quickly after performing difficult climbing moves or exercises is directly related to your aerobic fitness level. Some strategies that could help accelerate recovery in the short term (i.e. within or between climbs) are explained below.  

1.     Limit fatigue: One way to enhance your short-term recovery is to limit your fatigue by climbing more efficiently. Climbing with good technique and making use of proper body positioning leads to a lower intensity of muscle contraction and less time under tension required to complete a climb successfully. Lower magnitudes of muscle contraction and reduced time under load will result in the formation of fewer metabolic by-products, and therefore, reduce the level of physical fatigue you need to recover from.

2.     Active Rest: Active rest has been shown to reduce lactate (a by-product of energy metabolism) build-up in your muscles. Instead of sitting down immediately after a send attempt on your climbing project, try going for a short walk around the gym, or quick hike at the crag. Light intensity exercise will help speed up the removal of lactate and hydrogen ions from circulation and enhance your performance on your next attempt!

3.     Hydration: Did you know that your muscles are comprised of mostly water? Over 70% of your muscles are made up of water, and water is also an important factor in many vital cellular functions. Dehydration will both decrease performance and harm recovery. Try pre-hydrating before your next climb by increasing your water intake during the hours leading up to your workout and continue to hydrate throughout the climbing session.

How can I improve medium-term recovery?

Medium-term recovery can be thought of as the recovery that occurs during the 24 hours following exercise. Your medium-term recovery will impact how much energy you have by the end of a long day pf climbing, and your ability to recuperate over a night of rest. This type of recovery is extremely important if you intend to climb or train multiple days in a row, or multiple times within one day. It also plays a big role in your performance on climbing trips. How do you improve medium-term recovery?

1.     Refuel while climbing: Consuming calories throughout the day is required for maintaining adequate blood-glucose levels. Eating small serving of high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich foods throughout your climbing day (approximately every couple of hours) will help you maintain your energy while climbing and kickstart the recovery process.

2.     Fuel after climbing: Delaying refueling after you climb by even a couple of hours can greatly reduce your body’s ability to replenish its fuel stores and significantly impair your climbing performance on subsequent days. Try refueling with a carbohydrate and protein rich snack within 30 minutes of climbing, and with a complete meal containing calories from carbohydrates, protein, and fats within 2 hours of your session.

3.     Increase circulation to hard-working muscle groups: incorporating dynamic stretches, and muscle release techniques such as sports massage and trigger point release into your warm-up and adding passive stretches into your cool-down will help to increase circulation to all the hard-working muscles you utilize to climb, particularly the forearm (finger flexors and extensors), upper arm, and shoulder muscles. If you are unfamiliar with active and passive mobility, sports massage, and trigger point release, come visit one of the physiotherapists or registered massage therapists at Elios Health who will happily teach you all about them!

How can I improve long-term recovery?

Long-term recovery references the recovery processes that occur between days as your body recuperates from a high intensity workout or a couple of intense days of climbing. Waking up the day after a climbing session with sore muscles (delayed onset muscle soreness) it is a sign that your body has incurred microtraumas and depending on the duration and intensity of the workout in combination with the effectiveness of your recovery strategies, your body may need a day (or a few days) of rest. Even during your rest days, there are things you can actively engage in to promote recovery and equip your muscles and mind for your next climb.

1.     Stretch, foam roll, massage: gentle stretching, foam rolling, and massage are great ways to promote circulation and aid in muscle recovery during your rest days. The physiotherapists and massage therapists at Elios health can provide treatments such as massage, active tissue release, and intramuscular stimulation to promote recovery, as well as provide you with gentle stretches and exercises you can perform at home to improve your recovery.

2.     Consume smaller, more frequent meals: Evidence has shown that consuming six smaller meals at equal increments throughout the day enhances recovery better than eating three larger meals. Remember to include all the essential macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fats), as well as a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables in these meals and snacks to ensure your body receives all of the building blocks it needs to promote muscle recovery and strength.

3.     Sleep: Most neuromuscular regeneration occurs while you are sleep. Enough, good quality sleep is essential for any climber who takes their training and performance seriously. In an ideal world, 8-10 hours of sleep is recommended following a day of training or strenuous climbing, however, between a full-time job, climbing, training, family, school, and other commitments, most people are a far stretch away from this goal. At minimum, you want to get 6-7 hours of sleep per night to provide your body with adequate opportunity for recovery.

4.     Light activity: As previously mentioned, active rest has high value in accelerating an athlete’s recovery after strenuous exercise. Active rest enhances circulation of nutrients throughout the body, aids in the elimination of metabolic by-products from the muscles and helps to loosen up sore and stiff muscles. Low intensity hiking, jogging, biking, walking, and swimming are great ways to incorporate active rest into your training program.

At Elios Health, our Main Street physiotherapists, Vancouver RMTs and NDs understand that recovery is equally as important to your climbing performance as the training itself. Plus, effective recovery has the added bonus of injury prevention. For more tips, tricks, and guidance on how you can enhance recovery and improve performance, book an appointment with us today!

Reference: Horst, E. J. (2016). Training For Climbing: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Performance. Falcon Guides.

 Original Post by Rachel Rubin-Sarganis
Photo by Bradley Dunn