Tips for Recovery & Preparation

The First Climb Experience

Picture this: your first time climbing. You push your body against the V-point scale, maybe even shoot your shot at your first dyno. You climb until your forearms can’t take it anymore. Your skin starts to crack from using chalk, and you might even begin to blister from trying that dyno one too many times.

Optimistically, you look forward to trying it the next day. But when the next day comes, you feel sore in places you’ve never been sore before. Your fingers ache, your forearms are on fire, and your toes hurt. You look at your hands—horror! They’re in significantly worse shape than yesterday: bright red, with calluses pulsing and on the brink of blistering.

What do you do? When does the pain end? How did this happen?

Step One: Take a Deep Breath

Every climber has been in your shoes. Here are a few tips and tricks to get you back into climbing and help better prepare you for future sessions.

Rest & Recovery

Despite counting down the milliseconds to hit the road and head back to your local climbing gym, rest is the most important thing you can do for your body.

• Hydrate: Drink plenty of fluids to help circulate the lactic acid buildup in your forearms.

• Eat Well: Nutritious foods will replenish your body and set you up for your next session.

• Recovery Time: Ideally, it takes 48 to 72 hours to fully recover from strenuous activity. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stretch or move your body. Staying active increases blood flow and promotes healing from the microtears that occur during exercise.

• Active Recovery: Stretching, yoga, and casual walks are all ways to move without primarily engaging the muscles used for climbing.

Skin Care for Climbers

Skin is a major factor in climbers’ recovery. There are many hand balms and creams that help with healing blisters or thin skin. Many climbing companies offer oil-based or oil-free solutions to help get your skin back to pristine condition. Regardless of which you use, keeping your hands moisturized is best.

To prevent calluses from turning into blisters, some climbers file down or trim excess skin. If you do, be very careful—only file excess skin, not your actual skin. It’s always safer to file less, especially if you’re unsure.

Preparing for Your Next Visit

So, you’re able to make your way back to the gym. Great! This time, here are some things to be mindful of to prevent feeling as fatigued as on your first visit:

• Understand Your Body: Your first time, your body was adapting and using different muscle groups. Soreness was unavoidable, but you can still do many things to allow you to climb the next day.

• Warm Up Properly: Take your time with jumping jacks, arm circles, gate openers/closers, or anything to warm your entire body up. Loosen up your joints so you don’t shock your body into high-intensity activity.

• Take Breaks: Climbing is a social sport—socialize! Chat with other climbers about different beta to figure out the climb together. The more you rest, the more you give your body time to reset before giving it your all on the wall.

• Stretch or Foam Roll After: Before heading home, consider stretching or using a foam roller. Stretching or rolling out your muscles can help kickstart the healing process by moving lactic acid throughout the body. Plus, stretching increases mobility and stability, further preparing you for future climbs. Rolling out your muscles also helps relieve tension by releasing knots.

In Conclusion

Rest and recovery are important. But being able to think through your climbing session is another way to better prepare for future sessions.